a restaurant and wine bar which was the venue for the trade tasting of Michele Stewart's Extreme Wines
Michelle Stewart and her Extreme team members Colleen and Harry
It was a busy and well attended tasting with some gems
Elton Minnies, Assistant Winemaker at Bizoe Wines
The wines are made at Croydon winery near Somerset West by winemaker Rikus Neethling
They have two interesting Semillons from the Robertsvlei Road in Franschhoek,
acknowledged to be one of the best areas for that wonderful grape
The one Lynne tasted was crisp, with layers of good fruit and long flavours, a good wine with food
The Bizoe range
Nice to see Adam Mason, who is now making wine at Terre Paisible
(a difficult name to pronounce, meaning Peaceful land)
This wine and olive oil farm on the fertile Berg River alluvial plains is owned by a Congo man
who is building a spa on the property
Their Vigne D'or Sauvignon Blanc really impressed with layers of fresh crisp lime, tropical fruits and complexity
Canapés that look like mini Christmas puddings but were meatballs
A caprese on a stick
Tiny egg muffins
Suppli rice balls with a dip
Lomond from the Cape Agulhas area now produces wines that echo the terroir
These were made by winemaker Hannes Meyer who has moved on
The wines we tasted have freshness but need a bit more time
The 2023 Estate wine SSV (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Viognier) is unusual and enjoyable,
the viognier adding spice and apricot to the blend
Charles Fox Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc is one of our favourites and never disappoints
The 2017 is elegant, fresh and beautifully crisp and lasting on the palate
It earned Lynne's highest score for the evening
The 2020 Rosé Cap Classique, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier,
is crisp and dry with a little red berry fruit and is simply delicious
Charles Fox's wines are always so impressive
Something new for us: X House of Hier Wines (marks the spot at the end of the book?!)
The wines are from the farm Rivergold in Bonnievale and are made by Entrepreneur and Cape Wine Master Jaco Pienaar
on Lourens van der Westhuizen's farm Arendsig, which is across the way
The House of Hier 2020 Chenin Blanc has a beautiful classic Chenin nose,
a lovely mouthfeel and flavours in layers with wood present
His House of Hier 2021 Cinsault was made in a concrete egg; it is Pinot-like and needs time
Only a small quantity of the Hadassah Pinot Noir was made in a concrete tank and barrel
It is very good but not easily available
The team from PicardiReBEL Liquor Retailers, enjoying the afternoon and the wines
Every time we taste Carsten Migliarina's wines we are knocked out by the quality and finesse he produces
His wines are all food friendly. He sources grapes from across the entire Western Cape
and only uses those that represent the most exciting possibilities
His 2022 Bush Vine Chenin Blanc is from 45 year old Stellenbosch vines
It is succulent, with layers of beautiful crisp, clean and lean fruit, very French in style
His 2022 Chardonnay from Elgin is clean and crisp and also very French in style
The 2020 Bushvine Chardonnay has a golden nose, full and satisfying with layers of fruit, wood and lasting texture
Luminosity 2022 Blanc de Noir, made from 93% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Gris, is also crisp and dry,
with white peach and lime and so quaffable
The Migliarina 2022 Grenache from Polkadraai grapes has good berry fruit and good tannins
His 2021 Syrah has a beautiful dive-in nose with fruit, spices and perfume which follow through on the palate
with long flavours of choclalate and red berry fruit
The Migliarina 2020 Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon blend is new and knocked us out with its quality and deliciousness
with smoke, cherry, mulberry and perfume on the nose
Perfections with richness, layers of red berry fruit, softness, fullness, good acidity and good fruit and wood balance
with licorice, spice and pepper on the end
20 out of 20 for Lynne
Carsten Migliarina
His range of wines. You must taste these
Pilgrim wines from the Swartland, made by Henry Kotze and his viticulturist wife Riette,
make a splash with two very different cultivar wines
Viura, the most planted Spanish cultivar, is from Goudini vines; "It is a safe bet on dry land areas"
It's a white wine with pear and lime with a slight sweetness on the finish
Bastardo do Castello aka Trousseau from the Jura in France is very attractive on the nose
with white pepper incense wood and perfume
Soft and succulent on the palate, juicy with berry fruit and long flavours
Their 2023 Chenin Blanc is sappy with lots of minerality, greengages and limes
Winemaker Etienne Louw on the The Vinoneers Orpheus and the Raven stand
Their range has an Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc from a mature Durbanville vineyard
Cape Red Blend No.42, an interesting blend of nearly equal parts of Pinotage, Pinot noir and Cinsault
No.7 Pinotage which has great mouthfeel and hints of spice with firm tannins typical of young Pinotage
Swansong Riesling - made from the last Altydgedacht harvest before the vines were uprooted
All excellent, showing Etienne's years of experience with Durbanville terroir
Also Conspiracy of Ravens Pinot Noir, Eye of the Tiger Chenin Blanc and Eternal 8, none of which we tasted
A smiling Etienne Louw
and finally, a great selection from Vrede en Lust in Franschhoek
Jess Rosé is made from Grenache, Pinotage and Shiraz and is zesty and crisp
The Anni Sauvignon Blanc has tropical notes as well as crisp greenness typical of Sauvignons from cooler areas
The Kogelberg Chenin Blanc from their farm in Elgin is rich, full and well wooded
Kris Snyman, responsible for Sales & Marketing at Vrede en Lust Wine Estate
After the Ball was over....
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