Stellenbosch The Third

Howdy!

Time for another email catered for your work avoidance behaviour, since I know most of you are bored out of your skulls at work, twiddling your thumbs waiting for something to distract you. Well, since last writing, I managed to vist 12 farms, 10 in one go - a new personal record, and 2 when I went wine tasting with family on Sunday. Since it would take a big chunk of my time to write about all of them in one go, I'll divide it up (I still have a life outside of wine, afterall). For today I'll focus on writing about the few farms I visited on Sunday - which was only two farms.

Of the two farms where I went tasting at on Sunday, the first was Laborie, which was one of the first farms I visited when I started taking notes. It was really great to go back and flesh out my notes (which were nothing more than descriptors of good, great, and excellent). If I were paying attention, I would've noticed the MCC sparkling (as opposed to the non-sparkling MCC's everyone is making ;) they snuck onto the bottom of their list, and asked to taste that first. This is one of the few farms to make a straight-varietal Viognier - which is filled with stone fruit (peach, apricot), quite characteristic of the fruitier side of Viognier - and thank goodness for that, cos the last thing I feel like drinking is something that smells like parafin! The Chardonnay was also quite typical - toast, butterscotch and pineapple/lime/citrus smells and flavours. The Merlot was fruity, but the Shiraz was definitely something different, remarkably soft, slight hints of Vanilla, Turkish Delight and White Pepper. The Cab Sauv was perfect to go with wild game meats, with hints of venison, plummy on the palate, and the smell of a fresh pine forest still dripping from a fresh rain. They have a fortified wine, made from pinotage wine mixed with pot-still brandy made from Pinotage, which was a lovely example of how to make a fruity port (dried fruits like raisons and prunes) that still has a hint of roasted nuts (like slightly roasted cashews when they almost have a chocolate flavour). They also have 8-yr old brandy available for tasting, although it was too strong and overwhelming for my poor palate.

The second farm I visited was Dieu Donne, which has a spectacular tasting room and nearby restaurant (built under a hill). This farm has a spectacular view and relaxing atmosphere. Of the food we had there, only the pasta seemed to be a decent portion and quality (once you added a bit more salt). They make an incredible Don Pedro, and their smoothies are also great - perfect to take your friends for late afternoon/sunset evening drinks. This place also had a very extensive wine list, from MCC's to whites to reds to sweet wines. The MCC Brut reminded me of biscuits (kind of like lemon creams), no doubt due to the Chardonnay from which it's made, as the wooded Chardonnay had a nose of lemon, goose-berry as well as a nose of cookie dough and yeast. The merlot looked perfect for aging, with a nose of mint and coffee backed by dark plums. The Cab Sauv also had a very similar nose of mint, but the dark berries (blue & black berries) and black currant really stood out in the wine. The Noble Late Harvest was made from Chardonnay, so the pineapple/citrus and stoned fruit came out very well, and it had a superior finish. Well-layered and definitely one to keep.

Well, I hope this kept you entertained for a short while, but it's probably time you got back to work, food, or whatever it is you were busy doing.

Til next time,

Val.