.: MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 5. Calitzdorp

Day 3 of the Trip.

Time is going rather fast! It was a lovely clear warm day when we left our accommodation. It was going to be a day of exciting (!) travel. We had so enjoyed our time in hospitable Calitzdorp. Before we left town, we bought the Sunday Times and filled up with petrol. Then it was off into the kloofs to visit Peter and Yvonne Bayly to taste their wines and ports

A sleepy Sunday morning, looking back at Calitzdorp

Looking across the valley to Axe Hill winery

There are some lovely, solid looking old properties on the road

As you climb around the hills you catch sight of the reservoir

and small workers' cottages nestled into the hill

The trip took us through dry Karoo past the large dam which is now filling and is about 1/3 full after a very long drought

They have had some rain, but you can still see how far down the water is after their very long drought

Making a day of it by the dam. There were fishermen on the dam and,
an unusual sight for us this far from the coast, a small tree with 5 or 6 cormorants waiting to fish

Lovely rolling hills. The road is well maintained and graded for most of the way

Following the river feeding the dam, you travel through verdant valleys, through high kloofs and over several, now dry, fords which are there for when the river is in full flood. There are a few art and ceramic galleries and accommodation on the way. Your can do a round trip as the road forks and comes out back at Calitzdorp. We were to take the other fork on the way to Prince Albert over the Swartberg pass. Well worth a visit. The car still looks reasonably shiny. Soon, this would change

and the entrance to Peter Bayly wines. They are in the picturesque Groenfontein Valley,
which is now a separate new wine ward. Do call in for a tasting if you are passing, they are very welcoming

Very smart gates that have gone up since our last visit, which was a few years back

Warmly welcomed by Yvonne and Peter and their two lovely dogs, chickens and a handsome chanticleer, we admired the wisteria in full bloom, green vines in the closely guarded vineyard. Peter with wine thief at the ready

and decanting his tawny from the barrel for us to taste

Vine stokkies of Alvarinho just waiting to be planted. They have waited a while to get these

Shady parking under the pepper trees

They have to make their own electricity as they are so far away from the grid, so they have a generator and solar panels
And a lovely dog enjoying the sunshine

The huge tree was lost during a horrible storm which also took out the wisteria arbour,
but the wisteria survived and will soon be back on a new structure

The vineyards have to be surrounded by electric fences as the baboons can decimate the crop

Peter Bayly wines to buy and taste

and sat out on the cool shady stoep for the tasting with Peter and Yvonne. We began with the classic 2018 Chenin Blanc,
which is dry and linear, full of pear, quince and citrus, very French in style and delicious. Perfect for a warm morning

Two vintages of the Peter Bayly III. The 2016 was given 92 points by Tim Atkin. Its a blend of Touriga Naçional, Tinta Barocca, & Souzão. Incense wood, elegant with black cherry, plums and mulberry richness. Layers of berry fruit and good soft tannins. The new 2017 is similar but the fruit arrives first then vanilla oak (old French barrels) and is full of cherries and red berries. Soft and silky on the palate, with soft chalky tannins. It opens up with cranberry, Morello cherries, mulberries and has long, long flavours

Enjoying the chat and the wine. We are old friends; we had lots to chat about;
we had our tables next to each other at the Biscuit Mill when we sold our goods there

The 2012 Peter Bayly 2012 Cape Vintage port style wine made from Touriga Naçional, Tinta Barocca and Souzão, the Douro’s quintessential Port varietals. It is a 4 star Platter wine and has also come in the top 10 in the Port Producers competition and was given 91 points by Tim Atkin. Slightly smoky on the intriguing nose, aromas of blackberries, plum, Christmas spices and a hint of herbs, leather and liquorice. It soft as silk on the complex palate with lovely fruit and other flavours in layers as it announces itself: "I am here!" Black cherry, dark plums, brambles, hints of black pepper & spice, dark savoury notes with liquorice on the end. Delicious, no faults, more please... Peter uses artisanal winemaking techniques; including natural fermentation, foot-treading, basket pressing and maturation in seasoned large casks for eighteen months prior to hand bottling unfiltered and unfined

The 2014 is about to be released and lives up to its predecessor, made from the same grape varietals. Spicy, rich and full of dark berry fruit with a hint of wood on the nose. Silky on the palate, sweet dark berry fruit with cherry, ripe blackberries and some raspberry. Drinking well now but also worth stashing away for a while

And to come, the 2016 Cape Vintage. Dark in the glass with good legs, it has herbal hints, then spice, dark fruit lots of elegance on the nose, its classy. Beautiful cherry berry fruit both red and black; long, delicious port flavours with depth and some sunshine in the glass. Lynne scored this 98/100 and predicts it will win awards when it is released

The 2010 Tawny, not yet released and still in barrel, is superb. Brown rim, dark in the middle. A vintage nose, a hint of smoke and lovely maturity on the palate, with brandied cherries; it sings with lovely sweet bruléed cherry, mulberry and raspberry fruit, salted caramel, quite wonderful

One of our favourites is the White Port, a blend of the 2008 through to 2016 vintages, produced from 100% Calitzdorp Chenin Blanc. It is is quite amber in colour. Its Thornton's creamy toffee on the nose, with nuts, lemon lime and blossom. Peach, apricot, marmalade and bruléed toffee on the palate, with long flavours, some salty minerality on the end, lasting with the typical dry end. Just excellent on its own, but also amazing as a cool refreshing cocktail with tonic, which might just get the young market drinking port again. Fingers crossed; they do not know what they are missing

Cloth pigs for sale

A Scottish pig, brought to Calitzdorp in a suitcase. Peter has this featured on his label as, when he said he was going to make wine, someone said "and Pigs might fly!" So they do on his label, he makes excellent wines and ports