This
has to be the highlight this week. Occasionally,
we write about tasting South Africa's version of Champagne (made to exactly the
same method and called in South Africa Méthode Cap Classique or MCC because,
justifiably, Champagne guards its brand).
We do not have the same climate or terroir, but we do have winemakers
who have studied the process in depth, made these wines for many years and so
understand the process that they are producing superb sparkling wines. John
Loubser is one of these. It was very
exciting to be invited with other members of the media and wine trade to taste
several different vintages of his Silverthorn wines at his home. It was a very
rare opportunity to taste so many vintages of great MCC
John and Karen live in a beautiful home set like
an eyrie high above Lakeside, with the most enviable views. John is the MD of
Steenberg Vineyards, which belongs to the Graham Beck family. Silverthorn is
his own label with the grapes grown on their family farm in Robertson. All
these wines are MCC
We had four flights plus the non-vintage Genie,
made from Shiraz, on arrival; it sparkles with strawberry notes. Then on to Flight
1, four vintages from 2014 back to 2011 of The Green Man, 100% Chardonnay. The
2011 won the Trophy for best sparkling wine in the 2014 Six Nations Wine
Challenge and shared the Trophy for Best
Wine on Show with Dog Point (New Zealand). It is sophisticated and complex with
toasted coconut marshmallow on the nose and crisp apples and citrus on the
palate. Lean and crisp is good in a champagne glass. The others all show well
with similar characteristics to the 2014 (released that day) showing some spicy
promise
John has kept a small vinoteque, so the second
flight was another four vintages of The Green Man from 2010 back to 2007. These
wines are showing very well and do show their differences with the vintages. This
spends 29 months on the lees and has 10% oak contact. The earliest is classic
with perfume and warm brioche on the nose and crisp, lean citrus favours and is
still restrained, which means that it can last and last. These wines all have
that oyster shell, gun smoke and petrichor (rain on hot stones) aromas which
undoubtedly come from the lime-rich rocky shale soils in which they are grown
He started making bubbly in 2004 (first release in
2006), but has not held back any until 2007. This year he will be bottling some
of the Green Man in magnums
Here Mike Bampfield Duggan of Wine Concepts, Tarryn
Vincent of Reciprocal Trading and Tracey van Maaren, who represents Silverthorn in her portfolio, enjoy the flight
John is ably assisted by his talented wife, Karen.
They are joint owners of Silverthorn; the farm was inherited from her father, Joachim Rieck, who bought it in 1976. John's brother Steven and former
investment banker Brett Nagel are also involved and this has enabled them to
increase production
Then came flight 3. Four vintages of the Special
Cuvée Jewel Box; 2012 back to 2009. The three earlier vintages had 60%
Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir but this has now changed to 70%/30%. The Chardonnay goes
through malolactic fermentation in older barrels. John likes the clean
minerality it brings to the wine. They have sourced the Pinot Noir grapes from
Darling and Stellenbosch; it is not wooded. The 2009 was creamy with brandy
notes on the nose and whiffs of jasmine and citrus. Creamy on the palate with
crisp minerality and long end - it kept on delighting. The latest release, the
2012, is also creamy with a faint whiff of smoke and a zing of citrus and soft
raspberries follows, very full and satisfying . These wines are kept on the
lees for 42 months and are beautifully bone dry
Then it was time for some canapés and with these
we tasted two versions of the Big Dog, John Loubser's Cape Winemakers Guild Auction
Reserve wine. This is a special hand-picked, whole bunch pressed blend of
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, kept for 53 months on the lees. The 2011 is this
year's offering in the auction, which will be held at Spier on the 1st of
October. They are indeed big wines. The 2011 is full of golden fruit with
flinty gun smoke on the nose, prickly clean dry limes, lemons and green apple
on the palate. It has miles to go.. It went so well with the Osciètre prestige
Caviar they served as a treat
These two work so well together
Just a small pearl spoonful is all you need, soft
sea-filled bubbles to go with crisp bubbles and lime
Then time for lunch - some fresh Saldanha Bay oysters
Tomato tarts with cheese and crisp, buttery pastry
Charcuterie platters with top quality meats
Dill gravadlax
Salami and good fresh bread, served with a great
Epoisses cheese absolutely at the perfect point of ripeness. There were also
other cheeses, fruit, nuts and, for 'dessert' Turkish delight, tiny almond
biscuits and other sweetmeats. It was a feast and we drank more of the
Silverthorn wines. It appeared that, for many, the wine of choice was the 2009
Green Man, but others were appreciated. These do go so well with food.
John talking about his wines
Helping ourselves to the buffet in the kitchen
The wines we tasted
John and Karen’s daughter Fain with the other Big
Dog, the family pet, an enthusiastic and friendly Rottweiler
© John & Lynne
Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016
