Club Wines - May 2017

DELUXE CASE

Pairs With

Poultry and Pork dishes

Buitenverwachting Hussey's Vlei Sauvignon Blanc

Part whole bunch pressing, part skin contact for 12 hours. Selection of five yeast strains. Fermented 12ºC - 16ºC for 21 days. The wine has a pale lemon yellow colour and a bouquet reminiscent of green peppers combined with herbaceous aromas. The wine is dry, full bodied and has a long lingering finish.”

Pairs with

Light meals, Seafood or even spicy Asian-inspired dishes.

Spier Creative Block 2

Grapes were hand-harvested early in the morning in 10kg lug boxes and pre-cooled before hand sorting, destemming and crushing. Skin contact was limited to 6 hours and the free run juice drained off to settle overnight before inoculation with a selected yeast strains . The fermentation took place under controlled temperatures between 12 – 14 °C. The wine matured for 6 months on the lees before bottling.Ripe kiwi fruit and white peaches on the nose with a strong intense green grassy undertone. Perfumed green winter melon, full pallated wine with an undertow of green asparagus.

Pairs With

Classical spicy dishes, grilled Langoustines or a mussel hotpot.

Kanu KCB

Rich gold with lime green hues. Peach kernel, beeswax and spicy nutmeg on the nose. Powerful entry onto the pallet with nuances of stone fruit, the tartness of green apples and mouth coating vanillins. The KCB is a rich and rewarding wine with a long finish and will benefit from cellaring, should temptation be conquered.Kanu KCB was made with minimal interference, including natural fermentation and as such, harmless crystals may precipitate in the bottle over time.Balance between rich and fresh

Pairs With

Roasted or grilled beef or lamb

Barton Winemaker's Reserve

Blending: 57% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec This Bordeaux style blend has a dense, saturated purple colour with violet chocolate and ripe mulberry aromas followed on the palate by cassis and a hint of almond. This full-bodied wine exibits ripe tannins, exquisite balance and a long subtle velvety finish. So tailored & sleek, belies its youthful intensity, will age with distinction. The wine was aged for 24 months in 100% French Oak barrels of which 30% was new wood, 20% 2nd, and 25% each 3rd and 4th fill.

Pairs With

Light meat dishes, beef or chicken schnitzel

Neil Ellis Groenekloof Shiraz

Neil Ellis and his son Warren make a varied and excellent range of wines using fruit from four different vineyard regions: Elgin, the Jonkershoek Valley, Piekenierskloof and, the source of this wine, Groenekloof, near Darling on South Africa’s Atlantic coast. This is one of two Neil Ellis ‘Shirazes’ from Groenekloof (there’s a Syrah in the winery’s pricier premium vineyard-selection series) and there’s also a third from cooler-climate Elgin. It is sourced from unirrigated, low-yielding bush vines on decomposed granite and clay soils and aged in larger, 500-litre French oak puncheons.Aged for 15 months in new, two year and older French puncheons of 500 litre capacity. Special care is taken to maintain fruit integrity. Medium bodied, cool climate Shiraz, in which balance is more important than power. The wine is fresh and vibrant showing red fruit and perfume aromas and some dried herb notes. The palate shows bright fruit with hints of white pepper, spice with a good structure and grippy tannins to finish. Restraint use of oak.

Pairs With

Roast Beef

Eagle's Nest Merlot

The grapes for this wine were the fourth and fifth vintage off eight and nine year old vines. The vineyard aspects range from east to north, and are perfectly positioned for these Bordeaux varieties. All grapes were hand picked, de-stalked and crushed into medium sized open top fermenters. Punch-downs and pump-overs were performed three to four times per day, these practices being determined by twice daily tastings by the winemaker.This is ensured that at all times the fermenting must evolved to embody the desired style. The fermentation temperature was controlled between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius. Fermentation took 9 days to complete, after which the free run wine was drawn off and the skins were pressed in a 3.5 ton pneumatic bag press. The wine was then racked into first, second and third fills barrels where malo-lactic fermentation took place. Six different cooperages were used, each specifically chosen to complement the different nuances of this very complex wine. During maturation, the wine was racked twice. After 16 months in barrel selected barrels were racked to tank and blended to create a harmonious finished product. A light filtration preceded bottling in February 2012. On the nose is a textured array if gorgeous ripe berry fruit, complemented by nuanced baking spice and crushed pepper. The fruit is vibrant, complex and pleasantly focused by bright acidity. On the palate the delicious dark berry fruit of the nose is carried through to the taste buds and they combine harmoniously to give a rewarding taste sensation. Flavours are supported by juicy tannins and extend into a persistent aftertaste. The is ready to drink now and will improve with correct cellaring up to 2022

 

CLASSIC CASE

Pairs With

Good on its own or perfect with fish

Spier Sauvignon Blanc

Grapes were hand harvested from selected vineyard blocks, received at the cellar, de-stemmed and crushed. It was given short skin contact and then pressed. Clear settled juice was racked from their lees and inoculated with selected yeast strains. Temperature controlled fermentation took place. Only the best tanks are selected for the final preparation of the blend according to the style of the wine. Maturation occurred on the fine lees for another three months to give extra body and elegance, prior to preparation for bottling. Intense aromas of gooseberries, passion fruit, green and yellow peppers and hints of tropical fruit on the nose. Medium-bodied with a good balance between fruit and acidity on the palate.

Pairs With

Seafood & Spicy Dishes

Flagstone Tributary Chenin Blanc

Imagine starting at the sea, where a big river runs into the surf. You explore upstream looking for the source, the reason. A carefully crafted wine is a bit like a river. It is born of many influences, many tributaries. This wine honours that philosophy because a balanced, delicious wine is always the result of many convergent energies; the weather, geography and the winemaker being just one of them. It is how they come together. A fresh peach bouquet with ripe apricot and dried pear introduce exotic aromas of this noble grape. Tropical notes follow through to palate with hints of stone fruit and vanilla, finishing with a well-balanced crisp acidity in a brilliant gold wine with a green tint.

Pairs With

Chicken, pork chops, chicken caesar salad.

Flagstone Noon Gun

Blend of the three best white varieties growing in South Africa today, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The Chenin Blanc grapes are from quite old, gnarly, dry-grown vineyards in the Swartland. They are naturally in balance and yield a very small, concentrated crop. This gives amazing structure and creaminess to the wine. The Sauvignon Blanc loves our mineral rich soil and cool sea breezes and offers zesty zing with passionfruit and fig flavours with a long, refreshing finish. These grapes hail from various coastal vineyards, including Elim, Elgin and as far north as Lutzville. The Viognier adds an inviting fruity/floral nose and lots of ripe citrus flavours on the palate. We source our Viognier from both warm and cool climates to get both the heady, spicy flavours and enticing floral aromas The Noon Gun canon stands on Signal Hill above the town centre in Cape Town, known in South Africa as The Mother City. Its daily firing is South Africa’s oldest official tradition. Intriguing, floral nose of guava, orange zest and apple. The smooth, balanced palate offers honeydew melon with slices of paw paw, a touch of orange peel, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The fruitiness is balanced by a creamy mouthfeel and a zesty crisp lingering finish.

Pairs With

Slow cooked lamb stew with rich tomato herb and garlic sauce, green haricots and grilled polenta.

Holden Manz Vernissage

Very mild summer, with early February heat moving into more moderate temperatures later. Rain towards the end of picking season made it a tricky period to judge timing. Late ripening for cabernet sauvignon and cooler weather conditions provided particularly elegant tannins and structure. A beautiful collaboration of the typical characteristics of the three cultivars, the nose is showing lots of red berry flavors and black fruit originating from the Cabernet Sauvignon as well as upfront spice and dark cherries from the Syrah and plum from the Merlot.This wine has beautiful ripe, soft and mellowing tannins with good balance and a soft lingering finish. Spice, tobacco and cassis flavors are prominent. Balanced acidity and vibrant flavours compliment this elegant wine.

Pairs With

Pork & Beef dishes

Barton Shiraz/Cabernet

65% Shiraz | 35% Cabernet Sauvignon The wine was aged for 16 months in 100% French Oak barrels of which 25% were new wood, and 25% each 2nd 3rd and 4th fill. Concentrated berries and white pepper spice can be found on the nose supported by savory notes.

Pairs With

BBQ foods, or on its own by the fire

Horse Mountain Michele

65% Cabernet, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc A fruit driven blend of plums and raspberries. Hints of dark mint chocolate. A wine for all occasions!

 


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