Kleine Zalze - Wine Club

Today our valley wine club got together for a tasting at Kleine Zalze.  They have a lovely setting/location in Stellenbosch. There are beautiful views as you walk to the tasting room and restaurant. They have indoor and outdoor seating to suit all weather conditions.

The tasting room manager and Wayne ran the tasting. It was very informative, interesting and you can see that the team at Kleine Zalze are really passionate about wine and their job. It was a great wine tasting.

We started with the Sauvignon Blanc Family Reserve 2011 at R130 a bottle. It has a strong aroma and flavour. It is very sharp with a nice strong lingering finish. Tones of lime and tropical fruits. It was very fresh.

The Gamay Noir Rose 2012 at R45 a bottle was light on the palate and has an unripe strawberry taste. It is fresh, off dry and has a lingering finish. This wine had 12 hours skin contact.

Chenin Blanc Bush Vine 2013 (R39 a bottle) has a beautiful nose - that of granny smith apples and tropical fruits. This wine was also fresh, with citrus, lime and lemon on the palate. It was a little sour.

Chenin Blanc Barrel Fermnted 2012 (R70 a bottle) spent 7 months in 20% new oak barrels and 80% second and third fill. It smelled creamy on the nose with hints of butterscotch. On the palate I tasted dried apricots. I didn't like this wine.

Cabernet Merlot 2010 is R55 a bottle. It was beautiful on the nose with hints of dark berries - specifically blackcurrent. It had an intense and spicy taste. It was smooth and easy drinking. I liked this wine. This blend was a mix of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. 30% was matured in 2nd fill barrels and the other 70% in 3rd fill barrels.

We then tried the Shiraz Mouvedre Viognier 2011 at R95 a bottle. It had a gorgeous floral and slightly sweet nose, was spicy and a little savoury on the palate. It apparently goes very well with pork. No new barrels were used, only 3rd and 4th fill barrels. I found this wine a heavier, more serious red with slightly dry tannins.

Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Matured 2010 at R100 a bottle tasted the same on the palate as it did on the nose. It had powdery tannins. It was smooth and accessible. Smelled of plums and tobacco. It is a heavy red wine. Ideal with food. This wine spent 16 months in 40% new oak, 30% 2nd and 30% 3rd fill barrels.

To finish off the evening, we were given a tasting of the Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve 2008 at R240 a bottle. This is not normally available for tasting so this was a real treat for us. It smelled high in alcohol and a little sweet with hints of aniseed on the nose. It was very fruity, smooth, a little spicy and a little dry. I think it is best to decanter or age this wine. It had great body and is very full of fruit flavours.

We had a wonderful evening here at Kleine Zalze. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. Wayne truly is a character and will make your visit special and memorable. The wine is of good quality and they have such a range of wines to try!! The interior and exterior of this tasting room is very nice and welcoming. I recommend visiting this estate.

They have a restaurant here called Terroir. I haven't dined there but I have heard great feedback on their restaurant. The chef made a Thai green curry for us to enjoy after our tasting and it was truly fantastic!! It was authentic and truly the best Thai Green Curry I have had in SA!! I heard that this restaurant gets booked out well in advance in summer so if you plan to eat at this restaurant then book a few months in advance to avoid disappointment.

Rhebokskloof

Today I stopped at Rhebokskloof for a wine tasting and enjoyed it very much. The grounds are just beautiful!! If you visit this estate be sure to take your time and have a good look around!! They have a restaurant, tasting room, conference centre, information centre, garden and childrens playground.

The tasting room has nice decor; it is very tasteful and inviting. Henrico was working that day and it turned out it was his first day so we sat down at a table and tasted the wine together, that was fun.

To do a wine tasting here costs R15 to taste 5 wines.

We tried many wines and my notes follow:

Pearlstone Rose 2011 (R45 a bottle). It was sweet on the nose, had strawberry flavours, was pleasant, not too sweet/off-dry. It was nice.

Pearlstone Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R52 a bottle). Ttropical fruits on the nose, hints of pineapple and pear, it was light on the palate, easy drinking, and not acidic. It was nice.

Estate Chardonnay 2012 (R79 a bottle).  Smelled buttery on the nose, light on the palate, minerality and lime on nose and on palate, doesn't taste as buttery and creamy as one would expect from the smell, fresh on the palate.

Estate Viognier 2012 (R75 a bottle). Granny smith apple on the nose, lovely fruity nose, smooth, balanced, lovely flavour, soft, hints of pineapple and orange, and stone fruits like peach and apricot .

Pearlstone Cabernet Merlot 2011 (R65 a bottle) has a strange nose like fermentation/yeast smell. I didn't like this wine. It was a little dry and had a horrible taste.

Pearlstone Pinotage 2010 (R65 a bottle). It smelled nice, fruity with hints of plum and berries, powdery tannins, light, ok, little dry.

Pearlstone Shiraz 2009 (R65 a bottle). It had a nice aromatic nose, was light on the palate, smooth, will go good with red meat, it was ok.

Estate Shiraz, Mouvedre, Grenache (SMG) 2010 (R85 a bottle) is 60% Shiraz, 20% Mouvedre, 20% Grenache. Gorgeous nose, little spicy and fruity on the nose, smooth, little spicy, full mouth feel, lovely and easy drinking.

Estate Pinotage 2011 (R85 a bottle), had slight fynbos aromas on the nose, was light on the palate, had nice light berry flavours, slightly herbacious, I think it will be better if it is decantered as it is a little dry on the palate (powdery tannins), it was nice.

Estate Shiraz 2010 (R85 a bottle) had a very strong pepper/capsicum nose, it was medium bodied, and a big strong serious red with dry tannins.

Black Marble Hill Reserve Syrah 2010 (R190 a bottle) had dark fruit aromas, blackcurrents, berries, mulberry, has good aging potential, best to decanter, had deep flavours, great balance and integration. I liked it. But it was a little dry.

My favourite wines were the SMG, Pinotage and Shiraz.
 

 

Overall, I had a good experience here. I would love to come back and try out the restaurant. With the playground not far from the outdoor seating of the restaurant, this is a great option for those with children.

Cabernet Sauvignon wine tasting - Du Toitskloof

Today I held a winemaker's evening at Five flies. Shawn Thompson from Du Toitskloof was the guest winemaker for the evening.

He introduced us to four of his Cabernet wines. We tried the following in the first half of the evening:

Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2012 R32.50 a bottle
I felt this was light with berry and cherry flavours. It was pleasant and easy drinking. Was smooth and a little sweet. It is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Shiraz and a bit of Malbec. It had touches of tobacco and cherry. Little nutty and spicy. I liked it.

Cabernet Sauvignon R36.50 a bottle
I felt it smelled heavier and fuller bodied compared to the last wine with stronger fruit flavours and spicy tones. It was yum but a bit more serious than the last wine. Again I liked this wine.

Dimension Blend R75 a bottle
This  is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 30% Shiraz. This wine has a beautiful fruity nose with a bit of coffee and vanilla. It had slight powdery tannins. It was a more serious wine compared to the previous two.

Story Book - Chapter 1
This wine is Shawn Thompson Garagiste wine. I found it had powdery tannins and that overall it needed more time. I therefore recommend one puts this wine away for a few years after purchasing.

In the second half of the evening we tasted 7 Cabernet Sauvignons from the Western Cape. We tasted the wines blind to avoid bias and prejudice. We voted on each wine after tasting all 7 wines and then I revealed where each wine was from and how much it was. The results were as follows:

1st Mount Vernon R150 a bottle
2nd Deetlefs R65 a bottle
3rd Waverley Hills R67 a bottle
4th equal Ormonde R95 a bottle and Zevenwacht R70 a bottle
6th Delheim R98 a bottle
7th L'Avenir R85 a bottle

It was yet another interesting result and a fun evening.

If you would like to join my wine club please email me on westerncapewineries@gmail.com.