.: 05/09/23

Tuesday, May 09, 2023

Raath Promotions trade wine tasting at The Winchester

Great to be back at The Winchester on Sea Point beach front; it has had a major renovation
We were there to attend the Raath Promotions Trade Wine tasting
Doesn't the trained bougainvillea look magnificent?

One of the best things at these tastings is encountering John Loubser, talented winemaker/wine farmer

of Silverthorn Estate in Bonnievale, with his amazing Cap Classiques at the front door
It's how to get a party, sorry, tasting started; perfect priming for the palate

John Loubser and Tanya Reynolds with two of John's excellent wines

The Green Man Cap Classique 2017 in the magnum started our journey
Brioche, lime and lemon on the nose, lovely tight tingly mousse
Reload and repeat on the palate, layered and delicious and lasting

The current range of Silverthorn's bubblies

Into the fray, but where to start
Raath Promotions, run by Kathy Raath and her son Dane, has managed to capture some very special marques
We needed to sample as many as possible in the allotted time without becoming inebriated
Not easy, perhaps one from each or a red and a white. With wines of this quality speed tasting is an option no longer

Dirk Human, Black Oystercatcher winemaker
We last tasted their wines at the Triangle Festival in Elim last year
and are delighted to hear that another is planned for later this year
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc is very special. Lynne could detect a little semillon and indeed it does have 8%
A classic Sauvignon Blanc with fig leaves and a crunch of green pyrazines, the freshness and elegance draw you in
Layered with lovely texture and it has you wanting food
They also had a bottle of 2013 open and everyone was talking about it
No sign of age, fresh, crisp, lovely layers of flavour and a more complex end
The Black Oystercatcher Trition 2020 Syrah is salty, spicy, full of red berry fruit and the sea
A red equivalent to sea flavoured Sauvignon Blancs. Full of raspberry, mulberry, sour cherry fruit with minerality and depth

Johnathan Grieve, owner of Avondale, an organically farmed estate in the Paarl valley

The Avondale wines on show
Lynne had a taste of the Armilla 2015 Cap Classique Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc, a natural wine
Zesty, full of citrus and mousse, crisp and exciting
Anima is a Chenin blanc from mature vineyards, delicious, with good fruit, supported by a serious minerality
Cyclus is a white Blend of Roussanne, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon grapes;
intense, complex fruit flavours with subtle oak
Camissa is a Blanc de Noir made from Grenache, Mourvedre and Muscat de Frontignan grapes
Qvevri is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, made in Qvevri amphorae, which originated in Georgia

Reynie Oosthuizen, Kleinood winemaker

Lynne tasted the Tamboerskloof Rosé, Katharien, made from Syrah
Rose petals, and red berries. Subtle raspberry and cherry follow on the palate, clean and crisp it begs for food
The Kleinood Viognier is a classic; white peach with lovely mouthfeel from extended lees contact

Lizette Kühn, Sales Manager and Shannon Morse, assistant wine maker at Bouchard Finlayson

Blanc de Mer is a blend of Riesling, Viognier and Chardonnay
Riesling arrives first on the nose, followed by honey hints from the viognier
Crisp and zesty Chardonnay shows first on the palate, then the other two arrive with good fruit
It takes you to the Mediterranean, and then the Riesling reminds you that it is there. A good wine with sea food too
The Sauvignon Blanc has fig leaf and green peppers on its classic nose
It is crisp and green with lovely gooseberry and Granadilla fruit and some fig
The Sans Barrique (unwooded) Chardonnay has a lovely perfumed nose of golden fruit and lemon zest
It is crisp and full on the fruit filled palate with long flavours of lemon, lime and apple
and has lots of enjoyable length and good crisp acidity
The Crocodile’s Lair Chardonnay grapes come from the Kaaimansgat near Elandskloof and Villiersdorp
Brioche richness, cooked apple, and pencil lead on the nose, the wine is full on the palate
with more cooked apple, caramel and rich pastry; another reminder of a Tart Tatin
Long, spirity flavours ending with some wood smoke
The Galpin Peak Pinot Noir has a bit of wildness on the nose, with perfume of cherry and cooked rhubarb
It is soft and juicy on the palate, with careful wooding, long, long flavours of dark cherry berry fruit
and it says loudly, "Give me food"
The Hannibal is an unusual blend of Italian and French grapes:
Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Mourvedre and Barbera,
A gamey, exciting blend on the nose, with wildness and hints of olive groves
Red and black berries follow through on the palate,
where more wildness and lovely zingy red berry fruit predominate and dance on the palate;
also calling for food immediately. It has long flavours, good tannins and some soft chalk;
and wood shows it face with dark licorice notes on the end

Schalk Willem Opperman, winemaker at Knorhoek in Stellenbosch

Knorhoek Cap Classique is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot noir
It spent four years on the less. Complex apple flavours with a good, lively mousse
The Chenin blanc is crisp and fresh with light citrus and a good mouthfeel
The Cabernet sauvignon is still young, with chalky tannin and classic Cabernet cassis and should mature well

Sharika Geldenhuys, marketing manager and Stephan van As, Commercial Director, Survivor Wines

The current range
It is going to be very interesting to see what winemaker Pierre Wahl,
who joined them recently as cellarmaster, is going to do
Winemaker Ben Snyman was already producing excellent wines before Pierre's arrival
Pierre established himself as one of the Cape's best winemakers at Rijk's in Tulbagh,
making a name for himself with Pinotage and Chenin blanc
He is a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild
The 2020 Chenin blanc is the stand out wine here, rich and full with beautiful mouthfeel

Nadia Beaumont and Jen Warren of Beaumont Wines
Of course, we had to taste the 2022 Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc, now in its 24th year
and, yes, we have tasted then all. It is a superb wine and is showing so well
Richness with a hint of lees, more complexity than before, layers of good fruit and warmth, it needs time
Buy soon, it can sell out

Lynne also tasted the 2022 The New Baby, originally released as a CWG wine
A blend of 40% Chenin, 30% Sauvignon Blanc and some Chardonnay, Semillon and Colombard
An harmonious white blend, lovely sunshine fruit, with hints of oak
All grown on the farm, vinified separately and naturally fermented in barrel with about 30% new oak
The 2020 Dangerfield Syrah has incense wood and dark berry fruit on the nose,
lovely cherry and cranberry fruit on the palate with soft tannins and long flavours

Wine nails?!

Jayne Beaumont, mother of Beaumont cellarmaster Sebastian, has her own range of wines under her own name

Exciting to see that she was showing four vintages of her Pinot Noir; so special to be able to taste these

The 2019 has a classic Pinot nose, lovely licorice with blue plum and cherry on the palate, needs time

The 2016 Pinot has a dive-in nose, such elegance, which follows through on the palate

Lighter than the 2019 with good fruit, long flavours and some chalky tannins

Wood is present on all but not pushy

The 2015 Pinot is full of spice and bruléed cherries on the attractive nose

Richness on the palate with layers of red berry and cherry fruit and some tight tannins. This wine has years to go

The 2014 Pinot is lighter on the nose than the others with shy fruit. On the palate, it is drinking so well!

Delicious with warm fruit, depth and clarity, some soft tannins and a food wine

What at privilege it was to taste these

Also tasted was Jayne's Electrique 2020 Chardonnay which is fermented naturally in barrel
Clean and crisp on the nose, everything you want and expect from a Chardonnay: apple, a hint of oak and nutty
Apple tart, caramel, crumble, zingy acidity and a lovely fullness on the palate
Compagnes Drift is the original name of Beaumont farm

Baleia wines were presented by winemaker Gunter Schultz
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from this Vermaaklikheid farm has fig leaf and earthy terroir on the nose
Clean and lemon crisp with good minerality, long flavours and some ripeness on the end
The Limestone Debate 2020 Chardonnay is spicy and herbal on the nose
A hot and sexy Chardonnay!, with almost blueberry notes on the crisp fruit

Illimis owner/winemaker Lucinda Heyns
The 2022 Chenin blanc, from grapes bought in from Elgin, has old oak, and is a classic Chenin from a cooler area

Great to see Johann Fourie, Benguela Cove cellarmaster and taste some of his wines
and hear about his harvests, both here and on their English Mannings Heath farm near Horsham in West Sussex
The 2022 Lighthouse Collection unwooded Sauvignon Blanc made in the style we love
Green pepper pyrazines, fig leaves and sea air on the nose. Full on the palate with a lovely grippiness and crispness
Two sips and it gets the juices flowing, a classic food wine. Great value at R110 retail
The Benguela 2021 Pinot Noir has cherries, elegance and hint of oak on the nose
Complexity, sweet cherry, berry fruit layered with vanilla oak and some crispness, good oak and soft chalky tannins
Reminiscent of wines made 20 years ago and showing excellence and good winemaking. 4 stars in Platter

The 2020 Benguela Syrah has notes of buchu, fynbos and spice on the nose
Dark red plums, prunes, sweet fruit, soft and unctuous on the palate, so engaging and delicious
The Benguela Lighthouse Collection Moody Lagoon 2020 Syrah was so different but also delicious
Pink peppercorns on the nose then elegance and expensive wood
Salty licorice "drop", good dark fruit, chalky tannins and looooong flavours

David van Velden, fourth generation Overgaauw winemaker, gave Lynne her wine of the evening
His 2020 Overgaauw Merlot was one of the best wines and merlots she has tasted for a long while, it is so well crafted
Beautiful fruit driven nose opens up and shows its elegance and style
Layers of black cherry fruit and spice on the palate keep one entranced
It is supported by good structure, some soft tannin and good wood
Overgaauw produced South Africa’s first bottled single varietal Merlot in 1982
from Italian-sourced Merlot vines planted in 1979

The range for tasting. The merlot was much lauded and talked about at the tasting
Tria Corda was the Cape's first Bordeaux style blend in 1979
made from Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet franc
Overgaauw was, we believe, also the first Cape estate to plant Portuguese grape varietals and make Port
The Cape Vintage is made from six grape varietals
Now a visit to the farm to taste more is called for