Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Natalie MacLean's Wine Reviews


Vintages Wine Picks January 10, 2009

2004 Dornier Cabernet Franc Blend, W.O. Stellenbosch, Africa: A blend of Cabernet Franc (70%) and Merlot (30%). Dense aromas of black fruit, garrigue, roasted coffee and mocha. Great fruit extraction with a warm, lengthy finish. Pair with: goat cheese, lightly spiced curries, babaganoush, asparagus, pepperoni pizza. 606020 14.00% XD 750 mL $24.95 Score: 90/100. January 10, 2009

www.nataliemaclean.com

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Top ratings for Dorneir in Wein Wisser

Weinpapst Rene Gabriel gab den Weinen von Dornier top noten: Dornier Donatus White 2006: "Ein ganz spezieller, unvergleichlicher Wein. 18/20", Dornier Donatus Red 2004: "Ein veritabler Ladykiller. 18/20." Read article

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Top ratings for Dornier in Wein Wisser

Weinpapst Rene Gabriel gab den Weinen von Dornier top noten: Dornier Donatus White 2006: "Ein ganz spezieller, unvergleichlicher Wein. 18/20", Dornier Donatus Red 2004: "Ein veritabler Ladykiller. 18/20." Read article

Top ratings for Dorneir in Wein Wisser

Weinpapst Rene Gabriel gab den Weinen von Dornier top noten: Dornier Donatus White 2006: "Ein ganz spezieller, unvergleichlicher Wein. 18/20", Dornier Donatus Red 2004: "Ein veritabler Ladykiller. 18/20." Read article

Friday, February 20, 2009

Angela Lloyd rates Dornier Donatus and Pinotage highly

GRAPE.CO.ZA: The Dornier Pinotage 2007 (R77) 16.5 couldn't be more different; it is an elegant, sophisticated wine with sound ageing potential for eight to ten years. The deep ruby colour is layered and limpid; a touch of cedary oak seasons the quiet, dark berry fruit, reflective more of its pinot than its cinsaut parentage. A refreshing minerality lifts the rich savouriness, which flows unhindered to a lengthy finish thanks to the beautifully managed, polished tannins. Careful oaking, all French and 11% new for a year, does the correct job of enhancing the wine. We enjoyed it at a coolish 16-17ºC. Also impressive is the Dornier Donatus White 2007 (R96) 16, a blend of chenin blanc and semillon (74/26). Each variety is barrel-fermented in a mix of new and used French oak and aged on the lees for a further seven months before blending and bottling. Like all quality blends, the varieties create an homongenous and interesting whole; a whiff of new oak vanilla is presently noticeable but should marry as the wine ages. Medium-bodied and refined with a fine, mineral core, it leaves the impression that greater dimension is there to unfold over the next four to five years. A worthy addition to the list of top white blends.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

enobook.de rates Dornier

Dr. E. Supp writes: @@@ Dornier Wines. Stellenbosch Chenin blanc Cocoa Hill 2008: grünstroh, feine, saubere Fruchtaromen in der Nase, am Gaumen saftig, fest, schöner, frischer Wein **** Stellenbosch Donatus white 2007: silbriges Grünstroh, etwas rauchige Bananenschale, am Gaumen recht saftig und fest strukturiert, guter Stoff *** Coastal Region The pirate of cocoa hill 2006: dichtes, gutes Rot, feine Kirschfrucht mit leicht zedriger Würze, gute Dichte, aber etwas wenig Saft und noch leichte Schärfe in den Tanninen **** Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2006: frisches, dichtes Rot, noch sehr verschlossen, aber mit sauberem, tiefem Duft und klassischer, eleganter Struktur, braucht noch Zeit *****? Stellenbosch Donatus 2006: dunkles, schönes Rubin, tiefer, etwas zedriger Duft, viel Frucht und Extrakt am Gaumen, festes, noch junges Tannin, gutes Entwicklungspotenzial **** Stellenbosch Pinotage 2006: frisches, dichtes Rubinrot, süße Blaubeeren im Duft, saftig, rund, von festen Tanninen getragen, schön.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

THE SOUTH AFRICAN writes on Dornier Wines


Read what Graham Howe writes about Dornier and the Restaurant.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Country Life on the Dornier Bodega Restaurant



Gred Landmann: There is something utterly irresistible about spending a day in the country, eating the food on a wine estate, drinking their wine and gazing at the vineyards from which grapes were harvested. Read on





More info about the Dornier Restaurant (Bodega)


Bookings

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The Pirate of Cocoa Hill - Dornier's Range of Playful Wines

South Africa, Stellenbosch, Summer 2006 / 2007; In a time of seafaring and spice, pirates played in Table Bay...If you'll believe it! A certain Long Ben presented us with abundant inspiration in the creation of the Cocoa Hill wines, two playful and fun-filled new additions to Stellenbosch producer Dornier Wines' acclaimed range. The Pirate The Cape at the time of its Dutch occupation was a fascinating place. The era evokes images of a wild and uncharted continent; mysterious indigenous peoples; ivory sails fluttering above burly wooden ships; and the rich, exotic colours and textures of the treasures of the East - demand for the latter in the West, the very reason for the Cape of Good Hope's existence. This was the world of Long Ben and his gang of erstwhile brutes. Long Ben was a feared English pirate who pillaged ships along the Spice Route and around the Cape at the time of its Dutch occupation, archives dating from the seventeenth century indicate. Following a long line of offences, he eventually had to flee the authorities or face prosecution and ingeniously assumed a new identity under the guise of winegrowing in the Stellenbosch region. Long Ben's grapes grew in deep, dark soils on a hilltop in the Blaauwklippen area - home to Dornier Wines today - which he named Cocoa Hill and was seen peering out to the seas from often& longing for the ocean and his old ways, it is said.

The Dornier Wine Collection