The L’Avenir building is quite impressive – you can’t miss it on the left-hand side on the way to Paarl. They have a gorgeous function venue, accommodation and a stunning wine tasting area. The tasting area is adorned with prints of Jason Biggs’ photographs and adds to the relaxed and elegant ambience. The estate has just launched a Rosé bubbly, the perfect drink to get us in the mood for the tasting hosted by Richard.
The gorgeous colour of L’Avenir’s MCC Brut Rosé. The girls enjoying the bubbly.
The Wines
L’Avenir has three ranges: the affordable Classic Range, the Platinum Range, and then the range that makes us all want to be millionaires: Icon Range.
Méthode Cap Classique Brut Rosé 2007 This MCC has the most beautiful colour and consists of 50% Pinotage, 40% Chenin and 10% Chardonnay. I loved the taste, and I’m quite sure litres of this will go down at Woman of Wines’ parties this coming summer. It has the perfect balance between yeastiness (the “suurdeeg” smell one should pick up in a good MCC) and the fruitiness of the Pinotage.
Chenin Blanc 2008 This Chenin forms part of the Platinum range and has the typical pineapple and melon taste. I do find it lacks a bit of an aftertaste. But then again, not all wines have to stay on your palate that long!
Chardonnay 2008 Being a bit of a closet Chardonnay lover, this wine made me smile… A great golden colour and fantastic caramel taste with a toasty nose and some hints of apricot and mineral.
Grand Vin Chenin 2007 Only 1200 bottles are produced, and trust me, you’d want to get your hands on at least one of them. This is a fabulous perfectly balanced Chenin – my choice for an indulgent afternoon of sushi, wine and sunshine. Stephan said it tastes like liquid happiness*.
Cabernet Franc 2006 The tasting notes sum up this wine perfectly: “Dense, dark berry-fruit with a touch of sandalwood held within a soft tannin structure”. By this time we were quite hungry and unanimously agreed that this Cab Franc would pair perfectly with a flamed medium rare steak and rosemary potatoes.
Stellenbosch Classic 2006 L’Avenir’s Bordeaux blend comprising of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. This one comes highly recommended for its perfect cherry and chocolate aftertaste. Drink lots of it!! (At R85 maybe a bit steep to be classified as your “every day drinking wine”, but once again, if we were all millionaires, we could!).
Pinotage 2007 Beautiful ruby colour. It smells a lot more spicy than it really is. This was definitely Marguerite’s favourite wine: cassis, fruit cake and chocolate. Yum yum.
Grand Vin Pinotage 2007 I don’t taste a R250 bottle of wine that often, and I also don’t want to get into the whole cost vs. value debate. But… if you have R250 laying around go get yourself a bottle of this!! Absolutely gorgeous – the perfect blend of chocolate and mocha… Dessert, Christmas and heaven all in one bottle.
It is not often that one comes across a wine estate that excels in bubbly, white and red, but honestly, if you want the best of all three, do pay L’Avenir a visit!
*Ask Stephan if you want the Afrikaans translation!
L’Avenir Wine Estate
Open 7 days a week (until 16h00 on weekends)
www.lavenir.co.za
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