My Wine of the Month for April is Ashbourne 2004 (Walker Bay) of which just fifteen barrels were produced. This was Ashbourne’s second vintage (first was 2001, there was no 02 or 03) and when I’d had it some 15 or19 years ago I thought it needed aging, put it in my Eurocave and, I have to admit, forgot about it. Time raced by and I suddenly realised it was now 22 years old. Where has the time gone?
Big heavy statement bottle with deep punt. Neck was too thick for my capsule cutter to fit. Corkscrew went in easily, telling me the cork was spongy. Gentle extraction was too easy, telling me cork had broken, I had got half the cork out. Fiddling with Butlers Friend extractor and Waiters Friend corkscrew got most of the rest out in the form of crumbs, but the lowest part fell into the wine, and though decanted through a fine sieve which got the bits of cork there was still fine cork dust floating on the wine. The bottle was coated in sediment and there were some large chunks trapped at the bottom between the bottle side and deep punt.
The wine was brown and clear. Fruit had mostly gone, but acidity and structure remained. I was ready to open another bottle for Joan but it grew on her and we drank it with pleasure and finished it during the meal.
But I wish I’d opened it 10 years earlier.
I got it in 2007 from the then winery, Hamilton Russell Vineyards. At that time Ashbourne was the most expensive Cape wine. There is no back label and no variety is shown, but it is 100% Pinotage.
Asbourne is a project by Anthony Hamilton Russell who firmly believes in Pinotage and it doesn't name a grape variety because Anthony wants people to judge the wine on its merits.