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Despite harvesting being started in full swing, Beaumont Wines' winemaker, Sebastian Beaumont, and newly appointed marketing manager Schalk Joubert, recently took time out to present a few of their wines at the Hermanus Wine Club's first meeting of the year.

The first wine presented - the 2005 Jackals River unwooded chardonnay - proved to be delicately flavoured. This was in contrast to the general run of full-bodied, heavily wooded chardonnays available and offered citrus and lime fruit on the nose, characteristics which are carried through to the palate.

An informal tone was introduced when members where next presented with a glass containing a cloudy greenish liquid, the tasting of which drew comments ranging from “olive oil” to “crushed vine leaves”. The mystery was solved, however, when it was explained that this was unfermented grape juice from the first of this year's chenin blanc pressing.

Sebastian believes that chenin blanc will become the next flagship wine for South Africa as it is already forging a formidable reputation overseas. Beaumont's 2005 offers spiciness on the nose, which mellowed into a full pear and guava fruitiness.

Ronnie Hazell opined that the wine was a marked improvement over the juice - a sentiment heartily endorsed by the rest of the group.

In contrast, picked from the oldest chenin vineyards on the farm, and matured for 10 months in 400 litre French oak barrels, the Hope Marguerite clearly demonstrated the versatility of this cultivar. A lovely golden colour, the wine offers honey and ripe fruits on the nose, with a touch of spice on the palate.

From the reds, both the 2003 pinotage and the 2003 shiraz were tasted. The former is elegantly styled and offers cherries and lighter fruit flavours with a touch of dry tannins, while the shiraz is spicy, with heaps of black currant/blackberry flavours set off by light tannins.

In contrast, the Ariane - a (cab sauv/merlot/cab franc) Bordeaux-style blend, may show the way the vineyard will be moving in future. A beautiful dark sumptuous wine, which is tweaked every year, sometimes with a little petit verdot or malbec added.

The evening concluded with a taste of the 2004 Goutte d'Or - a noble late harvest wine, the blend of botrytis infected semillon and sauvignon blanc producing a delicate and not over-sweet wine, exhibiting substantial candied pear and apricot flavours.

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