Notes from South Africa lunch with Lester at Elbert's Steak Room.
Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - Crisp with a strong green pepper quality to it. No guava/passionfruit in this wine. If you like SB less fruity, this is a good one to go for. Interesting.
Rustenberg Chardonnay 2007 - Lightly buttery. Obvious but well judged use of smoky oak. Sweet fruit. Lovely balance. Crisp finish. An easy but elegant wine. Very good.
Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - Ripe fruit. Mostly mocha flavor. Medium weight with good length. Soft on the palate but firms up on the finish. Good.
Mooiplaas Rosalind 2004 - Very dark. Deep berry aromas. A bit of green pepper and black pepper. Smoky and earthy but with sweet, ripe fruit as well. Still tannic. Needs a bit more time. Good complexity. Very good. (Disclosure: I sell this)
Note from Wine Depot's Wine of the Week last week:
Argyle Nuthouse Reserve Chardonnay 2005 - Subdued floral nose. Obvious but gentle sweet, creamy, toasty oak. Quite dry. Elegant and well balanced. Better with food probably due to somewhat prominent acidity. Good length. Very good and ready to drink.
Notes from lunch with Miguel and Noel at La Tienda.
Bodegas Hidalgo Pastrana Manzanilla Pasada - Pale gold/amber. Very dry but appetizing with deep flavor. Lightly nutty. Very long finish. Not a wine for everyone but I enjoyed it and it really grows on you, especially with food. The initial impression is one of power but it also has a great deal of subtle nuance on the palate. Outstanding quality for the price.
Txomin Etxaniz Getaria 2008 - a white wine from the Basque region of Spain, bought especially by Miguel at the suggestion of the chef, to pair with the kokotxas - the fatty parts of fish throats - I know it sounds weird but they are quite good. Prickly on the tongue.Lemony. Very high acidity. Reminds me a bit of Sauvignon Blanc or very dry Riesling. Not too interesting. We gave a glass to chef Javier (who's from the Basque country) and he said we weren't drinking it right. He brought out some tumblers and told us the wine should be poured from a height into the tumblers to aerate it. He poured it for us so we had some frothy wine in the tumblers. It did taste a little better. The acidity was dialed down a bit. It was something like a very lightly sparkling cava. Despite the drama of pouring from a height, the wine still wasn't my type; even with kokotxas. Maybe one needs to be drinking this is San Sebastian to get it.
Laxas Albarino 2007 - Lightly smoky. Easy. A good Albarino although I must admit I'm not a fan of this grape.
At the end lunch Miguel's father dropped by our table and offered us some Bodegas Hidalgo Cream Sherry. Dark brown, oxidized, walnuts, fairly sweet. Sort of like Bual or Malmsey Madeira. A good end to the lunch.
I got a further bonus while Noel and Miguel went out for a smoke as I was also offered a taste of Hidalgo 200 Brandy de Jerez. This was a lighter, drier style of Spanish brandy. Still, very good.