It
has been a while since we last visited this farm, and in the interim period
wine maker Hagen Viljoen has joined. We were invited for the release of the new
2017 Chenin Blanc, Grand Provence's new single varietal wine. He says “For
many, Chenin Blanc is one of South Africa’s top wine varieties and has a strong
claim for pole position when it comes to being the driver for brand South
Africa. The ready access to a rich heritage of old vineyards, as well as the
variety’s versatility of styles certainly re-enforces this claim”. And Chenin
would be the main focus of the wine with lunch
The farm has a very good art gallery and the gardens
are filled with sculptures
The fine dining restaurant
We like the new feeling of lightness that pervades
Grande Provence and we were interested to see how popular it is. The outside tables
were full all through the lunch time and afterwards, with people enjoying
tastings and having light lunches
Media were directed to the Oyster Bar and given a
glass of the Grande Provence MCC Brut, a blend of 50% each of Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir
It was a very hot day and this was extremely
welcome as was the ice cold water served
There were plumptious three bite oysters for those
who could partake
We gathered under the trees at the Oyster Bar
Wine merchant Mike Bampfield Duggan
Tables laid for tastings under the trees
Luckily we were ushered into The Jonkershuis,
where it was cool and a long table had been set up for lunch. We were to taste
the wines with the dishes
Winemaker Hagen Viljoen
General Manager of Grande Province Ivan Oertle CWM.
Ivan is also the Sales and Marketing Manager - Local and International Sales. He
was previously the wine buyer at Woolworths
The new 2017 Chenin Blanc. It is Hagen's first
wine for Grande Provence. A dusty nose with hints of English gooseberries, at
first it is dry on the palate then the fruit powerfully bursts through, golden
apricots, passion fruit, guava and a nice citrus shot of acidity. We were
served some good sourdough bread and an unusual nut dip, the wine was very
special in this combination
The menu
It also was the perfect match for the much enjoyed
starter of firm Gin cured Yellowtail, with a Yuzu foam, and avocado purée,
carrot fronts and some crisp sago crackers, rather like those prawn crackers
you get in Chinese restaurants - we liked them. It also had some kohlrabi
slices, but they were rather superfluous. We like kohlrabi but felt it didn't
add anything to the dish
Next came two vintages of the Grande Provence
White, a blend of 56% Chenin Blanc and 44% Viognier. Normally when this much
viognier is added it takes over, but it didn't dominate in either of these
vintages. The 2015 has the label, the 2016 is about to be released and has not
yet been labelled. On the 2015 there are lees and wood notes, with apples and
pears. A nice full, rounded palate followed by a crisp prickle and a long
flavours of caramel apple tart tatin ending with a hint of wood smoke. The 2016
is similar, just a bit fresher, with lemons and peaches on the nose, and no
wood visible. Citrus crisp on the palate, then the wood appears. Dry chalky
tannins a little mouth puckering and lots of cooked apples and pears - they
described them as pomme fruits. The room was split 50/50 on which was the
favourite, so do try both of these wines if you can and see which you prefer
Executive Chef Guy Bennett came to tell us about his menu. He is a Capetonian
who has worked his way up the ranks alongside some of Cape Town’s most
celebrated culinary masters. After completing apprenticeships at Savoy Cabbage
and Buitenverwachting in his early twenties, Guy joined Reuben Riffel at the
One and Only and later moved to The Robertson Small Hotel. He was soon snatched
up by Delaire Graff Restaurant where he worked as Michael Deg’s right hand man.
His last stint before joining Grande Provence was head chef for Bertus Basson. Guy
has taken over from Darren Badenhorst, who has opened his own restaurant, in
Franschhoek
The long table during lunch
The course that was paired with the two vintages
of the Grande Provence White was a tribute to cauliflower. A risotto of
cauliflower and mushrooms with a perfect' bite', a rich brie cream and perfectly
cooked wood smoked sautéed porcini which went so well with the wood notes on
the wine. There were small florets of curried and pickled cauliflower which
contrasted well. There were lots of other bits and textures of cauliflower as
well - puréed, raw, grilled but perhaps a bit too much. The stars were the
risotto and the cooked mushrooms. There was also a smear of well burnt sage
butter on the side of the bowl
John had his without mushrooms
Love the chandelier! Now you don't have to recycle
ALL of your wine bottles.
Hagen then told us about the next wine which was
the pairing with the main course. It is an Amphora wine which was made by his
predecessor Matthew van Heerden.
Called appropriately Amphora 2016 and made from
Chenin Blanc and Muscat de Alexandrie, it is most unusual but not unenjoyable. The
herbal green nose is like being in a pesto factory, it has so many herbal
notes, so different. On the palate apples and limes with dry tannins and a back
of the throat almost spirity volatility. Not a sherry substitute. This wine
will certainly engage and fascinate the wine world
The course it was paired with was a small slice of
belly of pork, topped with a peach purée
and crisp popcorn crackling and fresh figs. It came with both a potato purée and a square of gratin sliced layers of potato
that had been crisp pan roasted in butter. There was a ripe peach fluid gel and
a slice of seared peach which made the dish nicely fruity and cut the fat of
the pork. Oh and a good rich puddle of concentrated pork pan juices. A very
good match for the Amphora as well as the new 2017 Chenin which many of us
called for to retaste with this dish
Grande Provence have made Angels Tears for many,
many years and it is deservedly popular. Made from Muscat and Chenin grapes it
has now evolved into a dryer wine than it was previously and is all the better
for it, as the dryness adds character and loses the slight sickly sweetness it
once had. A charming nose of pure rose petals, and a palate of only slightly
sweet, refreshing dusty Chenin. This was served with dessert and is certainly
one to consider as a dessert wine and a wine for spicy food. The Natural Sweet
2017 has Alc/Vol 11.5% | pH 3.48 | R.S. 26g/l | TA 5.5g/l
The menu description of the dessert said passion
fruit sorbet, but it tasted like good mango, which is in season. This was on a
hazelnut crumb base and accompanied by a rich creamy honey parfait, sprinkled
with toasted coconut, that was fighting the heat. It was topped with a plain
tuile and set on slices of poached pear and a gel of what we think was pear but
it could have been litchi? Another good pairing, with the wine washing away the
rich cream. A very nice way to showcase both the wines and the food and
refreshing to see the winemaker and the chef working so well together. Thank you
Grande Provence for a great experience
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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