{"id":55800,"date":"2014-04-05T00:05:20","date_gmt":"2014-04-04T22:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=55800"},"modified":"2014-04-05T09:41:59","modified_gmt":"2014-04-05T07:41:59","slug":"bouchard-finlayson-small-boutique-vineyard-with-big-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/bouchard-finlayson-small-boutique-vineyard-with-big-wines\/","title":{"rendered":"Bouchard Finlayson: small boutique vineyard with big wines!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bouchard<\/a>On Wednesday evening I attended a special tasting of the wines of Bouchard Finlayson, a Boutique Vineyard according to its marketing material, \u00a0at the invitation of Janie van der Spuy of FIVE STAR PR. \u00a0It was held in the special function room upstairs at\u00a0Mondiall, with Chef Oliver Cattermole and his team preparing excellent tapas dishes which were paired with the four flights of wines we tasted.<\/p>\n

I have to admit that I have not previously stopped at Bouchard Finlayson on the R320 Wine Route in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in Hermanus, it being the longest standing wine farm in the area. \u00a0I was fortunate to sit next to Peter Finlayson, who has been at the farm for 25 years. \u00a0He studied Oenology (Chemistry was a tough subject, but he is grateful for the grounding it gave him for winemaking) at Stellenbosch University, which he followed up with a year at Geisenheim in Germany. \u00a0 \u00a0Of his class of nine graduating in 1974, only two have become winemakers. \u00a0Peter previously worked at Boschendal. \u00a0Only 22 ha of the 125 ha farm is planted to vine, Peter having bought it in 1989 from a farmer \"Bouchard<\/a>who farmed with ‘mielies, sheep, and baboons<\/em>‘, Peter said, at a time when the locals said that the valley was only suitable ‘for farming by poor Whites’<\/em>! \u00a0The baboons are still there, he told me with a laugh! \u00a0 The remainder of the land is covered with fynbos, and Bouchard Finlayson is committed to conserving and adding fynbos, and they joined the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative. Peter was the first winemaker to import Nebbiolo and Sangiovese vines, planting them in 1994. \u00a0His real achievement has been with Pinot Noir, known as the ‘Pioneer of Pinot Noir’<\/em>, and now the whole valley is synonymous with the varietal. \u00a0 \u00a0Galpin Peak Pinot Noir is the flagship Bouchard Finlayson wine. \u00a0 Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc also do exceptionally well in the valley.<\/p>\n

Peter’s hero was Paul Bouchard, whom he met when he visited Burgundy as part of his prize as Diners Club Winemaker of the Year in 1989, and he became part of the partnership at the farm, making wines. In 2000 the Tollman family, with hotel interests locally (Twelve Apostles, The Oyster Box, Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve), as well as in the UK, USA, and Europe. bought the wine estate, with Peter staying on as General Manager and winemaker. \u00a0Bouchard Finlayson is close to the Atlantic Ocean. \u00a0Galpin Peak (810 meters) and the Tower of Babel (at 1200 meters higher than Table Mountain, and close to Creation, which is co-owned by his niece Carolyn Martin – daughter of his equally well-known but now retired winemaker brother Walter – and her husband JC) \u00a0trap the cloud cover and the moisture from the ocean.<\/p>\n

\"Mondiall<\/a>We commenced with a tasting of the 1998, 2003, and 2012 vintages of Bouchard Finlayson Blanc de Mer, a blend of Rhine Riesling and Viognier in the main, to which Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay have been added. \u00a0Peter said that the 1998 vintage was hand-bottled, and that it has \"Bouchard<\/a>aged extremely well, it being a ‘star performer’<\/em>. \u00a0The 2012 blend is now the benchmark for future vintages. \u00a0Peter said that the wine is their entry level white, and that one can put the bottles down to enjoy at a later date. They are very proud that 120 cases of the 2012 vintage are now available at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, their first non-French wine! Chef Oliver had paired this flight with seared yellowtail, with sesame seed and Japanese mayonnaise which we ate with chopsticks.<\/p>\n

I also sat next to Dr\u00a0Eilis Cryan, who owns\u00a0Kinnegar Wines, predominantly specialising in South African wines. She had an interest in wines, and did the WSET wine course in Ireland. \u00a0Eiles and her husband Seamus attended a medical \u00a0congress in Cape Town in 1998, and were taken to some wine estates by Andre Morgenthal of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), including De Trafford and Thelema. \u00a0They were struck by the (unexpected to them) quality of what they saw and tasted, given the poor quality South African wines they had found in their local supermarkets. \u00a0Eilis runs the wine import company almost single-handedly, at night after her medical duties are done. \u00a0 Her portfolio now includes Thelema, De Trafford, Mullineux, Buitenverwachting, Glen Carlou, Meerlust, Hartenberg, and most recently, Bouchard Finlayson. \u00a0Eilis makes personal recommendations to her clients. \u00a0Her suppliers make quality wines \u00a0and own family businesses, which she sells to the best restaurants in Ireland. \u00a0She shared that she attended a function at the South African Embassy in Dublin almost a year ago, and was shocked to see that Italian and French wines were served alongside South African wines!<\/p>\n

\"Bouchard<\/a>The Sauvignon Blanc flight included the Bouchard Finlayson 2006 vintage (its quality has not dipped, and has aged well) as well as the 2010 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc (with 14% Semillon, and is the wine Peter drinks the most), to which Peter added the neighbouring Hamilton Russell’s Ashbourne Sandstone 2006, which is a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Chardonnay, and 5% Semillon. \u00a0 Chef Oliver paired West Coast oysters with this flight.<\/p>\n

The Pinot Noirs were eagerly awaited, being the 2000, 2009, and 2010 vintages of the Bouchard Finlayson T\u00eate de Cuv\u00e9e Pinot Noir. \u00a0Peter agreed that the best Pinots come from the Hemel-en-Aarde\"Bouchard<\/a> Valley, but singled out Gottfried Mocke of Chamonix as an excellent Pinot producer too. \u00a0 The 2000 vintage is Peter’s favourite, and he told us under which trying conditions they made it, with an extremely hot summer as well as hail. \u00a0The 2010 vintage is darker in colour, and ‘more meaty<\/em>‘. \u00a0The recent Hemel-en-Aarde Pinot Noir Celebration had been excellent, and brought the winemakers of the Valley together for a common purpose. \u00a0It is likely to become an annual event. \u00a0Chef Oliver prepared an excellent taster of duck rillette, mushroom ragout, and fresh fig, to pair with this flight.<\/p>\n

\"Bouchard<\/a>The last tasting flight was dedicated to Chardonnay, the Australian Seppelt Jaluka Chardonnay 2004 not receiving as much appeal as did the Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay 2004 and the Crocodile’s Lair 2003. \u00a0Chardonnay is the biggest selling cultivar at Bouchard Finlayson. \u00a0Peter said about aging the wines in wood: ‘The better the Chardonnay, the better it handles the wood<\/em>‘. \u00a0 Chef Oliver offered deep-fried crumbed balls of risotto infused with beetroot pur\u00e9e and stuffed with goat’s cheese, served with horseradish cream, to pair with the flight.<\/p>\n

I asked Peter how it is to report to an owner, since the Tollmans took over, and he proudly told me that his third five-year contract with them has been signed. \u00a0He described the relationship between winemaker and owner as a ‘team sport<\/em>‘, in which one has to find balance, \u00a0and ultimately the owners are entitled to have the very best wines made. This Peter does proudly and passionately with his team. The Tollman properties take up 20% of their production, 7% is sold via the tasting room, 20% is exported to the UK, and 15% jointly goes to the USA, the Netherlands, and to Canada. \u00a0 A great book has been produced about the winery, and he said that there are not many winemakers at his age of 65 years who are still allowed ‘to crow<\/em>‘! \u00a0 He is proud of his son Peter-Allan, who makes wines under the Crystallum brand with his brother Andrew. \u00a0 Peter’s father was a doctor, and owned Hartenberg, but lost the property in the ‘Seventies when interest rates went over 20%.<\/p>\n

I will definitely visit Bouchard Finlayson on my next visit to Hermanus, after this special introduction to the boutique vineyard and its excellent wines.<\/p>\n

Disclosure<\/strong>: \u00a0 We received a bottle of Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2012, and a book about Bouchard Finlayson, documenting its history, wine range, awards won, and its focus on Biodiversity.<\/p>\n

Bouchard Finlayson<\/strong>, R320, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hermanus. \u00a0 Tel (o28) 312-3515. \u00a0www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong>Twitter: @BouchFinlayson<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/strong> <\/a>\u00a0Twitter: @WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday evening I attended a special tasting of the wines of Bouchard Finlayson, a Boutique Vineyard according to its marketing material, \u00a0at the invitation of Janie van der Spuy of FIVE STAR PR. \u00a0It was held in the special function room upstairs at\u00a0Mondiall, with Chef Oliver Cattermole and his team preparing excellent tapas dishes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,1918,266,75,20,22,21,19,293],"tags":[1252,24701,24694,3969,182,2506,24680,402,24687,10055,1386,421,32378,2521,24698,24700,392,5341,24690,21819,13259,7870,2645,7806,1958,410,2501,32377,24681,10049,24691,401,24697,21472,24689,13728,24684,24683,11012,24685,24699,24695,24682,7035,422,24696,24693,1641,11633,403,24686,24688,2495,10069,32373,156,155,24692],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t