The Judgement of Cape Town
Earlier this month I was invited to contribute to The Judgement of Cape Town, a blind tasting of premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir inspired by the 1976 Judgement of Paris. It was the second such blind tasting I’ve taken part in from The Singles Club, the Hemel-en-Aarde trio of Restless River, Storm Wines, and Newton Johnson, formed through friendship and a passion for single vineyard, terroir-driven wines.
This Judgement was far more formal and proper than the inaugural blind tasting 3 years prior. Here a panel of international and local guests tasted through the 6 flights, with no one, including the HeA winemakers above, knowing the wines. Our instructions were to evaluate and score the wines in silence, then briefly discuss impressions after handing in our score card for each flight of 3 wines. Wines were a mix of top tier international and Hemel-en-Aarde selections. Moderator Eben Sadie guided the discussions, working respectfully to keep some highly judgemental local judges on track and focused. “It’s not about us versus them” he reminded. Eben also knew firsthand how challenging it is to have your wines evaluated blind in a lineup like this, sending props to Craig, Hannes, and Gordon for tasting and scoring their wines blind alongside the rest of us.
We started with 2022 Pinot Noirs, which I found quite diverse and divisive. From riper, muscular styles through to tart, herbal examples, wines were all over the board. Each style certainly had fans in the group; when results were tabulated (with the highest and lowest scores eliminated), the final results fell between 92.88 – 93.69 points (!).
Restless River Le Luc Pinot Noir 2022 edged out top spot, 0.06 ahead of Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos des Ruchottes Monopole 2022.
The final Pinot Noir scores below, in order of tasting, with my brief notes and personal scores.
Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir 2022 – Gippsland. Victoria – 92.88 points
Beauty perfumed raspberry, silken palate, fine spice, fine tannins. Long, saline finish. Finessed. 95 (TR)
Domaine Georges & Christophe Roumier Les Cras 2022 Premier Cru – Chambolle-Musigny – 93.13 points
Subtly and alluringly perfumed, damson plum, gripper textural tannins at the fore, sapid, sticky finish. 92 (TR)
Storm Ridge Pinot Noir 2022 – Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge – 93.06 points
Black tea tannins, damson plum, wild black raspberry, confident, yet fine structure. Beauty perfume throughout, and lingering flake salt finish. 95 (TR)
Newton Johnson Windandsea Pinot Noir 2022 – Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – 93.19 points
Ripe plum, perfumed cherry, fleshier, firm and structural finish, with wet forest and black tea tannins. 93 (TR)
Cristom Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 – Eola-Amity Hills. Willamette Valley. Oregon – 93.06 points
Quite perfumed and compact, with tannins present finishing grippy. Ripe raspberry, warming finish. 91 (TR)
Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir 2022 – Central Otago – 93.50 points
Potpourri perfume, wild strawberry, ample black tea spicing, quite structural, with long finish. Confident and with time ahead. 96 (TR)
Littorai Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 – Anderson Valley. California – 93.31 points
Black plum, wild raspberry, noticeably grippy, fine tannins overriding the silken core. Sticky on the finish. 91 (TR)
Restless River Le Luc Pinot Noir 2022 – Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – 93.69 points
Fragrant crushed florals and herbals lead into a tighter core, with wet forest, celery salts and a firm herbal edge. Most savoury of the lineup. 91 (TR)
Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos des Ruchottes Monopole 2022 -Gevrey Chambertin – 93.63 points
Ripe plum, ripe raspberry, wild blue fruits (curious), with a tart blackcurrant acidity and muscular structure. Some powdery tannins to shed. Needs time. 92 (TR)
I found the Chardonnays more quality consistent, and while there was evident style variation (reductive vs oak-driven vs earlier pick vs riper), most had a driving energy and mineral edge. Group scores ranged from 91.06 – 94.69, with the Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021 just besting Newton Johnson CWG Sandford Chardonnay 2022 by 0.38 points.
The final Chardonnay scores below, in order of tasting, with my brief notes and personal scores.
Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay 2022 – Santa Rita Hills. California – 93.19 points
Fine lees, lemon lined, with a buzzy stony tannic great. Fine salinity woven throughout, with great energy. 93 (TR)
Restless River Ava Marie Chardonnay 2022 – Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – 94.00 points
Ripe pear, alluring perfume over a lees-led palate, with lovely gentle spicing, and a lingering stony finish. Nice shape. 93 (TR)
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2022 – Margaret River. Western Australia – 94.25 points
Licked with flint which carries through the whole, with lemony finish, and a softer lees bed core. Polished and alluring. 94 (TR)
Kumeu River Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 – Kumeu. Auckland – 93.25 points
A flinty lick leads before toasted popcorn, big lemon, and fine spice along a sleek, lees-led palate. Stately. 92 (TR)
Storm Vrede Chardonnay 2022 – Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – 91.06 points
Faulted bottle? Oxidative, tired, AND flor-esque notes, warm finish. Second bottle showed minorly better, but feel there is an issue here. 85 (TR)
Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021 – Aloxe Corton – 94.69 points
Ample nutty notes, crunchy lemon, popcorn, and flake salts, Structure, power, and length. Showy, but highly impressive. 96 (TR)
Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Les Folatières Premier Cru 2022 -Puligny-Montrachet – 93.63 points
Popcorn leads, before a flinty edge and bitter, riper lemon, slighter looser core. Nice buzzy energy and a lingering finish. 92 (TR)
Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay 2023 – Sonoma County. California – 91.73 points
Creamed corn, riper yellow fruit, spice. Evolved. Bottle doesn’t taste sound *Eben tasted a second bottle and said it was the same. 88 (TR)
Newton Johnson CWG Sandford Chardonnay 2022 – Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – 94.31 points
Ripe and dense core seasoned with alluring flint, Great density and structure, with a lingering flake salt finish. Time ahead. 95 (TR)
Once the maths had spoken, it was evident the South African selections stood shoulder to shoulder with the internationals, and that southern vs northern hemispheres can equally excel with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was impossible to not reflect on Steven Spurrier, an oft-mentioned inspiration and friend to many in the room, and the organizer of The Judgement of Paris. “All we were after was recognition that there were some very good wines coming out of California”, Steven mused. The Singles Club, and all of us present, can certainly now feel the same of Hemel-en-Aarde.
*Credit to Marc Berman Photography for professional event photos above
