Friday, June 14, 2024

Siris trade wine tasting at the Mount Nelson

Trade tastings are coming thick and fast this year, with little time to recover!
But we love what we do and this is always a chance to catch up with our winemaker friends and meet new ones
The Siris Trade tasting was held this year in the Mount Nelson Ballroom
We arrived early as Lynne had to attend another event that evening

We began with Bruwer Raats to taste his much talked about Vlag (flag in English) Cabernet Franc. It is a really WOW wine
A lovely nose, almost Pinot with cherries in character, good expensive French oak and some minerality and salt
On the palate. classic Cabernet Franc to the fore. Umami, salty liquorice,
then lots of dark berry fruit with loads of elegance and promise
It's a "Now find me something to eat with this" wine

Good to see winemaker Lourens van der Westhuizen with his range of wines
The Chenin Blanc has smoke, fruit and excitement on the nose
Quince and peach, long flavours and buttery wood on the end
The 2022 Chardonnay is full and rounded on the nose, with golden ripe fruit
Elegance on both the nose and palate with long flavours, it will age well

On the Brookdale stand, we tasted their Mason Road Chenin Blanc
It has lovely richness on the nose, complete and dive-in
Golden fruit crisp loquat peach and dark oak on the palate
Their Rosé, made from Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault is full of ripe berries but not sweet
It has gravitas, so definitely a food wine
The 2016 Brookdale Chenin, made in amphora and tank, has no wood and pings excitedly off the palate
 The Brookdale white Rhône Field blend Sixteen
is complex on the nose with salty minerality, crisp grape flavours and is just different,
as are the varietals that talented young winemaker Kiara Scott uses
To quote them "A celebration of the lost art of field-blend winemaking;
16 white varietals were inter-planted as bush vines on decomposed shale and granite"

Groote Post winemaker Lukas Wentzel and owner Nick Pentz
We have bought every vintage of their Sea Salter Sauvignon Blanc
it's such a great food wine, especially with sea food and their new Chardonnay, which is sold out, is really exceptional
We're waiting for the new vintage to be released

Megan and Shane Mullis of Domaine des Dieux produce very exceptional Cap Classiques
The Claudia is 80% Chardonnay 20% Pinot Noir
RIchness of lees and chardonnay, crispness of limes and lemons, a good mousse
A lovely and satisfying celebration on the palate

The Anna Louse 2011 Blanc de Blanc is made only in exceptional years
Bready nose showing its maturity. It spends seven years on the lees and two under cork
Richness and lime, long flavours and a tiny prickling mousse

Bevan Newton Johnson showing their exceptional range of wines from the Hemel and Aarde Valley
The Family Vineyard Pinot Noir has always been a favourite as is the Full Stop Rock blend of Syrah and Grenache
The first Albariño to be produced in South Africa is a stunning food wine and,
as for their Chardonnays well, go and taste them
Their restaurant, under Chef Tullishe le Roux, is being talked about and is excellent

The Sauvignon Blanc is in the lovely elegant style produced in the valley. Crisp, green and exciting on the palate

The Albariño and Sauvignon Blanc 

Petra and Nicolas van der Merwe with their daughter



Their Nicolas Cap Classique Brut Rosé is pale with a bready nose, raspberry and lemon with golden tones on the end. 60% Chardonnay 40 Pinot Noir
The Sauvignon Blanc is crisp with lemon and limes, some green flavours with golden notes on the end
Their 2019 Nicolas Chenin Blanc is rounded, rich and full of golden fruit, very satisfying.  

Fanus, Martin and Estelle Bruwer of Quando are old friends who make very good wines


The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is exceptionally good, drawing one in with complexity on the nose
Rich and full with good green notes, it is juicy and a great food wine
The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc has green pyrazines on the classic nose, showing its Bonnievale terroir
Richness, fullness and the layers of flavours open up with a bang. Lots of depth too
The Mourvedre Rosé 2023 is pale pink with lovely berry fruit on the nose
which follows through with strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate on the palate. A food wine

Rob Boustred of Remhoogte

One favourite and a wine to seek out is their Honeybunch Chenin Blanc
The 2023 is sophisticated on the nose then the lovely honeyed fruit arrives in layers
It is sappig, with juicy fruit, but a serious wine, with richness of fruit supported by chalky tannins
and flavours that go on and on. It will last in the cellar

Three Remhoogte Chenins


Anura Vineyards winemaker Stander Maass and sales manager Emil Kanstinger
The 2023 Anura Chardonnay is lightly wooded in French oak
Richness of golden fruit on the nose, lemon lime crispness then fullness with golden grape, peach and nectarine flavours

Martin Smith with his Paserene and his second label Swift wines
His 2022 Moya Meaker Pinot Noir has a good complex nose,
cherries and raspberries with light wood smoke and salty minerality
Full of block buster red berry fruit, alcohol and wood
It needs time in your cellar and will be very special in about 5 years time, we predict
The 2022 Damascene Stellenbosch Syrah has rose petal perfume, spice and berry fruit
Good fruit in layers dark and spicy - a food wine
The 2022 Syrah from the Swartland has spice and incense wood,
a blend of sweet and sour fruit on the palate, needs time

Cape Point Vineyards general manager Hannes Meyer and winemaker Anzette Visser
The Isliedh won a Trophy at the Investec Trophy Awards

Doolhof winemaker Rüdger van Wyk with Ralph Reynolds, sommelier at Aubergine Restaurant

The Doolhof Bloedklip Malbec with smoke and umami and dark berries on the nose

Richness of more dark fruit, plush velvet on the palate with long flavours and excitement
There is a change midway from berry to rhubarb, minerality and salty tannins
Needs and ask for rich food like Duck, Chateaubriand and heady sauces
The Single Vineyard Malbec has greenness then fruit on the nose
Richness, full of good dark fruit, with long flavours, umami and chalky tannins, will age well
The Doolhof Môrestond 2021 Chardonnay is very French initially on the nose and palate, but too big and local to be French
A celebration of good chardonnay with minerality and good tannins. 8 months in 20% 1st fill French oak barrels

Sales manager AJ Nel of Lievland
The Cabernet sauvignon, Bush vine Pinotage and Old Vines Chenin blanc are all excellent
Lievland is jointly owned by Tyrrel Myburgh of Joostenberg and José Conde of Stark-Condé

The colour temperatures of the mixed lighting in the Ballroom varied from one part of the room to another
We apologise for the somewhat sepia appearance of some of the photographs

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right


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