I first discovered Cape Chamonix quite a few years back when a friend pulled out a bottle of their Chardonnay. I was taken aback by the quality of the wine on offer. It’s bouquet, elegance and balance together with the lovely sensations on the palate. Since then I have been an avid fan of this Franschoek farm admittedly concentrating on their fine Chardonnays which have been counted amongst some of South Africa’s best.
A recent tasting at Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellar in Cape Town showed the full range of Cape Chamonix’s abilities both in the red and white department and that I had been mistaken in concentrating mainly on their Chardonnays. The tasting was presented by Gottfriede Mocke wine maker for Chamonix and perhaps the best person to talk about their wines. One always gets a humble and yet more technical feeling when a winemaker presents their wines perhaps coming from their hands on relationship with their wines.
The tasting started with their Sauvignon Blanc Reserve’s. According to Gottfriede the Sauvignon Blanc comes from old vineyards. This should give a more concentrated character to the wines. The Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2010 is medium gold in colour with a lovely perfume with limes and the palate still closed. The 2009 is off gold with nose shy and the palate quite dry. Of the two the 2010 seems more open. Contrary to the South African trend of Sauvignon Blanc’s that show well in the first one to two years and then fade fast the Chamonix Sauvignon Blanc’s are still starting to develop. One has to be patient with them (I think) before they blossom.
Moving onto the Chardonnays. The Chardonnay 2011 is pale gold with a lovely creamy nose, lemon and citrus with a lovely smooth palate. Although a relatively young wine it can be enjoyed now as many of the Chamonix Chardonnays can. When it comes to the reserve wines the Chardonnays become less accessible needing a lot more time to open up.
The Chardonnay Reserve 2011 is deep straw with the nose shy with a hint of lemon. Palate is still tight. The Chardonnay Reserve 2009 is a beautiful wine .Off gold with a lovely almost petrol nose. The palate smooth and rounded, not quite open yet. The Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve is a wine that needs up to ten years to fully develop. I always end up drinking it too young as it is so impressive but it is really a slow developer. Gottfriede Mocke points out their Chardonnay are “made in a dry and austere style.” It is perhaps this austerity that makes the Chamonix Chardonnays slow developers. He does point out that their “Chardonnay has always done well for us” and that is something that I can affirm.
In introducing their Pinot Noir Gottfriede observed that with Pinot “what you have is what the vintage gives you.” Perhaps he is implying that Pinot is a very fickle and sensitive variety. But both Pinots on offer were of a high quality. The Pinot Noir Reserve 2011 is pale ruby with cinnamon and cherries on the nose. The palate smooth and pliable even though the tannins still present in the background. The Pinot Noir Reserve 2010 is garnet with a nose shy and brooding. The palate very tight but intense. This wine needs a lot of time but possesses a lot of potential in the future.
What emerged from the tasting is that Chamonix is producing fine Pinot Noir to match their Chardonnays and that they are a farm to be respected for their reds as well as their whites. This was affirmed by the Troika 2011. Deep ruby with a nose of cinnamon and oaky. Surprisingly smooth, open. Accessible and drinkable.
The tasting also affirmed CapeChamonix as a producer of elegant wines that will reward long term cellaring. This bucks the trend of modern producers that aim to produce wines for short term cellaring with obvious fruit and little elegance. The Chamonix wines are subtle, complex, hedonistic and sensuous. Satisfying those looking for both enjoyment and complexity in their wines.
