I’ve yet to meet a person who does not love Tokara wines. Even if they have never tried it before, one sip is enough to turn them onto the Tokara bandwagon. The only thing better than sipping on glass of Tokara is wine, is doing so on their gorgeous estate. I’ll admit, I am biased. Tokara is in my top five favourite estates in the winelands, but just one look at their view will tell you why. Rolling hills, acres of land filled with vines and olive trees and on a clear day, you can spot Table Mountain in the distance.
When we got invited to sample their new vintage releases, I jumped at the chance. We weren’t going to taste your everyday bottle of wine (although those are pretty good too), we were going to try the best. The coveted black label bottles, the premium Reserve range. After enjoying a welcome drink on the patio overlooking the estate, we were seated in the newly renovated restaurant, where we met the men responsible for creating the wine. Winemaker Miles Mossop and viticulturist Aidan Morton have been working together at Tokara since 2001 and have developed a great partnership that allows them to produce top quality products. They took us through their process, which is extremely detailed, accounting for their excellent work.
Before getting into the featured wines of the day, we were treated to Tokara’s auction wines. The 2005 Director’s Reserve Red for the Nederburg Auction and the 2015 Siberia Chardonnay for the Cape Wine Makers Guild. Both wines were good, but it was the Siberia Chardonnay that stood out. It is the last product to come from land dubbed Siberia, which Tokara has now sold. It was cloudy (Miles explained that it was unfiltered), but the nose and taste were quite devine.
The first wine up was the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. It was served with smoked trout, herb salsa and popped micrograins (which looks like tiny popcorn!) expertly prepared by Executive Chef Richard Carstens. The wine’s aroma was fresh and the taste fruity making it a perfect pairing with the summer inspired starter. We enjoyed a delicious beef fillet along with the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2013 Syrah. Both wines had a lovely deep colour. The Cab Sauv was full and rich, and the Syrah more silky. While each wine had it’s merits, I enjoyed the Syrah more. What’s lunch without some dessert? We enjoyed an incredible lemon ice-cream on top a Tokara Brandy caramel poached pear paired with the 2014 Noble Late Harvest. It was absolutely perfect!
There may come a day when Tokara may not live up to the hype, today is not that day. Thier new Reserve collection is exquisite. There are preferences amongst the range as everyone has a particular wine they enjoy more (I love a good Syrah), but each wine is worth a taste.
OF NOTE
Where Helshoogte Road, Stellenbosch
Contact +27 21 808 5900, [email protected], www.tokara.co.za
Photography courtesy
