We
first taste the Lanzerac Chardonnay, an excellent
combination of ripe citrus, hint of clove, ginger and an infusion
of butterscotch and vanilla. Continuing with the whites, we
then move to a Lanzerac Sauvignon Blanc, which
was harvested at an altitude of 450m. This ripe, fruity wine
with its characteristic green fig flavor, gently caresses the
palate with its smooth and full bodied feel.
As
we move into the reds, we all marvel at the deep dark and velvety
feel of the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon,
however the crowning touch came when we tasted the Pinotage.
We are just getting to know the Pinotage grape, as it is a South
African treasure, and we linger a bit longer on it. The Lanzerac
Pinotage is a deep, luxurious velvety smooth plummy
red, with a whisp of chocolate and caramel flavors. It's full
body feel is complete with a fruit and wood balance. We taste
this wine again with dinner that evening, paired perfectly with
a Malay curry.
The
reds are rated by the Who's Who in the Wine Industry as among
the very finest and will compete with premium wines in the $100
price range, yet are sold in the USA for under $28, fair dinkum”
as they say in Australia. They all rate gold medals and are
a favorite choice of fine eating establishments in the USA such
as Smith & Wollensky, BICE, Ruth Chris Steak House, Morton's,
Lawry's, PF Changs and many more.
However,
I found the Lanzerac Chardonnay to be the home
run of the entire trip. It's complexity of flavors are excellent
with smoked salmon, lobster, white fish, creamy pasta and white
meats. It is being featured in first class for United Airlines
on international flights and is the premier choice for some
of the world's finest hotels. This is the first Chardonnay I
would choose to serve to my most important client or best friend.
Cape
View
Near
Lanzerac is Cape View, based in the Bottelary
Hills of Stellenbosch. It is our next stop and will remain forever
a part of my South African wine tasting experience. This is
a small farm of 380 acres founded in 1712, with a boutique style
winery. With excellent soil types and micro- climates for grapes
and facilities just the size for personalized production, it
produces some of the very best wines.
Winemaker
Danie Steytler has won the top award for the best Pinotage
in South Africa (the prestigious ABSA award trophy for 2000).
This is the first great Pinotage I've ever tasted. Pinotage
is South Africa's national grape and is its own varietal. It
has best been described as a 1920's cross between pinot noir
and cinsault (“hermitage").
Danie
won the Best Red wine in the Southern Hemisphere in Atlanta
Georgia's International Wine Competition 2002
for his Pinotage and many more awards. Danie and his lovely
wife put on a real traditional South Afrikaans barbecue (a braai)
over a wood fire while seated on their patio. Here, we also
got to sample South Africa's versions of beef jerky. This tasty
snack food is called biltong. It is made of beef, ostrich or
game (Kudu, Wildebeest & Reebok), animals I have only seen
on TV. While enjoying the unique experience of biltong, we drink
Danie's big bold reds. Danie does elegant wines balanced well
between fruit and wood. Excellent value wines of the highest
quality are already carried at many top restaurants across the
USA.
The
Cape View Pinotage was a bright, pinky red
color and was superb. It gave sweet aromas of raspberry and
banana fruit with soft nutmeg and clove spiciness. With fruit
aplenty and a hint of coffee, the Pinotage is a perfect companion
for beef, lamb and roasts. The Cape View Merlot
was a dark magenta red with a nose that bursts with ripe plums,
wild cherry and strong spice, conjuring up visions of duck with
cherries or roast lamb!
I paid particular attention to the Cape View Shiraz.
Imagine a deep ruby color with milled black pepper and earthy,
leathery aromas enveloped by all spice oakiness. Fruit spiced
with clove and liquorices are also on the palate. Paired with
barbecued farmer's sausage straight from the braii, this is
a serious wine that pairs well with meats and spicy foods.