WTN: Two reds from Kaapzicht Estate

[Sue Courtney]

Kaapzicht Estate Pinotage 2005 - Stellenbosch, South Africa
The colour of fresh blood that is just starting to dry - developing some brick to its hue.
There's an earthy, pongy (ie stinky) aroma of sweet leather and sheep dung. It's slightly bitter smelling too although you can smell a creaminess to the oak that comes through after a while.
Quite salty in palate - salty, herbal and meaty - like rosemary over roasting game meat with bittersweet red fruit and tannins that are firm but smooth. Taste is so much better than nose suggests to a Brett fiend and although the aroma is a little off putting to me, I'm glad I put it in my mouth.
100% Pinotage with extended maturation in small French Oak barrels.
14.5% alcohol. Cork closure. NZ$28.
Back label recommends aging for 5 to 8 years.

Steytler By Kaapzicht Estate Vision Cape Blend 2003 - Stellenbosch, South Africa
A dense rich red, starting to brick but quite intense in its depth and hue.
A sweeter, richer, savoury wine on the nose. Hints of cigar box and spice with a deep earthy richness and just a hint of vanilla - and so clean compared to the Kaapzicht Pinotage 2005 tasted alongside it.
Vanillin oak (reminiscent of American oak but back label says French oak) comes through in the palate of this juicy, spicy and slightly peppery blockbuster - it reminds me of some Australian Shiraz's mid-palate, but finishes more savoury and herbal with succulent blueberry / blackberry fruit and then that sweet oak kicks in again. Even after two days, it is still succulent and delicious - but by now more savoury notes - and even a hint of barnyard - are starting to come through.
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Pinotage (40%) and Merlot (10%), individually matured for 19 months in small French oak barrels, this is very good wine and its youthful colour is not indicative of its six years of age. The notes on the bottle seem contradictory too - they say it will age well for 3-5 years, but tasting it at six years old, so I would say for much, much longer.
It has 14.5% alcohol on the label, a cork closure and costs NZ$57.

These wines are imported into New Zealand by http://www.planetwine.co.nz. I tasted them on 5th May 2009.

[Peter May]

Kaapzicht's Steytler Vision has been garnering plaudits. The 2001 won The Pichon Lalonde Trophy for best red blend at IWSC.

Last week their Steytler 2006 Pinotage won the Decanter Trophy for best varietal red wine over £10 (my video of Yngvild Steytler respondng to the win is at http://www.pinotage.org)

I tasted both the standard and Steytler 2006 Pinotages last week at the London Wine Fair and they were very clean with pure fruit.

[Jenise]

Sue, I've had both wines in the past and liked them, too, in particular the Steytler.

[Mike_F]

...The colour of fresh blood that is just starting to dry...

I am trying to figure out who would immediately understand this aspect of the WTN - surgeons, butchers, serial killers...??

cheers,

Mike

[Jenise]

... surgeons, butchers, serial killers...??

Kids, moms....

[Mike_F]

...Kids, moms....

Aha, I have kids, but then I am a dad, not a mom. Although I have dealt with umpteen cuts and bleeds, can't say I ever noticed the precise color of fresh drying blood. I will have to ask my better half if she has....

[Sue Courtney]

...The colour of fresh blood that is just starting to dry...

I am trying to figure out who would immediately understand this aspect of the WTN - surgeons, butchers, serial killers...??

cheers,

Mike

Or someone who has simply scratched their arm, scraped their knee or stubbed their toe. We all have it - we all see - women more than men, I guess - it doesn't have to be gruesome, you know.