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

(Pinot) Noir’ing with Newton (Johnson)

Another day dawned and another adventure of The Wine onboard the Magic Tour bus awaited.

 As has become our custom, the group of ever-enthusiastic Lovers of The Wine congregated early in the morning to embark on the road to discovering more of the beautiful secrets of The Good Wine. Eagerly we boarded our newly refurbished chariot, distributed the mandatory baked goods and set upon our very merry way up a hill and far, far away. Far away indeed and rather high up said hill we did travel to a beautiful place of wine-growing magic falling between the earth and Heaven itself.

After a quick dose of caffeine, we were ready to discover the Wine. We happily herded into the cellar where we learned of wine, gravity, barrels and bottling. Whilst terribly fascinating, we were all rather eager to proceed to the part involving the actual consumption of The Wine.

Showing a great display of foresight, our kind host provided sheets of paper along with glass-fulls of wine and hence, a first (and possibly last) set of tasting notes emerged:

WHITE:

·         Newton Johnson Sauvignon Blanc (2013): 5% Semillon. Litchi, green peppers, zesty cheese, zingy.

·         Resonance Sauvignon Blanc (2012): 15% Semillon. Dusty grass, richer, sour worms, warmth, baked lemons.

·         Southend Chardonnay (2012): Picnics & butterflies, buttered scones, hugs of jasmine, fresh lemon butter, heavy-ish. (*)

·         Newton Johnson Chardonnay (2012): Buttered jasmine & lemon, fresh, lemon in water aftertaste, perfumey cream. (**)

RED:

·         Felicite Pinot Noir (2012): Runny hot chocolate, cheese spread, soft cheesey sawdust, lead pencils.

·         Newton Johnson Pinot Noir (2011): Caramel cotton candy, meaty sweetness, soft, tickles as it goes down, lady-like, pretty, buttermilk, creamy. (**)

·         Elgin Pinot Noir (2011): Dusty biltong, meaty, rare meat, rare lamb, lamb fat, smokey.

·         Full Stop Rock (2010): Shiraz, Mourvedre, Grenahce. Dark chocolate brownies, violets, black cherries, spicy wet biltong.

DESSERT WINE:

·         Ulla (2011): Noble late harvest, yellow raisins, sweet corn soup, pumpkin fritters with butter, raisin bread with salty butter, clotted cream with pate and bread, salty French toast with maple syrup and bacon.

Post this rather comprehensive & comparative tasting of The Wines on offer, I was most happy to have taken notes as from here we progressed to tasting another round of Pinot Noir in order to recreate our very own interpretation of the house speciality. Dividing into teams, off we went to create our own masterpiece through combining, science, art and three kinds of Pinot Noir.

Our creations were then put to a blind test against our fellow enthusiasts as well as our very role-model. We awaited the results with baited breath (until an array of picnic-style goodies arrived and distracted us), all hoping against hope to have won a very large bottle of The Good Wine.

Bellies full and prizes shared, we again hopped onto our Magic Tour bus for the journey back down to earth.

Raving about Raats

When at the beginning of a tasting I see the terms “old vine” and Chenin  in proximity of one another, I smile. When I see the words Cabernet Franc I smile. This tasting invoked a rather inordinate amount of smiling.

WHITE:

·         Raats Original Chenin Blanc (2012): Sandstone & granite soil. Salted cashews, soft pineapple, sharp cheddar, cucumber emeralds, grapefruit dipped in guava juice, yellow soft gum sweets.

·         Raats Old Vine Chenin Blanc (2011): Sandstone & granite, 1^st – 8^th fill barrels. Shortbread, gingerbread with lemon curd, buttered liqueur, honeyed preserved lemons, like drinking melted lemon butter, lemony chicken & chickpea cous cous salad. (**)

RED:

·         Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc (2012): Bottled 3 weeks before tasting. Cinnamon sweet berries, punch drunk red jelly babies, jam with a drop of Bovril, like a soft Velcro babygrow – it’s cuddly but it clings, pinch of salt.

·         Raats Red Jasper (2012): 81% Cab Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cab Saiv. Sticky strawberry jam, smokey cured meat with soy/balsamic reduction, sharpness, lemony, tanniny, fennel, “gateway drug to Cab Franc”

·         Raats Family Cabernet Franc (2010): Cinnamon red wine gums, Christmas cake with butter & wine gums, spiced creamy biltong clouds.

Ramblings about Raats:

·         Chenin originated from Loire region

·         Only Cabernet Franc specialist in SA

·         Older vines, soil type & cooler climate – sandstone & granite

·         Top 2 World rated reds

·         “Barrels are the salt & pepper of wine”

·         Phaenolic ripeness – tannin + flavour

·         Sugar ripeness – impacts alcohol level

·         All wines have 3 profiles: Fruit, herbaceous, spice

·         Cabernet Sauvignon – blend of Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon Blanc

·         Cab Franc was the original noble varietal

·         Vineyards usually yield 8 – 10 tonnes/ha – old Chenin vines yield 2 – 4 tonnes

·         “Jasper” – named after the farm’s first viticulturist

Goodness Gracious Goose

These wines, being rather out of the ordinary, are grown in a rather out of the ordinary location – namely amongst the Outeniqua Mountains. This, to me, conjures mental images of vines in forests – I like this idea. I shall, perhaps one day, pursue this idea.

WHITE:

• Gander Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Asparagus & pineapple, lurking litchi, soft & rich, full         but acidic, limes & cream, young apricots. 70% Outeniqua, 30% Stellenbosch.

•  Goose Sauvignon Blanc (2011): Toasted flapjacks, goats cheese, bitterness, orange pith & pips, peach & apricot pips, mouth watering, sharpness, rich, bitter marzipan, can age, very toasted oats, dried pineapple. Loire style.

RED:

• Gander Shiraz (2010): Savoury berry juice, drunken Red velvet, bay leaves & fennel seeds in venison, blackberry crumble with custard, red candy, tanniny, lightness but rich, fine black pepper. 50% Swarland, 50% Outeniqua (*)
• Goose Expression (2009): Rare lamb curry, wet biltong wrapped in salami, plum tomato, drinking Bovril, rich & big. Sipping is like taking a bite, short finish, washed green leaves, like drinking whipped cream clouds, green peppercorns, flavours increase as it breathes. Can take a bite out of it. (**)

Gabbing about Geese:

·         Gander range sells in handbag sixe bottles you can put in your lunchbox

·         1^st nose – when you smell straight after opening the bottle

·         2^nd nose – smelling after swirling

·         Aromas – the smell of a young wine

·         Bouquet – grown up aromas on first nose – deliver secondary flavour

·         “the goose wasn’t good for the gander, the gander was too easy”

·         Grapes have a long hang time due to the colder climate

Waving Hello to the Hills Again

Waverley Hills has become a firm favourite due mainly to the existence of their most beloved VSC and their very delicious pizzas. This time around , we ventured into The Reds.

 RED:

·         Waverley Hills Grenache (2013):  Peppery berries, balsamic coulis, soft but spicy, peppery berry custard, balsamic strawberries, strawberry shortcake scones, spicy red velvet cupcakes, like savoury Cinsault, “like wine gums without the gum”. (***)

·         Waverley Hills Cabernet/Shiraz (2011): 67 % Cab, 30% Shiraz, 3% Mourvedre.  Caramelized balsamic strawberries, treacle sugar, butter balls, wet sweet biltong. 50% French oak, 50% American oak. (**)

·         Waverley Hills Cabernet/Merlot (2011): 60% Cab, 40% Merlot. Ripe banana, meaty toffee apple, buttered banana bread, creamy, rich, After 8 mint, serve with chocolate pudding or peppermint crisp tart, “break up wine”. French & Hungarian oak. (*)

·         Waverley Hills Shiraz (2011): Black & red gummy bears, sugary violets, spicy scones with butter, would go well with garlic. 50% new French oak, 25% old French oak, 25% old American oak.

·         Waverley Hills SMV (2010): 60% Shiraz, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Viognier. Caramel bacon croissant, Treat caramel, jasmine aftertaste,  smokey,  soft  tannins but floral. 5 – 10 years aging potential.

Words on Waverley:

·         The farm was organic from the start. They didn’t undergo the usual conversion period.

·         One needs to be a “wine prophet” or “wine whisperer” in order to predict how wines will turn out

·         “If alcohol is a preservative, I’m going to live forever”

·         Organic certifications are controlled by the French Government/EU

'Ullo Usana

A first time tasting of a very, very friendly Chenin along with some lovely stories about eggs.

WHITE:

·         Usana Pinot Gris (2012): Apple Camembert, strong white Cheddar, blue cheese, zingy cheese spread, want to use it as a sauce on pasta, surprisingly creamy, butter made from cream, cream on a zesty pudding, sour lemon cheesecake, caramel coated cheese on empty glass. (*)

·         Usana Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Guava & melon salad, roasted guava, gooseberries, papino, chewing on a granadilla pip dipped in guava, sharp cheese, cranberry schnapps, winter melon. “Smells like the taste of a granadilla pip”.

·         Usana Chenin Blanc (2012): 100% Chenin. Buttery melon & apricot crumble, apricoty caramel cream, cold milk, dried apricots, mouth watering, lemon caramel shortbread, slightly burnt rye toast, tangy apple. 1550 bottles made.

RED:

·         Usana “The Fox” Cabernet Sauvignon (2010): Strawberry jam with dark chocolate sprinkles, sweet coffee, dark chocolate ganache melted in cream, creamy tomato & chocolate soup, smokey cough syrup, tanniny, spiced fruit mince pie filling, spiced Christmas pudding. 3000 bottles made.

Understanding Usana:

·         The Fox is named after the brothers’  late grandfather – it was his nickname as his stamp at the co-op was a fox

·         Usana = Xhosa for baby – represents a start to life, a new beginning for the farm

·         Vines are 5 years old

·         Pinot Gris is also known as Pinot Grigio. It is an Italian varietal.

·         Lees = dead yeast cells with proteins around which gets stirred through wines to add weight and smoothness

Knowing Newton

This tasting involved 3 vintages of Chardonnay – beautiful, beautiful Chardonnay. I was in love. There was Pinot Noir too.

WHITE:

·         Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay (2010): Orange marmalade baked into a scone, soft, jasmine, marmeladey freshness, BIG!, flapjacks & marmalade, peach peel mouth feel,  in its post-teenage years. 100% oaked, 25% new oak. (**/)

·         Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay (2011): Caramel Swiss roll, Treat caramel on shortbread with jasmine, smells SO good, sharper marmalade, like eating  teaspoon of marmalade, mouth watering. (**)

·         Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay (2012): Tasty, buttered popcorn, almost MCC-ish nose, pears & litchis, fresh nose, runny marmalade, very light but big flavour, mouth watering, “moet nog mens word”. (*)

RED:

·         Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Pinot Noir (2012): Slightly bitter, biltong & jam, caramelized Brie & jam, vaguely spicy, cheese & plum tomatoes with pepper, chewiness, richness from vintage, “needs to age like Chad le Clos – lots of talent but needs some time to develop”. Manual punch-down twice daily. Bottled 4 months prior to tasting.

·         Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Pinot Noir (2011): Smokey green peppercorns, banana, stew & mushrooms, homey, vague mocha-chocolate. Serve with duck. (*)

·         Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Pinot Noir (2010): Carrots & potatoes in stew, meaty, bitterness of too much cumin.

News from Newton:

·         Lost 40% of Chardonnay & Shiraz crop in 2010 due to hail

·         2012 is the perfectly balanced vintage

·         Cooperage customises barrels for Newton Johnson since 2008, barrels are made specific to each vineyard block.

·         Pinot Noir is a high maintenance wine

·         “What pairs well with this wine? More Wine”

·         Pinot Noir is the “bad decision wine”  - too easy drinking

·         Pinot is a gateway wine to reds

·         Barrel = the base of a pizza – you need a good base but it must not dominate the other flavours – it needs to carry the flavours.

·         Lees = the settlement from the juice – like orange juice separating

·         “This was the stripper of wine tastings – I want it all but I can’t buy any of it”