Boutique reds at 57/800 - Deux Fréres, Stellenbosch

I really enjoyed meeting Stephan, one of the owners, and his wife Rene at boutique wine farm 57/800 - Deux Freres in Stellenbosch.The farm was purchased by brothers, Stephan and Retief Du Toit in 2008 and named the farm "Deux Freres" which means "Two Brothers" in French. The farm prides themselves on boutique red wines and their new Mouvedre Rosé is exceptional too! BOOKINGS: bookings are recommended, but  you can also just walk in. Email Stephan on: stephan@dfwines.co.zaWHEN TO GO:  Summer or Winter. But I would recommend the best months to be November – April.SERVICE: Excellent! By the owners themselves!CHILD/PET FRIENDLY? Don't bring the kids. I also would not recommend pets because there are plenty already on the farm.LARGER OR SMALL GROUPS? Best for groups of less than 6 people.LOCATION: About a 40 minute drive from Cape Town in Stellenbosch. Google Map 

Here is my experience:

You will immediately feel warmly welcomed by the owners who live on the farm with their 4 dogs. How cute!The tasting room is small and intimate and on a hot day there is plenty of space to relax outside. The big palm trees provide great shelter from the sun and wind.And there is even a bowls lawn if you are feeling energetic :)The inside area feels very homely and there is enough seating for 6 people. If you book in advance, everything is professionally laid out for you together with a spittoon and price list.There are 4 wines to taste ranging from R70 to R170 a bottle and two tastings are vertical, which means you get to taste the same wine from a different year.I really enjoyed the Fraternité Shiraz Mourvedre 2013 because it smelt just like a wine cellar - a good mossy, Forrest floor smell which was quite different from the 2012. I loved it and I can imagine how well this will age in the 5 years to come. After letting it breathe for a bit, I could also pick up prunes and apricots on the nose. It was aged in French and American oak barrels (75/25) respectively for 13 months.  It was extremely dark in colour and had an excellent acidity balance on the palate, ripe and soft tannins. R140 a bottle.The cellar is on site at Deux Freres.I sampled some of the wines due for release later this year and this Shiraz was already tasting fantastic! Stephan explained that he harvested quite late and was worried about the quality of the wine but it turns out that it was probably the best he has ever produced!It was so hot (37 degrees c) so we decided to go back to enjoying the Rosé wine with some really tasty cheese and ham platters.Rene is a qualified chef after all!The Rosé 2016 has just been bottled and had aromas of candyfloss and rose water (Turkish delight) yet it was dry and had a really good balance of acidity on the palate. Made from Mouvedre, it is just R70 a bottle.We went on a walk around the farm - absolutely my happy place! Will someone buy me a vineyard please? ;) lol.So, if you are looking to make new friends and experience some of the best red wines produced in the Stellenbosch region, then look no further! Thank you Stephan and Rene!Which farm will be next? :)x