Club Wines - September 2018

DELUXE CASE

Pairs With

Thai Curry, Tomato based seafood dishes

Seven Springs Sauvignon Blanc

This vintage is packed with a flavour-filled and aromatic punch. Concentrated yet a medium body, soft acidity and a clean, refreshing palate interlaced with flavours of green apple, kiwi and grapefruit. The bouquet has floral notes of elderflower and aromas of gooseberry, litchi and grapefruit. Slight hints of green pepper and fig.

I would definitely recommend decanting this wine before drinking as it will aid in opening up the wine and releasing the myriad of aromas and flavours. Serving temperature of 10°C. Often a Sauvignon is seen as a cheap and quaffable wine, but this wine is one of flavour and texture, it can stand on its own but even better with food and good company.

Pairs with

Rich fish (salmon, tuna etc), Shellfish, Poultry, Lean fish, Fruity desserts

Lourens Family Wines Lindi Carien

Grenache Blanc, Verdelho, Rousanne & Chenin Blanc. Verdelho comes from a 21 year old block and is the oldest Verdelho block in South Africa, according to Sawis.

Franco made this wine so that he could make some extra money to buy his then fiancé an engagement ring. He therefore named his wine in honour of his now ever supporting wife Lindi Carien Lourens.

Pairs With

Grilled fish, creamy Alfredo pasta and salads and mild aromatic curry

Vondeling Chardonnay

All grapes are picked at optimum ripeness in the early hours of the morning. They are then packed into a cold room to be chilled further for processing the following day. The grapes are whole bunch pressed, which reduces the absorption of coarse phenolics and helps retain more of the grape’s natural vibrancy. The juice is not settled, but sent directly to 400-litre French oak barrels where spontaneous wild yeast fermentation takes place. No Sulphur is added and the wine typically undergoes partial malolactic fermentation.The wine is matured on its yeast lees for 7 months after which it is blended to tank, then returned to barrel for a further 4 months. The wine spends 12 months in barrel before being blended to tank for a further 3 months for improved stabilisation before bottling.

The wine has a lemon and pale straw colour. It displays a refreshing nose of bright citrus, potpourri and peach blossoms with a subtle hint of beeswax. Medium bodied wine with a great palate tension. Fresh, chalky citrus, yellow flowers, candied almonds and ginger spice. The flavours are vibrant and the finish refined.

Pairs With

Pasta, red meat and spicy Asian style dishes

Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage 2016

Fermentation took place in open concrete fermenters at 28°C. The cap was punched manually every 2 hours and then the juice was drawn off the skins after 4 days. Matured for 14 months in second and third fill French Oak. A complex fruit forward wine with layers of red fruit, yellow plums and savoury chocolate flavours. Elegant tannin structures with a good length and dry finish. Can mature for a further 6 - 8 years.

Pairs With

Grilled chops pork/veal, Spaghetti & meatballs

Eagles Nest Merlot

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 aftertase. The is ready to drink now and will improve with correct cellaring up to 2022

Pairs With

Roast Pork, Filet Mignon, Beef Brisket,Venison, Duck, Goose, Dark Meat Turkey

Oak Valley Blend

The Blend comprises Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. An intricate bouquet ranging from fruit-driven mulberries and blackcurrants to wonderful spicy and earthy element. Flavours of dark cherry and black plums, mushrooms and cured meats. This is a medium to full bodied, elegant wine from the cool climate of Elgin. Drinking beautifully now, but will continue to age gracefully in bottle.

CLASSIC CASE

Pairs With

Shellfish dishes, scallops, white fish

Simon and the Huguenots

Sauvignon/Semillon blend from Stellenbosch.

Great value wine. Aromas of citrus and gooseberry. Lively acidity.
Pairs with

Chicken and spicy dishes

Front Row White

Chenin Blanc/Roussanne

The style and value for money the Cape can offer. These surprisingly serious Rhône-influenced blends display balanced, ripe fruit flavours with tremendous drinkability.A juicy, surprisingly complex wine with intense flavours and aromas of citrus and stone fruit.

Pairs With

Asian cuisine, pork chops with apple

 

The Liberator - Francophile Chenin Blanc

Anyone who has ever had an audience with Rick will already be convinced that Chenin Blanc is, in fact, the world’s greatest grape variety. For the past 20-odd years, it’s been Rick’s Mission from God to preach this gospel to South Africa’s winemakers, to ensure they recognise the value of their old vine Chenin; a vinous resource just as precious as gold and diamonds are to the rest of the country.

For those commentators content to view South African Chenin Blanc as the primary source of industrial quantities of sub-standard supermarket promotional fodder, think again. This is no facile example; it’s a wine that is designed to demonstrate what can be achieved with a little bit of care and attention in both the vineyard and the cellar. It might well remain South Africa’s most widely planted grape variety, but it’s a fact that should be celebrated and not dismissed. The Francophile Chenin Blanc is delicious now, but could be expected to evolve and gain additional complexity over the next two to three years.

 

Pairs With

chocolate, coffee, mocha, and nut based desserts, as well as blue cheeses like Cambozola to Roquefort.

Vasco & the Explorers

Touriga Nacional

Deeply coloured, concentrated and tannic, Touriga is also distinguished by its fragrance and perfume.

Pairs With

Grilled meat & vegetables, Burgers

The Liberator Francophile Syrah

Full of vibrant red-black fruit and with an aromatic nose reminiscent of Saint-Joseph lilies, the result is a thrilling young red that is free of the constraints and manipulated flavour profile that come with barrel-ageing. This is a very pure and naked example of the Syrah grape. Dangerously drinkable on release, it could be expected to age for three to five years in bottle.

Pairs With

slow cooked lamb, freshly seared steak and mashed potato with caramelised onion gravy

Vondeling Baldrick

A deep purple colour with flashes of scarlet. The ripe plum and mulberry aromas are uplifted with cherry blossom and violets, while infused with subtle cinnamon and aromatic whitepepper. The palate is gentle and the tannins fresh but rounded. The aromatics continue into the palate with added blueberry, a hint of roasted black olives and soft spoken sweet spice. A versatile, vibrant medium-bodied wine, the Baldrick Shiraz will enhance many a dish and occasion.


Please log in to comment