What a wonderful way to spend a morning in the winelands
We were in for one of the best wine tastings we have had for a very long time
While we were in Stellenbosch and Helderberg for the weekend, we made appointments and plans to visit four wine farms. The first was to see Catherine Marshall at her winery at the Lavinia farm, Polkadraai Road. We have known Cathy for a long time and have always been a fan of her detailed, professional and beautiful wines. We had not had a chance to taste them for quite a long time due to Covid lock downs. We could not wait to see what gems she has been producing. We were not disappointed; we had a marvellous tasting with her
Catherine graduated from Elsenburg in 1991. Apprenticeships followed at various local cellars, interspersed with international experiences in France (Burgundy and St-Émilion-Bordeaux), USA (California and Oregon) and Australia
Resident winemaking positions followed at four wineries in Stellenbosch and Paarl before she embarked on a solo career in 2007, establishing and running the wine business. At this time, she was instrumental in formalising the Garagiste Movement, which has gone on to become very successful in South Africa
She has been here for the last three years and welcomes visitors to the tasting room
Check out her website for details. https://cmwines.co.za/
In the tasting room with Catherine. It is run by her tasting room manager, Mark
You can sit outside on the deck and taste while you enjoy the lovely views looking across to the Simonsberg
The current range of her wines on display
We began with the 2021 Chenin Blanc, fermented in clay amphorae which were hand made for Catherine by a friend who is a talented local potter. She told us she is in love with the amphorae and the wines that they produce. Her description of the wine is peach juice over wet stones and it certainly lives up to that. There is richness on the nose with minerality and it is lovely and rounded on the palate with golden apricots, ripe golden juicy peach, with layered complexity and joy and some lees character. Grapes from Elgin and a small portion from old bush vines in Bottelary
Next Amatra Jono's Wave 2021 Chenin Blanc, with grapes primarily from Elgin, some from Stellenbosch, plus sites in Stanford and Franschhoek. Jono, who loves to surf - he says it's his religion - is Cathy son, who has now joined her in the business. Cathy says this is a wine meant for celebrations. 70% fermented in old French barrels, which adds another lovely dimension as you taste this rich, golden wine. It delights in layers of fruit; peach, litchi, and ripe pears, with fresh acidity to balance the fruit and wood
The 2021 Riesling is grown on red slate, which is perfect for this grape, which needs to struggle to grow. Perfumed with white flower notes, it has a lovely freshness on both the nose and palate with honey, lemon and limes. It is nicely balanced, with lovely zingy acids, good ripe fruit and has some tension from the minerality. A very good example of a South African Riesling
Catherine currently produces three excellent, but different, Pinot Noirs, and she is known to be one of the best Pinot winemakers in the country, as she consistently produces excellent examples of this difficult heartbreak grape. Her Pinots are very much in the Burgundy style. We were lucky enough to be tasting older ones, in sequence
Pinot Noir on Sandstone 2017, from the Elgin area. You can smell the terroir first, the ground and fynbos, then the beautiful cherry fruit and incense wood. On the palate, soft, ripe seductive fruit with a hint of dark chocolate wood; the wine had good structure, supported by balanced chalky tannins. Pinot Noir on Clay Soil 2017 has an intriguing dive-in nose full of cranberry and rhubarb. Soft chalky tannins, unctuous mulberry, cherry and rhubarb fruit and dark licorice wood. This wine calls loudly for food
The 2017 "Finite Elements" Pinot Noir, from the best sites and the best grapes, on both Clay and Sandstone soils in Elgin. This wine has a lovely, almost ethereal nose, very Burgundian, with Morello cherries, mulberries and raspberries. On the palate, it is like melting a dark chocolate-covered cherry in one's mouth, so delicious. It has good minerality, soft chalk and long, ripe fruit flavours
A treat, to taste the new 2021 Grenache, from the Swartland area near Malmesbury. Just bottled, not yet labelled. Richly perfumed, with roses and violets, almost a perfume to put behind your ear; some Turkish delight notes as well. Sheer pleasure on the palate. Umami notes and ripe berry fruit with lovely chalky support and light wood on the end. Another great food wine par excellence. Order soon
Amatra The Oreads 2020 Merlot. Catherine says that this wine epitomises their lifestyle in Kalk Bay, celebrating with the mountain nymphs (from Greek myth, Echo was one) in the caves above. It has lots of minerality, good wood and fruit. It is soft and silky on the palate, with ripe red plums and some peppery notes on the top palate
Our last wine is a celebration of life and is dedicated to Peter, Catherine's late husband. Peter's Vision 2017 is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from Elgin grapes. Whether Right Bank Bordeaux or Super Tuscan in style, this wine has it all. Hints of both varietals on the nose, with some umami, violet, minerality and dark berry fruit on the silky and complete palate, with a hint of salty licorice drop on the end. Another major food wine
Cathy loves her skilfully hand made amphorae and we love her wine
Thank you so much for your time and the great experience
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