Time for one of our favourite Trade tastings. John Collins
shows his list of wineries at Den Anker, the Belgian restaurant at the Waterfront and he has some very
good farms. Den Anker is a great venue and the food keeps coming to keep one
happy
and should you need to refresh, you can always order a beer
from the bar,
they have a huge list of local and foreign beers
Jordan was near the front door and so earned the first
visit
Their team had brought a great selection of their wines, plus a new
Chenin called Time Piece 2019
This is part of a collection that captures
Jordan’s Heritage single vineyards on the estate,
older than 35 years and
carrying the stamp of Ted Jordan, who founded the estate
The Timepiece Chenin
was literally on everyone’s lips as the best wine of the day;
so many people
came to us and said, "Have you tasted it, if not do so”
We had and agree
wholeheartedly, it’s a winner. Can’t wait to sample the others
Peach and
cooked apple on the nose. Full, rich and spicy on the palate with quince and
ripe stone fruit,
bright acidity and long, exciting layered flavours,
some hint
of umami, with chalky tannins, minerality on the end. Made in clay amphorae
They also had the Nine Yards 2019 in a magnum and this was
really enjoyed at the end of the day,
even after tasting so many wines
From a
barrel selection of the finest, east-facing Chardonnay vineyards, it is a
beautiful, classic finessed Chardonnay,
full of class with aromas and flavours
of ripe apple and apricots with lime and great support from,
but not
overwhelmed by, French oak. Sales Manager Marcha Cooke showing us the magnum
L to R The Inspector Peringuey 2019 Chenin Blanc is the wine
we order with summer food in a restaurant,
the popular The Real McCoy 2021
Riesling,
The Cold Fact 2021 Sauvignon Blanc and the Barrel Fermented 2020
Chardonnay, all winners
The reds for tasting: Jordan’s flagship red wine, the
Cobblers Hill 2018 Bordeaux blend, The Prospector 2020 Syrah, The Long Fuse 2020
Cabernet Sauvignon and Black Magic 2020 Merlot. Go and taste these on the farm
to experience them yourselves if you can. And visit the new Jordan restaurant,
now run by Marthinus Ferreira, of DW eleven 13 restaurant in Dunkeld, Johannesburg. It will
open in early October, and is now open for bookings. https://www.jordanwines.com/dine-with-us/jordan-restaurant/
Owner David Sonnenberg chatting on the Diemersfontein stand
The Chenin Blanc 2022 has aromas of pear, guava and passion fruit which appear
again on the palate
A lovely wine at a very good price. The 2022 Rosé really
impressed
Pale peach with rose petal floral notes which draw you in
This is a
blend of three warm country wines - Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre
Crisp and
zingy on the palate with lovely red summer berry flavours and a little candy
floss,
supported by some soft chalky tannins. Roll on summer...
A good range of red wines too and a 10 year old Pot Still
brandy
A new label, Maree Family Wines, which has two 2022 wines that
will be available in the trade at the end of October
Old Man Sam 2020 Chenin Blanc, made from 40 year old vines
on the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch
Sparkling in the glass, pale straw in
colour, with stone fruit on the nose,
freshness and clean with crisp Granny
Smith apple and wood on the end. Interesting
The 2021 Klein Jakkals Syrah from the Simonsberg,
has a good
nose of sweet fruit and spice which follows through briefly on the palate
Olivedale Private Vineyards grows no olives, the name comes
from the wild olives grown in the area,
which is south of Swellendam, on the
banks of the Breede River
The Respect for Nature 2021 Sauvignon Blanc was something
new and fresh
Perfume on a shy nose, it is lean and crisp with tropical notes
of pineapple and fresh granadilla;
a lovely texture on the palate
The 2020
Respect for Nature is made in 300Lt French oak barrels
Naturally fermented
under controlled temperature of 14 °C. The wine matured for 7 months on the
lees
The oak is very present, with cooked apple and then more wood on the end
The 2018 Mystery of Nature Wild Melody is a blend of Viognier, Roussanne,
Semillon and Verdelho,
and is a very unusual wine
It goes through whole berry
natural fermentation with extended skin contact
Layered like a cake in a
specially designed sealed tank and fermented naturally under pressure
This
carbonic maceration under pressure produces an extraordinary wine
It certainly
split the tasters. Notes of M&B tablets and iron tonic were found
On the pass, some of the delicious food that Den Anker serves
Time to phone a friend?
Lovely label on the Bruce Jack Overberg Highlands Penelope
Brut Rosé 2017,
unusually made from Port grape Touriga Franca
There were so many wines on the Bruce Jack table that it was
rather daunting. And so many new names to remember
Lynne tasted the There Are
Still Mysteries 2018 Pinot Noir. Lots of smoke on the nose with shy fruit,
and
some mushrooms on the nose and palate with red cherries and some tight tannins.
Needs time
More on ice
And yet more in another cooler
While the trade tasting took up the whole of the inside of
Den Anker,
customers were happy to sit outside, relishing the lovely spring
weather and enjoying the superb views
We were quite amused to see this gentleman tucking into a
huge repast
while his companion was happy with just a glass of water
Springfield had brought all their excellent wines
We always
like to taste the two new Sauvignons Blanc, Life From Stone 2022 and the
Special Cuvée 2022
and can reassure fans that they are as good as you expect them
to be
The Life from Stone has those racy green pyrazines, green pepper, fig
and grass
It is lovely and crisp on the palate with long layers of favour,
minerality and flint and calls for food
The Special Cuvée is also full of
those enjoyable green flavours, but is more subtle, with lovely minerality
A
little shy at the moment, waiting in the wings for more time until its debut,
one to watch
The 2021 Alvarinho is full of lovely flavours of pear, quince and
apricot, with a floral nose
Spicy, juicy enjoyment with bright acidity. Great
with summer or spicy and rich food
The Springfield Albariño 2021, normally grown in Europe in
warmer drier areas, is a grape made for our warmer climates,
beginning to be
grown more widely in South Africa and makes for great drinking enjoyment with food
It has
lovely warm flavours of pear, quince and apricot with bright acidity, and an
enticing floral nose, spicy, juicy excitement
Just time to taste the impressive 2020 Pinot Noir. Dark
berries and cherry on the mature nose,
with integrated fruit and wood
Superb
layers of good fruit on the palate, strawberry and cherry, with some wildness
and good dark oak support
There is a nice bright acid zing and then lots more
fruit. One to buy and keep a while
John Collins enjoying the afternoon with his friends the
Strickers
Last on our list to taste were the Kruger Family Wines
The
Sans Chêne (no oak) Chardonnay 2020 was delicious with lovely layers of bruléed
ripe fruit,
creamy, nutty and with good citrus acidity
Mainly made in Stainless
steel, but 40% in a concrete egg; very, very enjoyable
Johan Kruger says
"It was made in an effort to silence those who think of unoaked Chardonnay
to be of lesser quality"
He has succeeded
The Walker Bay Chardonnay 2018 has perfume, good minerality
with crisp apples and good wood support
Made with whole bunches pressed into
French oak barrels without any additions (10% new)
The Klipkop 2019 Chardonnay
has a great nose, with richness and complexity
Peachy, creamy with some
savoury umami on the palate, then apple, pear and more peach,
a nice balance in
the wine of wood and fruit, perhaps put down for 2 plus years
The Old Vines 2020 Chardonnay was the very best! Very French
in style, it has lots of wood support,
well integrated with the fresh apple and
peach fruit as toffee and incense
A very good tasting, just wish we had the stamina to taste
more
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