Durbanville Hills Cellarmaster Martin Moore

Durbanville Hills Cellarmaster Martin Moore and Red Wine Specialist Wilhelm Coetzee
flanked by Award Winning Wine Writer Tsepang Molisana and me

A real treat out at the Riboville Hotel with a tasting and excellent food and service. As we have come to expect from Martin and his team, an excellent selection of wines. Martin this year completed his 24^th harvest as the Founding Cellarmaster of Durbanville Hills Winery.

Durbanville Hills Cellarmaster Martin Moore in full flight, waxing lyrical

As expected, the Sauvignon Blanc of what they call the ‘Hills Range’ came up for discussion, the most popular of wines from the Valley in which the Winery finds itself, with cooling sea breezes and mists coming up to ameliorate the summer heat in the vineyards.

The Collectors Reserve Series

We tasted through the Range called The Collectors Reserve very special wines, all of them. Theo Vorster, the Cape’s leading linocut artist did the labels for wines named The Cableway Chardonnay, The Promenade Pinotage The Lighthouse and Merlot and the like. Each label depicting the part of Cape Town designated on the label.

The Tangram Blends, red and white are the flagship wines. A Tangram is a Chinese geometrical seven-piece puzzle which can be arranged to make various forms and pictures to tell a story.

The Tangram Red Blend and me

Many stories here for The Tangram Red Blend, In the glass an opaque bloodplum in colour which pales out to ruby at the edges. The aromas are exactly what one expects, black berries and cherries, dark chocolate and oak with its concomitant spices and vanilla. The palate, from entry, has a lovely line of supporting acidity which goes right through the long and gently waning aftertaste. Rich and generous, perfect harmony, with present tannins Not a bad idea to chill it for about 15 minute before serving.

The Tangram Whie Blend

The Tangram White is a blend of 88% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Semillon. The wines was matured in 300 litre, 500 litre and 600 litre French Oak Barrels. In the glass the wine is the olour of pale honey with lime green flashes when help up to the light. The aromas are a mélange of fruits, sweet tropical limes, desiccated pineapple, and blackcurrants. The palate segues on from the nose. Rich, generous, creamy, intense flavours supported by the French Oak Barrels ad their concomitant spice and vanilla. Serve chilled, though not too cold.

The main course, so suited to the wine, the ‘pears’ are mashed potato crumbed…