Sumaridge

 - BEAUTIFUL VIEW

Nestled in the Hemel and Aarde Valley...



Sumaridge is a quiet little farm with this spectacular view.  We sat on the balcony overlooking the dam.  There are also tables inside and in the front garden on the bank of the dam.  The young tasting room host (TRH) was very friendly and informative in his knowledge of the farm's wines.   He did manage to pour a Rose tasting into a not yet empty Chardonnay glass and may have spilt a few times, but no-one minded in the least.  We were relaxing on the balcony, enjoying the view and TRH's conversation.  Next time I think we'll take a bottle or two and do our own tasting on the little bench under the trees on the other side of the dam, it looked so inviting.

My wine notes below...
I only had my phone with me for taking notes, so to avoid seeming rude I tried to keet them short and sweet.

SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009
Very very nice.  Crisp, fruity and fresh, a delicious Sav B.  We bought a few to take home!

MARITIMUS 2009 (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon)
As per our TRH, the name of this wine comes from the maritime location that Sumaridge has being so close to the ocean (you can see it in the distance above).  I thought it was an interesting blend, combining the crisp Sav B flavours with the wooded Chardonnay flavours and the Semillon just to smooth it all off.  A little bit tart for me perhaps, but enjoyable and would go well with your Mediterranean fish dishes I would think, the ones with slightly stronger flavours.

CHARDONNAY 2009
Sumaridge's flagship WHITE.  This wine had a nutty wooded nose to it.  It was a lovely smooth and light Chardonnay, not too syrupy.  A buttery sweet taste I thought.  I like their idea of pairing it with a creamy pasta - yum!

MERLOT ROSE 2009
The colour of this wine is like a rose cherry syrup, like the homemade ones you see at farmers markets.  Being a Merlot Rose, this wine has a red grape flavour to it with a delicious Turkish delight flavoured finish.  It is definitely sweet (as is expected from a Rose) but easy drinking and very enjoyable.  A lovely summer wine.

PINOT NOIR 2008
This wine has a strong earthy, mountain trees sort of nose on it.  It even has quite an earthy flavour.  It is quite complex for a Pinot Noir, with a lot of flavours going on.  From the forest fruits to the spiciness and velvet finish.  One of our group absolutely loved it and skipped the next wine to savour the taste.  It wasn't my favourite, too earthy.  Although definitely better than a lot of other Pinot Noir's I have tasted.

MERLOT 2007
Now this wine was much easier drinking.  A chocolate, vanilla nose and a darker colour of the wine.  A delicious berry flavour and smooth finish.  A very nice Merlot which apparently also has good maturing potential.

EPITOME 2008 (Syrah, Pinotage, Merlot)
This wine has a browner colour to it than the ruby hue of the Merlot above.  It has quite an earthy flavour and very spicy, probably due to the large Syrah content (60%, tobacco, cigar flavours) combined with the Pinotage (coffee flavours) in the blend.  Quite an intense wine with hectic legs.  This wine has a lot of character and will definitely age well.  A great blend, a more sophisticated wine.