Kleine
Zalze recently marked 20 years and invited us to celebrate with MD Kobus Basson
and the winemaking team to a special tasting and lunch at Terroir cooked by
Chef Michael Broughton. We applaud the comment on their invitation: Kleine Zalze supports responsible drinking
and will be providing transport from Cape Town and wish more people would
adopt this policy. It seems Government may have pre-empted it in their proposed
new version of the Licensing laws by making licensed places responsible for
what happens to people who drink their products
A warm welcome with some Kleine Zalze Brut Rosé MCC
Happy staff
Trained to pour properly
Marquee up in case the weather changes
Caroline Rillema of Caroline’s Fine Wines and Cellarmaster
Alastair Rimmer
Marketing Manager Anthony van Schalkwyk made the welcome speech
and told us that everyone present had made some contribution to the estate
whether trade or media. about the current wines we would be tasting. Behind him
is the current white wine list for Terroir
The tasting began with the 2011 Vintage Brut a nice crisp blend of
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with the colour of a partridge eye. Bready and
elegant with fine minerality, with notes of both raspberry and apple from the
two grapes. It goes through malolactic fermentation in tank, is 10 month on
gross lees, a second fermentation in bottle and then 36 months on lees, and
then a year on cork so it is a five year investment and retains freshness. No
wood is used
Then to the 2016 Cellar Selection Chardonnay with its good
concentration of yellow fruit and noticeable acidity, quenching, with pear and
stone fruit notes. The 2015 Vineyard Selection Chardonnay which is barrel
fermented has smoke and liquorice. Elegant with full on layers of golden fruit,
with good acidity and a balanced round mouth, this was voted one of the top 10
Chardonnays in the world
The menu. With the first two wines we were served this platter of
tiny samosas in chutney, Light as air melting cheese Gougères and Panko covered
fish goujons with truffle mayonnaise
Cellarmaster Alastair Rimmer spoke next about the
wines and how they were produced
Then came the starter of Roasted and pickled butternut dressed with maple
syrup. Butternut has always been a great match for Chardonnays It had some
small morsels of tender gnocchi basted with brown nutty butter, also a great
accompaniment. The pickled butternut was interesting in that it highlighted the
acidity of the wine, while the maple syrup highlighted the wines fruity
sweetness. The mozzarella, seeds and nuts added good texture
Lynne with Jan Boland Coetzee, a national hero for both his Rugby
and his excellent wines at Vriesenhof. He was thanked for being a mentor to Kobus
over the years, helping in the Kleine Zalze vineyards and the cellar. He has
done a remarkable 51 harvests in his career, and who has done more in the
industry?
Kleine Zalze proprietor and Managing Director
Kobus Basson spoke about peoples' contributions. David Hughes was the first to taste
the new wine when it was produced in 1986
While Kobus spoke, they poured the next flight of
two wines. The theme for today is Past, Present and Future. He is very excited
about the future; the SA wine industry is getting very good feedback about our
wines, and they see it in sales, as there is uptrading in price points generally
overseas. After 20 years the SA industry has developed well, we have made
mistakes, bumped our heads and learned a lot. We are more comfortable venturing
out into the world knowing what to do; there is a great future for this
industry. The next 20 years will be more exciting: There is energy in the
industry and in the different regions, a new generation of winemakers is emerging
and there is an appreciation overseas of what we are doing. We are refining already
established styles, not changing them. The Cape Winemakers Guild wines are in a
different class
Suddenly the room was filled with the most
delicious aromas of caramel and the sea. Then the prawns arrived, perfectly
cooked , on a sweet corn and basil risotto surrounded by sauce Americaine, a
rich seafood broth where the shells are roasted then combined with the lobster
or prawn meat, pounded in a mortar and cooked with onions, tomatoes, white wine,
brandy and cayenne pepper heat and butter. No wonder we could smell the dish
before it arrived. And it was worth waiting for it.
We drank the Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2010
and the Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2012 and 2015 with this dish. So cleverly
paired. The older wines have herbal fynbos hints, age shows complexity and
depth and there is a hint of honey on them. They are full of fruit but have
refined acids and soft chalky tannins, so elegant, so good with food. The 2015
has malt, salt and an apple zing. They are moving away from minerality,
malolactic fermentation and oak
It was great to see Dave Hughes who has been
challenged by a stroke but is recovering nicely
Winemaker RJ Botha talked us through these wines. He
said we can brag about these wines; we are known for our Chenins. SA should be
proud and look after them, especially the old bush vines. Kleine Zalze has been
working with these grapes for a very long time. They are switching the style to
more freshness and no botrytis, although they can do that as a special. They
will be more fruit driven and elegant in future. They work with three different
vineyards, Faure, Stellenbosch mountain and Bottelary. The vines are all 35
years old and dry land vineyards. These wines age well
Time for the reds. The Family Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon 2005 and 2012 and the Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
accompanied the next course. The 2005 was showing its age, full of tomato
cocktail hints and a little brettanomyces character; Sweet fruit, nice spice with layered black
berries and dark toast on long flavours of cassis leaves. The 2012 has cassis
leaves and fruit, elegance, incense wood, violets on the nose. On the palate, it's a soft cassis bomb. Delightful. The new 2013 has spicy red berries violet
and tomato on the nose. On the palate silky soft, with good berry fruit and chalky
tannins. A block buster in waiting
These were paired with an interesting coarse cut
tartare of smoked springbok with beetroot, shimeji mushrooms, salt baked
celeriac and rich and smooth truffled chestnut; perfect with the springbok and
it echoed the chalky tannins in the wines. A little viscous
The next course was slow roasted fillet of lamb
neck, so tender with spring vegetables: broad beans, artichokes and a pea puree
and served with a potato galette. The good wine jus was slightly sweet,
perfect. This was served with the Family Reserve Shiraz 2008 & 2012 and the
Vineyard Selection Shiraz 2013. The 2008 nose is savoury and spicy umami, with
salty liquorice, shilli then lots of sweet fruit and tomato. The 2012 Has
balsamic incense wood notes, warm linen on the nose where the fruit is shy. On
the palate silky cooked raspberry and cranberry fruit with cinnamon ginger
spice on the end. The new 2013 is a spice box of cumin, fennel and coriander.
Deep concentrated blackberry fruit, cherries, cassis and some leaves on the
end
And then it was time for the cheese course, served
with a apricot and vanilla compote and more of the Shiraz. A lovely meal with
excellent wines
No fighting over that cheese!
Chef Michael Broughton gets to taste some of the
wine
And chats with the man who made it
Journalist Neil Pendock seems to be enjoying the
day too. We certainly were
The wine line up. We were happy to have transport
arranged to take us home
© John & Lynne
Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016
