Saxenburg
shows off some of their impressive vintage wines
Cellarmaster Nico van der Merwe joined Saxenburg
in 1990, just a year after the Swiss Bührer family
bought the estate. Vines were first planted by the founder Joachim Sax in 1701.
Winemaker Edwin Grace took over from Nico recently and is now the Cellarmaster. Nico made wines to last and this was a chance to taste quite a few of
the older vintages with members of the family and Edwin, followed by lunch at
the Cattle Baron restaurant on the farm
A list of the wines we tasted. The Private Collection Merlot: The three Merlots were interesting and each different. The 1995 still has huge tannins
but shows suppleness. The 1998 is attractive with a pretty nose filed with
cherry and raspberry and floral, so Merlot. Slightly spicy but sweet berry
fruit, warm alcohol and tannins say this wine still has years to go. The 2005
has balsamic notes with brandy hints and the tannins overtaking the fruit
still.
The Private
Collection Shiraz: 1994 was spicy, peppery,
intense and interesting, with green herbs and truffles. Dry chewy tannins soft
berry fruit beneath. The 1996 was contentious in the room. Coffee mocha notes
on black berries with violets, it had clean almost crisp fruit acids, the
tannins are soft and supple, more Rhone like. Drink now. 2000 smells of wonderfully
of kelp, spice and rich red fruit. On the palate rhubarb, tayberries and
boysenberries, with some spice. A good food wine. The best of the bunch.
The Private
Collection Cabernet Sauvignon: 1992 Cassis
leaves and berries, oak notes, lactic and different herbal notes. on the palate
herbal with basil and oregano, then light red fruit, pomegranate rather than
cassis. 1998 A Full-on nose of cassis leaves and berries Silky on the palate
with warm alcohol, very 'together' a proper Cabernet in the French style except
the nice warmth from our South. Vanilla oak and violets make an appearance.
2000 Balsamic spice then berries on the nose; soft sweet cassis and cherry
fruit, lively and refreshing backed up by good wood and chalk. Nose does not
marry with palate. 2003 Vanilla violets and cassis and rich cherries, a block
buster nose, so different from the 2000. Light spicy fruit, very warm alcohol,
this wine needs to get together a bit more.
The
Saxenburg Shiraz Select (SSS): 1998 Dusty
musty spicy with dark black berries and pepper on the nose, Hot red fruit very
Rhone style with some herbs dark liquorice wood, spice and warmth of alcohol,
long flavours and linseed. nice lively fruit, with a pure fruit end. 2001
Balsamic with wood, almost cassis fruit, clean sweet and sour fruit on the
palate, long with warm alcohol. 2005 Pretty nose with dark fruit, perfume and
warmth, no faults and interesting, showing good age notes a bang of alcohol and
sweet fruit. Lovely wine for red meats - steak or rare roasts. It was a very
good tasting and rather special to be able to taste these wines.
On a warm autumn day we met on
the lawn outside the wine cellar
Mike Bampfield Duggan examines
a bottle of the Saxenburg Non-vintage MCC, a new offering made from 85%
Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir
The tasting was held inside the
old wine cellar. This was previously owned by KWV and was used to ferment
brandy, vodka, Gilbey's Gin and to make sweet wines
A mural above one of the
tasting tables
Vincent Bührer, in charge of
Management & International Wine Sales with his sister Fiona, has been at
the reins since 2011. Vincent welcomed us and introduced the team
Cellar master Edwin Grace
Media and wine industry
discussing the wines
Pouring the wines for the other
table
Each of the old kuipe cellars
displays one of the Saxenburg wines
The line up of the vintage
wines we tasted
Lunch was at the Cattle Baron restaurant on the farm
Inside the Cattle Baron
restaurant, the room has a mural of the farm
Herb margarine for the bread
The lunch menu
Fiona Bührer, sister of
Vincent, is also in charge of Management & International Wine Sales, she
spends her time between Europe and South Africa, she is the European Brand
Manager
With lunch we got to taste the
current wines, this is the new rather contentious label on the 2016 Guinea Fowl
Chenin Blanc
It is a typical Stellenbosch Chenin grassy and dusty on the nose,
juicy with lots of tropical flavours like pineapple and apple. Unoaked.
The starter was a briefly
citrus cured Norwegian salmon ceviché, served with pickled vegetables and
spring onion
A rather fetching arrangement
of lamps
The group enjoying lunch
Fiona telling us about the
current wine range
Saxenburg are known for their
excellent Shirazes. This is the 2009 Triple S Select, just launched at the
lunch, from 3 vineyards, 50/50 America and French oak R800 on the farm,. Only
3000 bottles were vinified and it is only made in the best years. It has
savouriness with rich wood and berries on the nose and more intense berries and
some spice, with warm alcohol and taut tannins and chalk on the end palate.
Needs time
This was served with the main
course which was a first for several people, tender and succulent, well
flavoured beef cheeks on truffle mash, with a wine jus, baby rainbow carrots
and half an onion. Not sure why the onion was there, it didn't add anything to
the dish
Dessert was a coconut Panna cotta
with a mango coulis, topped with roasted coconut flakes. They unfortunately
collapsed as it was rather thin in texture.
Served with dessert was the La
Reve Natural Sweet Wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Chardonnay.
Lovely label with a bee on a vine on the World. Sticky sweet grape must with
some honey and hints of pourriture but not enough to get it certified as Noble
Late
In conversation
Johannesburg Sommeliers asking questions
of Vincent Bührer
Johann de Wet, visiting from Robertson, with Fiona Bührer
A double espresso to go. Saxenburg
had kindly arranged Uber to take us there and back home
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
