Boschendal 2011 Cecil John Reserve Shiraz, Stellenbosch

A visit to Boschendal, a wine estate with roots back to 1685, was a highlight of our trip to South Africa. Would its wine taste as spectacular in our own living room?

Exploring Wood And Dale

In 2015 we spent two weeks in South Africa touring wineries, exploring the spectacular country, and stuffing many, many bottles into our luggage. One of the cool wine destinations was Boschendal.

Boschendal, which means wood and dale, is a beautiful estate with an 1812 manor house done in the Cape Dutch architectural style. The grounds have rolling lawns and rows of mature oak trees providing a shady setting for our tasting.

Foremost in our mind were the Méthode Cap Classique wines. These sparkling wines have a world-wide reputation, and Boschendal is a pioneer in South African bubbly. When we moved to the still wine, we were in for a surprise.

Shiraz And A Legacy

The Boschendal estate dates back to 1685 when fruit farming began there. Beginning in 1896, ownership of Boschendal was, for a short time, in the hands of Cecil John Rhodes. Rhodes is considered either a hero or a villain by most. He was an advocate of British colonialism and was the founder of Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zaire). He was owner of DeBeers, the diamond mining enterprise and was an important statesman in the Cape Colony, which included the land that encompasses South Africa.

For what reason, you may ask, do I provide this short history lesson? One of the best bottles of wine we tasted at Boschendal was the Cecil John Reserve Shiraz. This reserve line of wine honors Rhodes and so while we sipped, we wondered if we were somehow endorsing a less than progressive view of South Africa. At the end of our tasting, our love of the wine won out and we purchased a bottle of the reserve wine.

Are We Feeling The Winery Effect?

The winery effect is when you are sipping a bottle at a lovely winery overlooking a scenic lake or rolling vineyards. You are convinced the wine is “making you more awesome” and you by a bottle or three. When you arrive home and uncork the bottle, you wonder “what were we thinking? This wine is terrible.”

That thought ran through my mind as we unwrapped the tissue and uncorked the Cecil John Reserve Shiraz. With the first sip, I was relieved.

I consider South African wine to be at the intersection of Old World and New World winemaking. The flavors can be bold and rich but without the heavy-handed manipulation of winemakers. There is room for nuance – and the pricing is unbelievable for the quality.

Cecil John Delivers

Shiraz is considered by many to be a sweeter version of Syrah popular in Australia. That’s mostly untrue and certainly untrue in the case of the Cecil John Reserve. This Shiraz is an elegant glass with savory, earthy flavors. The tannins are smooth, despite 24 months of aging in French Oak. The wine isn’t fined, a clarifying process, and is only partially filtered. In the glass it is a medium cranberry in color.

This is a delicious, supremely enjoyable glass. Boschendal wines are highly recommended and their reserve line will not disappoint. Boschendal’s Cecil John Reserve Shiraz has the integrity and sustainability certification of the Wine and Spirt Board of South Africa.

LaBri 2012 Syrah, Franschhoek, and Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Caramel & Sea Salt

For some wine lovers it is the ultimate pairing: rich red wine and dark chocolate. Here’s the results of our latest match.

Two Continents Unite

For our chocolate and wine tasting, I selected a wine we purchased on our trip to South Africa. LaBri is a winery with roots back to the Huguenot setters of 1694. The French Huguenots brought their love of wine to Franschhoek and the area has become the food and wine capitol of Africa.

Endangered Specials Chocolate is the first American-made chocolate using fully traceable Fairtrade cocoa from West Africa. Fairtrade products help farmers make a real living and invest in a viable future. The chocolate is certified non-GMO and is gluten-free.

Treasure Wine Delivers

My wife, the Green Dragon, likes to call our prized wines “treasure wines.” In this case, the LaBri Syrah traveled about 8,000 miles in our suitcase from South Africa back to Ohio. We had one of our best experiences of our South Africa trip at the LaBri winery and it included a chocolate and wine pairing as well as a biltong and wine pairing. Biltong is a bit like beef jerky, but made with antelope and exotic animals.

The Syrah is blended with a small amount of Viognier, a white grape, in the style of Rhone wines. Syrah can have an earthy style and the Viognier softens it. The LaBri has flavor notes of violets, herbs and blackberry.The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, which gives it a nice smooth body.

The Eagle Bar

We knew the Endangered Species Chocolate bar would be great even without unwrapping it. The makers donate 10% of net profits go to GiveBack Partners (including the Rainforest Trust, Wildlife Conservation Network, and African Wildlife Foundation) and each partner gets a minimum of $10,000 annually. Endangered Species has contributed more than $1.2 million over the last three years. That is good taste!

The Eagle Bar stands on its merit quite well, too. It is 60% cacao, which is a nice percentage. I’ve found chocolate with a higher percentage can be more bitter. Milk chocolate, however, doesn’t pair well with full-bodied wines.

Caramel and sea salt is a winning combination. Paired with the dark chocolate, each bite is an explosion of taste with smooth chocolate and caramel with the contrasting flavor and texture of the salt.

Paired with the wine, this is a serene combination. The chocolate notes and the fruit and herbs of the Syrah blend into a happy harmony. We enjoyed this on the Memorial Day weekend, and so the American Eagle on the label was appropriate too.

Endangered Species Chocolate is available in local stores or online. Pair with a robust red and you’ll have an evening of enjoyment while saving some noble animals.

Full Disclosure: We received the chocolate as a marketing sample.

Glenelly Estate: South African Winery Visit

We visited more than a dozen wineries in South Africa during our recent wine and safari excursion. Perhaps the most unique was Glenelly Estate which combines a love of glass art with French wine.

Stellenbosch: A Shining Star Of Wine

Stellenbosch, founded in 1679, is located within the winelands of South Africa’s  Western Cape Province about 40 kilometers from Cape Town. There are more than 150 to explore in the district. The area is surrounded by majestic mountains and the city itself offers old world charm and historic buildings.
Much of our time in the Stellenbosch area was spent at wineries in the mountainous Helshoogte Pass in the Greater Simonsberg District. We decided to venture down from the mountains to the unique Glenelly Estate.
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French Roots Run Deep

The Glenelly Estate is in the Ida's Valley, located in Stellenbosch. Its history dates back to the seventeenth century. Simon van der Stel, Governor of the Cape, gave the land to the Huguenot François Villion. In 1812, the estate passed to Johan Peter de Villiers, and finally in 1911 it became the property of a British Famliy, the Garlicks. They owned it for 92 years until its purchase in 2003 by “Lady May,” May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, who for over 30 years was the owner of the famed Bordeaux Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac Grand Cru Classé.
Although she wasn’t there, we did toast Lady May. She has great class and a wonderful eye for quality. Before establishing Glenelly, she sold Chateau Pichon to Roederer Champagne for not doubt a good sum. No shortcuts were taken in the beautiful “cellar door” of Glenelly.
While many of the wineries we visited in Simonsberg had a visual focus on the surrounding mountains, Glenelly is nestled in a valley. Panoramic views from the tasting room allow you to view the well-tended rows of vines and the pastoral hillsides.

Artistically Crafted Wines

We walked into the tasting room and beheld a bright and airy scene of white and glass. The winery features a glass museum and many precious pieces of art. The elegant setting foreshadowed a first class experience.
The starting point was Chardonnay, and we sampled the 2013 Glass Collection Unoaked Chardonnay and the 2013 Grand Vin de Glenelly Chardonnay.
The unoaked variety with its light body and lime zest flavors appealed to my wife, the Green Dragon. The Grand Vin Chard has vanilla and butterscotch flavors with a note of toasted almond.

Red Wines With Continental Styling

South Africa does Merlot very well, I reflected while I sipped on the 2012 Glass Collection Merlot. This we found to have a savory spin with plum and spicy notes.
To compare and contrast, we had the 2012 Glass Collection Cabernet Sauvignon. This had spiciness and currant flavors with a touch of mocha.
What is remarkable is that each of these wines (thanks to a favorable exchange rate between the US Dollar and the South African Rand) costs only about $6 US. That’s a phenomenal value. The Glass Collection range also has a 2011 Syrah, which is done whole cluster and has great floral notes.
The signature blend of the winery is the Grand Vin de Glenelly. We dove into the 2009 vintage. The blend features 42% Shiraz, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 4% Petite Verdot. Deep, dark and rich this wine is very smooth with strands of dark fruit woven with cedar and toast. At 135R (about $11.30 US) we bought a bottle to bring home to the US.

A Salute To Lady May

While most Glenelly wines feature illustrations of historic glass pieces, one stands alone: the namesake Lady May. This bottle is adorned with an artistic rendering of the lady herself. We tasted the 2011 vintage, which is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Petite Verdot.
Considered the flagship wine, the 2010 vintage shows more of a delicate side of Cabernet. It is aged 24 months in new French Oak. While it certainly is delicious now, this could age for up to 10 years. It currently is a very ripe and savory wine with tea and raspberry hints.

After sipping the Lady May, we took a short tour to view the glass displays. The art is world class and museum quality. This held particular interest to us since our home base of Toledo is known as the “Glass City.”
Glenelly is a highly recommended visit to South Africa travelers and the reasons are crystal clear. Not only is this a destination for premier wine, but the glass collection alone makes an appealing attraction.

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Oldenburg Vineyards: A South African Winery Visit

Oldenburg Vineyards is an independent family run boutique winery located in a spectacular area of South Africa’s Stellenbosch wine region. We were impressed by the stylish winery and knockout wines.

Quest For Rainbow’s End Leads To Oldenburg

During our recent visit to South Africa, we started out searching for the Rainbow’s End, literally, and ended up at Oldenburg Vineyards. Rainbow’s End is a small winery we planned to visit down a gravel road in the Helshoogte Pass in Simonsberg. Our calls to the winery went unanswered and the winery wasn’t accepting drop-ins, so we drove our rental car through a cloud of dust to Oldenburg Vineyards.
The cellar door (tasting room) was designed by architect Simon Beerstecher and allows the stunning views of Oldenburg’s vineyards with the backdrop of the Stellenbosch Mountains to be completely visible while inside the building. The thatched roof provides a traditional Cape Dutch finish. The interior has an open and airy feel.
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Spectacular Wines To Match The View

At Oldenburg, it would be easy to merely drink in the beautiful and tranquil surroundings. However, we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t sample the wine!
We started with a South African signature grape, the 2012 Chenin Blanc. The wine offered a wonderful balance between freshness and wood notes. The wine is barrel fermented using 50% new French oak. There are citrus notes with some vanilla touches.
Moving to the reds, we sampled the 2011 Syrah, which is aged 20 months in American oak and offers a delightful, velvety body. The taste ripples with black currant and a hint of pepper.
Perhaps the most spectacular wine was the 2011 Merlot. This isn’t any wimpy wine. It has commendable body and structure from 16 months in French oak and nice tannins. We got smokiness and cherries that swirled in a well balanced ruby wine.

On The Watch For Leopards
As we continued our tasting, Tessa told us that at least one leopard has been seen to prowl the area. To fortify ourselves we continued tasting wine and moved to Cabernet.
We tasted two Cabs, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon. While the 2010 was a perfectly fine Cab, the 2009 shone in comparison. We believe that 2009 was a globally outstanding vintage. The Barrel Select had spice and tannins and is a dark, complex wine. The flavors of mint, herbs and blueberries coat the tongue in a deliciously long finish.

Wrapping Up With The Flagship

The flagship wine of Oldenburg is Rhodium. We sampled the 2012 vintage. Rhodium is a very rare metal and South Africa produces most of the world’s supply. Like the metal, the wine is of South African origin, very low production and a premium product.
The blend is 53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 7% Malbec. This is an excellent blend and offers a nice taste of raspberries, black fruit and some herbs. While a nice sipper currently, this should improve with the catalyst of a couple of years of aging.
Oldenburg Vineyards was one of our most enjoyable tasting experiences in South Africa. Expertly crafted wines together with panoramic views and tasteful décor – what more could you ask? Oldenburg should be high on your list for your next wine safari.

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