Whole Bunch

While some may scoff at the notion of dishing out trophies for wines, it’s all jolly good fun and provides cork dorks with another wine debate. Lunch was also pretty damn good considering the number of people, although it was held at the Mt Nelson. Howard Booysen’s Pegasus (Cinsault) 2011 was one of the (random) wines most enjoyed at our table – it had a touch of Chateau Rayas about it, probably the texture.

Other highlights of the show include Eikendal nearly stealing it, KWV actually winning (their star continues to rise), Jordan in the mix again, and Ultra Liquors setting new standards in value for money. Their Secret Cellar 2011 Sauvignon Blanc at ZAR25.99 received gold and the Old Mutual Discovery of the Show award.

The Trophy is awarded to the Gold Medallist whose final score – at the trophy judging – divided by its declared price on the entry form, yields the highest index (adjusted for category). In short, it is an award for the best value Gold Medal wine, and this year may indeed have yielded the best value index in the history of the show.

The award of not one but two Gold medals in the Méthode Cap Classique category is a first in the history of the show. The Villiera Woolworths Vintage Reserve Brut 2007 took the Trophy, and the Du Preez Estate’s Hendrik Lodewyk MCC NV, the other Gold.

KWV’s top results came from winning the Miele Trophy for Best Chardonnay, the Best White Wine Trophy, as well as the Trophy for the Best Museum Class Fortified. In addition KWV SA collected 10 Silver and 16 Bronze medals.

Eikendal won the Old Mutual Trophy for the Best Red Wine, the Riedel Trophy for the Best Bordeaux-style Red Blend and a Gold Medal for its Chardonnay. Jordan won the American Express Trophy for the Best Cabernet Sauvignon and the Best Chenin Blanc Museum Class Trophy; and Vergelegen swept up two Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend Trophies – one for the Museum Class.

The newly named Tony Mossop Trophy for the Best Cape Port – which recognises the role played by the late Tony Mossop in developing the Cape Port industry – was awarded to Mike Neebe, a shareholder of the property formerly owned by Tony Mossop, for the Axe Hill Cape Vintage 2009.

The Harold Eedes Trophy for the Show’s Best Chenin Blanc went to Tokara’s Miles Mossop for the Tokara Chenin Blanc 2009. Like Tony Mossop, the late Harold Eedes was an iconic figure in the Cape wine industry – the founder of Wine Magazine and a driving force behind the improvement in wine quality which this year’s Show results celebrate.

Trophy Winners

The Fairbairn Capital Trophy for the Most Successful Producer: KWV SA

The Old Mutual Trophy for Best Red Wine: Eikendal Classique 2009

The Old Mutual Trophy for Best White Wine: KWV The Mentors Chardonnay 2011

The Old Mutual International Judges’ Trophy: De Grendel Shiraz 2010

The Old Mutual Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine (Méthode Cap Classique): Villiera Woolworths Vintage Reserve Brut 2007

The Old Mutual Trophy for Best Dessert Wine (unfortified): Delheim Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest 2011

The Old Mutual Discovery of the Show: Secret Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Ultra Liquors)

The American Express Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

The British Airways Comair Trophy for Best Shiraz: Painted Wolf Shiraz 2009

The Grande Roche Trophy for Best White Blend: Thelema Sutherland Viognier Roussanne 2009

The Harold Eedes Trophy for Best Chenin Blanc: Tokara Chenin Blanc 2009

The Miele Trophy for Best Chardonnay: KWV The Mentors Chardonnay 2011

The Riedel Trophy for Best Bordeaux-style Red Blend: Eikendal Classique 2009

The Tony Mossop Trophy for Best Cape Port: Axe Hill Cape Vintage 2009

The Best Museum Class Chenin Blanc: Jordan Chenin Blanc 2007

The Best Merlot: La Bri Merlot 2010

The Best Pinotage: Rijk’s Private Cellar Pinotage 2008

The Best Pinot Noir: Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2010

The Best Sauvignon Blanc (wooded): Nederburg Two Centuries Sauvignon Blanc 2009

The Best Sauvignon Blanc (unwooded): Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010

The Best Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend: Vergelegen GVB 2010

The Best Museum Class Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend: Vergelegen 2007

The Best Semillon: Ormonde Ondine Semillon 2010

The Best Museum Class Semillon: Cape Point Vineyards Semillon 2008

The Best Museum Class White Blend: Lomond Snowbush 2008

The Best Museum Class Fortified Wine: KWV Reserve Port 1929

We arrived on day I in ignorance, leaning toward scepticism and left on day IV (if not day III, root) as bristling ambassadors of the notion that the biodynamic calendar’s fruit, leaf, root and flower days have a profound affect on the style AND quality of Avondale’s Bio-logic (biodynamic) wines. (for background see previous numbered posts with same title)

While there was strong consensus on the panel regarding how the wines changed on the respective days, the comments below – as more  detailed evidence – are mostly my own observations:

* The fruit day amplified the fruit to the extent the wines were – in hindsight – less complex, exposing some alcohol heat. I was expecting this to be the best day.

* Even the mousse of the Armilla MCC changed on the leaf day with less apple notes while displaying only tertiary notes on the root day, with softer mouse. Vitality returned on the flower day along with sherbet and chalk/lime notes.This wine probably the most consistent performer and left me wondering if the internal pressure made it more resistant to luna cycles.

* The leaf day was better for the La Luna (06 Bdx blend) while the flower day for the Samsara (06 Shiraz) both gaining heightened balance, length, intensity and complexity on their respective days. La Luna gained a long savoury finish on the leaf day while Samsara complexity, brilliant fruit and freshness on the flower day.

* With the exception of possibly the La Luna, the best day across the board was the flower day (day 4) giving the wines great freshness, intensity and fruit definition.

* After showing primary fruit on day I (fruit day) The Anima (09 Chenin Blanc) gained steeliness on the palate and wet wool on the nose on the leaf day, while on the root day an acetic/spray paint note appeared while the palate lost acidity. On the flower day a different wine appeared showing stone fruit and pears, oat notes and steeliness returned, almost chardonnay-like.

* After primary fruit on day one, the Cyclus (09 Viognier dominated blend inc Chenin) on the leaf day showed more tertiary notes but lacked the vibrancy of the fruit day, while on the root day a hint of acetic/spray paint appeared like the Chenin, and the fruit more like dried tropical fruit inc banana and mango with shorter finish. On the flower day the wine was not a far cry from Condrieu with peach and pepper/spice intensity and a lingering finish – all the wines showed much greater intensity on the flower day.

* After the primary fruit and pepper of day I, the Samsara (Shiraz) graphite notes appeared on the nose on the leaf day while on the root day tannins became a touch angular, and the nose suddenly showed sappiness and stewed fruit absent on the first 2 days. However on the flower day, this wine stole the show with bright fruit, spice and meaty notes and juicy palate in one great BLIC – balance, length, intensity and complexity.

* La Luna showed classical cassis on the fruit day followed by dare I say leafiness on the leaf day with touch more evidence of the oaking regime while on the root day green notes appeared in the form of eucalyptus. The tannin was also more evident and mouth coating. On the flower day, it was sweet fruited and I think this is the exception to the rule that they were all better on the last day as the leaf day probably edged it with is savoury complexity and lengthy finish.

* The Camissa (2011 Muscat and Mourvèdre blanc de noir) appeared to be the most vulnerable to the Luna mood, showing potpourri and rose oil and frisky acidity on the fruit day, to Turkish delight on the leaf day, soap- and flabbiness on the root day, only to sing again on the flower day, maybe strongest evidence of the influence of each day.

It was a compelling and fascinating exercise, wineries should seriously consider closing their tasting rooms on root days and wine lovers should get a biodynamic calendar fast for the best days to open those special bottles. However, it’s not going to stop this writer drinking on root days.

The group intends to do the same exercise with conventional wines, while Platter’s and Avondale are planning a repeat with a different panel.

You can find the calendar here

See also my first post with the same title for more background to the calendar and the theory.

link to my blog

Day III revealed the most compelling evidence yet that the luna cycle can have a dramatic affect on wine. While day II revealed style differences, day III revealed quality differences.

Some wines lost acidity to point of flabbiness and tannins become less rounded while fruit was suppresed accross the board.  Once again the panel agreement was just about unanimous, differing only on a few stylistic points. Root day?

The panel felt it might be a good idea that wineries consider closing their tasting rooms on such days.

Report on final tasting and wrap up to follow

Day 2 stunned the panel because the wines were so different. Gone was Monday’s primary fruit exuberance to be replaced with more developed or tertiary aromas on the whites and more savoury notes on the reds. (the wines could not have developed that much in 48hrs).

The Chenin gained a steely edge, the La Luna (red blend) gained more length and complexity, the MCC showed more leesy character, the Blanc de Noir showed more turkish delight than Mondays Pot Pourri etc.

This writer was convinced and proposed that the next tasting was cancelled so that we could proceed directly to the dinner on 24 May;-)

For background see And The Wine Jumped Over the Moon on this site.

For pictorial see http://huntergatherervintner.blogspot.com/

The twitter hashtag is #lunatastetest, you can also follow me wholebunchpress

While I have tasted wine that has inspired me to howl in delight (and derision), can the moon and the stars affect (and effect) our enjoyment of wine? Along with some other writers*, I am participating in an experiment with organic producer Avondale where we are tasting their wines over a series of ‘fruit’, ‘leaf’, ‘flower’, and ‘root’ days in accordance with a biodynamic lunar calendar.

Avondale's snail control patrol disembarking from the duckmobile

As for day 1, it seems we all felt it was a fruit day. We will be tasting throughout May and results will be published here and on John Platter’s and Avondale’s website.

There was wide consensus among the panel on day 2 (yesterday) that the wines were showing less primary fruit, more tertiary fruit and whites seemed a touch steely while the reds more savoury. The sparkling wine (MCC) was more leesy,  the mouse more aggressive – the panel was stunned by the difference from 2 days previous!

Next tasting is on 22 May, final on 24 May.

The twitter hashtag lunatastetest.