The Cape Fair is a classy trade fair, well-organised with topical seminars on the first morning, tons of producer stands, special focus rooms and tutored tastings. I’ve not missed this biennial event since first attending in 2004 and it’s a great way to taste wines not available in the UK and catch up with winemakers.
Below you will find notes based on visits to producer stands and focus tables. I focused particularly on Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc having previously made Chenin Blanc my first port of call in 2006 and 2004. I found plenty to like and, importantly, lots of differentiation/terroir expression.
There are separate reports for the tutored tastings, also producer visits and tastings that I attended in and around the fair.
Chardonnay
Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2007 (Stellenbosch) – very accomplished wine with underlying taut, mineral acidity to its silky and winsome white peach.
Ataraxia Chardonnay 2007 (Western Cape) - toast and cashew notes but nonetheless delicate with a good thrust of underlying fresh and vibrant ripe citrus fruit; good purity to the long finish.
Bouchard Finlayson Crocodile’s Lair Chardonnay 2007 (Overberg) - a very subtle nose and palate with well integrated wood, white peach, mineral and chalk cut with a streak of limey acidity; lipsmacking and very long.
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2005 (Walker Bay) – showing some hazlenut/resin developed notes but this is long, long, long with white and yellow peach corseted by mineral acidity. Very good indeed – in another class in the complexity stakes.
Hartenberg Eleanour Chardonnay 2005 (Stellenbosch) – quiet, nut-edged nose; the palate is very nutty, with praline yet distinctly dry with tightly wound citrus and grapefruit underneath; refreshing and elegant. Well done.
Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2006 (Stellenbosch) – a textured, single vineyard wine from vines planted in the 80s. A complex palate shows ripe white peach, floral/blossom, nuts and honey notes; this is well structured and powerful. Dressed to impress and it does!
Thelema Sutherland Chardonnay 2007 (Elgin) – subtle, backfoot wine, pale, with a fresh core of white peach, grapefruit and apple with a lick of honey and nutty hints.
Neil Ellis Chardonnay 2007 (Elgin) – pale and interesting with a subtle, fresh nose with round, sappy golden delicious apple and well integrated acidity.
Glen Carlou Quartz Stone Chardonnay 2007 (Paarl) – those the vineyards are elevated in the northern foothills of the Simonsberg mountains, this is Paarl to the north of Stellenbosch, warmer and best known for its red wines. But I’ve always had a soft spot for the Glen Carlou Reserve as this wine used to be known. And the wines are quite big, bold and fruity, supported by 11 months in 100% new french oak. It shows sweet mandarin and white peach with a good lick of toast; citrussy acidity provides balance.
De Wetshof Estate Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2008 (Robertson) – Danie de Wet’s vision of making among the Cape’s first Chardonnays led him to pioneer Burgundian clones and parcellate his vineyard to produce several different cuvees. Limey and fresh with good acid backbone; well done.
De Wetshof Estate Lesca Chardonnay 2008 (Robertson) – named after Danie’s wife this is fleet of foot, tight and complex with white peach, nougat and honey; well balanced with lemony acidity.
De Wetshof Estate Bateleur Chardonnay 2006 (Robertson) – fresh, cedary with some autolytic, toasty, nutty development; tight and well-structured.
Uva Mira Chardonnay 2007 (Stellenbosch) – Helderberg vineyards at 520m produce a pretty Chardonnay with fresh white peach; lees ageing adds texture and oak just a touch of white chocolate.
Oak Valley Chardonnay 2007 (Elgin) – quite oaky on the nose but the palate is bright with white peach and grapefruit, animated by a streak of limey, steely acidity.
Cape Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2007 (Franschhoek) – unashamedly Meursault-like, this is rich, subtley buttery and round with ripe, poached pear, cedar and cinnamon; round but balanced. Very good.
Quoin Rock Cape Agulhas Chardonnay 2006 (Cape Agulhas) – fresh and succulent with bruised apples and honey; long and intense – again very hands off, as it is (barrel fermented, mostly old barrel, natural ferment, no acidification).
Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2007 (Elgin) – bright and tight with a mineral core, and lemony acidity; intense.
Sterhuis Chardonnay 2007 (Stellenbosch) - a real find of this fair, ex-Jordan winemaker Johan Kruger crafts tensile, tightly coiled chardonnay with a real core of minerality animated by grapefruit, lemon and riper kumquat; nutty leesy notes add complexity. Very good.
Sauvignon Blanc
Cape Chamonix Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2007 (Franschhoek) –
Complex oaked Sauvignon with a dash of Semillon (10%), a little toasty on the nose but in the mouth the focus is on rich stone fruits, fennel, grass and honeyed apple blossom. Different and great for it.
Quoin Rock Cape Agulhas Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Cape Agulhas) – fresh, brine edged apple core nose and palate with a delicate hint of honey/blossom. Very hands off – good.
Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Constantia) – quite smoky, flinty, mineral style with gunmetal and a tang of steely grapefruit. Very good.
Constantia Glen Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Constantia) – textured (bit of skin contact here) with grassy, honey-edged apple/apple blossom notes; limpid finish – interesting.
Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Constantia) – very intense, quite applely with a mineral undertow; tightly coiled – very good. Includes 8% Semillon for texture and complexity.
Klein Constantia Perdeblokke Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Constantia) – from a single parcel high up the hill this is well worth a few quid more. Very lifted, intense wine with fresh as the moment when the pod went ! sugar snap peas and sweet methoxypyrazines; long, zesty but fine finish.
Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Constantia) – a difficult wet year meant yields were down 40%; this low yielding wine is intense and very grassy, the Semillon (7%) more evident.
Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2005 (Constantia) – rich and ripe with stone fruits and a flinty, smoky character; well structured. Good.
High Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Constantia) – rich, ripe style with round tangy gooseberry, nice nip and tuck with a crisp, mineral finish.
Uva Mira Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Stellenbosch) – Sauvignon hs become one of the Cape’s most popular varieties and, for my money, works best in cooler coastal climes but vineyards at 620m are among the coolest in Stelly and this wine is crisp and fresh with no shortage of acidity to balance its passionfruit core.
Reyneke Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2008 (Stellenbosch) - a barrel-fermented Sauvignon made the Reyneke way, so gently persuasive and subtle rather than wham bam; poised without being stuck up, round without being fat, less fruity more mineral. Very good.
Lomond Pincushion Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Cape Agulhas) – this needs time in bottle to integrate but fair exudes potential with a tightly coiled nose and well-structured, mineral palate.
Black Oyster Catcher Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Elim) – brackish, salty, mineral note to the nose and palate; good intensity of flavour/nicely framed, structured.
Elgin Vintners Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – lovely fresh nose and intensity of flavour; super mouthwatering finish.
Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – grapefruit, apple and smoke/steel; fresh with good bite.
Shannon Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – attractive orchard fruits (pear and apple) cut with livelier grapefruit and chiselled with minerals – oak and Semillon lend a bit of oomph to the mid-palate but this is dry, firm and impressive.
Kingsbridge Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Elgin) - crisp apple and steely grapefruit with tight, citrussy acidity. Very good.
Highlands Road Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – this Sauvignon Blanc specialist picks early – 2 weeks before most – in pursuit of a flinty, green, ageworthy style with plenty of vim and vigor. This is quite austere with grassy edges to its steely grapefruit. Very fresh.
Highlands Road Estate Free Run Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – no press juice so purer – less of those grassy edges, more citrus – grapefruit, lemon and lemon pips; mineral and precise. Good potential.
Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Elgin) – always good value for a well made, grown up Sauvignon, this shows passionfruit but, with fresh cut green apples, is less bouncy than New Zealand; a trace of honey to the finish.
Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – with 7% Semillon this has fantastic mouthfeel (and lees-stirring helps) to its plumper mid-palate butno shortage of zesty citrus with a tight core of grapefruit and lemon; steely with good length/intensity.
Elgin Valley Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – tangy and tight with cool blackcurrant bud, steely and pink grapefruit.
Springfontein Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Walker Bay) – calcified dunes 5km from the Atlantic make for a restrained, subtle Sauvignon with fresh cut apples and citrus flavours and an attractive texture (some barre ferment & lees-stirring here). Very good.
Diemersdal Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Durbanville) – plenty of juicy gooseberry and white currant fruit with a mineral seam of acidity. Lots to like here.
Durbanville Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Durbanville) – fine, intense and long in flavour with ripe methoxypyrazine notes to its tropical fruit. Well done.
Sir Lambert Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Lamberts Bay) – very intense, finely crafted, citrus and mineral wine; great length.
Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Elgin) – tight, steely grapefruit nose; the palate is more relaxed, with softer apple as well as grapefruit; attractive tang to the finish. A touch of Semillon for mid-palate.
Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Elgin) – a better vintage with better concentration of spicy, pithy grapefruit with chalky minerality.
Chenin Blanc
Beaumont Chenin Blanc 2008 (Bot River) – Beaumont have a winning way with Chenin, this is tangy, with an intense aniseed character and very good freshness.
Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2007 (Bot River) – the flagship Chenin sees large format oak (400l) so maintains its freshness and form very well. Lovely, lemony and tight.
Reyneke Chenin Blanc 2008 (Stellenbosch) - owner Johan Reyneke is as nice a guy as you could hope to meet. His wines are made according to biodynamic principles or, as he much more eloquently puts it “I’m surfing between science and magic or knowledge and intuition.” 50 year old vines show a lovely complexity – honey, flowers, quince and gentle acidity; limpid and long.
Tierhoek Chenin Blanc 2008 (Piekenierskloof) – vineyards at 760m exlain the tight restrained style, awash with quince and apple fruit; crisp, precise and long.
Teddy Hall Chenin Blanc 2008 (Stellenbosch) – very fresh with tangy apples and honey; long on flavour. Well done.
Quando Chenin Blanc 2008 (Robertson) – good texture and balance with sweet and sour tropical fruit (pineapple and pink grapefruit).
Other
Steenberg Semillon 2007 (Constantia) – Semillon blended with Sauvignon is accounting for some of the Cape’s most serious, not to mention sexy white wines. Steenberg make one, not on show regrettably but this 100% Semillon impresses with its delicious pebbly palate and sweet herbal pyrazines. It spends 4 months in 100% new french oak.
Steenberg Merlot 2006 (Constantia) – best known for its whites but Constantia makes some subtle medium bodied reds too; this has a cool minty nose, chalky tannins and attractive spice and plum.
Shannon Mount Bullet 2007 (Elgin) – another good example of Merlot, this benefiting from 5 clones and harvested at different times for complexity and balance. It shows spicy, curranty fruit with lifted blueberry and floral notes; present but ripe tannins. Delicious.
Badenhorst Family White 2007 (Paardeberg) – a beguiling blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Chenin Blanc – lovely mouthfeel, rich but with a freshness, waxy apricot, sweet but juicy mandarin and a mineral core. Very good.
Badenhorst Family Red 2006 (Coastal) – in fact mostly Paardeberg fruit and another blindingly good blend, this mostly Shiraz, Mourvedre and Cinsault. Deep, dark nose shows fruit spice/liquorice which follows through on a perfumed, fresh palate together with meaty plum; quite solid tannins, fruit tannins beneath, quite Cornas. Adi says he uses lots of whole bunch and itsees no new oak. Really artless in a very good way.
Vonderling Petit Blanc 2008 (Voor Paardeberg) – impressive unoaked blend of Chenin, Chardonnay and Viognier; nice depth of clean, stone fruits with peach and apricot with a tangy, rich leesiness. Nice precision here, no doubt Paardeberg’s granite lending a note of restraint.
Scali Blanc 2007 (Voor Paardeberg) – another impressive Voor Paardeberg Chenin, Chardonnay, Viognier blend from a small producer whose wines deserve to be much better known. Great weight and texture to this wine which see some skin ferment, natural yeast and maturation in 2-10 year old barrels. It shows ripe citrus and waxy apricot fruit with lovely tangy leesy notes and a deep seam of minerality to its limpid, long finish.
Scali Syrah 2005 (Voor Paardeberg) – floral, lifted wine with succulent red and black fruits; well done.
Scali Pinotage 2005 (Voor Paardeberg) – I like this Pinotage because it’s dry and structured with good grip, dark chocolate, bright red fruits and bony tannins. Serious wine.
Hermanuspietersfontein Die Bartho 2007 (Elim) – something of a Sauvignon specialist, winemaker Bartho Eksteen makes several different cuvees and this is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Banc, 30% Semillon. Very intense, with an attractive herbal rasp; flavoursome, long and broad. Very good.
Cape Chamonix Troika 2006 (Franschhoek) – I’m a big fan of winemaker Gottfried Mocke, keen as mustard but a sensitive winemaker who keeps his eye on the big picture – making great wine. He has upped the percentage of Cabernet Franc to good effect in this Bordeaux blend (52% Cabernet Franc, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot). Rich and ripe, yet long and intense with raspberry and an attractive earthiness.
Cape Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2007 (Franschhoek) – very bright hue, lovely, lively wild, red and black fruited nose and palate with ripe but present tannins.
Hartenberg Cape Winemakers Guild Riesling 2007 (Stellenbosch) – a rare thing for the Cape, an interesting Riesling fermented in 3rd fill barrels, lees aged and dry it is textured and powerful with spicy/exotic rose petal notes á la Clare Valley Watervale.
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2005 (Coastal Region) – a favourite and the 05 is fab with plush, spicy plum, rich savoury notes and supple tannins; good length.
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2001 (Coastal Region) – savoury, touch bloody nose, but lovely life and lift on the palate with violets and pepper to its red and black fruits; seamless, supple, long and persistent finish. Excellent.
Boekenhoutskloof The Journeyman 2005 (Franschhoek) – having forged his and the winery’s reputation on the back of the maiden 1997 Syrah (and every vintage since), winemaker Marc Kent confides its been difficult to roll out this Cabernet Franc led Bordeaux blend as the flagship. But he says as far as the farm is concerned, (Syrah is sourced from elsewhere) the Cabernet Franc has always been its strongest suit/fruit. And it’s a glorious wine with a lifted, floral nose and surprisingly pale if ruby-bright hue, a theme (ruby-bright) that follows through on the palate. It shows an intense not dense concentration of well defined/fresh red berry, cherry, currant, pomegranate and plum fruit, lightly dusted with five spice. It is quite unlike Kent’s inky, more generously fleshed out Cab Sav which bursts with exuberant cassis and blueberry flavours. Here, the emphasis is on elegance not power and fine grained tannins carry a long, delicate finish. Although all Kent’s wines fit the bill, The Journeyman in particular epitomises Kent’s mantra “quality lies in the second half of the bottle.” Very digestible.
Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block 2007 (Coastal Region) – true to its name there’s a rich, chocolatey character to its vibrant red and black fruits; svelte tannins, well done.
Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Viognier Grenache 2007 (Coastal Region) - with a dash of Clairette Blanc for acidity this is a very attractive, aromatic, textured wine. Fermented in 100% new French oak barrique and matured for 13 months it wears its oak lightly, showing good freshness, with musky and exotic Viognier lychee notes, spice and a waxy mouthfeel. Good.
Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective
September 2008
