We started the day with a tasting at Bouchard Finlayson and were delighted that Peter Finlayson, the winemaker, could join us. He generously gave us a full tasting and added some very special reserve wines.
This farm is producing superb wines. The Pinot Noirs are exceptional. The 2012 Hannibal, a six part marriage of French and Italian varietals, has beautiful fruit on the nose. Its soft fruit has long, long flavours with a good whiff of smoke. As Peter says this isin the style of a Super Tuscan and is built to last. Kaaimansgat 2013 Chardonnay has rich golden fruit, is well integrated and very satisfying. The Kaaimansgat 2010 Limited edition has such pretty fruit on the nose and lots of length and depths. Full of melons, vanilla, peach, sultana grapes it is lean and clean and very minerally. Very French in style with lovely chalky tannins. Wish we could drink this every day.. The wine Lynne scored 18 out of 20 is the Missionvale Chardonnay 2010 Clean and crisp, full of limes and lemon and also extremely French in style, a wine to quaff often, if you can afford to. Tasting room manager Danel Theron served us a lovely platter of olives, salami, bread and tapenade with the wines and gave us a lovely welcome.
Then it was off the Newton Johnson to have lunch at The Restaurant to sample chef Eric Bulpitt’s food and then to taste their wines.
Everything happens around the pass where the chef runs a very organised and silently industrious kitchen.
We were shown to a table with a superb view over the valley and looking through to Walker Bay
The menu is small but offers something for most people, including very good vegetarian options. They try to use only locally sourced ingredients and the chef does do some foraging.
The bread platter had small hot rolls and a very dense seed and fruit bread. This comes with a slightly sweet olive tapenade. Delicious and irresistible.
Two of us went for the slow braised tongue with carrot puree starter. Interestingly the tongue was a large wedge rather than the usual unsatisfying thin slices, and it softly fell apart. The carrot puree was inspired as the sweetness and smoothness complemented the rich meaty tongue. The mustard seed and nasturtium leaves added good piquancy. The rich jus was also much appreciated. It was paired with the Felicité Rosé
John’s starter was Tilapia, a freshwater fish accompanied by green apple slices, Amasi (local buttermilk) was the sauce and it was dotted with a mango atchar oil and strewn with micro greens and herbs. It was paired, very elegantly, with the 2012 Resonance white blend
The view across the valley on a hot day, so lots of heat haze
Lynne’s main course was loin of Pork accompanied by roasted pieces of cauliflower and dots of cauliflower puree. There were also blobs of apple puree and both went well with the freshly cooked pork. Squares of cooked apple and mustard, braised cherries and some lemon completed the taste profile of a good dish which was decorated with sorrel leaves.
Our host Terry ordered the perfectly cooked hake encrusted with cashew nuts perched on a ragout of summer vegetables, dune spinach and samphire. Hope this is on again said Lynne, would love to try it.
John’s main was sliced aged sirloin with crisp roast baby potatoes, pickled turnips and bone marrow with a good beefy jus. The 2009 Full Stop Rock red blend was a brilliant partner.
We also ordered a dish of the triple cooked French fries for the table and recommend everyone who goes to the Restaurant does the same. They were also outstanding. Perhaps a touch of truffle salt next time?
Chef Eric with his wife, Celeste, who supports him in the restaurant.
Bevan Newton Johnson then generously gave us an extended and in depth tasting of their wines in the tasting room in Spiegelau glasses.
We were so impressed with the wines we tasted. Every single one is printed in red in Platter which means they all get at least four stars. We started with Resonance 2012. Lynne has written Scrumptious, BUY and scored it 19 out of 20. It is a blend of single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc grown on the farm blended with 15% Semillon. This is the blend that can bring South African wines international recognition. It is light floral notes and then full on the palate but finishes lean and elegant. Sadly no longer available on the farm but it is available out there in the trade so check out your local wine emporium. The next vintage should be bottled some time in April or May.
The Family Vineyard Chardonnay 2012 is butterscotch, cream and marmalade with vanilla notes. Elegant, buttery and long with nice gentle wooding. A food wine of note.
And then we tasted the three current 2012 Pinot Noirs, all single vineyard wines from below the cellar. And although they grow within just a couple of 100 meters of each other, the terroir dictates their difference. And different they are but tasting them all together it was hard to pin down which one was your best choice, as they change and grow in the glass all the time. Luckily, at the moment you can buy them together in threes at R600 a box of three from the farm.
Lynne absolutely loved the Windansea Pinot when she tasted it at the Platter awards, where it was voted the best red wine in Platter this year and she has coveted it ever since. The nose is pretty and fragrantly floral, and the fruit is reminiscent of raspberry and red current cordial. On the palate, it has lovely clean fresh Pinot fruit, which develops on your palate into something very special indeed, and it keeps on giving. And there is a note of sea salt. The Mrs M, full of maraschino cherries and full-on sweet fruit that is velvety in texture and the Block 6 is still restrained on the nose, but has great integrated fruit tempting one to drink. Sweet and sour fruit appear with nice dark licorice wood on the end.
Then we tasted the Family Vineyard Pinot Noir, which is an intriguing blend of all three, but a complete individual with a very complete nose and it is a classic. You probably need to go to the farm to taste these while there is still stock. Do take your wallet with you, you will need it. We had an expensive visit if it is any comfort.
Thank you Bevan and their lovely tasting room manager, Lisa. Here are the three in a row
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
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