Lanzerac
has been making changes since we last visited in 2013, when Christo Wiese had just sold
the farm. They invited us to visit, see some of them and have some lunch last
week. We were delighted to find that Barend Barnard, whom we know from his time as marketing manager at L'Avenir,
has just been appointed General Manager taking over from Boets Nel, who will
remain as a consultant. It was his first week. We had a great wine tasting and
lunch with him
Meeting in the Deli with the winemaker Wynand
Lategan, Direct Marketer Zelda Furstenburg and Marketing Manager Jo-Anna Looms
Into the barrel cellar
The gleaming fermentation tanks
The 'control centre' above the cellar
We were very interested to hear about some of the
new wines that Wynand Lategan, who joined in 2005, is making
He gave us tastings of some of them from the
barrel
First a Pinot Blanc, a northern Italian grape and
rarely grown in South Africa. it has been in a fourth fill oak barrel, with
notes of quince and pear on the nose; the quince remains on the palate with
lime and grapefruit, with background wood notes. Going to be interesting. We
liked it
Obviously, so do they (mooi in Afrikaans means good
or nice)
Then a taste of the new Malbec. It has a rich
savoury velvety nose of marmite and mulberry. On the palate meaty wild berries
with chewy soft tannins and steely minerality. Also in 4th fill barrels. The
Merlot was beautifully perfumed with roses and violets. It has high acidity at
the moment but is full of chewy cherries and soft tannins, with cassis and
liquorice on the end. An exciting wine. No greenness or mint detected
We had a quick look at the Vinoteque which is
impressive. Who remembers these bottles? This is the first commercially bottled
Cape Pinotage, dated 1959. And a Cabernet from 1957
Time for a taste of some of the current vintages
in the tasting room. Lynne borrowing a pen from Zia du Toit, whom we first met when she was at Ormonde in Darling
We tasted two white wines, the 2016 Sauvignon
Blanc, full of greengage, kiwi and gooseberry; it’s crisp, zesty and refreshing.
Not tropical; elegant with a little Sancerre influence, ending with limes. The
2015 Chardonnay is lean with lemons and limes, clean with soft tannins, an
elegant wine with buttery wood but not overdone. The 2014 Merlot has sweet red
cherries and a little cassis. It is warm with dry tannins and quite dark coffee
wood on the end; one to put away for the future. The 2014 Pinotage is perfumed
with sweet cassis. On the palate cooked plums, Christmas notes with dry chalky
tannins which need time, and sweet and sour fruit. The Cabernet 2014 is pure
cassis and cherries on the nose with expensive wood. A block buster of a wine,
a full-on classic cabernet, lots of chalky tannins, lots of fruit, mulberries, rhubarb
and mocha. Very sappig, but needs
time
You can enjoy a chocolate and wine pairing in the
tasting room
A nice sheltered corner outside with tables for
lunch
The gardens are all lovely green spaces
We like this quiet fountain courtyard
The main entrance to the hotel
The reception hall, which is about to go through a
makeover
The oak lined driveway into the Werf
The historic manor house. John stayed here, in the suite to the left of the front door, on his
(first) honeymoon in 1974 and paid R175 for 5 days bed and breakfast - a great
deal of money in those days
Time for lunch with GM Barend Barnard. We were
able to pick our four favourite wines from our previous tasting and these were
served for lunch. We loved the neat way of pouring wine used by the waiter
Chef Stephen Fraser, whom we have now known for a
few years, came to chat about his food
The first course was so beautifully presented. It
was a crescent of smoked aubergine purée which Lynne thought might be too rich
for the delicate tender and crispy squid.
It wasn't. It added a lot to the dish, as did the lemon Aioli. We drank the Mrs
English Barrel selection Chardonnay with this. It has toasted water biscuits on
the nose and is a big, fat, blowsy, juicy Chardonnay with apple and pear,
caramel butter, tart tatin. Great food wine
It's a lovely place to have lunch, relaxing under
the trees or the umbrellas
Lynne’s choice of main course was the Pan fried line
fish (Kingklip that day) with marinated juicy mussels out of their shells. The
fish was moist and perfectly cooked, the coconut curry sauce the perfect foil.
And as for the sweet doughnutty butternut vetkoek, wow
John had to try out the Sirloin steak with
Peppercorn and Merlot cream on a spinach mousse, Dauphinoise potatoes and
rainbow carrots. His smile of contentment said it all. He tried two red wines with
this, The General, Lanzerac's Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Malbec and Petit
Verdot, full on cassis with violets, so pretty, so sophisticated, so good with
the steak. And the previously tasted 2014 Pinotage, another good match
John had room for dessert and went for the Dark
Chocolate Gateau, rich and decadent with some berry sorbet. We had double
espressos and then it was time to tour the hotel to see some of the new rooms
We walked through the Danie Craven room, very
gentlemen's club
Lynne admiring some of the antiques
Garden cottages
A classic old doorway and a walkway to some of the
rooms
A football pitch sized bed in a rather masculine
room
Loved this bathroom with a view. It is protected
by the outdoor screens on the terrace
French accented furniture makes this a lovely calm
space
Another room has a seating area and the same light
and airy feel
And twin beds. The panelling on the wall is beautifully
done and very classic
For your delectation. Hidden in a cupboard is the
mini bar and tea and coffee station. Lanzerac wine in the fridge of course.
A similar one in another room
Direct Marketer Zelda Furstenberg says “Goodbye
and come back soon to try the deli”
© John & Lynne
Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016
