We were invited to taste some of these great Hemel and
Aarde wines at Hildebrand in the Waterfront this week. We do go there a lot but
don’t always have time to visit all the wine farms we like and respect. This is
one of them and if you find yourselves in the area, do go and do a tasting of
these wines. You will find a warm welcome and some superb Chardonnays, Pinot
Noirs and elegant red blends, as well as their Blanc de Mer white blend of
Riesling, Viognier and Chenin Blanc. The wines were all paired with small
tastings prepared in the restaurant kitchens
Hildebrand
restaurant
They have a
reasonably priced set menu on offer at present
Three vintages
of the Blanc de Mer: 2012, 2013 and 2014. The most popular, and we concur, was
the 2012. Warm linen and limes on the nose with faint whiffs of smoke, it is
full of sweet fruit with a lingering elegance and aftertaste, performing well
above expectation. The other two will mature as well as this one. It is a good
food wine and it was paired with two pieces of salmon sushi.
It was quite a
small tasting
Most of the
people attending know and buy the wines. Peter Finlayson, in the top right
corner, took us through his wines
Next we tasted
the Galpin Peak Pinot Noirs: 2009, 2010 & 2012 (there was no 2011 made). We
tasted this before the Chardonnay because Peter believes, as do many experts, that
chardonnay can have an effect on the taste of Pinot Noir if tasted before it. Here
the 2012 was just preferred more than the 2009. They all have a lovely silky
mouth, and the 2012 has lots of juicy red morello cherries with a smoky finish.
It is very, very elegant and has years to go. Definitely a food wine
Duck and rice
to match the Pinot Noirs
Lamb on
tsatsiki to go with the Missionvale Chardonnays. We tasted 2011, 2012 &
2013. Again the same pattern. We like the 2011 best. It’s nose of wood citrus
and vanilla is followed by a mouth full of intense fruit and good clean crisp
acidity, limes and butter. So complex and layered. The 2013 has such potential,
full fruit, lovely depth and continuation
It was a
really good tasting. We wish we could afford more of these excellent wines as
they are so built to last and go so well with food. We were given a bottle of
the Blanc de Mer and the Galpin Peak Pinot Noir to take home. Thank you Peter. You
somehow manage to get such beautiful silk into your wines
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015
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