On a late March, end of summer Saturday, we headed to Muratie to
attend their very first Summer Wine Down event
We were promised a tasting,
some history of the farm and some lunch and some live music
Assured of
stringent Covid regulations, how could we refuse
Another stunning landscape from the farm is their view of the
Simonsberg mountain behind their vineyards
It is a very popular place to stop off for runners and
cyclists as they can sit and have breakfast, brunch, lunch
or a wine tasting on
the outside tables of the Muratie Farm Kitchen under the shelter of the ancient
oak trees
Open from Wednesday to Sunday, Breakfast is from 9am – 11am and
lunch from 11am – 3.30pm
Owner Rijk Melck returning from his Saturday morning cycle
in time to meet us all
Our media group met in the garden in front of the very pretty late 18th Century Manor House for a wine tasting
The lovely green venue in front of the house can also be used
at weddings
and we were welcomed with a glass of Muratie’s Blanc de Blanc
Cap Classique, a very good example of the style,
with a good prickly mousse,
crisp, long and dry with the classic flavours of Chardonnay, apple and lime.
Just our style too
Tables nicely spread far apart, we chose the one at the back
the garden has been well planted and you sit in the shade of ancient trees
Dr Rijk Melck, Winemaker Hattingh de
Villiers, and P.R.O. Posy Hazell
Some snacks of crisp samoosas and spicy spring rolls
Instead
of handing these round or providing a buffet, each person was given their own portion,
much safer because of no general hand contact with the food
We enjoyed them
very much, but they did blow the palate a little; luckily the Blanc de Blanc
calmed it down
Desmond told us some of the history behind the names of the
wines,
all named for previous owners of this very historic farm, established in 1685
In
front of the Winery is a small white house which is now the art gallery
This
was the first home that the first owner Laurens Campher (1685 -1735) built for
his family
Beside the house is the oak tree his wife, Ansela van de Caab,
planted
Theirs is a very romantic story. Ansela was a slave and he had to get
her freedom
before they could marry and move to Muratie where he was
establishing the farm.
He had to walk for three days to get to Cape Town to see
her. And then three days back
We then had three vertical tastings of Muratie wines. It is
always an extreme privilege to see how wines develop
and change with age and a great
learning experience for people new to wine, who are often excited to see what
happens with time
The first wine was the Lourens Campher, which is a blend of
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho and Viognier
From left to right: 2013 has
a hint of smoke and spice, shy fruit initially, then lots of apple
Dry - not
influenced by the touch of Viognier, rounded with good complex fruit flavours
on the palate
and a little wood on the end. It has aged well
2017 Golden fruit on the nose; the Chenin predominates with
some spice and good expectations
Sweet summer fruit, golden delicious apples,
nice gentle wood integration and it yells for food
The current vintage 2019 has beautiful perfumed fruit on the
nose
Guava and spice is on both the nose and the palate, crisp fruit acids,
mid palate of loquat
then lime, lemons and wood point to a very good wine with
aging potential developing
Hearing some more of the interesting history of the farm
The
aged tasting room with its cobwebs is not allowed to be changed; it is almost a
national monument!
Marketing Assistant Jean-Mari Reyneke is always so helpful and friendly
Desmond told us about the wines, all named after previous owners of the farm or their family
Muratie
dates back to the first owner, Laurens Campher, who established the
farm in 1685,
when it was granted to him by Simon van der Stel, who was
Governor of the Cape of Good Hope at the time
Then three Muratie Merlots. The first does not bear a previous owner’s name;
it was a lucky discovery in their vinoteque and we were very privileged to be tasting it
2001. What a lasting nose, quite awesome. It does have a hint of Brettanomyces,
but that is what can make red wines long lasting.
On the palate, rich red berry fruit, dark damson plums and cherries with some licorice wood
and even some chalky tannins
The 2013 Alberta Annemarie Merlot has intense wood and dark
red and black cherries, good wood
and is perfumed with rose and jasmine. A
fine nose. And it is lovely on the palate with rich plum,
ripe mulberry and
black cherry fruit, with dark toasted wood on the end
It needs to be drunk
with good steak or rich meats. Excellent
The 2017 current vintage is still a bit shy with hints of
plums, cherries and wood on the nose
Great fruit on the palate - reminded us
of Rowntree blackcurrant fruit pastilles,
crisp fruit acids and chalky tannins
and wood
A wine which has all the components it needs, in waiting and, with
the 2013, we can see what it can become
Alberta Annamarie Canitz, after whom the Merlot was named, inherited Muratie from her father
Georg
She sold it to Rijk Melck’s father Ronnie in 1987, knowing that he would
hold on to the long traditions of the farm,
especially as it had belonged to
his family in the 17th and 18th Centuries
It was
acquired by Martin
Melck in 1763
Rijk swirls the wine before nosing
The final flight was the Cabernet Sauvignon, named for Rijk's ancestor Martin Melck
He owned the farm from 1763 to 1781 and it was passed down in
the family until the late 1880's when it was sold
Left to Right: 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. Sweet and sour
berries, lots of cassis and perfume
Dark, dark toasted wood, stewed berry
fruit, long flavours with chalky tannins holding
2015 has a different nose, with vegetal hints. It is silky
on the palate,
full on cassis berries and leaves, good chalky tannins and good
structure
It is just waiting to bloom and it will. It became more juicy with time
as it opened in the glass
Autumn is suddenly with us, almost a month early
Everyone had their temperatures taken on arrival, and had to give their name and contact details
in case they needed to be contacted because of Covid. It is a very happy place
We were entertained by The Bulllets with nostalgic 1960s pop music
The exciting menu for the day on the Media table, with
choices for all
Our starter was a perfectly made Caesar salad, with a
perfect oozy poached egg, shaved parmesan, cos lettuce,
crisp croutons and the
correct sauce tasting of anchovies
Hidden beneath were succulent slices of
delicate cooked smoked chicken
Delicious and a meal on its own. Beautiful with
the Laurence Campher and ....
.... we enjoyed it with the Muratie Isabella wooded
Chardonnay; Crisp limes and golden oak
We always tell people that you will find the best lamb
shanks in Cape Town at Muratie
and today we were overjoyed to have them for
lunch
Served in a rich lamb jus, with creamed potatoes, heritage carrots
and
lots of good fresh green vegetables they were a treat
We drank some of the
Martin Melck Cabernet Sauvignon with the lamb
and the Alberta Annamarie Merlot,
both were excellent choices
The lamb is succulent and just falls off the bone, all the
fat has disappeared in the long slow cooking
and for dessert a perfect vanilla pannacotta, topped with a
zingy berry coulis and a fresh raspberry
An excellent meal, well matched by
the Muratie wines
A chance to taste the 2000 Muratie Pinot Noir was gratefully
accepted and appreciated
It is a very good Pinot noir, with lots of class and
full of the classic Pinot flavours, soft and silky
Muratie was the first farm
to plant Pinot noir in South Africa and their Pinot was used with Cinsaut (aka
Hermitage)
from a neighbour farm to create the Pinotage cross
Lots of chat on the long media table; nicely spaced apart
and then it was time for carriages home after a really enjoyable day
Thank you
so much to all at Muratie
So good to see some of the other media people and
Posy too, after a very, very long time of Covid
A beautiful Queen protea, Protea Magnifica, which decorated
our table
and Lynne spotted this magnificent beastie walking across
the path
It was about 8 cm long. It is a Death's head hawk moth (Acherontia
atropos) larva/caterpillar
