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Nov 2005
Flagstone Winery
Platter 2006
Somerset West • Est 1998 • 1 stB 1999 • Tasting & sales Mon-Fri 10-5 Sat/Sun by appt ('phone to avoid disappointment') • Fee R50 redeemable with any purchase • Tours by appt • Owners Jack family - Winemakers Bruce Jack & Wilhelm Coetzee • Viticulturist Bruce Jack • 130 he under management • 400-600 tons 40-70 000 cs (varying % reds/whites) • PO Box 3636 Somerset West 7129 • admin@flagstonewinery.co.za sales@flagstonewnery.co.za • www.flagstonewines.com • T 852-5052 • F 852-5085
Long an outsider, plying his craft in quirky spaces (below the VSA Waterfront!), Flagstone winemaker Bruce Jack must feel he's arrived. He has his own young vines on the family farm near Napier (though continuing to source grapes from across the Cape and, now, beyond), and a commodious own cellar at Somerset West. And he's one of the newest members of the by-invitation-only Cape Winemakers Guild, debuting with two wines on their annual auc¬tion. One auction offering, named with typical Jackian flair, A Month of Sundays, embodies the creativity and scope of the man's vini/viti ventures: it combines Swartberg riesling and muscat, Elim sauvignon and Helderberg chardonnay. Now Bruce J's casting his net even wider: 2006 sees pinotage planted in California and Germany, for future single-vineyard wines and multi-national blends. The move dovetails with his fledgling 'Flagstone Friends' import business, managing new foreign-wine sections for SA supermarket chains Makro and Pick 'n Pay.
****_ CWG Black South Easter
Equal portions cab b shiraz pampered -whole-berry crush, 2 wk cold soak, 100% new Am casks - into combustible auction offering. 03 opaque wet-coal hues, ruminative dark fruits guarded by plush tannins mid-2005; finely etched texture dominates echoing length now, likely to bloom from 2010. WO W Cape.
****_ Mary Le Bow
Inimitable cooperation with the Fraters of Robertson “to reflect the compel¬ling beauty of the place". Elegantly restrained 03 'trembles with power'; blackcurrant fruit neatly ordered in refined structure, honeyed rather than simply sweet tones folded into unremitting viscosity of finish. Cab, shiraz, merlot (62/25/13) cold-soaked for 2 wks, then mix Fr/Am barrels, third new, 14 mths- Moderate 13 4% alc. Swiss 2005 gold.
**** Bowwood Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Promise of something special delivered by 03, sample pvs ed, as was above wine, now in finished form, 63/37 blend: merlot cold-soaked until later-ripening cab picked, then fermented together before yr wood, mostly Am, rest Fr, 15% new. Bold juicy mulberry fruits burst through oak spice; quality key is the ripe, soft, sweet tannins. 02 also full b warm-hearted. Partnership with the Johnsens in Pdberg.
The Berrio range
**** Cabernet Sauvignon
This, below, joint venture with Francis Pratt, grower of 'magical grapes' near Firm. Sample 04 in individual groove: succulent huckleberry fruit con¬tained in elegant focused form, bags of flavour rifled into svelte frame. 14 paths Am oak, G:i^6 new. 14% alc. 03 not reviewed, no 02.
**** Sauvignon Blanc
Deliciously measured stone character, neither opulent nor austere. 05 textbook cool-vyd bottling; intense capsicum character with ham-and-pea-soup stamp, mellifluous elegance to tapered tail. 04 smooth b velvety, super fruit concen¬tration in fine finish.
Foundation range
**** Dragon Tree
Not for classicists perhaps, but Cape individuality in complex blend cab, pinotage, shiraz 8 merlot (35/31/18/16). 03 mellow, earthy aromas lifted by currant concentration: muscular ripple to medium-firm tannins. 02 sold out, not reviewed. Yr wood, 70% Am, 40% new.
**** Longitude &Mac195;
Consistent value, deftly orchestrated fruit ensemble with sound vinosity. 04 I**** 1/2I sees shiraz to the fore. supported by cab s, pinotage 5 4 others: wild berry/dark cherry features, tannins more open than pvs Sold out 03 not tasted. 9 mths oak, 70% Am, 20% new.
**** Dark Horse Shiraz
(Prosaic 'Shiraz' pvs ed.) As wild as the cellar mantra: 'a moving target, our dreams reflected' 03 full, deep b brooding, lovely spirals of ethereal spice intertwined with choc-sheen fruit, lithe tannic support; excellent duration to after¬taste. 02 a sultry monster of hotland fruit trussed up in oak, ripe tannin. 50% whole¬berry crush, all oaked (60% new Am) for 14 paths.
**** The Music Roam Cabernet Sauvignon
Jack's 'best attempt yet' (02 pvs ed) topped, m our view, by vintage-finessed 03 packed with explosive cassis, succulent red berries tucked up in decadently smooth structure; unobtrusive Am oak paves lin¬gering finish. 02 VDG. Barrelled 14 mths, half new Am.
**** Writer's Block Pinotage
Emphatic in fidelity to its grape origin, ever popular with pundits. 03 flew the coop before it could be tasted. 04 confirms upward quality trajec¬tory: spicy plum richness mingles with sweet ripe pinotage fruit in medium-tannined tail. As opulent as 02; with pears-in-wine glazed fruit. Third whole-berry crush, 14 mths barrelled, 30% new Am in the mix.
*** _ Two Roads
Cellar's 'icon white blend' gears up with 04 (****): fascinating boot¬wax nose, layers of undulating flavour build to crescendo, simmer into lingering fin¬ish. Subtle, not overt: the sum being more than the (pinot blanc-led) 7 parts. No 03. 02 pvsly noted as elegant. 50% oak-fermented 4 mths.
BK5 Pinot Noir *** No follow up yet for 03, where BK5 clone's propensity for organic notes held sway.
Semaphore *** A refreshingly dry rose to bring a smile to any face. 05 bounced off shelves before we could taste. 04 set the tone: copper-pink, cherry/berry aro¬mas, enough grip in mouth for food -from picnics to silver-service salmon.
Free Run Sauvignon Blanc **** Natural oak-free handling of small parcels of Rbisn, Elim free-run juice. 05 less aromatic than pvs, tropical appley palate drawn together by flinty edge in tart tail.
Heywood House Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc **** Sophisticated handling of often fractious sauvignon/wood marriage. Current 04 golden sheen; warm custard breadth of spiced oak softens sauvignon spikes. Barrelled 8 mths, 70% Am, 10% new.
Noon Gun *** Riesling-based miscellany of 7 white grapes, winner at The Houston Livestock 5 Rodeo Show! 05 aromatic floral tints to peachy palate, oak whispers in crisp tail. One-size-fits-all versatility.
The Last Word Port ***_ Exotica such as tannat jostle with mourvedre, sangiovese, 6 friends in eclectic take on higher alc/lower sugar genre. None since 02.
The Poetry Collection Pinot Noir discontinued.
Cellar Hand range
Joint venture with employees committed 'beyond the monotonous security of a monthly sal¬ary', not retasted; no new vintages available at press time. The Backchat Blend *** Mix B varieties, mostly cab, shiraz, merlot. 02 developed toned berry fruits mingled with silky¬soft tannins in composed grip. Chenin Blanc *** 04 tropical, pulpy guava flavours, gently firmed by reductive palate, refreshingly moderate 12% alc.
Strata Series
'Experimental, once-off & seriously adventurous' wines. Cape Blend See under Makro. The Wallflower new **** Not to be found in the winemaker's primer; 65/35 morio muscat & sauvignon blend of Oudtshoorn, Elim fruit -muscat Am oaked 8 mths to boot-but the latest envelope-edge being pushed here. Sample 05 eclectic pastiche grapey fruit & cherry wood whipped into upright form by sauvignon tartness in dry tail. The Glass Carriage Chenin Blanc discontinued.
Fish Hoek range
Entry level wines-in fun fishmonger packaging -mainly for export; all W Cape.
Merlot : *** 04 chunky everyday red with fruity flesh beyond its price point; cab s & f add some authority, Am oak (65% new, 10 mths) gives vanilla warmth. 14.5% alc. ¬
Rose **_ 05 sun, fruit & fun; grippy tail (partial used Am cask fermentation) encases just dry finish.
Sauvignon Blanc **_ 05 tropical girth seamed with racy tones, 12% semillon confers gravitas to unpretentious quaffer.-DS
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