Nog Minder Eenzaamheid Met Goeie Wyn

Eenzaamheid

I do recall having met with the lovely Eenzaamheid (I refer here to The Wine, not the state of being, which I have also visited but found rather distinctly un-lovely) on a prior occasion. I was not in the least disgruntled by another encounter.

WHITE:

·         Eenzaamheid Chenin Blanc (2012): 29 year old vines, 2^nd vintage produced, matured on lees, 11 months in 4^th fill barrels. Coconutty pineapple oranges, citrusy Pina Colada, full, pouring cream with a squeeze of lemon, like sucking on orange peel. (*)

RED:

·         Eenzaamheid Cuvee 1693 (NV): 49% Shiraz, 28% Pinotage,  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Mourvedre. Caramel strawberries with shortbread, marshmallow Yorkshire pudding, light whipped cream, smooth, puffs of cumin, waify.(*)

·         Eenzaamheid Pinotage Cinsault (2011): Raspberry mousse with cloves, liqueured cherries, light pinch of pepper, very soft but slightly sharp, tangy, steak with creamy sauce.

·         Eenzaamheid Shiraz/Mourvedre/Cinsault (2011): Rhone style, 81% Shiraz, 10% Mourvedre, 9% Cinsault. Chai hot chocolate with orange, sour cherry gummy sweets, sweet smoke, smooth & soft, lurking hot chocolate powder, chalky, ostrich steak with balsamic. (*)

Enlightenment from Eenzaamheid:

·         13 varietals in a Rhone style blend

·         Will be adding Grenache to the Shiraz/Mourvedre/Cinsault in 2014 vintage

·         “A fabulous giraffe print wearing cow steak”

·         “Cinsault is the hipster varietal”

·         Cinsault nose is like “Jannie verjaar koeldrank”

·         Cinsault used for dry ferment is turned into brandy

·         Only vinify 1% of the grapes grown. The rest are supplied to Perdeberg

·         Only 9% of industry doesn’t irrigate vines

The Crown of the Land

            Landskroon

When a tasting of The Wine begins with a concentrated form of wine (read Port) being mixed with lemonade – one knows one is winning. It’s like bubbly mix-a-drink.

 

WHITE:

·         Landskroon Chenin Blanc (2013): 2 -3 months on lees. Brie on green apple, powdery green unripe pears, light nose, full mouth with a quick finish, like swallowing a fat fairy, fizzy sour worms, lurking cheese, Sauv-y.

RED:

·         Paul De Villiers Shiraz (2008): Bush vine, 100% American oak. Cinsault nose, chocolate cake batter, “smells like horse”, strawberry cotton candy, tea-like tannins, soft & whipped cream, savoury, lurking coffee, “Shiraz in a suit”. (*)

·         Paul De Villiers Reserve (2010):  43% Shiraz, 37% Merlot, 6% Cab, 14% Touriga Nacional, American Oak. Cherry coated steak, light & creamy, lightly grippy, hugs all the way down, titch of Bovril, homemade pasta, manor estate wine. (***)

·         Landskroon Port (2003): Tinta Baroca, Tinta Novella, Touriga Nacional, Cinsault, 1 year old brandy, older barrels. Black cherry candy floss, drunken Christmas cake,  grippy raisins clinging to my tongue, want to eat it with braaied meat, teddies by the fireside in my tummy. (**)

·         Landskroon Port (2010): Fresh pepper, cinnamon Chelsea bun essence, sweet but tannic, sugary tea, expansive, sugar syrup with a pinch of nutmeg & cayenne pepper, pinch of biltong powder.

Listening to Landskroon:

·         Estate was registered in 1974

·         Chenin & Chardonnay are trellised

·         Use older barrels for port – higher the alcohol, the more the wine extracts from the oak

·         Brandy is added to wine during ferment to stop fermentation & retain sweetness

·         Actively mix wine with brandy for 1 hour to stop fermentation

 

 

 

 

 

On a Constantia High

High Constantia

I was met with a double magnum of bubbles upon arrival. I shall say no more.

MCC:

·         Clos Andre (2009): Hand riddles, approx. 11 million bubbles per bottle, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Petit Meunieur, 4 & a half years on lees,  0% dosage, 1,1g sugar/litre. Salt & vinegar chips, chocolate Nesquik mixed with sour milk, big bubbles, mouth coating, zesty honey with hollow middle, lurking fruity butterflies dropping petals, molasses Grapetizer. (*)

WHITE:

·         Siverhurst Special Reserve (2013): Sauv from Constantia 7 Kuils River, bottled 4 days prior to tasting. Green apple & lime gums, roasted green pepper, milky pineapple, guava, like gum with a liquid centre – bursts in your mouth, grapefruit, sneaky acid.

·         Cielo Nel Capo Acacia (2012): “Heaven in the Cape”, Port Jackson grapes, 700 bottles. Chickpeas, lemony tannic-ness, sharp, lemony & lime sherbet on a cracker, rich finish, buttered lavender, flinty.

RED:

·         Silverhurst Cabernet Sauvignon (2008): 100% Cab Sauv, grapes from Franschoek (near La Motte). Hugging gummy bears on a roundabout, sneaky sandy spice, soft berry frozen yoghurt milkshake, creamy tartness, melting with summertime happiness, lurking green peppercorns. (**)

·         Petit Verdot (2006): “Arterial in colour”, Madeira cake with strawberry cream, black forest hot chocolate, sharp but creamy, tangy hugs, heavy spiced stew, tea tannins, tea in burlap. (**)

·         Sebastiaan (2006): 45% Cab Franc, 35 % Cab Sauv, 10% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec. Cab driven Bordeaux blend. Youngberry jam, what damson jam is in my head, drunk purple Chappies, creamy tannins, a talking wine.

Notes:

·         Dead yeast cells = lees

·         Yeast eats sugar & releases alcohol & a puff of gas (carbon dioxide)

·         Produce 4 Sauvs – 1 from a single region fermented in tank, 1 tank ferment from 2 regions, 1 in 8 year old French oak, 1 in French Acacia

·         Acacia barrels are rinsed with water 9 times before use to rinse out yellow pigment

·         Smallest farm in Constantia Valley.

·         Reserve Clos Andre spends 9 years on lees

·         2nd set of legs – indicates a quality wine

·         Perfectly clean glass will show no bubbles in MCC – retains the pressure (fizz) longer.

·         Bubbly glasses are diamond etched to encourage carbon dioxide

·         All barrels are tasted blind & the best are marked with an “S” for Sebastiaan blend

·         Sebastiaan was the first wine maker at High Constantia. He planted 34Ha of vines in his first year which washed away.

·         Wine was initially produced to prevent scurvy – no wonder sailors drink so much!

Quaffing a Cove

Fryer’s Cove

This particular tasting was rather remarkable in that I rather enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc. Perhaps the idea that salt improves anything rings true.

WHITE:

• The Jetty Sauvignon Blanc (2012):  07h30 AM wine, mostly consumed on the jetty. Tinned peas, pineapple, litchi, florally sweetness, tinned pea juice, sweet-bitter, easy drinking, tinned fruit cocktail, syrupy, perfumey, oranginess. Bottom end, “artificial wine” – made for Gauteng clients, sugar added through juice concentrate. (*)

• Bay to Bay Sauvignon Blanc (2012):  Tinned peas, tinned green beans, full but acidic, lime rind, fresh vegetable salad, Brie & mozzarella, gets cheesier and more bitter as it breathes. Platter 4*, brunch wine.

• Extreme Frontiers Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Florally, peachy, Viognier-esque nose, baked green pepper, sweet orange pith, rich, strong hard cheese, steamed asparagus water, soft but mineral, 100% free-run juice. Should age. Lunch wine. (**)

• Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Tuna sashimi, metallic, fresh, spritzy, savoury & rich, green vegetable stew, green beans. Saltiness from salt residue on berries.  5* Platter. Should age. Afternoon wine. Sold in dinky “handbag bottles” (*)

RED:

• Bamboes Bay Pinot Noir (2012): Violet perfume, cough syrup, sour spiciness, youngberry, sour, bitter berries, tannic, medicinal.

Comments on the Cove:

• Cellar open from 07h30

• Sauv vines grafted onto cab roots

• Vineyards closest to Atlantic Ocean in SA

• Salt builds up on vines from fog from the ocean

• Cooling system: fresh water runs along 2 stainless steel pipes which run to the end of the jetty

• Don’t use cork due to the high salt in the air = increased likelihood of corking

• Pinot Noir picked 3 weeks before Sauv

• “Why are ladies’ handbags so heavy? They’re full of dinky wine bottles & guilt”

• Yeast takes in the sugar from the juice and poops out alcohol

• Lighthouse is part of the cellar – “we don’t even need lights!”

• Screw caps – “I hope the wine isn’t screwed”

Of Songs and Shiraz

With heavy hearts and happy smiles, one last time into our Magic Tour Bus we piled. Bellies topped up with baked goods and cheese and singing along to the latest tunes, our musical adventure was set to begin.

Out to Stellenbosch we trundled, not discouraged in the least by the fog. If anything, we were encouraged to discover the musical mystery lying ahead.

We emerged from the fog to a most splendid view - that of open bottles of rosé. The farm itself was beautiful as well. After sipping on some pink, we arranged ourselves on a trailer (securely we were assured) to a tractor for an adventure up, up into the hills. On the way we bypassed the beautiful block of song-filled Shiraz where these especially cultured grapes enjoy a constant flow of Baroque to add to the eloquence of the wine they so finely produce.

Upon the hill, we enjoyed some Sauvignon in the sunshine before making our way to the splendidly beautiful cellar, filled with barrels big enough to live in. In fact, I was rather inspired to try. But, since all were filled and the available means of getting inside considerably too small, I shall add that to my list for another day.

Back in the tasting room we were treated to some brilliant bubbles and charming Chenin before being faced with another little challenge. We were once again to blend our own wine (which is becoming a favourite tasking considering the required consumption of The Wine in order to complete said task). We sipped and sat; sat and sang; and finally agreed on our favourite on which to sip. Our creation placed second with the judges, unfortunately this was out of two.

Our spirits were lifting by the sight of lunch – platters of meats and cheeses, breads and patés made for a perfect lunch on a sunny almost-summer’s day.

Inspired by the sunshine, we took to the grass where we learned to throw an array of things – boules at Wellingtons and bottles twirling in the air. There was dancing and merriment and a brief dip in the pond.

Our clothes damp but our spirits not so, we embarked onto our Magic Tour Bus to end the last of our adventures on an exceptionally high note.

A Sip of Avondale

A sneaky after-tasting taste of some lovely examples of The Wine. Unfortunately, due to the nature of being an after tasting tasting, no interesting arbitrary tid bits were recorded.

WHITE:

·         Anima Chenin Blanc (2011): Orange zest in crème caramel, soft & cuddly like cream soup with creamed citrus, bitterness but no freshness, Chevin, Viognier, Roussanne.

·         Cyclus (2010): Honeyed peaches & oranges in toasted butter, soft but fresh, oiliness.

RED:

·         Samsara Syrah (2006): Clovey gummy bears, spicy tannins, warming & cozy.

·         La Luna (2006): Honey perfumed chocolate, minced tannins, filling like oxtail soup.

Amazing Anwilka

Anwilka

I’m not one to single out wine tastings as more exceptional than others – as a general rule, I find them all rather exceptional. In this case, however, I was extremely lucky enough to taste a wine of which 99% is sold for export before even reaching the bottle.

*I was under the influence of influenza medication at the time of this tasting – and the wines were still marvellous!

RED:

·         Anwilka (2007): 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Shiraz + Petit Verdot. Caramelized jam, lurking spicy Marzipan, spicy Bovril berries, thick & salty oxtail soup, lurking meringue sweetness, liquorice tea, biltong cheese spread. (*)

·         Anwilka (2008): 10% Merlot added. Roast quince, camphor,  reduced balsamic vinegar on lamb, bursts of lentil curry with caramel at the end, spicy warm milk with liquorice tea. (*)

·         Anwilka (2009): 4 500 bottles produced, 44% Cabernet, 13 months in oak. Blueberry & violets, spekulaas cookies, chocolate Jolly Jammers with blueberry jam, spicy burnt coffee, sparlking spice up my nose. (**)

·         Anwilka (2011): 87% Shiraz, 13% Cab. Caramel fudge with vanilla & cherry essence, lavender shortbread with caramel, tannic, rich, creamy roux with stock, lurking too-sweet hot chocolate at the end, violet. (*)

·         Petit Frere (2010): “Little Brother”. Strawberry & raspberry hot chocolate, cinnamon & nutmeg in hot chocolate mousse, Woolworths chocolate milkshakes. (***)

·         Bella Rossa (2011): Natural sweet wine, only available in Magnum. 50% Cab, 50% Shiraz. Vine dried & made in the Port style, unfortified. Sweet rhubarb, khoki pen, strawberry nail varnish remover, tongue sticks to palate. “Magnum of interesting awesomeness”

Annotations on Anwilka:

·         Farm merged with Klein Constantia

·         Only produce red blends for their flagship & 2^nd label

·         All are blends of Cab Sauv & Shiraz (except 2008)

·         2005 – first vintage

·         Robert Parker described it as “the finest red wine I have ever had from South Africa” (Mr Parker appears to be an international authority on The Wine)

·         2010 – no Anwilka was bottled, all wine was used for Petit Frere

·         The wine used to be sold on premier in Bordeaux where price is negotiated on offer & wine is tasted out of barrel (before bottling)

·         50% new wood on the wines

·         99% is usually exported – aiming to make it more widely available locally

·         “Tannin = that feeling that brushes your taste buds back”

·         “Drink ‘til your beanie falls off”

·         “It tastes like a less tart Youngberry. A nun berry?”

·         Wines are fined with egg whites (whites sink to the bottom of the wine)

·         Fining = protein strips chunky/sharp tannins out of wines to make it smooth

Imbibing Beaumont

I have fond memories of Beaumont from an adventure involving Barrels & Beards  -  these memories were reinforced by revisiting these examples of The Good Wine some months later. I have no memory of a ’95 Port, however.

WHITE:

·         Beaumont Leo’s Skin Ferment Chenin Blanc (2011): Bottled in Magnum only, 1 barrel produced, 10 days of skin contact, whole bunch, tasted 3 x per day during fermentation, 39 year old vines. Lemon acetone, Bovril & buttered scones, rich but fresh, lemon butter, runny orange butter, caramel alcohol, round, lingering, shortbread & buttered Madeira cake. (**)

·         Beaumont Hope Marguerite (2012): First vintage produced in 1994. Wooded Chenin with an aging potential of 5 years. Aprocot jam, scones & cream, flapjacks with butter, cream & peach & apricot jam, peach soup with salted cream, rich & creamy, spinach seaweed, lurking roasted peanut brittle, vinegar popcorn. (**)

·         Momento Chenin Verdelho (2013): Sample – will be in barrel for a further 6 months. Frogs in fridges, lacey green peppers &  asparagus, figs & cheese, peach jam, cloudy pear juice.

RED:

·         Beaumont Vitruvian (2009): Mourvedre, Pinotage, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot & Shiraz. 4 -5 barrels made. Co-fermented. Caramelized strawberry sugar, creamy maraschino cherry, soft cherry maraschino mousse, creamed lentil soup with lurking spicy coriander. (****)

·         Momento Grenache (2011): 780 bottles, 50 year old bush vines which have since been pulled up. Strawberry juice concentrate, strawberry cotton candy, black forest mousse, cherry chocolate mousse, English dame with a bit of cheek, peppered strawberries, spicy raisins. (*)

Musings from Marelise:

·         There is an old mill on the farm in the Vitruvian design – represents the aim for perfect balance.

·         Generally skin contact is avoided with white wines – risk of oxidization

Feeling French

Besides being big & lovely & friendly, these wines were strangely familiar – as though they’d been a part of my life before. They were inherently familiar. Sort of déjà vu wines. I liked them.

WHITE:

·         Vin D’Orrance Chardonnay (2011): Scones & orange marmalade, orange butter, chestnuts, quince marmalade, burnt sugar, BIG flavour, I’d like to eat it as a food, eggs & Hollandaise, pithy as it warms, comforting fullness, cold weather white, French toast on empty glass with butter & honey. 2 vineyards 100km apart. 100% Chard. 40% new oak. (**)

·         Vin D’Orrance Chenin (2012): Hanepoot grapes, white Jelly Babies, litchi, savoury figs, much more bitter on the palate, Camembert nose, tastes like the skin, stone fruit pip, post-peach eating mouthfeel, peach pips in milk. Pairs well with spicy & creamy foods. 38 year old single vineyard.

RED:

·         Vin D’Orrance Syrah (2010): Orange spice, spiced black forest, Christmas cake with orange liqueur, velvety softness, creamy spiciness, orange zest lurking, dark chocolate filled with Cointreau baked into a spicy black forest cake, endless winter nights by the fireside, blueberry Jolly Jammers, spice grows, spicy caramel on empty glass. 40% new oak, combination of 22 year old bush vines and 7 year old new vines. (*)

Facts of the French:

·         2009 vintage was unreleased

·         Produce 30 000 bottle per year

·         Export to 14 countries

·         Blends from different terroirs

·         Produce Simply White & Simply Red

·         New Pinot Noir currently fermenting

·         Chenin was at Prince Albert of Monaco’s wedding

A Klein Taste of Constantia

As we have come to establish, I have become somewhat of a varietalist – most especially against poor Sauvignon Blanc. This tasting was, however, filled with most interesting examples of The Sauvignon Blanc. I’d drink these.

WHTE:

·         KC Sauvignon Blanc (2013): Litchi, pineapple, green apple, sour yoghurt covered apples, apple & apricot yoghurt bars, soft for Sauv, fresh, no sharpness. (*)

·         Klein Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc (2011): 13% Semillon. Peachy, roast pineapple, savoury peaches.

·         Klein Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc (2012): 13% Semillon. Roast pineapple, salted pineapple, green apricots, white peach pips, rich but bitter, salted caramel green apples, sharp cheese, “zippy”.

·         Klein Constantia Perdeblokke (2011): 100% single vineyard parcel, 10 years aging potential, 6 months in neutral oak. Salted caramel, buttered fudge, sharp orange Millionaires shortbread, limey caramel, citrus cream.

·         Klein Constantia Perdeblokke (2012): Tank fermented, last quarter of ferment in barrel, natural ferment with limited additives,  5 * Platter nominated. Baked oranges with honey, soft but grippy, light & airy, like twinkles dancing in your mouth, quick finish, purity, freshness.

A Klein bit of information:

·         Perdeblokke – ’06 – first vintage, single block from ‘07

·         It’s only made when the vintage is deemed good enough

·         Aiming to create an age-able Sauv

·         Large vintage variation

·         2 500 – 300 bottles made

·         No acid added

·         Stonker = good

A Fondness for Vondeling

There was sabrage to begin with. Over and above this, the bubbles being sabred were of an entirely new calibre. A most lovely experience had by all and a farm I’d love to visit.

BUBBLES:

·         Vondeling Methode Ancestral (2013):  100% Chardonnay. Fresh Chevin  with pears & passion fruit, slightly vinegary – borderline Balsamic reduction, sweetness, tinned peaches on yeast. (**)

WHITE:

·         Vondeling Babiana (2009): 30 year old vines, 55% Chenin, 15% Viognier, 15% Chardonnay, 10% Grenache Blanc, 100% oak, 30% new. Buttered apricots, salty richness, salted apricot cream, savoury, smooth, creamy with a punch, lurking green apple. (***)

·         Vondeling Babiana (2010): Honeyed French toast, lurking inside-of-a-balloon rubber, orangey lemon custard, tennis biscuit tart crust with Salticrax saltiness, light but rich soup, popcorniness, lurking strawberry, fuller  airy-ness, bitchier than ’09. ’09 is ’10 with little white gloves on. (**)

RED:

·         Vondeling Baldrick Shiraz (2011):  Shiraz, Viognier, Mourvedre. Chewy cherries, cracked pepper, Gummy berry juice, sneaky spiced wine gums, peppered carrots & potatoes, pastel coloured Jenga blocks, tannic but creamy, venison pie with bay leaves. Rated 90 pts by Robert Parker. (*)

·         Vondeling Erica Shiraz (2009): Shiraz, Carnigan, Mourvedre, Grenache. Raisins in muesli, molasses sweetness, a pinch of pepper on muesli, soft wisps of cinnamon mouthfeel, sharpness, ground nuts, chewy, spicy venison, chalky.

·         Vondeling Cabernet Sauvignon (2011): Cab Sauv, Merlot. Sweet rhubarb, bits of dried strawberry, honey on a buttered Pro-Vita, soft & cloudy, pillows of dried strawberries, cute tannins. (*)

 

Vining about Vondeling:

·         “Wines are like an amoeba”

·         Sauv vines planted in 1982

·         Sabrage – expels the sediment from bubbly

·         Vondeling spends R 1 million per year on conservation

·         Grapes are half from Paarl, half from the Swartland

·         Granite soils

·         Methode Ancestral can’t be released yet due to lack of a tax structure for the product as it’s new to the SA market.

·         MCC – ferment wines first fully then add sugar & do a second ferment

·         MA – ancient form of making bubbles, goes straight from tank ferment to bottles before it stabilizes & fermentation finishes in the bottle.

·         Sugar + fermentation = Gas

·         Only 5 vineyards in SA producing MA – 4 thereof are making it for the first time in 2013.

·         Only 200 cases produced – no additives & no sulphur.

·         Looking for it to be released in Mar/Apr 2014 – will be allocated to specialist stores & the tasting room

·         Aiming to make “the poor man’s champagne”

·         Baldrick is made for UK pubs – the owner’s friend who inspired the wine is nicknamed The Adder. Made as a people’s wine.

·         Babiana is always Chenin/Viognier based with at least 50% Chenin

·         Baniana is a genus of flower local to Paardeberg

·         Erica is also a genus local to the area & the cap is the colour of the petals