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The Restaurant Mosaic team has been secretly planning to host an exclusive tasting with Jeremy Walker, owner and winemaker of Grangehurst Winery, for the past 11 months and was struck by enlightenment one day while tasting one of the older Grangehurst Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot vintages. 

The idea was born to present some of the best vintages of Jeremy’s Bordeaux-style wines against a few world-class Bordeaux wines – to make it more interesting, the winemaker agreed to taste the wines blind.Our meticulous planning finally came together on Friday, 24 May 2019 when we welcomed Jeremy and his wife, Mandy back at Mosaic to present one of the most special and fun-filled evenings ever held at Mosaic.

In anticipation of the evening the tasting room was packed to its full capacity and guests were welcomed with a crisp and elegant Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Nv, directly imported by Mosaic, to wet their appetites before they convened to the tasting room where our cellar master introduced our very own “King of Bordeaux”.

Jeremy absolutely owned the evening from the very start with his well-known quick wit and amidst a relaxed atmosphere Cobus and Moses started serving the first flight of the evening – a comparison of the Grangehurst Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2009 vs the Château Malescot Saint Exupery 2009. Guests recognized distinct floral notes and a hint of forest floor and red fruits on the one wine with aromas leaning more toward black berries and subtle oak on the other.

While thoroughly enjoying these two incredible wines, guests jokingly “voted” which wine was the Bordeaux and which was made by Jeremy and quite surprisingly the majority of the guests correctly guessed Jeremy’s wine! There was lots of laughter however when the winemaker’s own wife declared “I think this wine is Jeremy’s but I like the other wine more…!”

The second flight compared the Grangehurst Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2006 with the Château Phélan Ségur 2006 and guests were astounded at how similar the wines were on the palate; finding it difficult to guess which was made by Jeremy and which was the Bordeaux!

Notes of cassis, mocha, violets and a fine tannin structure on the one and rich tobacco-tinged aromatics and fine supple tannins on the other, it was a close call but again the majority of the guests voted correctly, much to their delight being able to outwit their friends…… and luckily the winemaker and his wife agreed!

By the time the final flight of the evening was poured, the mood in the room was decidedly giddy and looking forward to the “pinnacle” of the event – two 24-year-old wines, the Grangehurst Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 1995 (served from a magnum bottle) and the Château Montrose 1995. Guests were in awe when tasting these two wines alongside each other and we were all impressed with the longevity of both wines, both showed beautifully! There was a perceived sweetness with vanilla notes on the one wine with aromas of caramel, dried meat and subtle white flowers on the other which lead the majority of the guests to (correctly again!) identify the Grangehurst blend with its distinctive supple tannins and dense black fruit on the palate as opposed to the more elegant tannins of its Bordeaux counterpart.

The evening was concluded with a special five-course dinner from Chantel’s current “Elements of Nature” menu, paired with selected wines from Grangehurst.  Guests had the opportunity to “break bread” with Jeremy and share many stories during the intimate dinner, and truly a fun-filled evening at Mosaic.

Thank you to Jeremy and Mandy for making the trip to Mosaic to share this incredible comparative journey of discovery and tastes with our guests.

Santé!

The Sommelier Team