Holiday Tasting in Constantia and Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa
Western Cape, South Africa
Tasted Saturday, December 18, 2010 - Tuesday, December 28, 2010 by friejose with 685 views
Introduction
Ursula and I did quite a bit of wine tasting during our trip to Cape Town and environs in December 2010. We stayed in Constantia and Hermanus, so all of the wines discussed here are from those two regions of the Cape. These are the tasting notes from that trip.
Flight 1 - Constantia and Cape Point (14 Notes)
The wines we tasted in the Constantia region, just on the other side of Table Mountain from Cape Town. This is the oldest wine region in the Cape, though it has been overshadowed for decades by Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. We also tasted wines from Cape Point on the other side of the Cape Peninsula.
Flight 2 - Hemel-en-Aarde (10 Notes)
These wines are from the Hemel-en-Aarde (or "Heaven and Earth") valley to the north of the town of Hermanus. This area is part of the Walker Bay region of the Cape winelands, and is a recent convert to wine growing.
2010 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/19/2010)
The first wine I liked at my Steenberg tasting in their ultra-modern, fancy new digs was their SB '10. It was vegetal with tropical fruits on the nose, and light and refined in the mouth with hints of litchis. There wasn't much residual sugar in the taste, but it wasn't quite bone dry either. For such a new wine, it was quite elegant. It had some tartness, but well balanced, especially compared to the Klein Steenberg SB offering that I tasted just prior to it.
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2008 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 89 Points
South Africa, Western Cape
(12/19/2010)
Steenberg, as with several of the Constantia vineyards, is known for its Sauvignon Blanc. I got to taste three Steenberg SB's and this 2008 version was my favorite of the trio. The '08 has a slightly more golden color in the glass than the '10, making it appear richer. This was borne out in the nose, which was still tart and acidic, but also evinced much more fruit than the other SB's: guava, maybe pineapple. This had a rich mouthfeel and drank smoothly, but you could still get the trademark SA SB zest and citrus taste. Enjoyable and at 70 rand (just about $10) on special, good QPR for Constantia too.
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2010 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc HMS Rattlesnake 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/19/2010)
The HMS Rattlesnake was the third of three Steenberg SB's I tasted this day, and it definitely presented differently than the eponymous SB's from Steenberg. You could tell right away on the nose, and subsequently in the mouth, that this SB had been oaked, unlike the other ones I'd tasted. Vegetal and grassy on the nose as well, followed by fruit in the mouth. Pineapple and guava were prominent in the taste, and this one was almost, but not quite, creamy. Much less zesty, citrusy than the other Steenberg SB's I tried. A good deal at 68 rand (~$10).
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2010 Steenberg Chardonnay HMS Sphynx 84 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/19/2010)
I wasn't sure what to expect from this Chardonnay, as Steenberg and Constantia is really more known for its Sauvignon Blancs. It started off pretty well with the buttery, but tangy nose, which was intriguing in a slighted oaked Chard. The taste was less exciting as it was fruity and zesty upfront, like its SB cousins, with some hint of butter underneath and a quick finish. It was pretty sharp in the mouth for an oaked Chard. It wasn't bad, nothing more. Listed at 68.50 rand, or just under $10.
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2007 Steenberg Catharina 85 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/19/2010)
The Catharina was plumped by the server as one of Steenberg's flagship wines, so that selling added to the novelty of a Bordeaux blend from Steenberg, made me curious. The Cab Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc blend had the classic Bordeaux nose, if a bit fresher and lighter than what you would normal get from a red Bordeaux itself. I got prunes and berries with a hint of green pepper when I was smelling the Catharina. First thing I noticed in the mouth were how mild the tannins were for such a young wine; again, another noticeable difference from typical Bordeaux reds. The taste had lots of grape flavor and was a bit uncomplex for the varietals involved. It definitely wasn't as big and bold as a California Cab or a Bordeaux red would be. The Catharina was easy drinking and enjoyable for all that it wasn't as deep as a Bordeaux, but at 148.80 rand ($22 or so), I'm not sure that's enough.
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2007 Constantia Uitsig Chardonnay Methode Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc Brut 90 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/20/2010)
I had had some bad experiences with Methode Cap Classique, the Cape's answer to Champagne, so I really didn't even want to taste this MCC at Uitsig. But it was my wedding day and it was bubbly, so why not? Well, I'm glad I gave this '07 MCC Blanc de Blanc Brut a try, as it definitely exceeded expectations. Toasty and buttery on the nose, just as you'd hope. Nicely balanced acidity and sugar in the mouth, also as you'd hope, with lemon and lime hints. The bubbles were nice and small and the carbonation wasn't too much at all. It does hit the wallet though at 245 rand (about $37) a bottle. The price is why we didn't take a bottle with us, but boy were we tempted.
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2009 Constantia Uitsig Sauvignon Blanc 84 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/20/2010)
After reading the great reviews of Uitsig's 2008 SB, I expected great things of the '09. Perhaps the expectations game is a bit unfair, but I was disappointed in this wine. Grass and herbs on the nose, and not too strong. The taste was lightly tart, and far from overpowering, with the slightest taste of fruit as well. In fact, the mildness of this offering is what really stood out to me. Just not too much to say about it. A bit bland really.
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2009 Constantia Uitsig Chardonnay Unwooded 85 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/20/2010)
According to the server, this unwooded Chard was double fermented, which they hyped as one of the selling points of this wine. What I noticed, however, was that this was a fairly basic, workmanlike Chardonnay. The nose has the classic Chard aroma with pears and perhaps butter cookies discernible. Similarly tastes to the smells when in the mouth, though with a more pronounced butteriness. Not as minerally as I would have expected from an unwooded Chard, and that lack of complexity was a little disappointing. The price wasn't bad, though, at 65 rand (under $10) a bottle.
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2009 Constantia Uitsig Sémillon 89 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/20/2010)
I didn't see a lot of single varietal Semillon on this trip to South Africa, that's not really part of the "international style" I suppose, but I wish I had seen more of it. This lovely wine shows why. Very upfront nose with lots of spice characteristics, especially clove. More cloves in the mouth, but quite nicely balanced by the tropical fruit (in particular litchi) and honey notes. I also got herbal and grassy flavors in the mouth. Rewarding long finish that ends strong. Complex, without being over the top.
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2010 Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 86 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
(12/21/2010)
Groot Constantia is the grand-daddy of all Cape wineries, having been established in 1685. The winery also has one of the biggest and most brand-conscious tasting rooms that we saw in the Cape; it was much more reminiscent of Napa tasting rooms than a lot of what we saw in South Africa. Groot also lets you taste a wide variety of wines, but out of all of them, the only one that stuck with me at all was their simple Sauvignon Blanc from last year's harvest. I could feel the citrus and acidity in the nose, and the SB '10 was zingy, zesty in the mouth as well. But underneath the vigor, there was a ripeness as well, especially of pear, as suggestion by the Groot price list. Platter's liked this one as well and at 86 rand (around $12), not a bad QPR for a Constantia wine.
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2010 Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Woolworths Limited Release 79 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Point
(12/22/2010)
Lots of zing in the nose, but not much there otherwise. If you ask "Where's the beef?" about hamburgers, you could similarly ask "Where's the taste?" about this boring wine. There are a lot better SB's on offer, even at the supermarket than this one.
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2010 Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 85 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Point
(12/22/2010)
An unexpectedly refined Sauvignon Blanc from Cape Point. It was quite powerful in the nose, but pleasantly soft in the mouth. Smelled of pears and limes, and tasted more of grassiness. Unfortunately, the QPR argues against this wine, as it sits at 90 rand (~$13), which is more than many SA SB's that are nicer.
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2008 Cape Point Vineyards Chardonnay 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Point
(12/22/2010)
This Chardonnay salvaged the trip to this Noordhoek winery on the other side of the Cape Peninsula from where we were staying. Chard is not a Constantia strong suit, but this Cape Point version had a lot to recommend it. Some butteriness and toast on the nose, followed by an enjoyable feel in the mouth. Notes of butter in the taste as well, but not too much. Short, crisp finish. A bit steep at 125 rand (approximately $18), however.
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2008 Cape Point Vineyards Splattered Toad Shiraz/Cabernet Cape Point 85 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Point
(12/22/2010)
The proceeds from the Splattered Toad line of wines at Cape Point go to the preservation of an endangered species of toad that lives in Noordhoek, where the winery is located. Were that the wine was a good as the intentions behind it. That said, this Shiraz/Cab blend is a good version of what it is for the price, a mere 48 rand (about $7). It had a smoky nose with cherries underneath. There were coffees and berries in the mouth. A red to take onto the porch and swig rather than swirl.
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