From the Source of the Chardonnay

De Wetshof

Most often, I am rather chuffed to be drinking wine of any sort but when the tasting consists solely of bubbles & Chardonnay, I am especially in my element. Even more so when it is produced by the farm first to plant Chardonnay in the country.

MCC:

• Brut 2008: 3000 bottles produced, 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Appletizer, slight apple cider vinegar, lemon curd on crack, yeast sherbet, lurking lime zest, smidge of apple cider. (*)

• Brut Rose 2008: 3000 bottles produced, 100% Pinot Noir. Cherries in apple cider, berries in balsamic reduction, sharpness, sour cherry sherbet, whiff of Cherry Coke, bubbles tickle the intestines. (*)

CHARDONNAY:

• Bon Vallon (2013): Planted on a farm called Bon Vallon – beautiful valley, unwooded, lees contact. Mango & orange juice, roast aubergine, slight boiled cabbage, toasted cashew brittle, burnt caramel popcorn, nutty crème brulee sugar, silky tulle, slightly overripe strawberries. (*)

• Finesse (2013): 1/3 1^st fill, 2/3 2^nd fill, 6 months on oak. Orange Dynajets, Super C’s, drop of peanut butter, chicken liver pate with orange & grapefruit, I’d like to eat it on crackers. (*)

• Bateleur (2011): 12 months 1^st fill French, barrel selected. Buttered kiwi croissant tart, baked peaches on puff pastry, croissant Tiramisu, slight sharpness, mouthwatering grapefruit, spicy baked orange pith. Lots of aging potential! (**)

Notes:

• Danie De Wet was the first to plant Chardonnay & Riesling in SA

• Famous for the fountain on the farm

• Family run farm

• Pieter de Wet is the winemaker currently

• Pieter started making MCC at 16 years of age

• Wines are made to age for 10 – 20 years

• Use clear bottles to show the colour of the wine – bottles are kept in the cellar so light exposure is limited

• “You should play with it more often”

• Bateleur – Danie visited France & was chosen to plant Chardonnay

• Brought the vines into the country illegally

• First vintage won Best Wine in the world

• 28 year old vines, single vineyard

• The Eagle (Bateleur) – fierce but elegant

Sauvignon From The Stars

Sterhuis

From the farm who produces my sweetheart love of wine, I was not surprised to enjoy even the Sauvignon Blanc.

MCC:

• Blanc de Blanc (2010): 6 000 bottles produced, 100% Chardonnay, 36 months on lees in bottle, 0% dosage. Rye honey, marmeladey honey, pithy malt, flinty gravel.

WHITE:

• Sauvignon Blanc (2013): 15% natural ferment in old French oak. Green pears & apples, whiffs of apricot, passion fruit, soft, peach juice concentrate, gentle roundness, ladylike but intelligent (**)

• Unwooded Chardonnay (2013): Lees contact. Peaches & banana, apple & orange cream, stewed apple, orange & lime zest & pith. (*)

• Chardonnay (2012): Oxidizes for 5 days. Whole bunch press. Jasmine with digestive biscuits, whiffs of homey, pineapple cream tart, peach & orange honey, pithy, Elizabeth & Mr Darcy, burnt sugar, caramel, Juno wine. (***)

RED

• &Pino(tage) (2013): Exclusively made for &Union, accidental wine, older French oak. Berry chocolate fudge, pretty dark haired lady, sweet cherry syrup, spun sugar, big nose with shy palate, purple Chappies, Pinot Noir like soft tannins. (*)

• Astra Red (2006): 80% new French oak, 24 months,  flagship wine, 30% Merlot, 70% Cab Sauv. Purple jam, blueberry jam, tart grape Chappies, smoked balsamic, slightly over caramelized balsamic on pork.

Notes:

• 17^th century inhabitants used to see the house on the hill with fire outside – argues whether it was a star or a house
• Venus rises behind the hill
• When Wine – app
• Stressed yeast – produces glycerol (oiliness)
• Chard likes air – “you could throw it on the floor & mop it up & it wouldn’t be oxidated”
• Sauv & Chard made oxidatively vs reductively
• “Sauv doesn’t need to taste like grass or green pepper – green pepper is for pizza & grass is for smoking”

Otters Clawing Horny Owls

LOTHIAN VINEYARDS

The tasting featured a wine named Horny Owl as well as two showings of yet another varietal I am only now becoming familiar with – safe to say, an interesting experience all round.

WHITE:

• “Otter’s Claw” Sauvignon Blanc (2011): Fresh & slightly sharp, sour zesty lemon, lemony asparagus, shredded green peppers, sharp cheesey pineapple, passion fruit.

• Riesling (2012): Litchis & white peaches, banana, salty, cheek tingling, strawberry & banana smoothie, banana toffees, sharp salted granadilla.

• Riesling (2011): Oiled peaches, sea sand & gravel, bitter pith, Vaseline, pithy diesel, salted unripe peaches, lurking honey water. 7 – 10 years aging potential.

• Chardonnay (2012): 20% new oak for 8 months. Vanilla & banana custard, honeysuckle, slightly pithy honey, orange marmalade on a scone with cream, salted popcorn kernels (*)

• *Chardonnay (2012): We tried an oxidized bottle as well – orangey banana, subtle & soft, flat.

RED:

• Pinot Noir (2012): Cinnamon buns & violets, strawberry milkshakes, dhal with berry sauce, woolly, lingering banana.

• “Horny Owl” Shiraz (2012): Swartland Shiraz & Elgin Viognier. Spicy beetroot & hints of wet biltong, very ripe cherries, rich, full & smooth, breathing in chalk dust, slightly meaty mushrooms in vinegar.

Learning Lothian:

• Otter’s Claw & Chardonnay are the 2^nd released vintages of the varietals
• Otter’s Claw  - name refers to the clawless otter.
• Chardonnay ’12 scored 92 points on Robert Parker
• Pinot Noir is like an iron fist in a velvet glove
• Horny owl named after 2 Cape Horned Owls “fooling around” while the farm house was being built.
• “The horny owl waits for no one”
• Date of pruning to date of harvest – 180 days by Burgundy standards
• 145 days by SA standard
• Average at Lothian = 165 days
• Lost 3 000 bottles of Pinot Noir to bottle faults
• Elgin wine industry is 15 years old
• Riesling = King’s choice
• A Riesling was the most expensive wine ever sold
• Riesling is never made in new oak

Wines for Tea Time & Pregnancy

Siris Vintners – Selection

 A collection of quaffers – some I’d drink for tea, others are less likely to get you drunk than pregnant.

WHITE:

• Waverley Hills Organic Pinot Grigio (2013): 3 months on lees, “European Sauv Blanc”. Soapy lime, tangy & wispy, light buttery orange, Sauv Blanc with gossamer gloves.

• Seven Springs Unwooded Chardonnay (2012): Hermanus area, 3 year old vines, lees contact. Wet plank, honey spritsed with orange juice, teeny baby sprits, light blueish Brie with figs.(*)

• Groote Post Riesling (2013): Darling area. Oiled green apples, soapy, white peaches with sunlight soap shards, red onion & tomato marmalade (*)

• Post House “Stamp of Chenin” (2013): Helderberg, 35 year old vines, 45 days ferment. Limey Turkish Delight, honeyed rose water, crumpets with jasmine & orange cream, tennis biscuits. (***)

ROSE:

• Haut Espoir (2010): Franschoek, 100% Shiraz, French & Hungarian oak for 8 months. Slightly sour cream with strawberry jam, caramel vodka, strawberry Greek yoghurt, Turkish Delight in caramel cream, melted toffee apple. (*)

RED:

• Anura Limited Release Malbec (2011): Stellenbosch. Zambuk, minty eucalyptus, Vicks, like a punch in the mouth with a glove of curried powder, Stopayne, fennel, smoked cherries lurking.

Sentiments on Siris:

• Malbec – first date wine (high alcohol)
• Hungarian oak – adds spice
• Winemaker at Haut Espoir’s mother loved Hungarian wine so the rose was made for her
• “More people have fallen pregnant than fallen drunk on this wine” – Haut Espoir
• “I’ll drink it for tea”
• “Labels used to look like 2 cherubs humping a wreath” – Stamp of Chenin

Finding France

Wine Cellar International Tasting

At this point I shall veer from my mostly South African foray into The Drinking of The Wine and venture back into the annals of the history of this wonderful tradition by visiting The Wines (not the actual place, alas) of the origin of the practise of The Making of The Wine. The Wines on sample have been grouped by region rather than my normal insightful differentiation between The White & The Red.

CHAMPAGNE:

• Drappier Carte D’ Or (N/V): 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. Fresh, light acid, crispy, sharp Appletizer, cidery, chest tickles.

ALSACE:

• Trimbach (2010): Riesling. Current vintage. Petrol, Vaseline, yellow flowers dipped in petrol, oil bubble oil, fresh, oily sharpness, lemon Vaseline. Made for aging.

BURGUNDY:

• Joseph Drouhin Cote De Bearome Village (2011):  10% new oak. Pinot Noir. Cinnamon chocolate, Christmas pudding chocolate mousse, pot pourri powder, light like cold rooibos, puff of fresh flower powder, raw meat.  (**)

LANGUEDOC:

• Chapoutier Les Vignes De Bila Haut Rouge (2012): Grenache Noir, Grenache & Cinsault. Purple berry juice, blueberry flavouring, violet blueberry muffins, shot silk, powdery grip, drinking chocolate powder. (**)

COTES-DU-RHONE:

• Chapoutier Cotes Du Rhone Belleruche Rouge (2012): Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault. Nutmeg choc muffins, ground ginger on rare meat, gamey, soft & thick, like drinking blood, fine black pepper. 100 points on Robert Parker.

BORDEAUX:

• Clinet Ronan (2010): Spiced lamb shoulder, floral cumin, velvety, slightly medicinal, flat, cough mix powder, empty.

Facts about The French:

• By law, any NV Champagne must be 12 months on lees & aged for 13 months
• A vintage Champagne must be on the lees for 3 years
• Alsace may label their varietals
• Appellation system – regions legally designated to varietals & methods.
• Most Champagne houses state date of degorgement on bottles.

Getting Integrated with Coronata

Nitida Coronata Vertical Tasting

It is always a treat to discover the evolution of wines – and a vertical tasting of Nitida’s Coronata was no exception. Not being a very avid fan of the Durbanville region traditionally and also not traditionally being a lover of Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon as varietals in general, I approached the day with reserved enthusiasm. By the end, however, a new favourite was firmly secured.

On a lovely sunny Saturday morning, we seated ourselves outside of the winery awaiting the dear wine maker to explain his crafts. We learned of the extent (or lack thereof) of the operations on the farm (one of the oldest of the region) and the potential to lose large amounts of precious grapes due to howling winds in the region. Then we moved on to the truly interesting part – the wine.

• Coronata (2007): 60% Sauv, 40% Semillon. Semillon barrel fermented & batonaged. Bacon, salted asparagus, smooth, roasted green pepper, bacon Aromat.

• Coronata (2008): 70% Sauv, 30% Semillon. Roasted peppers, soft & smooth with a sneaky acid at the back of the throat.

• Coronata (2009): Roast green vegetables, cheekier, waxy, pithy, lurking naartjie pip.

• Coronata Integration (2009): Blended & barrelled before bottling. Honeyed asparagus, pretty vegetables, a bunch of veggie flowers. (*)

• Coronata Integration (2010): Asparagus dipped in caramel, veggie cotton candy, zesty & pithy, sugared cauliflower.

• Coronata Integration (2011): Green Sparkles, boiled sugar, slightly burnt sugar syrup, licking lime pith.

• Coronata Integration (2012): Sniffing paper, licking the back board of a new exam pad, unripe quince, “tastes like private pool water – not public pool”.

From the table, we ventured into the rather tiny batcave-esque home of the latest vintage of the Coronata Integration which we tasted from the barrel.

• Coronata Integration (2013): 50/50 Sauv/Semillon. Quince, passion fruit, liquorice bay leaves, black Sparkles, blackcurrant.

Having tasted our way through the entire Coronata offering, we were prepared to venture off into the valley to sample offerings from neighbouring farms. The lovely winemaker, however, had other ideas and proceeded to generously offer us tastings of the remaining range of Nitida wines.

• Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Super limey Sparkles, sharp, acidy

• Riesling (2013): Peachy Lipice, sharp unripe peach pips.

• Semillon (2013): Lightly oily peaches & orange pith.

From here on, note lost priority in comparison to the consumption of wine and a very merry day was had by all.

A Brief Roam In Robertson

Arabella

After a long trip to the Robertson region and an enjoyable day in the sunshine, the road led us along to a horse-focused wine farm.

• Arabella Chenin (2013): Guava, lime, pineapple, granadilla.

• Arabella Sauvignon Blanc (2013): Chevin & green pepper, asparagus, tangy Cheddar.

• Arabella Chardonnay (2012): 6 month on French chips. Buttered blossoms, mouthwatering, light, cotton candy water.

• Arabella Viognier (2012): French chips, marinara mix, crab sticks, buttered jasmine, round (*)

• Arabella Pink Pancea (2013): Cabernet Rose. Mossy swimming pool, bottled cherries, strawberry & yellow pepper, sunny disposition. (*)

• Arabella Shiraz/Viognier (2011): Shiraz – 14 months in oak, 10% Viognier. Currant cake with balsamic, spiced steak with creamed sauce, soft but chewy. (*)

• Arabella In Unison (2011): 33% Shiraz, 33% Cabernet, 33% Merlot, 14 months in oak. Drunken violets, youngberry, smokey, smoked fruit.