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News

Platter Guide 2011 Ratings

‘In terms of business sustainability, right now we’re looking to balance our 30-country export portfolio and mitigate currency risks with a stronger home-market presence,’ says Burgundy-raised MD Alex Dale. Socially, the winery’s Land of Hope project, now in its third year, has won acclaim both in South Africa and abroad, featuring for the second year running in the Financial Mail Wine Awards. The project funds schooling for 10 children and dependents of previously-disadvantaged employees. Environmentally, the winery’s carbon footprint has been in the spotlight, with viticultural and winemaking practices, packaging, logistics and water use at the cellar all the subject of ongoing sustainability measures. A steady stream of wine awards tops off the team’s sense of being on the right track.

Alex and friend Markus drinking the
first bottle of the 2010 Pinot Noir

Radford Dale range

**** Merlot √ Complex, cedary, Bdx-like 08 ( **** ½ ) , first since 05. Elegant & appetising. Pleasing herbal edge & mineral back bone to layers plums, dark cherries; older oak adds spice, suppleness.
**** ½ Freedom Pinot Noir Expressive cherry fruit, earthiness in elegant 09. Appetising cool-climate fruit flavours bright & complex, aided by wild-yeast ferm in Burg brls; supple grip in soft-textured, minerally finish. WO Elgin.
**** Shiraz √ Restrained power in complex Rhône-styled 08 ( **** ½ )  step up from pvs 06. Abundant roasted spices, pepper combine with appetising fresh red fruits. Seamless oaking, most Fr, third new, provides back drop to vibrant mineral finish.
 **** ½  Gravity Shiraz (50%), cab & merlot drip-drained to vats for gutsy 06 tasted last ed; dense & fruitpacked, supple, suave tannins. 15% alc in keeping with big, brooding style; per fumed 05 *****
**** Shiraz-Viognier Last tasted harmonious, smooth 06; smoky dark tones, aromatic intrigue.
**** Shiraz-Merlot Harmonious 07 with wild scrub aromas, spicy redcurrant flavours, fleshed out by merlot’s juiciness & embraced by welcomingly soft but sufficiently grippy tannins.
**** ½ Chardonnay √ Burgundian-styled 09, example of restraint & harmony. Layers deliciously
ripe citrus fruit with lemon & lime core, streamlined by savoury acid & flinty back bone. Stylishly oaked, 11 mths Fr, 20% tank portion. Ex 3 Helderberg vyds.
**** ½ Viognier Overtly spicy, floral 09, with peach & apricot charm. 11 mths in oak (dash new) broadens flavours; mineral back bone retains focus towards long, dry finish. More striking than 08.
**** ½ Vine Dried Viognier Pvsly ‘Natural Sweet’. Unctuous 08, from grapes desiccated on the vine to concentrate sugars to whopping 290g/l. Dried apricots, honey make an indulgent, hedonistic dessert, lightened by low 10.5% alc & savoury acidity. Ferm in brl 11 mths.

Land of Hope range

**** ½ Cabernet-Sauvignon √ Elegant, classic, single-vyd 08 seriously styled & expressive. Spicy, plush tannins enfold layers of voluptuous, compact red fruit, herbs & fine mineral core, to form an appetising, satisfying whole. Deftly oaked (16 mths Fr, 25% new).
**** Chenin Blanc √ Utterly charming, floral 09 (**** ½) step up from 08, to reveal complex layers of lightly spicy, sweet yellow apples, perfectly poised acidity, minerality. Oak (11 mths 20% new) provides subtle platform for concentrated flavours.

Black Rock Range

**** ½ Red Blend Individual & complex 07 shiraz-led blend Rhône varieties, not retasted. Roasted spice & scrub, minerality outlining rich & savoury blue berry fruit. 35% new oak. WO Swartland, like next.
**** White Blend 08 blend spicy old bushvine chenin (56%), chard, clairette. Complex oak regime adds weight, supports rich flavours & adds to seamless integration & balance. Tasted lasted.

Vinum range

**** Cabernet Sauvignon √ 08, obvious black currant & cedar. 18 mths Fr oak (touch Am) bolsters pure, succulent fruit, adding sufficient grip to plushness; minerality rallies finish. Just-dry; 14.5% alc.
**** Chenin Blanc √  Limpid previewed 09 (**** ½) from low-yield bushvines more complex
than 08. Superbly styled, layers of citrus, stone fruits broadened by 20% portion ferm/yr in brl; focused line of acidity to mineral finish.

The Winery of Good Hope range

Unoaked Chardonnay *** Perky sample 10 delivers charm & style. Lees adds richness to stone fruit, citrus flavours, minerally finish.
Pinot Noir Reserve ****  Fragrant 09 has ‘Reserve’ in name unlike 07 ( *** ½). Exhibits Elgin purity, Stbosch vyds contribute earthiness & grip to red cherry flavours. Oak adds dimension with out obscuring bright fruit.
Bush Vine Pinotage √  *** ½ 09 dense, concentrated from old bushvines. No oak to mask juicy, succulent red/black fruit. Delicious savoury, spicy finish. These reds mostly pvsly with straight varietal name.
Mountainside Shiraz √ *** ½ Spicy tannins underpin 09‘s abundant dark fruits; half oaked, half ex tank allowing fresh berry fruit to shine through.
The Beautiful Game Shiraz *** ½ Dark plum succulence on 08, tasted last yr; 86% shiraz, 3 Rhône varieties adding flair. WO Coastal.
Oceanside Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot √ ****  Bags more succulent fruit in v lightly oaked 09 blend than in 08 (²); lovely spicy grip of grape tannins structures expansive juiciness.
Granite Ridge Reserve √ ****  Elegant 08 shiraz-led blend with carignan, grenache, mourv; wonderful aromatic complexity: fynbos/wild herbs; harmonious red fruit, roasted spice, framed by oak. First since charm ing 06 (***).
Bush Vine Chenin Blanc √ *** ½ Preview 10 over-delivers on quality. Intense pear, yellow apple flavours, with freshness, length & concentration.
Chenin Blanc-Chardonnay-Viognier *** ½ Rich, dry 08 oaked blend tasted last ed; pleasingly drinkable & restrained. Swartland WO. — IM

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