An interesting wine tasting

We started with two Swartland wines, Adi Badenhorst’s Secateurs White, a blend of Rousanne, Grenache blanc, Viognier, Chenin and Sauvignon, and Lammershoek Roulette blanc

which was a delicious way to get our palates in tune for the wines which followed. Our host then opened three most unusual wines: a Neil Rosenthal import, Coenobium 2009 from the hills round Rome – 45% trebbiano 35% malvasia, 20% verdiccio, priced at $22. This was a rich, mellow and deep white wine, quite unlike any we have tasted here.

This was followed by
Bressan Venezia Giulia, 100% pinot grigio 2004, a very deep gold/amber perdrix colour. It was quite oxidised, almost like a pinot noir in flavour.

Then we were given Sophia fruit wine 2008 (from Louis Dressner). It tasted rather like a good English West country cider, but was not as dry. It was made in an amphora from oranges and developed Naartjie & yeast flavours followed by a herbal finish of basil and oregano.

An interesting local wine, with a very humorous label was Testalonga El Bandito 2009, made by Lammershoek winemaker Craig Hawkins, a 100% chenin blanc, intense, rich, and a little oxidised, honeyed, but dry with good acidity and a big mouthfeel.

This was followed by Silwervis Egg wine, a tank sample under screwcap with a huge stink of sulphur on nose. It will be bottled next February and it will be interesting to see how it develops. Silwervis is slang for silver plastic wine bag in a box.

We then had De Trafford Chenin blanc 2001, a good demonstration that South African whites can last. Flavour was lemons at first with a chalky minerality, which was followed by caramel, marmalade, and, after a while, toffee apple flavours.

La Vierge Pinot noir 2010 was far too young. The colour has a purple tinge and the flavour is fresh strawberry jam. It is a bit too thin and lacks structure.
From here, everything became quite magnificent with a Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet  2006, a Premier Cru Chambolle Musigny (Burgundy) and a magnum of 1991 Vina Tondonia Rioja.

It was a wonderful opportunity to taste some amazing wines and we are very grateful to Michael, who was our host.