On the 3rd of September we decided to do a tasting of a wine area, that we haven’t looked at in a while, Calitzdorp. Not since Leslie Berman has been to us with the Calitzdorp Wine Cellars have we tasted the wines of Calitzdorp in a, in depth tasting. So in this tasting we decided to have a fun look at the wines from this quaint little town from the Karoo. This is a fairly warm and dry part of the world. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 6°C to 32°C and is rarely below 2°C or above 38°C. The hot season lasts for 3.2 months, from December 6 to March 13, with an average daily high temperature above 29°C. Calitzdorp normally receives about 137mm of rain per year, with rainfall occurring throughout the year. It receives the lowest rainfall (7mm) in July and the highest (20mm) in March. The area is not overly known for its white wines, so we only looked at one, a few reds and some Ports. Calitzdorp is known as the Port capital of South Africa, and there are festivals for it there. Tasters were provided with a full set of notes detailing the chemical analysis of the wines, the viticultural and oenological practices for the wine tasted (available upon request). The following is the order that we tasted in, the comments of the tasters and the average scores.
Boplaas “Stoepsit” Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Colour- light green. Nose- jasmine, flint, peach, pear, passion fruit. Palate- crisp acidity, citrus, peach, pear, orange, melon, soft and fruity wine.
Score- 16.43.
2. Boplaas Touriga Nacional 2022
Colour- inky deep ruby red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose- chocolate, plum, black cherry, black currant. Palate- crisp acidity, soft but firm tannins, spice, black cherry, black currants, mulberry.
Score- 16.00.
3. Boplaas Tinta Barocca 2022
Colour- inky deep purple, with no gradation to a purple rim. Nose- spice, vanilla, sour red cherry. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, spice, stewed cherry and plums, dried fruits, young needs time.
Score- 16.13.
4. Axe Hill Machado Red 2016 (59% Touriga Nacional, 21% Souzão, 15% Tinta Barocca, 5% Tinta Roriz or Tempranillo)
Colour- inky red, with no gradation to a browning rim. Nose- mushroom, wet earth, nut, mint, chocolate, cherry, plum, prune, black currant. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, tobacco, black tea, mint, black currant, plum, prune.
Score- 16.88.
5. De Krans “Basket Press” Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Colour- inky red, with no gradation to a red rim. Nose-mint, chalk, cassis, sweet cherry, black currant, black berries, nut, honey. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, green herbs, cassis, loads of cherries and black berry, fruit bomb.
Score- 16.25.
6. De Krans Ruby Port NV (50% Tinta Barocca, 45% Touriga Nacional, 5% Souzão)
Colour- purple red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose-dusty, black currant, black cherry, plum. Palate- crisp acidity, tannins not notable, plum, black cherry, black currants, sweet.
Score- 16.00.
7. De Krans Premium Cape Vintage 2019 (Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barocca, Tempranillo, Tinta Amarela, Souzão)
Colour- inky red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose- nut, citrus, black currant. Palate- crisp acidity, soft tannins, black currant and mulberry that linger full to the finish. Comment, “a time and a place wine!”
Score- 16.43.
The Sauvignon Blanc was an eye opener with its soft, juicy fruit, at a very good value (R100). The Ports, most felt were too sweet and hence were marked down a bit. The Machado Red was really excellent and the best wine of the evening! Followed by a tie between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Vintage Port. We will need to get more people from this area to do tastings for us in the future, as they were all good wines.
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