There's A Suma on my Ridge

Sumaridge:

My most noteworthy aspect of the tasting, outside of the wines – although we were offered the only white of the eve as a “welcome drink” (a practice I fully support going forward) which was rather notable- was the seasonal platters on offer on the farm. I am a fan of platters served with The Wine. I’d try it.

WHITE:

·         Sumaridge Maritimus (2010): 55% Sauv, 30% Chardonnay, 13% Semillon, 2% Viognier. Green apricots, orange punch, orange peel, big flavour but fresh, mouth watering, well-educated Sauv, savoury oranges. Sauv – cold tank fermented, Chard & Semillon – 4^th fill Chardonnay barrels. Less acidity gives aging potential. (**)

RED:

·         Sumaridge Epitome (2009): 54% Shiraz, 46% Pinotage. Spicy raspberries & cherries, berry cobbler with nutmeg, oxtail & vanilla, caramel & custard, tanniny, velvety mouthfeel, berry coulis & custard, light, airy spices, lurking Stopayne at the finish, peppery chicken mayo sandwich, spice increases as it breathes, spicy pickles when you sniff your empty glass, tangy sweetness.

·         Sumaridge Epitome (2008): 57% Shiraz, 33% Pinotage, 10% Merlot on new wood. Strong honey, rich with spice, oats & butter, crème caramel with spicy coulis, fynbos, slight bitterness at the end, hot cross buns with Marmite, cough mix, acetone on the empty glass. (*)

·         Sumaridge Epitome (2007): Shiraz, Pinotage & Merlot. Honeyed muesli, granola & raisins, molasses, cough mix, (*) for the nose, less for the taste.

Notes from this Novice:

·         Vineyards that are radically exposed to the maritime climate produce the most distinctive flavours.

·         Vineyard is primarily a Chardonnay & Pinot Noir producer

·         Granite is the mother rock of the farm & the soil is high in iron

·         Epitome – site specific wine, Cape blend of Shiraz & Pinotage

·         Greek for ultimate example or best expression

Tasting The Wine - Homestyle

Feeling most emboldened (likely due to an accumulation of The Wine in my system), I braved hosting a small tasting at my humble home. There were snacks and The Wine, making it largely successful - despite the advent of my first encounter with The Corked Wine (read The Bad Wine).

WHITE:

•  Rietvallei Classic Chardonnay (2011): Orange, “bites back”, vague butter, grows more buttery & soft with breathing (6,5/10)

• Jackson’s Chardonnay (2009):  *Corked. Raisin, salty Hanepoot, pickled kale, Brut, flat bubbly, dried apricots, bitterness, “2 minute wine” (4/10)

• Spier Private Collection Chenin Blanc (2009): Limey colour, caramelized pineapple, spanspek, creamy fullness but not silky, aprocits, fried butter (8,5/10)

ROSE:

• Delheim Pinotage Rose (2012): Sweetness & happy days, summer & smiles, fizz, raspberry

RED:

•  BLANKBottle Kah-Shar (2005): Balsamic & tannins, meaty, Pepin Conde-esque, brown onion soup, metallic, 100% Merlot.

• Agterplaas Red Blend (2006): Red berries, smooth with tannins, raw silk

My Favourite Things...to Drink

A list which will continue to grow (and grow and grow), but here are a few of my favourite of The Wines thus far. I won't give them star ratings because they're all super stars to me.


MCC:

• Rhebokskloof MCC - This is a real wow-factor MCC. I tasted it & wanted to run away with the bottle. It's quite an emotionally trying MCC because it's so good you want to share the experience with others but you also really really don't want to share it. The only way to avoid the conflict is to have 2 bottles. Each.

WHITE:

• Boekenhoutskloof Wolftrap - both the red (Syrah, Mouvdre, Viognier) & white (Chenin, Grenache, Viognier) wolves make for very pleasant company. They're properly tasty wines & great for any occasion. And pretty affordable to boot.
• Yardstick's Marvelous Ka-Pow - this was one of my first wine-loves. Chenin, Chardonnay, Viognier = bloody marvelousness in a glass. 
• Marklew Chardonnay - my nose loves this wine, almost more than my mouth loves the taste. It brings back summer day smiles of cold melon on the balcony. I do love this wine a small bit.
• Eagles' Nest 2010 Viognier - my first love.  It's not available for sale anymore but I have a sneaky bottle tucked away in The Cupboard of The Good Wine - I'm constantly torn between saving it for a few good years & just ripping out the cork & hugging it.
• Sterhuis Chardonnay - so much of sweetheart love for this wine. The nose melts my heart.
• Spier Reserve Chenin Blanc - this is a BIG wine but it needs to be to encompass all of the goodness. A truly enjoyable gem of a wine.
• Waverley Hills VSC - Viognier, Semillon, Chardonnay - filled with fruity loveliness.
• Painted Wolf Roussanne 2011 - this wine makes you smile when you sip it. It tastes of goodness & happiness .
• The Winery of Good Hope Old Vine Chenin 2012 - smells of crustless cucumber sandwiches at High Tea, tasted of savoury kiwi, passion fruit & guava with a sherbety mouthfeel. A gem with sushi.
• Tormentoso Bush Vine Chenin - 

RED:

• Collaboration Cinsault - this is cupcakes & hugs in a bottle - it feels like it's hugging you all the way from your mouth right down into your tummy.

A Mix & Match of Magical Wines

Extravaganza of Awesome

A tasting lacking any golden threads whatsoever - other than the ultimate thread - The Wine.

WHITE:

•         La Motte Sauvignon Blanc:  Acid & green peppers – 3/10. Lisa wine

 

•         La Motte Chardonnay: Butter & jasmine, honeysuckle, roundness, friendly, hug in a glass (8,5/10)

 

•         Haute Cabriere Chardonnay Pinot Noir: Floral, violets & honeysuckle, carnival, good time wine (7/10)

 

•         Alphabetical Dirty Julie: Asparagus, green peppercorns, restrained, artichokes & leeks, light, fruity nose post tasting, iceberg lettuce, better served young. “Tastes like it has a secret”. (5,5/10)

RED:

 

•        Kaapzicht Cabernet Sauvignon: Gummy berry juice, dryness, medium, age, chewing on a marinated mushroom texture, tannin, weighty but light, barky, smokey

 

•        Kaapzicht Merlot: 90’s wine, 2007. (7/10)

•        Mont Rochelle Artemis: Tanniny nose, meaty, bitterness, burnt braai, Robin Hood wine. Cab, Merlot, Pinotage, Shiraz (6,5/10)

Spring Has Sprung

Seven Springs

Most confusing on the nose & palate this one was - especially for one new to The Wine - but The Wine was Good & therefore we enjoyed.

WHITE:

·         Seven Springs Sauvignon Blanc (2011):  Thai green curry veg bake, guava, creamy veg bake vs sharp acidity, lime, butternut, fuller, sweet potato, coconut milk. Aging potential. (**)

·         Seven Springs Unwooded Chardonnay (2011): Acidity on nose, buttery, lime, croissants, cardboard finish, sawdust, cheese rind, pairs well with spicy food (Thai). (/)

·         Seven Springs Chardonnay (2011): Buttery, ciabatta toast, marmalade, creamy vs yeasty, brioche. Lightly oaked, good aging potential. (***)

RED:

·         Seven Springs Pinot Noir (2011): Bloody, red Drink ‘o Pop, raw lamb, soapy, chalky, lead, dust, lavender, Camembert rind mouth feel. Serve with game fish (tuna). (/)

·         Seven Springs Syrah (2010): Grape Chappies,flat  Fanta Grape, no spice, tannins, rose petals, pot pouri fumes, berry cheese gelato, smokes Mozarella

Fountain of Wisdom:

·         Unexpected, topsy-turvy  tasting

·         Why is a raven like a writing desk?

·         Clay soils = maturity + minerality

·         “Wine is like pizza – the base is important but you’re ordering it for the toppings”

Setting the Stage for The Stars

Johan Kruger

It certainly must have been written in the stars that one day I would find Sterhuis - the home of a kindred spirit sharing a deep love for The Chardonnay. And what beautiful Chardonnay it was. The other wines were lovely too.

WHITE:

 

·         Sterhuis Zero Dosage Blanc De Blancs MCC (2009): Marmelade, honey, strong rye bread, yeasty mouthfeel, 100% Chardonnay, dark oranges, lemony zest with pith, flint stone, minerality, marmitey, butter from cream mouthfeel, aging potential (*)

·         Sterhuis Sauvignon Blanc (2012): 15% older French oak, pizza with oreganum & green pepper, soft, round, soft zest, peachy pips, granadilla, buttery garlic bread with parsley (**)

·         Sterhuis Chenin/Viognier (2012): 70% Chenin, Viognier – old French barrels. Peach blossoms, chicken a la king, orange zest with butter. Very rich, apricots, slightly mineral. Viognier becomes more prominent as wine ages.

·         Sterhuis Chardonnay (2011): 100% wooded. Could smell for days. Happiness & jasmine, butter with a smidge of orange. YUM! Shot silk, orange blossom, whole bunch pressed into barrel (no additives). Richness with freshness, lurking mango – drink through the nose wine. Burgundy method. (***)

 

NOTES:

·         Chenin & Viognier “loop saam soos twee boude”

·         Yeast draws out the flavour from wine

 

A titch of Tasting in Tulbagh

On another incredible wine-fuelled adventure we embarked, sadly not onboard the Magic Tour Bus as per our usual modus operandi but on a small independent excursion with my very own trusty steed, Little Lilly.
Despite the lack of a Magic Tour Bus, we could not sacrifice the Baked Goods from the best source of the Baked Goods in the land - there is certainly no better way to prepare for the consumption of The Wine than consumption of The Pastries.

Off we set in the direction of Tulbagh to find more examples of the finest of The Wines. We did, however, make a rather lengthy pit-stop in Riebeek Kasteel where we were promised we would find some of THE finest examples of The Good Wine - and there we did.

We began with a tasting of the Wines of Mullineux (once we managed to find it - exactly across the road from the Royal Hotel as we had been instructed but somehow managed to misinterpret) in a cellar filled with fascinating implements for the making of The Wine. The Wines themselves were most lovely - being an unashamed lover of The Wooded Wines, I did most enjoy the Mullineux White (2012), but that was closely followed by both of the Kloof Street offerings & the Mullinuex Syrah. Showing an exemplary level of kindness, we were also treated to a sampling of The Straw Wine, which is always a welcome indulgence.

From Mullineux we ventured to a lovely store filled with treasures old & new - the old being the decor, the new being the wine, after a brief stop at the local farm stall.
In this loveliest of emporiums of The Wines of the region, we were treated to Santa Clara Chenins 1 & 12 - the numbering system of naming these wines certainly had me most confused by the end of the endeavour & resulted in one having to point at the bottle you liked in order to be directed to the stock for purchase. We also enjoyed samples of Farm 1120's Pinotage (pin-a-ta-gee) - of which a bottle may have found it's way home with us along with an untasted but ever so appealing bottle of Babylon's Peak Viognier Roussanne - being a display of 2 of my favourite varietals lovingly combined into a single bottle, it was love at first sight when I spotted this jewel across the room - one hopes this one shall live up to the high expectations (and small daydreams) I have developed of it since.

Once we extricated ourselves from the emporium, the adventure continued to actual Tulbagh where I for one, was most excited to visit the home of the Twee Jonge Gezellen. After a brisk walk up the stairs in the pouring rain,we sadly discovered the Gezellen of the House to be, well, out of the house.

Tracing our steps back a few paces, we ventured in upon the cozy firerlit lounge of Mont Pellier where, while the excellent wines were enjoed, the pet pup, Theo, certainly stole the day (and narrowly escaped being stolen himself). Whilst tasting, we befriened some lovely folk who enjoyed the Gewurtztummer, Theo's Syncrony, Chardonnay, Chenin, Cab Sauv, Shiraz & Port with us by the fireside.

From here, off we took for the last leg of the adventure - the long-awaited trip to Waverley Hills, whose wines I've been introduced to on previous occasions & was not at all unhappy about getting more familiar with. From toasty bubbles by a toassty fire to the ever-lovely VSC, Cab/Merlot & Cab/Shiraz blends, all were greatly enjoyed as was the very very delicious fresh-out-the oven pizzas - more than enough reason for a day trip out their way. Needless to say, a bottle of the VSC made it home along with some jolly good wine jellies.

All in all, a successful day all round - especially so for my wine rack.