 |
| Tasting Room at Gabrielskloof |
I met with Peter Allan-Finlayson of Crystallum, John Seccombe of Thorne Daughters and Marelise Jansen van Rensberg of Momento to taste through their new releases in the beautiful setting of Gabrielskloof. The wines were of a such a high quality and a joy to taste. Furthermore, the informal nature of the tasting (complete with dogs sitting at our feet) and the humility of the winemakers made for a very enjoyable afternoon.
 |
| One of the dogs enjoying the attention. |
Crystallum
Peter-Allan Finlayson is behind Crystallum wines, and had no formal wine making training before starting in 2007. As with all the following producers, his wines are natural ferment (no yeasts are added) and he strives to make quality wines with minimal intervention: "aim for excellence always, but only within the parameters you're given".
The Agnes 2014
100% Chardonnay blended from 4 vineyards. On the nose there are aromas of lemon, tangerine and hints of tropical fruit. A fleshy, waxy pallet is balanced by fresh acidity and a subtle hint of spice, resulting from the wine having 10% new oak contact.
 |
| Agnes 2014 |
Clay Shales 2014
100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard. The wine is taut and focused, tighter than the Agnes but by no means austere. A shimmering purity comes from top notes of concentrated lemon juice, lime rind and crushed shells. Stone fruit flavours merge with the slightest hint of nuttiness and burnt caramel to add complexity to the finish. An utter joy to drink.
 |
| Clay Shales 2014 |
100% Pinot Noir blended from different vineyards. Pale ruby in the glass, the nose is intensely floral and perfumed. 2014 was a cool vintage and this shows in the wine; green herbs and a high acidity make the wine light and fresh, though there is enough bright strawberry and vivid red fruit flavours to prevent the wine from being unripe. Elegant and finessed.
 |
| Peter Max 2014 |
100% Pinot Noir from a single vineyard. 30% of the grapes were pressed whole bunch (without the removal of the stems). There is an intriguing earthiness to the wine, tree bark entwines with black cherry and dark fruits. The dark flavours are rich and the body is velvet-smooth, offset by crunchy tannin that creates a completely enthralling edginess.
Paradisum 2012
A Rhone blend, consisting of 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 30% Mouvedre. This is deeper in colour than the Pinot Noirs, rich ruby circled by a purple tinge. Violet and stewed plum on the nose, the entrance is silky smooth and the fruit flavours are concentrated and rich. However, as with the Cuvee Cinema there are crunchy tannins that create a lucid freshness; the wine bounces around the mouth and has a tight, grippy finish. The wine is serious, but has an endearing playful edge.
 |
| Paradisum 2012 |
Thorne & Daughters
Thorne & Daughters was started in 2012 by John Seccombe and his wife, Tasha. They aim to make wines that are "simple, honest and gentle; wines that tell a story". They also take stunning photographs, and they are well worth looking through on their website: http://thorneanddaughters.com/
We tasted through what is only their second vintage.
Rocking Horse 2014
A blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Semillion Blanc and Rousanne. It is a very aromatic wine, with blossom, vanilla flower and peach pit aromas gently making way for richer notes of candle wax and almond. The wine has a creaminess to the texture, with the Rousanne adding broadness to the body. The finish is accompanied by a fine tannic grip, meaning the wine has beautiful structure supporting the complex layers of flavour and aromatics.
Zoetrope 2014
Chardonnay, from 30 year old bush vines in Bot River. Due to farming issues, there will be no 2015 vintage of this wine. On the nose, razor-sharp concentrated lemon bursts from the glass, before orange peel and crystallised citrus fruits provide gentler layers of complexity. The wine is juicy and mouthwatering, but delicate and classy- a real stand out.
 |
| Rocking Horse and Zoetrope 2014 |
Momento
Before meeting Marelise and tasting through her wines, I was unfamiliar and had never tried the Momento wines before; I'm very, very glad that's now rectified. Marelise used to be the winemaker at Beaumont before starting up Momento in 2011.
Momento white 2013
This was Marelise's first white release. The grapes are sourced from Bot River and the wine is made up of 93% Chenin Blanc and 7% Verdelho. A floral nose, blossom and lime rind being noticeable flavours. The wine spent 10 months on the lees and was aged in old 400l oak barrels which imparted no real flavour but allowed the wine to develop nicely, adding a complexity and depth.
Momento white 2014
The grapes for the '14 were sourced from a mixture of Bot River, Darling and Swartland vineyards. Verdelho plays a more prominent role in this vintage, with the Chenin Blanc/Verdelho split being 75% to 15%. The aromatics are more intense than the previous vintage, with dried apricots and sweet orange peel on the nose leading to a fleshy pallet, cut through by a crisp acidity.
Momento Tinta Barocca 2013
There are only 2000 bottles of the Tinta Barocca made per year. The grapes come from 40 yr old bush vines and the wine spends 15 months in old, French Oak barrels. Early harvest and some whole bunch pressing, along with only 2 punchdowns for minimal extraction leads to a remarkably fresh wine. Elegant, perfumed aromas of violet and lavender fall into earthy garden plums and baked rhubarb on the pallet. The vivid and unusual flavours are unexpected, the firm tannin is absorbed beautifully and the wine is thoroughly enjoyable.
 |
| The aftermath of the tasting. |
No comments:
Post a Comment