Invitations to visit wine farms have rightly been few and far between because of Covid, but we do hope things will improve, now that many people have been vaccinated and farms have learned to put the necessary protocols in place to protect their staff and visitors
We were very happy to accept an invitation to visit Glen Carlou wine estate to taste their wines and enjoy a lovely lunch on the terrace last Sunday. The farm is situated in Klapmuts, on the Simondium Road, and has superb views over the valley to Agter Paarl. The winemaker is Johnny Canitz and the chef is Johan Stander
It’s a modern building, so well designed, with its large tasting room and restaurant and it also has an art gallery
Looking down over the vineyards towards the Agter Paarl area, everything is so lush and green at this time of the year
The terrace is well shaded by the large canopy and it was a very special place to have lunch
It is a popular place to eat; you do need to book a table, especially if you want to sit on the terrace
The thatch roofed interior makes it cool in summer and a lovely place to enjoy lunch in the winter with the open fire
and there are some relaxing spaces in which to taste wine
Our table was booked for 12.30 and the trip through was very quick, so we were rather early
We have to mention the superb service and kind attention we had from the staff who looked after us:
Manager Bronwin Adams, and his staff members Lizette Fortuin and Linda Solomons
They were all so attentive and accommodating to our needs
A glass floor view of the barrel cellar below; beware those who suffer from vertigo
The Taal monument in Paarl, which commemorates the Afrikaans language, on the hill across the valley
You can also look down towards the Paarl valley and the mountains beyond
We decided to do our tasting at the table rather than in the tasting room; first wine to taste was the Glen Carlou Cap Classique, a Zero dosage Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay. It is biscuity, with green and cooked apple on the nose with a little ginger spice. It has a fine mousse and some delicacy, with lots of long flavours of crisp apple and greengage plum. Minerality with a hint of salty licorice on the end. A fine example, very enjoyable. And a great start to our lunch
The 2020 Petite Classique is a 60% Malbec, 40% Merlot blend with cherries and cherry pips, a hint of herbs and good richness on the nose. On the palate, black and Morello cherries, some dark licorice wood and then the fruit continues with intense mulberries. Very drinkable
We then voted to continue the tasting with our lunch. While we generally chose the wines suggested on the menu to pair with each of our courses, we did both taste all the wines. Sadly, the wine we really wanted to taste, because we had tasted a very good one at Kranskop on our visit to Robertson, was the unusual Tannat 2018, which is now sold out
This is the menu, which suggests pairings with each course
In two cases, the pairing was ignored and a different wine was picked
A surprise Amuse Bouche from the kitchen was something we love and have missed
A tiny warm, deep fried truffle & cheese croquette served with aioli made from egg yolk, honey, mustard & wine vinegar
It came with a soft warm roll and some butter
As her starter, Lynne chose the battered squid with slow roasted aubergine and yellow peppers
Good flavours on the squid and the yellow peppers, but we like our aubergine cooked a lot longer; this was still rather raw
The pairing she chose was the 2019 Collection Chenin Blanc. It was a good choice with its classic Chenin nose of dust and tropical fruits and loquats, Yellow stone fruit on the crisp and golden palate. The wood shows quite strongly on the end so, possibly, this needs more time in the bottle
John chose the lamb croquettes on a beetroot chutney, with pickled pear. The croquettes were almost all lamb and, perhaps, needed a bit more white sauce to moisten the meat. John is NOT a fan of beetroot but surprised Lynne by saying how well it worked as a counterpoint to the richness of the lamb
He chose the 2020 Pinot Noir as his pairing. It is quite shy and sophisticated at first, then the classic red berry fruit appears. Soft and silky on the palate then red, maraschino and morello cherry appear. Dark wood, mulberries and pepper complete the wine. Young, but well made
In between courses, we asked to taste the 2019 Syrah. Dark red and black berry fruit, spicy on the concentrated nose
The densely fruity and warm palate follows through with cassis and mulberry. It’s young and needs a little more time
Her main course choice was the rolled Lamb shoulder with a Vadouvan Masala lightly curried sauce, fruited and spiced couscous and spring onions. Very tender, very rich; it needed the excellent Cabernet Franc to cut through the richness
Lynne paired the 2018 Collection Cabernet Franc, one of her favourite grapes, with the lamb course
Classic savouriness on the nose, lovely berries, a hint of green leaves, with richness and complexity
Licorice, dark berries, layers of complexity, long, dark, deep flavours and an excellent mouthfeel. SO well made
John’s main course choice was the 400g Sirloin on the bone, served with rustic fries, pepper, and thyme cream
It was perfectly cooked to his specification of medium rare
His pairing was the 2018 Grand Classique Bordeaux blend, and it is a very special wine. Incense wood, very true to the Bordeaux style, with beautiful fruit in layers, a good kick of acidity and chalky tannins to aid its aging and long complex flavours with wood holding its own on the end. A wine to drink now and also to keep. A very good pairing, as expected
A good double espresso completed the excellent meal for John
We were very impressed with the wines, the food and the service
Do go and experience it for yourselves. https://glencarlou.com/
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