On the 2nd of July our good friend Mario Monteiro of MJM wines came to present the wines of Weltevrede to us. The last tasting of Weltevrede at Vats was on the 12th of January 1999, with Mark Rader of Cellar Master, Northern division. That is a very long time not to taste an Estate. We will have to look into Estates we have not visited for a while. So from 1999 to 2024, Philip Jonker has taken over from his father, Lourens. The focus of the farm is now Chardonnay, wow. Lots have changed on the farm. The wines are amazing and what is happening on the farm, is just as amazing. Mario’s presentation of the tasting, was filled with all of what is happening on the farm, interesting information of winemaking, viticulture and the Jonker family. Mario spoiled us with a really amazing tasting! The following is the tasting, the comments of the tasters and the average scores.
1. Philip Jonker Entheos Brut NV (60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir)
Colour- light golden-green, with a fine mousse. Nose- butterscotch, pineapple, citrus with oranges. Palate- crisp acidity, citrus with orange and lemon, pineapples, vanilla and butterscotch.
Score- 15.88.
2. Philip Jonker Rosetta Rose NV (60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir)
Colour- light pink, with a fine mousse. Nose- floral, blossoms, brioche, strawberry. Palate- crisp acidity, brioche, lemon, strawberry that lingers to the finish.
Score- 16.88.
3. Calcrete Chardonnay 2023
Colour- light green. Nose- olives, fynbos, asparagus, lime and oranges. Palate- crisp acids, olives, asparagus, salty minerality, green pea, apples, lime and lemons.
Score- 16.56.
4. Collectables Chardonnay 2022
Colour- light green-gold, gradating to a hay coloured rim. Nose- fynbos, smoke, toast, ginger, lemon and lime. Palate- crisp acidity, creamy, toast, butter, ginger, citrus with lemon and lime lingering to the finish, slight honeyed feel.
Score- 16.78.
5. SHE Dry Rose 2023 (Chardonnay/Pinot Noir)
Colour- light pink to onion skin. Nose- blossoms, candy floss, red berries and cherries, asparagus (?), strawberry. Palate- crisp acidity, lime, sherbet, red berries and cherries, strawberry, apple.
Score- 16.90.
6. Cape Wine Crafters Blue Berry Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (this wine was tasted blind)
Colour- inky black red, with no gradation to a slightly garnet rim. Nose- sherry, mocha, coffee, caramel, chocolate, black berries and currants. Palate- crisp acidity, soft tannins, caramel, coffee, prunes, black cherry, chocolate and black berries on the finish.
Score- 17.00.
7. Collectables Shiraz 2021
Colour- inky deep red, with no gradation to a light red rim. Nose- Bovril, smoke, smoked meat, farmyard, leather, tobacco, nutty, raisins. Palate- crisp acidity, firm but soft tannins, cedar, tobacco, dried fruits, nutty, pepper, needs time.
Score- 15.89.
Real interesting tasting, thanks to Mario! Weltevrede has a range of Chardonnay, Cap Classique, a Collectable range and some wines now under “The Cape Crafters” range. There is so much going on, but beautiful wine at some real good prices. Top wine was the Blue Berry Cabernet Sauvignon, which was tasted blind, so a true reflection of its quality. Tasting the wine blind made it so much more special, thanks for that Mario! Second, the SHE Dry Rose, only 0.1 adrift and the Philip Jonker Rosetta Rose 0.02 away. The wines in the middle of the tasting were first very close in score, with the first and last not scoring high. There were mixed opinions on the Shiraz, with some feeling the wine lacked fruit and was past its best. The other side of that was quite a few saying that the wine was still too young and that the fruits would develop with time? Buy a few, and see, was Mario’s comment! If the bulk of the tasters are correct, those who thought it was past its best are going to kick themselves when the wine develops? But, then the converse is also true, who knows? Great discussion by all, but amazing tasting! Thanks Mario for a really great evening!
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