Franschhoek Moments…

Franschhoek Moments… a sunny Sunday well spent wine farm hopping.
My favorites of the day;
Paserene Chardonnay 2016 & Mullineux 2012 Radicales Libres.
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Martin Smith, ex winemaker extraordinaire at Villafonte has now set up base in an exquisite tasting room on the way into Franschhoek yet his wines are not W.O of said region. His Chardonnay is from Elgin, it’s ‘pure, fragile and restrained’ and seriously cool. And it’s a new favourite of mine. Interestingly his wines are on a 16 month cycle which allows him to add 15% of the following vintage in at the end to freshen it up. It leans towards a European Chardonnay, expressing beautiful lemon and lime rind, honeysuckle with a slight flintiness that develops into oatmeal with a pithy yet vibrant acidity. It’s a 5 * knockout, special occasion wine… .
The Mullineuxs are also a relatively new comer to the region, and yet their wines are sourced from further afield, the Mullineux range from Swartland, and their newer Leeu Passant Collection from remarkable old vine vineyards across the Cape. .
Their 2012 Radicales Libres is something so special, unique and divine. It’s their 2012 Mullineux white that has been kept back and aged in barrels for a further 4 years. It’s like the old vines white on steroids. And everyone loves the Old Vine white. This wine will age for 30-40 years! It’s incredible now so I can only dream of how it will develop. Nutty, yeasty, tertiary flavours are more prominent now, yet a burnt lemon butter shows through. It’s smooth, silky, so elegant, like liquid gold. It’s hard to come by. If you see it don’t hesitate to get yourself a bottle and see how long you can restrain yourself from opening it. .
Thank you Paserene & Mullineux for the spoils.