The Le Riche Vintage tasting was held at new venue to us, in Upper Union Street, just off Kloof Street in Oranjezicht
Christo Le Riche is very happy with the new vintage and invited us to taste its wines and some older wines from Le Riche
It is always a treat, as they really do know how to make the very best of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon
Until now, all their grapes have been sourced from premium farms in the Stellenbosch area,
with very varied terroir, climate and growing conditions
Some vineyards have supplied them for many years and they have a good relationships with them all
Two vineyards have been planted next to the Le Riche wine cellar, which is on the Raithby-Annandale Rd
and they will be added to a future vintage
Their aim is the "pursuit to crafting quality-focused wines that are detailed in approach and reflective of their terroir"
They also make a Chardonnay; the vintage we tasted was 2022
Richness, golden fruit and a hint of smoke on the nose, which repeats on the palate with length and depth
Flavours of lime, white peach, nectarine and lots of golden oak
The wine is aged for 11 months in a combination of clay amphorae and French oak barrels
The venue
The tasting line-up
Christo gave us lots of valuable information about each wine, where in Stellenbosch it was farmed and how it was made
Le Riche Richesse 2022 is a Stellenbosch Heritage blend of wine
It is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend, incorporating Cinsault
and smaller amounts of Bordeaux cultivars such as Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot
Raised in older 225L oak for 12 months, the components are then
blended and further matured in 225L barrels,
5000L oak foudres and
concrete tanks for a further 8 months
It represents a time-honoured tradition of Cabernet Sauvignon production within the Stellenbosch region,
where blending with Cinsaut was prevalent pre-1980 and blending with Bordeaux varieties became popular post 1980
The wine was inspired by father Etienne's time as winemaker at Rustenberg
A classic Stellenbosch Cabernet blend. Dark cherries and berries on the nose and palate at first,
Wood support but shyly, then cranberry, cassis and mulberry follow. Very easy to quaff and pair with food
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is shy at first, it then opens with a very attractive nose,
followed by cassis berries and leaves, some umami hints and wood in the background
On the palate, a silky, lovely textured wine follows. Loaded with dark berry fruit, elegance and complexity
Still young but it has far to go
Next, three Cabernets of the 2021 vintage, but from different Stellenbosch areas
The 2021 Simonsberg Cabernet has a good nose with such richness and depth verging on red velvet;
intriguing ... "what will follow on the palate?"
A classic cabernet sauvignon. Full of dark, rich fruit, so enjoyable with grippy tannins holding it for long aging
Excellent wooding, just the style we like to drink and cellar
The 2021 Steynsrust Cabernet has coffee oak, minerality, fruit comes later, cassis and smoke,
the violets arrive last on the nose
Sweet and sour fruit in balance; complexity, chalky tannins with some grip, cassis, fruit, violets, length,
this also has the bones to last.
The 2021 Bosstok Cabernet. Another classic Cabernet nose full of dark berry fruit and perfume, some smoke whiffs
followed by ripe red berries. Licorice wood on the palate
Lots of salty minerality followed by silky berry fruit, loong flavours and good wood on the end
And then the wine most discussed and admired on the day
The 2021 Reserve Cabernet is so well made and shows what a great vintage this is
Beautiful berry fruit, richness, complexity; ethereal wood supports
On the palate, some salty minerality and licorice, but in perfect balance with the wood, tannins and superb cassis fruit
"Wow" was heard. It delivered the perfect mouthful of delicious well-managed fruit with freshness
Drinking so well now, but it has so much potential. Tannins are soft and present but part of the package
The 2013 Cabernet was dark with a pink rim and lots of legs
Smoke, berries - red and black - and it suddenly opens up to give a blast of beautiful fruit
Silky smooth on the palate then another hit of berry fruit with some lasting acidity
Black cherries, cassis to the fore, it tastes young! Such quality with chewy chalky tannins on the end
This still has lots of time. It calls for food
A great opportunity to be able to taste the 2001 Reserve Cabernet, we must have sold this in our shop when released
The grapes were from Jonkershoek and Eendrag. This was Etienne's fourth vintage of Le Riche Cabernet
Dark with pale red edges and legs
Overripe berries at first on the nose, smoky wood, then perfume, vanilla, violets and complexity
Integrated fruit wood and tannins on the palate all melding together
Lasting well, but a little lighter in texture. Another food wine
It was such a good tasting
Enjoyed by the audience of wine trade and media
And Etienne le Riche dropped in to say hello at the end. He still keeps a watching brief and acts as an advisor to his son
Well-matched food was served. This was a crisp toasted slice of pumpkin bread topped with rich duck liver paté
It was followed by some sliced picanha beef topped with a chilli chimichurri
All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right
If you do not wish to receive e-mails from us, please email menucape@gmail.com with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in your email
