On the third day of the Harrogate Medical Winer Society’s 2023 tour of South Africa, we tasted at Waterkloof and had lunch at Chorus Restaurant at the winery. The visit was arranged by Waterkloof’s Louis Boutinot
Paul Boutinot took over the 100 ha. farm in October 2003. Vineyards cover 53 ha. and the rest is set aside to preserve the rare and abundant natural vegetation and fauna of the property.
It is 46 km to Somerset West from Cape Town. Roy from Gott2 Tours picked us up at 10 am at the Ports Wood Hotel. The drive to Waterkloof took 35 mts.
We drove up the Schapenberg hill through vineyards and fields of wild flowers to the glass and steel hilltop winery which dominates the landscape.
We stood on a wide balcony with Nadia Langenegger, the Waterkloof winemaker. and chatted about sustainable and biodynamic viticulture and gazed at the Strand and False Bay beyond.
View of Vineyards from tasting roomFalse Bay
An elegant tasting room was set up for tasting the two Waterkloof wines new to us with Nadia. We were to taste the rest of the Waterkloof range with lunch at Chorus restaurant.
Waterkloof Chenin Blanc 2021
This is the maiden vintage of Waterkloof Chenin Blanc. The fruit came from a single 1.7 ha block of east facing bush vines at 300m on compacted sandstone. Hand harvested, whole bunch pressed, fermented with wild yeast in old 600l French oak barrels and aged for 10 months on lees without stirring. Yield was 33hl/hectare. ABV is 14%, residual sugar 5 g/l and pH 3.5. 4386 bottles were made.
Nadia’s tasting notes read: “This wine offers a complex nose showing quince, white peach and yellow apple, with a hint of fennel that gives it more depth alongside the minerality on the palate. The wine lingers with hints of ripe apricot and honey.”
Waterkloof Boreas 2020
Maiden vintage. The fruit – 51% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon came from a 5. 85 ha vineyard with decomposed granite soils. The yield was 17hl/hectare. Grapes were hand-picked and hand-sorted, whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast and aged for 27 months in French oak barriques (10% new) & 9000l old French oak foudre. 13,390 bottles were made. ABV is 14%, residual sugar 2.5 g/l and the pH 3.7.
Nadis’s tasting notes read: “The Cabernet Franc complements the other varieties very well and it brings elegance to the wine. It is a wine that shows a variety of aromatics but I enjoy notes of redcurrant, plums and a slight hint of pencil shavings on the nose. The wine shows freshness, delicacy and good structure. I can see myself enjoying this wine with a warm plate of boeuf bourguignon.”
Tasting roomNadia Langenegger
After the tasting, Nadia led us on an extensive tour of the winery, stopping to taste new vintages from barrel.
Outside, we walked to the Fynbos covered mountain slopes, admiring the vegetation and the Cape Sugar Birds which flicked from bush to bush. Buzzards circled overhead.
Lunch at Chorus
After winery visit, lunch was served in Bertus Basson’s Chorus Restaurant with a selection of Waterkloof wines starting with a Cap Classique.
At the end of the meal, a cake to celebrate Peter Murphy’s birthday
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Waterkloof Estate: Old Sir Lowry’s Pass Rd, Somerset West, Cape Town, 7130, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0) 21 858 1292
What a great write-up of your visit. Thank you. Your account almost took me out of chilly Manchester for a moment. Perhaps with a glass of wine added over Sunday lunch I shall actually be transported.
Thanks again for taking the time to visit us and on behalf of the whole team at Waterkloof we wish you a wonderful festive period.
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