South African Wine Safari Tasting at Union Square Wines

Coming off of the fabulous Magnum Opus dinner, I didn't think my week could get much better.  But it did.  Andre Shearer of Cape Classics was in town and my friend Shabnam and I attended a tasting of South African wines (that's the three of us at the event).  Andre is the founder of Cape Classics, the largest and most well known importer of wines from South Africa.  Arguably, Andre and Cape Classics have really put South African wines on the map, so to speak.  Most people are not too familiar with South African wines, or are even aware that wines are produced there.  But, in fact, there is a huge wine growing region there, and it is very diverse, and extremely beautiful.  If you have never been to Cape Town and the surrounding area, it is one of the most picturesque and amazing places in the world.  I have been there three times and I can tell you that anyone who has been there would tell you the same thing.  When you go there and you taste the quality and variety of wines that are produced, it is hard not to believe that there are world class wines coming out of South Africa.  Having been there and fallen in love with Cape Town and the wines, I have been a regular consumer, especially of Kanonkop Kadette.  It has been my everyday go to red wine for years.  I buy a couple of cases every year and have done so for many years now.  I think you would be hard pressed to find a more complex and drinkable red wine at its price point, which is about $12.99, though it comes down to around $10 when you buy it by the case and get the discount at Union Square Wines.  I reckon that South African wines will continue to become more well known, especially since the World Cup is being held there and a lot of attention will be drawn to the region.  At the tasting Andre discussed the wines of South Africa and shared a lot of really great stories with us.  It was a fairly intimate affair, there were three tables of about ten people each, and we were served a flight of seven wines, one white and six reds.  One of the things that Andre continued to highlight, was the great quality to value of South African wines.  I have to say I totally agree, and this holds true at all price points.  Some of the wines from the tasting lean towards the pricey side, especially these days, but I can tell you that they are comparable with wines that cost two and three times as much.  I was a believer before the tasting, and am doubly so now!   Here are the wines that were tasted.

Raats 2006 Chenin Blanc Estate  $14.99
Chenin Blanc is the white grape of South African wine.  There are great Chardonnay's and Sauvignon Blanc's as well, but Chenin really sings there.  This one had a really great citrus nose, with notes of lemon zest and cantaloupe.  It was straw yellow in color, with good acidity and there were additional flavors of vanilla and parmigiano reggiano.  A great refreshing summer wine.  87 Points. 

Kanonkop Estate 2007 Pinotage  $37.99
If you want an introduction to the signature grape of South African reds, Pinotage, this is a great starting point.  Or the Kadette, but that's a blend, and this one is more than just an everyday wine.  This wine is still very young and it will probably age well for 10 years or longer.  It has medium body, good acidity and tannins, and there are flavors of fresh cracked pepper, smoked camp fire, dried Italian herbs, mint and cocoa.  90 Points.

Rudi Schultz 2006 Syrah  $34.99
The other grape that is doing amazing things in South Africa is Syrah, also known as Shiraz.  Syrah can be very different where it is grown well in the world.  Syrah in California, Syrah in the Rhone region of southern France and Shriaz in Australia are the most well known.  In South Africa it has its own voice as well, and an amazing one at that.  This is a wine that everyone should try, and it may be one of the best, if not the best Syrah out of South Africa.  Since 2002 every vintage has been rated 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator.  This one is no exception.  It is a medium bodied Syrah, with a hedonistic nose of chocolate, sweet spicy toasted wood, candied cherries, kirsch, and creme de menthe.  While the nose is huge it is not over powering in the mouth and even tasted a bit closed on the finish.  It may need a bit more time to finish coming together.  It is not overly jammy and does not taste cooked at all, which I find can be a problem with some Syrah's elsewhere.  Wine Spectator rated this one a 93, I would say that we are pretty close in agreement.  92 Points.

Kanonkop Estate 2004 Paul Sauer  $44.99
This is a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  Andre noted that it has a very left bank Bordeaux style.  I was thinking almost the same thing as it reminded me of a possible ringer for the 1994 L'Evangile I wrote about in my Five Decades of Bordeaux posting, though that is a right bank Bordeaux.  L'Evangile, by the way, can typically sell for a couple hundred bucks a bottle, or more, depending on the vintage.   Needless to say, I loved this wine from go.  It has an eclectic mix of flavors with that day after camp fire nose, wet earth, smoked game, chocolate and caramel.  There is great acidity, fine tannins, and a bright sweet red fruit mouth feel.  I bet this one is going to age very well.  Exotic and delicious.  93 Points.

De Toren 2007 Fusion V  $49.99
If the kanonkop was the L'Evangile, then the De Toren was the Le Gay, at least in terms of how those wines paired in the Five Decades of Bordeaux tasting.  The De Toren was a slightly more balanced and restrained version of the Paul Sauer.  There is a nose of marzipan and starchy pasta water.  There is still a smokey dark fruit component and the tannins are balanced and fine.  Not as quirky and forward as the Kanonkop, but equally intriguing.  A pleasure to drink.  91 Points.

Thelema 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, The Mint  $52.99
Now this is an interesting wine as well.  Similar to the Sauer and the De Toren, but also some other weird tropical stuff going on too.  The nose is brine, mint, and fennel.  But there are also aromas of coconut and banana, piña colada, and vanilla ice cream.  It's medium bodied and the acidity is there as well.  The dark smokey thing is there and the mouth feel is silky.  Pairs well with the previous two wines.  Nice (Borat voice).  92 Points.

Rustenberg 2005 Peter Barlow  $59.99
The nose on the Rustenberg was a bit more closed than the previous wines.  But there are some interesting things in there never the less.  There is a wine barrel note, also ketchup and BBQ sauce.  There is cherry fruit and a shell fish component.  The wine is medium bodied and the acidity is also nice.  Probably will show better with a bit of age.  90 Points.

Well, that wraps up this posting.  As you may have noted, a smokey quality is a signature flavor to many South African red wines.  I personally love it, but it may not be for everyone.  All the wines were great, some may be a bit more pricey, and even though I think the Paul Sauer, De Toren, and Thelema were the top scores, the Schultz Syrah represents great value to quality.  And the Wine Spectator ratings seem to stand behind this as well.  But hey, that still might be too much to spend.  So even though we did not taste it, try the Kanonkop Kadette as an intro to South African wines, at that price point I don't think anyone could have any regrets. 

Wines my friends brought to the weekend BBQ!

Fate and good fortune.  Thanks to my friends for bringing such great and eclectic wines to our BBQ this past weekend.  Here are a few of the highlights.

Diemersfontein Pinotage 2008  $19.99

I think the label accurately sums up this wine.  It smells like a box of chocolates.  Dark and milk chocolate, mixed with dark candied cherries and smoked sea salt.  Yum!  92 Points.

Pinotage is the signature grape variety of South African reds.  It is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, know in South Africa as Hermitage, hence the name Pinotage.

I think this is a wine worth searching out, it is very distinctive.  And the price seems pretty reasonable given its quality and unique flavors.  I don't think it is widely distributed in the U.S., but I did happen to find it at KL Wine Merchants.  Might need to order a couple of these.

Naudin Tiercin 2004 Savigny-Les-Beaunes  $22.99

This is an easy going Burgundy.  Red wines from Burgundy are made from the Pinot Noir grape.  It is medium garnet in color with a slight rust color at the edges.  There is a nose of sour cherries and there are rhubarb and fennel flavors as well.  Light tannins and crisp acidity also help define the wine.  I prefer a bit more earthiness in Pinot Noir, but this is still a wine that would pair well with lighter dishes that might require some decent acidity.  86 Points.

Burgundy wines are where the term "terroir" originated.  It is also referred to as "climat" in Burgundy.  The idea of terroir, which is a hot topic in the wine world these days, can apply to any distinct wine growing micro climate.  One of the best examples of how the concept of terroir has impacted the wine world over the past 10-15 years is the growth of single vineyard bottling here in the United States and throughout the world.

Evans and Tate, Margaret River 2004 Semillon

I am not sure this wine is available in the States.  My friend brought it back from a recent trip to Australia.  She swears by this wine and it was great with the BBQ.  The wine was straw yellow in color and there were great citrus elements on the nose.  Flavors of grapefruit, lime, pineapple and pear are mixed with flavors of ginger ale and aged cheese.  Nice round mouth feel and decent tart acidity are also present.  88 Points.

The Semillon grape is commonly used as one of the blending grapes in dry white wine in France's Bordeaux region.  But it is used more famously in the Sauternes region of France to make the ubiquitous sweet Sauternes wine.  Chateau Yquem being the most renowned, and expensive!

Union Square Wines, South African Wine Safari

This is a tasting that I am going to attend this coming Thursday.  It is of South African wines, which are not widely available or appreciated in the U.S., but I can tell you, having visited Cape Town, South Africa three times, that it is an up and coming and very exciting wine region.  And one that represents great quality to value.  The tasting is $20, but Union Square Wines gives you a $10 voucher towards a wine purchase so basically it costs $10.  They are pouring some more limited edition wines, and they are providing snacks and probably some schwag as well.  Further info is available below, but you can click this link to sign up:  Union Square Wines South African Wine Tasting.  Hope to see some of you there! 

Event Date: Thursday, May 06, 7:00pm - 8:30pm Description of tasting: USQ is pleased to welcome Cape Classics founder Andre Shearer to the Salon for our most anticipated South African event of the year. With the World Cup looming and all eyes on South Africa, attendees will get a first hand taste of the pandemonium to come with the man who almost single-handedly introduced fine South African wines to the United States. Join us for an evening with Andre Shearer and Team USQ as we uncork nearly one dozen luxury offerings from the Cape featuring knockout cuvées from De Toren, Klein Constantia, Kanonkop, Rustenberg and more. Reservations are required for this fun and informative South African wine event. Reservations cost a meager $20 and include a $10 wine voucher valid towards purchases the night of the event. At this time reservations are limited to just two per customer please.