A Weekend in Stellenbosch. 1. Haskell Vineyards

A great invitation from Stellenbosch Wine Routes to "Experience Winter in Stellenbosch" with them last weekend

 #StellenboschisCool

We joined several other members of the media for the first event, a wine tasting at Haskell Wines

with Armand Swart, the Tasting Room Manager

The one white and four red wines we were to taste

Preston Haskell, an American born real estate magnate, owns the farm. Rudolph Steenkamp has taken over as winemaker

(and Viticulturist) since Rianie Strydom left to concentrate on making her own Strydom Vintners wines

Each couple received a generous gift of two Stellenbosch wines from Stellenbosch Wine Routes

We began with the 2018 Anvil, a single vineyard Chardonnay which is full of golden fruit and perfume on the nose It spends 12 months in new oak barrels and has crisp lemon lime flavours, chalky tannins and just a hint of wood on the long end. The 2013 Pillars Syrah is also a single vineyard wine. Good fruit and a touch of Brett on the nose, sweet berry fruit, nice tight tannins and lots of mulberries on the end. Haskell are currently replanting many of their vines due to virus. The 2014 Aeon Syrah has a pretty fruity nose with violets and wood. Soft mouthfeel on entry, then good dark berry fruit and grippy tannins. Needs more time. They have reduced the price from R350 to R205 and it is selling out. One for your cellar? The 2014 Haskell II a blend of 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon has lovely savoury fruit on the nose with whiffs of smoke. Mulberry and cherry fruit soft and sweet initially, chalky and grippy tannins, long flavours with licorice wood on the end. The 2013 Haskell IV has dark almost bruléed fruit on the nose with smoke on the end. Dry chalky tannins initially hide the fruit, then grape jam appears in this Bordeaux blend which was matured in in 70% new French oak

The views are so good from the terrace. It was a very cold morning

We surmise that, overnight, this fountain would have had some ice on it

The Haskell Aeon Syrah 2014

The Long Table restaurant with its outside tables. There is a roaring fire in the passageway

View over a green and wintry Stellenbosch

The green is the cover crops growing beneath the vines, which will all be ploughed in to enrich the soil come Spring

A table set for a tasting outside. We, thankfully, were inside

Time to move on to the next wine farm on our journey through cool Stellenbosch

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The views are so good from the terrace.  It was a very cold morning. We surmise that overnight this fountain would have had some ice on it.

The Long Table restaurant  with its outside tables.  There is a roaring fire in the passageway
View over a green and wintery Stellenbosch  The green are the cover crops growing beneath the vines which will all abe ploughed in to enrich the soil come Spring.
A table set for a tasting outside. We thankfully were inside. Time to move on to the next wine farm on our journey through cool Stellenbosch