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Wines of South Africa 2008 Part 1

Back in the very early days of Winedoctor, now just over eight years ago, I attended a small tasting of South African red wines. The focus was on premium cuvées made using Cabernet Sauvignon from top producers, and so we looked at wines from Veenwouden, Rustenberg, Kanonkop and others. Aside from a good showing from the first of this list, however, this was a very uninspiring collection of wines.

During the intervening years I have had a number of good wines from this African state, mostly at the value end rather than the top end, but all the same they were still wines that gave plenty of pleasure. And so I have been aware of a need to take a fresh look at some of South Africa's wines; the arrival of the Wines of South Africa annual tasting, held in Merchant's Hall in Edinburgh, was the perfect opportunity to broaden my experience.

There were some very good wines here, and I noted that those imported by Richards Walford to be particularly strong. Here the stand was manned by Richard Kelley MW and his wife, and they were showing a range of wines from young producers often working with small quantities of wine. It seems that many of these younger, second generation winemakers are employed by larger companies on the condition that they can siphon off a few barrels in order to bottle something under their own label. In many cases the wines are very successful and they were perhaps the best in the tasting. Those under the De Morgenzon, TMV and Saskia labels were perhaps the leading examples. Elsewhere there were some good Sauvignon Blancs, in my opinion led by the Warwick Estate Professor Black, a wine taken from a plot of vines on land where Black himself, a horticulturist at the University of Stellenbosch, once planted to the hybrid peach tree that today bears his name.

I present here my notes on the white wines, followed by the the red wine notes in part two. I have also included stockist information, as well as links through to wine-searcher. Prices are, naturally, as a guide only. (3/6/08)

Wines of South Africa 2008 Part 1 - Tasting Notes

Tasted in April 2008. Click to locate stockists.

Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc (Elgin) 2007: A little quiet on the nose, slightly creamy, nice leafy and yellow pepper notes. A fleshy palate, a nice zippy character, not as expressive as some others, a good presence though. Nice firm grippy finish. Good. 16/20 (Great Grog, £8.49)

Paul Cluver Chardonnay (Elgin) 2006: Lots of smoky oak here, and vanilla, dominating the fruit. Rather leafy entry, a touch creamy, but a diffuse midpalate rather lacking definition. Some grip from the oak which is a very prominent feature here. Decent. 15/20 (Great Grog, £8.49)

De Morgenzon Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) 2006: From a Chenin vineyard planted in 1970s. Lots of character here, rich and a touch heady, although with some herby freshness. Good substance, broad with some power and flesh to it. Lots of structure. I think this is very good. 17+/20 (Woodwinters, £17)

De Trafford Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) 2007: A nice, ripe, full and expressive character on the nose. Creamy, honey and fruit themes, overall very appealing. Plenty of spice and grip, good interest, ripe and flattering. Rather short but on the whole a good style. 16/20 (Bibendum, £12.20)

Ken Forrester FMC Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) 2006: Includes some late harvested fruit, fermented in 400 litre French oak barrels where it rests for ten months, on the lees, before bottling under screwcap. Clearly an oxidised style on the nose here, certainly a rather rich and deep character rather than exuberance and freshness. Rich, fleshy, soft and rounded, peppery acidity although it doesn't seem integrated. A showy style. Good wine, but for me lacks poise and definition to be more than that. 16.5/20 (Abbey Fine Wines, £17.95)

Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc (Constantia) 2007: A sappy, somewhat more diffuse nose than some other Sauvignons here today. Plenty of leafy, green and yellow pepper character though. Rather fleshy palate, nettly-weedy style, slightly peppery, with a nice acid core. This has a good presence on the palate. 16.5/20 (Cockburns of Leith, £8.99)

Jordan Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) 2006: A good, interesting, mealy nose. Nice Chenin character, rather ripe and toasty and creamy. Fleshy, rounded, flattering start, but there is less impact on the midpalate. A good character, heavy pepper, spice and wood notes later on. Fleshy and rich, a little candied fruit on the finish. Good. 15.5+/20 (Alexander Wines, £8.65)

Jordan Chardonnay (Stellenbosch) 2007: A rather sweet, fruit pastille and yet citrusy character on the nose. The palate is nicely poised, but it still has that slightly confected fruit character to it as on the nose. Attractive presence but I do have an issue with the style of fruit here. 14.5/20 (Alexander Wines, £10.50)

Lutzville Cape Diamond Sauvignon Blanc (Olifants River) 2007: A slightly perfumed character, but a nice style overall. Fleshy, and a nice weedy character. A decent texture to it. Overall an appealing character with a nice freshness. Decent value. 15/20 (Widely stocked, £6.99)

Nederburg Chardonnay/Viognier (Western Cape) 2007: This is 90% Chardonnay, 10% Viognier. A lightly perfumed nose, not an extroverted style for sure. Slightly toasty. Rather diffuse start, lacking definition, seems rather lost on the palate. Soft and short. Little positive for me to say here. 13/20 (Waitrose & Morrisons, £4.99)

Quoin Rock Cape Agulhas Chardonnay (Stellenbosch) 2003: Only the third vintage for this wine. A mealy character on the nose, despite this win having five years under its belt. Still fresh and lively on the palate. Ripe, a touch warm I think, but still nicely defined with good, concentrated, dried fruit character. Good. 16.5+/20 (Woodwinters, £10.50)

Roulette Blanc (Swartland) 2006: This is 60% Chenin Blanc, 30% Chardonnay and 5% each Viognier and Hárslevelű (a barrel of each). A nice nose, slightly funky, certainly plenty of character. A rich, supple, fleshy style on the palate, broad, with interest and grip. Dried fruit flavour, a touch of sweetness and lots of substance. Nice acidity too. Overall forceful yet attractive. 16+/20 (Woodwinters, £10.50)

Saskia Chenin Blanc/Viognier (Stellenbosch) 2006: This is 65% Chenin, 35% Viognier. A rich and creamy character here, rather organically complex, with some oak showing. Rich, lively acidity though, with lots of substance too. Full character, grippy and poised, giving a good freshness. Lots of impact here, really overall very good. 17+/20 (Woodwinters, £17)

Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc (Walker Bay) 2007: A creamy capsicum character here. Plenty of leafy zip too. A good palate, plenty of body and structure, a firm and forceful presence, dominated by rather weedy flavour. Good grip through to the finish. Attractive wine. 16/20 (Widely stocked, £8.99)

Springfield Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc (Robertson) 2007: Very lively fruit on the nose here, fresh and rather sherbetty. A flashy palate, exuberant and with a rather sweet, slightly confected yellow fruit finish to it, although backed up by plenty of pepper and spice. Nice character. 16/20 (Luvians, £10)

Springfield Wild Yeast Chardonnay (Stellenbosch) 2004: Rather plump dried fruit character on the nose, showing some oak, some oxidation here too I think. Fleshy, plump and rounded, fruit profile that follows the nose. Grippy at the end. Rather full-on. It has notes of interest, but whether or not this will appeal will really depend on the sensitivities of your palate. 15?/20 (Luvians and others, £11.50)

Tierhoek Chenin Blanc (Piekenierskloof) 2004: Fermented in a mix of steel tank and oak. Creamy, honeyed, dried fruit on the nose. Fresh palate, nice midpalate, good balanced substance. A nice presence, not overdone, quietly elegant style. Good. 15.5/20 (Woodwinters, £10.50)

TMV White (Tulbagh) 2006: This is 90% Chenin Blanc, with 5% each Clairette and Viognier. Rich dried fruit character, oxidised notes here too. Rich, fleshy, full character on the palate, good substance, well poised, with a vein of oxidation like that on the nose. Complex and interesting style with good fruit density. 16.5-17+/20 (Woodwinters, £13)

Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch) 2007: An ebulliently grassy methylpyrazine-influenced nose, rich with notes of fresh yellow capsicums. Moderately concentrated palate at the start, a little leaner through the middle, but with some nice grip. Appealing character at the finish where there is a slightly bitter, leafy grip. This is good. 16/20 (Paragon Vintners, £8.79)

Vergelegen Chardonnay (Stellenbosch) 2005: Some appealing, rather tropical fruit here, and a very expressive style, although it lies beneath a layer of oak. Fresh despite the overt application of wood. A touch lean, with pleasing fruit, presented in quite a gentle style. Firmly applied oak, good grip, with an attractive, spicy, vanilla-infused finish. 15.5/20 (Paragon Vintners, £8.99)

Warwick Estate Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc (Simonsberg) 2007: An attractive nose, very typical of the variety, nicely poised fruit, a touch creamy, fresh and well defined, and quite stylish. Not overtly green or weedy on the palate, instead broad, slightly peppery, and nicely fleshed out. Balanced and appealing. It even has a little length. One of the better Sauvignons here I am sure. 17/20 (Louis Latour Agencies, £9.99)

Warwick Estate Chardonnay (Simonsberg) 2006: A nice character here, gentle and unassuming on the nose. Attractive, rather plump and somewhat honeyed fruits and a rounded texture. A little flesh, but there is some good grip underneath. Balanced, nicely structured, good style and potential here. 16.5+/20 (Louis Latour Agencies, £12.99)

Weltevrede Gewurztraminer (Robertson) 2007: A very typical nose, perfumed and plump, very reminiscent of Turkish delight. Fresh despite this heady perfume, and nicely defined too. Gentle acids, frequently an issue with this variety, but they are there. Rather tarty finish. Attractive and certainly a good effort for this variety. 15+/20 (Cockburns of Leith and other stockists, £7.99)

Weltevrede Place of Rocks Chardonnay (Robertson) 2005: This note based on the third bottle opened, as the first two were corked. A slightly honeyed, mealy character, with some dried fruits. Full, diffuse, a slight creaminess on the palate, overall a gentle but fairly fleshy style. Nice grip and impact though, peppery spice, and fruit character that follows that on the nose. A little length too. 16+/20 (Cockburns of Leith, Great Grog, £9.99)