A wine farm that I’ve LONG been wanting to visit is La Motte. I love their wines, and I always feel that their brand is one of exceptional quality – and so we headed off for a morning of wine tasting, while in the Cape.
Based on an exquisite estate in the Franschhoek wine valley, La Motte is home to a not only the most beautiful tasting room, but the Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant, a beautiful farm shop, and a museum on the history of La Motte and Cape Dutch architecture.
The weather was freezing, grey and windy on the morning we arrived at La Motte, but we were lucky to find a beautiful table indoors by a crackling fireplace. The perfect spot for some wine tasting, and we were greeted by the effervescent Shannon – who started us off with the La Motte 2017 Méthode Cap Classique, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that is crisp and dry. Fine bubbles, and notes of citrus, brioche and nuts make this a beautifully memorable bubbly, definitely one for a special occasion.
I really enjoyed how Shannon laid out our tasting – we’d do a white and a red together, and then have some water and a bite of the delicious bread brought to us, before moving onto another coupling of wines.
First up we tasted the La Motte Sauvignon Blanc 2021 and the La Motte Millenium 2018. This trip was truly where Nick really started to enjoy white wines, courtesy of Sauvignon Blanc, and this wine was a winner. Deliciously tropical, with Cape goosebery, green apple, pineapple and passion fruit.
The La Motte Millenium is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and is a beautiful blend at that. With raspberry and blueberry quite prominent, it has a subtle earthiness while still being juicy.
Next on the agenda was the Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc 2020 and the La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. The Pierneef wines are the more premier line, and you could definitely tell from this Sauvignon Blanc. With a more subtle, elegant palate, I found the green pepper and citrus a lot more prominent in this wine.
Cabernet Sauvignon was never one of my top choices for a red, however it’s slowly been creeping it’s way into my heart. This La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon was just LUSCIOUS with rich berries and a gentle mint note. Definitely one for future purchases!
Our final red/white couple to taste were the La Motte Chardonnay 2019 and the La Motte Syrah 2017. Chardonnay is another little grape that I’ve come to love, and this was an exceptionally good wine. An oaked Chardonnay, it was a beautiful straw colour with nectarine and hints of cashew nut on the nose, and juicy peach and citrus on the palate.
The La Motte Syrah was full of plum, mulberry and black pepper. A beautifully fruity, delicious wine.
We then tasted a couple of slightly more special wines from the La Motte collection. The Pierneef Syrah-Viognier 2017 is a blend of red and white grapes, and is so unique – evident in the amount of awards this wine has won. Lots of mulberry and pepper spice classic to the Syrah, but with a subtle floral note from the Viognier. So beautiful in fact, that we bought a bottle of this special wine for a friend’s birthday!
The pièce de résistance of the wine collection was, however, the Hanneli R 2015. Named for Hanneli Rupert (the original owner’s daughter, and current owner of La Motte), this sensational red is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Petit Syrah. Only a limited number of bottles are produced, making this wine something of a collectors item. However – it holds it’s own in terms of taste too. With rose petal, black berry and mulberry as prominent notes, you can also find a little cinnamon and black pepper present.
Finally, La Motte has a really pretty little dessert wine – and we’ve slowly been adding some dessert wines to our collection. The La Motte Straw Wine is made with Viognier, a grape known for it’s distinctive apricot notes. This wine is rich, sweet and addictive, with dried apricot, almond and jasmine notes. We made sure to purchase a bottle, as it was THAT delicious, and only 2 barrels were made! It’ll be perfect with a cheese board, especially a saltier cheese, and it would be fabulous with an apricot crumble.
While we didn’t do a particular wine tasting (Shannon guided us through each of the La Motte wines instead), there are a number of tastings you can do at La Motte: –
Free with an order of 12 wines within South Africa, from their online store HERE.
R60 per person or free with a purchase of R500 or more. R70 per person when part of a group.
Cellar Tour – maximum of 16 people R50
Limited Release Tasting: R120
Hanneli R Tasting: R80
La Motte Straw Wine Tasting: R30
La Motte MCC Tasting: R30
Taste older vintages or a special selection of Syrah styles.
Reservations essential – maximum of 10 people per tasting. R250 per person.
Varietal Glass-Specific Tasting
Taste five La Motte wines comparing each varietal in a control glass versus the varietal-specific Riedel stemware specifically designed to best express the characteristics, bouquet and flavours of the specific grape variety.
Reservations essential – maximum of 10 people per tasting. R250 per person.
You can make a reservation on 021 137 0677 or email tasting@la-motte.co.za
Have you read any of my other reviews from our Cape Town Trip? Why not check out some others here: –
Boschendal – The Werf Restaurant
A Majestic Night at Majeka House
