The event was hosted by the Nel family, host Carel and wife Jeanne were joined by winemaker Margaux and Daniel and organiser Rozanne, both involved in Boplaas’ marketing and logistics. A superb four course meal was provided to pair with the wines at the Jonkerhuis Restaurant, Groot Constantia, prepared by executive chef, Stefan Marais. Constantia has significance for the Nels; Carel’s grandmother was a Cloete from the Constantia wine farm.
The wines are a collaboration with the Symington family of Portugal and the Prats family from Bordeaux and the reds have already seen competition success.
The 2015 White Blend includes Verdelho grown in the Karoo and the Gamka Family Reserve was based on Touriga Nacional with Shiraz in 2012 and Touriga Fransesca, Shiraz and Tinta Barocca in 2013. Tinta Fransesca is a variety winemaker Margaux is particularly excited about, describing its rich, overt yet softer fruit profile.
Amongst the 17 wines being tasted (not all new releases), there were some very special bottles. The Cape Winemakers Guild Daniel’s Legacy blend of three Portuguese varietals and Shiraz showed its pedigree and went well with beef bourguignon, and the sumptuous yet elegant Ouma Cloete 2015 Straw Wine paired excellently with the sautéed apricots and caramelised brioche. This wine has a special pace in the Nel’s heart as it is named after some of grandmother Nettie Cloete’s family left for the Karoo after Phylloxera had ravaged the Constantia vineyards.
The Cape Vintage Ports proved another highlight, the 1985 though fading still offered fine fruit and the 2006 and 2012 wowing the guests. Though different in structure, both offered decadent Christmas cake fruit, with nuts, tangy plum and spice, and so smooth spittoons were forgotten. Many felt the 2012, still on many retail shelves, offers terrific value and I detected a pleasant mint and mulberry aroma that combined with a lighter, restrained alcohol, giving a more elegant feel than the 1996 or 2006.
There can be no doubting the potential of these varieties in South Africa and Carel and Margaux are determined to experiment with single varietals and blends and with bucket loads of competition medals and 5 star ratings already for the Cape Vintages and Tawnys and 91 points for the youthful Gamka, the future is going to be very interesting.