Monday, February 04, 2019

Hemel en Aarde Valley Pinot Noir Celebration Part Three Creation Pinot Poetry Tasting

Saturday was Day Two of the Pinot Noir Celebration, and we were all directed to different farms for their showcases of International Pinot Noirs as well as tasting some of their own wines. We were invited by our sponsors, Creation, to their Pinot Poetry tasting
This Poem on the front cover, an ode to Pinot Noir, was written by Burgundian Baptiste Quinard in French and translated by Professor Ian Glenn. It was read to us by Carolyn Martin at the beginning of the tasting
Always a warm welcome
and a glass of Creation's Elation bubbly to keep you going
Lovely classical music was provided by Bulgarian violinist Ivo Ivanov, a talented professional
Fresh oysters with citrus
Pancakes filled with smoked salmon
Dieter Odendaal, their media consultant, chatting to Burgundian visitor Baptiste Quinard
Winemaker Gerhard Smith with owner winemaker Jean Claude (JC) Martin
Professor Ian Glenn has one of the Strawberry and Raspberry skewers
Glasses turned into chandeliers, lots of artwork and some bold and beautiful wallpaper around the door into the winery
We enjoyed the canapés on the terrace
All the correct Riedel glasses were used for the tasting
Some of the Creation wines
A quick staff discussion with Carolyn Martin before people began to be seated
Creation's indigenous gardens are quite amazing
Whoever did the planting was so skilful, the plants harmonise so well together
and the whole garden smells beautiful
Artist Nanette Ranger has several of her very amusing and witty statues scattered around the gardens and inside. We particularly liked this one entitled "I think my Goose is Cooked". Apparently they are selling very well
The wines are poured for the tasting which was entitled Pinot Poetry. We were to do two blind flights
JC Martin welcomed us and told us that, when you talk Pinot Noir in South Africa, you should always mention the Hemel and Aarde. 15 year vineyard age for Pinot is where they are at now; the Old Vine Project is going to have to wait a few years before they are part of it
We were to taste these Pinot Noirs blind and see which of the French wines we could spot. So this tasting sheet was closed to us
The first wine in the first flight had rich red berries, elegance, light wood and was perfumed. A silky texture, it was loaded with raspberries and sour cherry, some chalky tannins and long flavours with a warm ending. 2013 Judge Rock. Central Otago, New Zealand

The second was dark and moody, French in style. Incense wood and integrated fruit on the nose. Sweet and sour berries, some fresh acidity and tannins to last a while. Odyssey Reserve Iliad 2014 from Marlborough in New Zealand

No.3 had soft fruit, elegance, some perfume of red berry fruit, and was quite intriguing. Delicious, young and fruity with raspberry and cola, then dark toasted wood. Creation Art of Pinot 2015, South Africa

No.4. Light fruit on the nose, cola and red berries, also warm and long, wood is ethereal, just on the back palate. Rockburn Central Otago 2016, New Zealand
Lynne was tasting next to winemaker Gerhard Smith
The second flight. Wine No.5 was spicy with pink edges, rich ripe fruit and perfumed, Sweet fruit & hints of cola flavours, round and full on the palate with a lovely mouth feel, our favourite of the tasting. Very friendly for a Vosne Romanée. 2014 Gerard Mugneret Grand vin de Bourgogne. The French are making them sweeter and more approachable

 No.6 Wood smoke and, behind it, some fruit, clear edges. Rather watered down in character, it had a small hole in the middle but then revealed long flavours and dark toast. Gantenbein 2016 from Switzerland. This needs time to draw itself together 

 No.7  Dark berries & perfume, light on the nose with pink edges. Grippy tannins, tight fruit with tension, very French in style with long after flavours. Creation Emma's Pinot Noir 2017; will reward with time

 No.8 Sweet and warm, with smoke on the nose, Lovely warm raspberry and rhubarb fruit, long flavours with tight tannins appearing and coating the palate. Chambolle-Musigny, 2014 Dujac Fils & Père, Appellation Chambolle-Musigny Controlée. We were interested to see how much 'warmer' and fruitier the young French Burgundies are
We discussed the wines amongst ourselves and guessed what they were before they were revealed. Some were easier to spot than others. The French wines did stand out
JC Martin reveals the wines to us
He told us why they had chosen these wines
Gerhard Smith has worked in New Zealand wineries and he influenced the choices of those wines
The wines revealed. The first flight
The second flight
The poet, Baptiste Quinard
Time to take selfies
We then had a tasting of the two Art of Creation Pinot Noirs 2016 and 2017
The 2026 has a heady nose of ripe fruit, some green herbal notes berries and leaves of cassis on the palate,
gentle wood and has long flavours
The 2017 is sophisticated with soft fruit, sweet berries, a lovely wine that is mutable on the palate in layers of flavour
and well supporting wood
Another witty table sized sculpture by Artist Nanette Ranger
The menu
Time to serve the palate cleanser
Crisp beetroot and thyme rolls served with a goat's cream cheese with Pinot salt and chives
It was a slice of cured duck breast with a pea purée,
a crisp deep fried pulled duck leg wonton on a raspberry and beetroot coulis
and a duck liver mousse on a rye crouton
The Friandise tray was both sweet and savoury: goats cheese balls rolled in chopped pistachio nuts, cranberry and tarragon, small puffy donuts in confectioner’s sugar, Dark chocolate dipped Bordeaux figs and small delicious almond cakes baked with raspberries in them
Our musician Ivo Ivanov commenting on the tasting and the wines
The chefs came out to be thanked
Other visitors not involved in the Pinot celebration enjoying their lunch in the tasting room
Babylonstoren mountain (Babylon’s Tower)
Almost life-sized sculptures outside by Artist Nanette Ranger
And a magnificent creature dressed in woven bark
Seats outside under umbrellas, a nice place to enjoy the wine
And Creation's view of Ataraxia. Thank you so much to all at Creation for a really splendid tasting
We then headed back to Nidderdale farm just after one for the next part of the programme in the afternoon
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Posted by MENU at 11:34 am 0 comments

Hemel en Aarde Valley Pinot Noir Celebration Part Two. Lunch and old vintage tasting

We arrived back on Nidderdale Farm for a tasting of older vintage wines from the valley, presented by their winemakers. Guests Jan "Boland" Coetzee, Remington Norman and Roland Peens joined us for the tasting, which was accompanied by a two course meal cooked by Chef Craig Cormack of Goose Roasters and he heads Salt restaurant on Paul Cluver Estate in Elgin. Craig is a very good chef and he had paired the food with the wines we would taste, some older Hemel and Aarde Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. This was a very exciting tasting and lunch
Some of the wines we were to taste. Each table had the same selection and we could request which wine we wanted from the servers on our table, so it was a random on-demand tasting for everyone. We must comment that all the serving staff were superb and so well versed in pouring wine and fulfilling requests
We started with a 2015 Ave Maria Chardonnay from Restless River which has a forest floor mushroom nose; it’s earthy and full of minerality, crisp and full with long limes and lemons and some chalky tannins. And then, their Le Luc 2016 Pinot Noir with similar forest floor mushroom notes and full of red currants and mulberries
We also tasted from Craig and Anne Wessels' 2012 Restless River triple magnum of Chardonnay with incense on the nose, rich and full aromas, round and warm on the palate with cooked apples and pears, warm and spicy and a long aftertaste of lemon juice and zest and grapefruit wood
Then the double magnum of Newton Johnson 2012 Chardonnay with hints of herbs and savouriness
Lots of lemon and lime, but almost approaching malolactic. Grapefruit and lemon zest and wood on the end
Craig told us about the very old soils in the valley. The most ancient is Cape Granite, topped with Malmesbury shale, Table Mountain sandstone, then Bokkeveld shale and then, on top, the sandstone from the collision with Patagonia, which had previously separated and then came back. The different appellations have different soils, so they split them into three wards. The District of Walker bay was founded in 2004. in 2006, Hemel and Aarde and in 2009, the three appellations were declared. Production is currently 15,000 cases and there is huge potential. Currently two big producers are looking at the valley. There is evidence of long human habitation by the Khoisan in the area. And a Portuguese cross was found chiselled into a stone at the top of a hill on Hamilton Russell. Currently there are 22 producers making wine in the area and it is too expensive an area to farm to make cheap wine
Wendy Appelbaum chatting with Michael Fridjhon
Next we tasted the Bosman Family Vineyards 2015 Chardonnay from the Upper Valley. Perfumed with peaches and nectarines, and rather French in character. Full of limes and citrus, a very beautiful expression of South African chardonnay, some soft chalk, good texture and even some tension with warmth at the end. The Ataraxia Pinot Noir 2015 has red fruit and forest floor and was so good with the mushroom dish served as the starter. Soft and silky full of elegance, with lovely fruit and wood notes. It ass gentle but firm with the rich mushrooms
Craig with Anthony Hamilton Russell. The Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2016 is perfumed with berries and whiffs of wood smoke then dark toast. Warm and heady, with dark fruit, a more serious wine, with some spice on the end
Anthony spoke about how his father Tim Hamilton Russell founded the farm in 1975
and began to plant grapes in an area others thought unsuitable. It has been a huge success
Pouring Newton Johnson 2012 Chardonnay. They also had a magnum of 2014, but that went very quickly
First came the bread course of Crusty Pinot rolls with salted butter bon bons to stave off hunger pangs
There were six tables of 32, this is Table One, where we sat
Craig took the Chardonnay to as many people as possible
Michael Fridjhon in conversation with Sharon Parnell of Domaine de Dieux
Anthony Hamilton Russell
Roland Peens of the Wine Cellar said "Our wines are winning points world wide and are being appreciated. The conclusion is that we are exciting, but we are too cheap and we don't produce enough to get us firmly on the world market or onto overseas wine lists. This valley is restricted in space, so we have to up prices big time and sell it all abroad". (There were some loud groans of protest from many of the attendees). "It has to happen", he said, "the South African market won't spend big"
Kevin Grant in conversation with Adi Badenhorst
And now a word from Jan “Boland” Coetzee on "What is Pinot Noir" and its beauty. He is passionate about the grape and has years of experience growing it here and abroad, He has done harvests abroad for many years and now mentors local winemakers
The two Chefs from The Goose Roasters, Beau du Toit and Craig Cormack
The wine and lunch menu
Crisp rice arancini balls, seared cauliflower, cauliflower salad, grilled king oyster mushrooms, pickled shimeji mushrooms, a mushroom purée, truffle oil and chives. The mushrooms were magnificent, especially with the Pinot Noirs
John was given a really nice plate of fried gnocchi and grilled butternut with the cauliflower and shaved and grated cheese
The main course was undoubtedly the best dish of the entire Celebration. A classic Coq au Vin, made with stuffed ballotine of chicken, seared baby onions, a sweet onion purée, confit garlic, carrots, leeks, grilled mushrooms, crispy pancetta and even baby beets. The chicken was tender, the flavour of the sage in the stuffing complimented the dish and, as for the Pinot noir red wine jus, people were talking about it for hours afterwards. All we needed for this was more of that Pinot bread to soak up the wonderful jus. Wow
Through a Pinot glass lightly, at our table setting after lunch. We really appreciated this event
The wines and food were very, very good. Pinot and Chardonnay do improve with age
And their value increases, so they are a good investment if you can properly cellar them
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Posted by MENU at 11:33 am 0 comments
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