In only 10 days I managed to cover a good deal of ground in South Africa, including parts I didn’t reach in 2004. Let me tell you it was all very refreshing and underscored why South Africa won hands down when I asked the last advanced course troupe to name their favourite New World Session. This country is just one big humming hive of activity. If police officers and doctors get younger and younger in Britain, its winemakers who win the babyface prize in South Africa and they are outrageously accomplished!
I’ve listed some vinous highlights below, but watch out for future The Wine Detective tastings if you’d like to see (swirl, sniff, slurp and spit/swallow) what I mean. Visit are covered under regional headings and my tasting at the Cape Fair by variety/style.
Philadelphia
There are only 2 wineries in this relatively new region in Tygerberg and it’s very appropriate that I write up Capaia after the Italian focus – the winery is named after the Cape (for obvious reasons) and Ornellaia and, having tasted both wineries’ output recently, the cap is fairly tilted.
The winery is of the eye-popping no expense spared variety – ultra impressive, though young winemaker Mark van Buuren is refreshingly down to earth.
Capaia 2004 – the soils have got to be special – only planted in 2000, this Bordeaux blend (Cabernets Sauvignon & Franc, Merlot & Petit Verdot) already shows a pronounced minerality beneath fleshy cherry fruit of great intensity. Very fine tannins and a judicious touch of oak (vanilla and smoke) make for a silky wine.
The second wine, Blue Grove Hill, is also worth a look.
Darling
Cloof Crucible Shiraz 2003 – at 15.5% you know this is going to be massive – the good news – it’s dense but not dumb – superb concentration and purity of fruit (plum, raspberry and mulberry) with well balanced acidity and a long, meaty finish.
Cloof Cellar Blend 2004 – mostly press wine and Pinotage, you could be forgiven for giving this a wide berth but don’t, as long as you like wines you can stand a spoon in, well almost. Naughty but nice combination of malty, coffee edged dark fruits with a touch of toffee (treacle).
Elgin
Altitude and coastal influences make this area well-suited to Sauvignon Blanc, but it’s not just a one trick pony!
Beaulieu Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – grassy, pungent, herbaceous nose with riper fresh green fig flavours, all of which follow through on the palate undercut by lively, refreshing grapefruit.
Iona 2005 – complex nose of honeyed (fynbos) pears and fennel; lively, fresh palate with pears, apple, white peach and citrus. Its fine, chalky finish shows hints of fennel.
Thelema Sutherland Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – slightly honeyed, spicy fynbos nose leads onto a spicy, pithy palate with lots of ripe fig and pink grapefruit. Very attractive.
Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – very pungent nose with a hint of honey; lively palate shows zesty acidity with grapefruit and spice.
Oak Valley Chardonnay 2005 – attractive cooler climate style with lively lemon and lime, textured oatmeal notes and citrus acidity.
Beaumont Chenin Blanc 2005 – Beaumont produce some really fine Chenin, showing that Stellenbosch doesn’t have a monopoly of this style – fresh nose and citrus palate cut with aniseed; very long finish, lovely balance.
Beaumont Hope Margeurite Chenin Blanc 2005 – the top, oaked wine shows fine citrus acidity with grapefruit, honey and a chalky, mineral note.
Luddite Shiraz 2003 – big, meaty, flavoursome shiraz, this is super-spicy with sweet blackcurrant balanced by savoury, Camp Coffee flavours; storming!
Tulbagh
Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards Syrah Mourvedre 2004 – fabulous wine with lovely depth of spicy, raspberry fruit with clove and liquorice around a fresh, fine mineral core. Very well knit with present but ripe tannins.
Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards Syrah Mourvedre 2003 – very Southern French with dried herbs (lavender) to its savoury red and black fruits. Very good.
Rijks Chenin Blanc 2004 – this winery’s Chenin has “Super Chenin” status having regularly received top ratings in South Africa’s annual Chenin taste off. This shows great typicity with its pretty floral character, stone fruits and lively acidity balanced by a well-judged touch of residual sugar.
Cederberg
I had really wanted to get up to Cederberg, several hours north of Cape Town, in 2004 – my reason, to visit Cederberg’s vineyards which are some of the highest in South Africa. Winemaker David Nieuwoudt uses the altitude to great advantage in his finely structured and balanced wines; his Chenin Blanc is distinctly racy and bears good comparison with Loire wines.
Cederberg Chenin Blanc 2005 – this unwooded Chenin from 19 year old vines is super fresh and clean with grapefruit and melon on its zingy palate.
Cederberg V Generations Chenin Blanc 2004 – older, low yielding 29 year old vines supply the concentration of fruit to carry 11 months in oak, 2/3 new. Pithy pink grapefruit characterises this racy wine which weighs in at a mere 12.5% alcohol; would be fab with scallops, crab and crayfish.
Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 – a touch of smoke to the cedar edged cassis on the nose; vibrant yet elegant blackcurrant with cedar on the palate; velvety tannins – good.
Cederberg V Generations Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 – shy yielding 33 year old vines produce tiny berries which lend greater concentration and depth of cassis to this wine’s well structured palate; a lovely, sweet core of fruit, slightly powdery tannins and a whiff of gentleman’s club (cigar/leather chesterfield sofa) make this an engaging and enjoyable wine.
Cederberg Shiraz 2004 – a closed nose with hints of black pepper point towards a cool climate style. Sure enough this is confirmed on the palate which shows sappy, grippy red and black, earthy fruits and smoky bacon. Very good.
Cederberg V Generations Shiraz 2004 – the best Shiraz gets the works – 18 months in 100% new French oak – not always a good thing, but here more is moreish! Lovely fruit purity with crushed raspberry, blackcurrant and cassis; the oak adds a seductive, sweet richness.
Bamboes Bay
Whilst at Cederberg we also tasted an exceptionally good Sauvignon Blanc produced by Fryers Cove. The vineyards are located to the West of Cederberg a mere 800m from Bamboes Bay:
Fryers Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – sophisticated green tea and gun flint nose; the palate does not disappoint. This is long on flavour – fresh fig and minerally bath salts – thanks to a lively, persistent acidity; fine flinty finish. Very distinctive, very good.
Swartland
Regular readers will know that I’m a huge fan of Swartland, home to exciting winemakers like Eben Sadie, Tom Lubbe, Willie and Tania de Waal and Paul and Anna Kretzel whose old, old vineyards are a key source of fruit for some top kit! Wines are very flavoursome and spicy and the best have a mineral undertow – real gout de terroir…
Riebeeck Cellars Reserve Chenin Blanc 2005 – older vines from the best located vineyards are vinified in 100% new French oak; spicy, flavoursome wine with good breadth and depth of citrus and orchard fruit cut with aniseed. At £5.99 this is seriously good value for money.
Lammershoek Roulette Blanc 2005 – this blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier combines fresh, crunchy granny smith flavours with creamier, apricot and peach fruit; very well done.
Lammershoek Roulette Red 2004 – a very honest, likeable blend, this time with Syrah, Carignan, Grenache and Viognier – combines lovely sappy, fresh red berry fruit with richer, spicy, plum.
The Observatory Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay 2004 – floral with white chocolate and smoky flint on the nose; these notes follows through on the very fine, fresh palate (12% abv) – quite austere – together with honey and grapefruit. Worth decanting and taking your time over this thoroughly intriguing, Savenniere’esque wine.
The Observatory Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay 2005 – fiery, tiger balm elements to the nose and palate, redolent of rhenosterbos (a Swartland fynbos); fennel and grapefruit with an earthy, nutty tinge.
The Observatory Carignan/Syrah 2004 – sublime, lifted nose of white flowers and violets which colour the succulent, red and black fruited palate together with liquorice; fine, mineral core. Excellent, supremely characterful wine.
Scali Pinotage 2003 – chunky, darkly flavoured wine with plum, prune (but not baked/raisiny, just rich) and chocolate; fine tannins – very good.
Scali Syrah 2003 – lovely purity of sweet, ripe and spicy berry fruit with a nice rasp of black pepper; firm, ripe tannins suggest this will develop well, but very enjoyable now.
Scali Blanc 2005 – another exciting Chenin blend (with Chardonnay and Viognier) from Paardeberg vineyards bordering Swartland. A restrained cedary nose gives way to a spicy pear and aniseed palate with fresh notes of greengage and hints of tropical fruit. Still quite closed (only recently bottled), this has loads of potential.
Wellington
Stormhoek wines have their home in the stormy cleft of Wellington’s mountains, though grapes are bought in from other regions as necessary. At the home farm, diversity of aspect, altitude and soil depth gives a picturesque patchwork of pocket-sized vineyards. In and amongst grow citrus trees and a plethora of protea and fynbos which team with life of the insect and bird variety – no doubt puff adders and baboons too – I didn’t investigate too closely!
Stormhoek Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – limey, citrus flavours with fine persistent acidity and a chalky minerality – fruit is sourced from the Breede River Valley.
Stormhoek Pinot Grigio 2005 – a lush style of Pinot Grigio with juicy pear fruit and nice freshness on the finish.
Stormhoek Reserve Semillon 2004 – this barrel fermented blend of old vine and younger vine fruit shows nice depth of citrus fruit and lemon peel with vanilla bean – well done.
Stormhoek Reserve Chenin Blanc 2005 – lovely acacia honeyed nose and palate with rich vanilla edged ripe orchard fruits.
Stormhoek Reserve Viognier 2004 – candied citrus and apricot nose and palate with vanilla and acacia – super-lush but wears its 15% well.
Stormhoek Shiraz 2004 – fruit is sourced from Somerset West and Paarl as well as Wellington; the Somerset West element accounts for its lifted, wilder notes – very attractive spicy plum with meaty, peppery, smoky bacon notes – fab.
Stormhoek Pinotage 2005 – I find it hard to source good Pinotage – the search is over – 4 square, firm, meaty wine loaded with chocolate, cherry, smoked meats and clove – the consummate brai wine for the BBQ lover.
Stormhoek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2003 – juicy berry fruit and cassis mingle with cedar.
Graham Knox and Nick Dymoke-Marr are the crack team behind the Stormhoek brand. At around £5.99 for the baby (non-reserve range) – and check out Threshers’ 3 for 2 deal – I reckon Stormhoek wines currently represent some of the best value wines on the market – the Sauv Blanc, Shiraz and Pinotage get my vote for “the thinking person’s brand” – an oxymoron – maybe, but check them out and then let me know!
Constantia
Cooling influences from False Bay and the Atlantic make for fresh and focused whites.
Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – dried herbs with grapefruit nose and palate cut with flint –very good.
Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – Loire clones and a high, exposed position give a frisky, pungent style – very herbaceous, with floral, flinty, smoky notes and granny smiths on nose and palate.
High Constantia Clos André Cap Classic (sparkling) – very appley nose and palate with bready notes to its finely structured palate – good, firmly dry style – the best Cap Classic I’ve tasted.
Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – pungent nose with lots of green capsicum, gooseberry, herbs and a touch of asparagus, all of which follow through on a chalky palate.
Constantia Uitsig Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – lifted nose of dried herbs and flowers; lively grapefruit palate.
Constantia Uitsig Unwooded Chardonnay 2005 – extremely good unwooded Chardonnay – its ripe, round palate showing melon and citrus flavours, a touch of butter and a very pleasing autolytic hint of bread/biscuit – delicious with Smoked Salmon Poached Eggs Benedict.
Klein Constantia Perdeblokke Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – extremely impressive Sauvignon from an elevated single vineyard – complex nose and palate with tangy notes to its grapefruit, mineral and dried herb flavours – exceptional length to its stony finish – terrific.
Klein Constantia Semillon 2004 – very good varietal character with thistle/vegetative and herbal notes to its smoky, lemon fruit. Fresh and
tightly focused.
Chenin Blanc
Tokara Zondernaam 2005 – flavoursome, spicy palate with aniseed, nectarine and toast and nice juicy acidity; hint of marzipan on the warm finish.
Villiera 2005 – pretty honeysuckle, quince and white peach on the nose; the palate shows pear, quince, aniseed and fennel – wears its 14.5% alcohol very well – very good.
Villiera Inspiration 2005 – 100% botrytised fruit this is a deep golden, heavy liquorous drop with spicy orange peel and roasted apricot flavours – I’m told £9.99 in Tesco for a half bottle.
Simonsig 2005 – lifted, floral nose with honey, peach and a hint of botrytis; rich, silky mouthfeel with good fruit intensity – very good, unoaked style.
Rudera 2004 – baked apple nose with pithy grapefruit and, again, a suggestion of botrytis. Very fresh palate shows grapefruit, granny smith and quince fruit.
Rudera Robusto 2005 – great depth of ripe fruit bursting with pink grapefruit and tropical citrus flavours lined with hints of candy floss, rum baba and vanilla. A deft touch of refreshing acidity keeps it real.
Rudera Noble Late Harvest 2005 – moreish apricot, butterscotch, orange and tangerine. Very pure with a lovely, lively seam of fresh acidity.
Raats 2005 – lovely pure nose with aniseed, guava, white peach and floral notes all of which flavours follow through on its finely honed palate. Fresh, delicate yet long finish with nicely integrated oak – exceptionally classy.
Mulderbosch 2005 – fresh, lively style with lots of pear and grapefruit; good length.
Mulderbosch Steen Op Hout 2003 – great concentration of orchard fruits with a nice, spicy touch of aniseed; lovely palate weight. Very good.
L’Avenir 2005 – ripe white peach, very silky, slightly syrupy style; decent freshness on the finish keeps it balanced.
Kleine Zalze 2005 – very tropical with ripe peach, fennel and aniseed; a dollop of residual sugar makes this a good commercial style and/or match for fusion food.
Jean Daneel Signature Chenin Blanc 2004 – pretty white peach and honeysuckle belie the depth and power of this wine; honeyed citrus with a mineral acidity – very good; the 05 shows greater breadth on its textured palate; exudes quiet confidence.
Ken Forrester FMC 2004 – complex nose and palate shows wet wool, quince, pink grapefruit, nectarine and honey; a little too sweet for my palate (includes a dash of Forrester’s Noble Late Harvest Wine), but again a fine match with thai/fusion food (prawns in coconut sauce with chilli).
Kanu 2004 – well balanced combination of rich, vanilla edged orchard fruits cut with fresher lime and lemon notes.
Tierhoek 2004 – Very fresh golden delicious and quince fruit of good depth combined with a fine spine of acidity.
Old Vines 2005 – lovely nose with apple, quince and vanilla; lots of flavour with a lovely freshness and clean finish.
Waterford Estate Pecan Stream 2005 – very silky, fleshy rich but balanced palate of melon, stone and orchard fruits – great value for money (£6.50 at Berry Bros & Rudd)
Sagila Chenin Blanc 2005 – very good extract/fruit concentration with leesy pear, apple and citrus notes and an attractive fleshy texture.
Chenin blends
Joostenberg Chenin Blanc/Viognier – richly fruited with apple, pear and apricot, hint of aniseed and well-balanced acidity – well done.
Dornier Donatus White 2004 (Chenin, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc) – lime nose with toast hints; very tightly focused, mineral palate with white peach and lime and delicious mouthwatering acidity – very good.
Saxenburg Guinea Fowl Chenin/Viognier 2005 – very drinkable peach and apricot with Chenin giving a spicy fresh finish which balances a touch of residual sugar well.
Chardonnay
De Wetshof in Robertson hosted a top South African Chardonnay tasting of wines selected by some of South Africa’s top wine journos. Here are my highlights:
Thelema 2004 – toast with lime on the nose followed by white peach on the swirl. The palate is rich with roasted hazelnuts, crème brulee and white peach well balanced by a citrussy acidity; nice mealy texture. Very good.
Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale 2004 – honeyed, lavender/fynbos nose with smoke, toast, pineapple, lime and cream. Lovely citrus/lime core to the palate with weightier notes of baked apple, those fynbos notes with oaky spice and toast – lots of potential for development.
Glen Carlou Reserve 2004 – this is an unapologetically oaky, honeyed, buterrscotchy style and the secret of its success – great concentration of baked apple and lime fruit.
Mulderbosch Barrel Fermented 2004 – smoky, salted limes and rounder tangerine notes make for a lively, flavoursome palate with well-integrated oak.
De Wetshof Bateleur Chardonnay 2003 – leesy, creamy nose with pear and quince; the palate is surprisingly mineral with a lively spine of acidity and fresh melon. Good potential.
Jordan Nine Yards 2004 – beautifully balanced, fresh wine with lemon, lime, fresh fig and white fruits; nice mealy texture. Very harmonious.
Hamilton Russell 2005 – Fresh, chalky nose with floral, lemon, lime and orange peel hints and a whiff of fine, spicy French oak. As always the palate is mineral, smoky and tight with a firm spine of lemony acidity given a long, tensile finish. Terrific year in year out.
Other
Raats Cabernet Franc 2004 – Bruwer Raats shows himself to be a master of Chenin and Cabernet Franc both – cherry and flowers on the nose lead onto a palate with a lovely purity of ripe cherry, damson and plum spiked with cinnamon. Super silky tannins with loads of finesse.
MR De Compestella 2004 – richly fruited, spicy, curranty blend of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; sleek tannins and poised oak. Very good debut from Mzo Mvemve and Bruwer Raats.
Vins d’Orrance Syrah 2004 – spicy, aromatic nose with lifted white pepper and meaty undertones which follow through on the well-structured palate. Good length.
Wilderkrans Cabernet Franc/Merlot 2004 – lovely perfumed nose shows blueberry, spice and currant with a touch of lead pencil – very Cabernet Franc. An elegant, beguiling wine.
Boschendal Grand Reserve 2003 – very attractive Cabernet Franc dominated blend supported by Shiraz, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon shows lots of black cherry fruit with coffee, liquorice and spice; ripe but textured tannins. Impressive mineral finish.
Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2005 – excellent – this wine is quite simply a top buy – wild, meaty red and black berry fruit with lots of spice and a hint of violets.
Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 – 11% Malbec lends a fleshy, floral character with blueberry and chocolate to the blackberry/currant fruit – very enjoyable.
Whalehaven Cabernet Franc 2004 – very good varietal character (not easy with this grape in the New World) with rich, ripe sweet and sour cherry and dusty plum with a touch of char.
Flagstone Music Room Cabernet 2003 – very inky nose with lots of cedar edged cassis; fine tannins, very pleasurable if lacking a bit of complexity.
Flagstone Free Run Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – tangy, leesy nose with good concentration of juicy grapefruit and gooseberry.
Katbakkies Viognier 2004 – lovely floral nose and rich yet delicate white peach and apricot fruit with a nice thread of acidity.
Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective
March 2006
