Thursday, November 22, 2018

Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Blend & Wooded Sauvignon Blanc Report 2018

An invitation to attend the WineMag awards for the sixth annual Sauvignon-Semillon Blend & Wooded Sauvignon Blanc Report, now sponsored by precision agriculture service provider Aerobotics. The awards were held at Uitkyk. It is always a joy to visit this marvellous example of Cape Georgian architecture, which is unique
Uitkyk has been bought, with Warwick estate across the road, by Eileses Capital, a San Francisco investment firm, Eileses Capital was founded in 2016 by Kishore Bopardikar and Charles Marston, the two having worked together since 1991 and possessing extensive experience in the technology space. According to the official media releases, additional acquisitions in SA are planned. WineMag.co.za has also been acquired by Eileses Capital
We gathered on the lawn in front of the house with glasses of MCC bubbly and there was a chance to go into the house (see photos at the end of this story)
Then we decamped to the tasting room for the awards
Christian Eedes, Winemag Editor, told us that entries were up this year. There were 41 blends entered from 37 producers while, for the second time, Wooded Sauvignon Blanc was included and there were 19 examples from 16 producers. Jacqueline Lahoud is alongside him
Andrew Burdock, CEO of Aerobotics gave us a slide show of what the services they provide for farmers: "Tree top protection for Farmers." Using drones, they can closely examine crops, orchards and vineyards from the air and then analyse the data and show where the problems are beginning to occur. This can save farmers a great deal of money, time and trouble before it gets started. Some of the top scorers at the awards received free trials
The judges were Christian, James Petersen and Roland Peens. One white Bordeaux among the blends and two Austrian examples of Wooded Sauvignon Blanc as ringers. As Christian says, these are not swimming pool wines; they need time to mature. The average price is R254 a bottle. Some of the wines entered are too green and grassy and they cannot be sold as premium wines. Some are overrich, thick in texture. The most successful wines have great freshness, are carefully structured with some richness. And wooding, where used, is subtle
The top Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Blends
The Top Wooded Sauvignons Blanc
Winemakers Riandri Visser and Adriaan Jacobs who made the overall winner, Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh 2016, receiving their certificate from Christian Eedes and Andrew Burdock
Jean Daneel, who represents Sylvain cooperage, hands over the prize of a 225 litre barrel
to Riandrie Visser and Adriaan Jacobs of Cape Point Vineyards
Green pepper pyrazines and some green leaves. Full on Sauvignon Blanc,
juicy, very long and deep and satisfying. Wood?
A classic pyrazine Sauvignon Blanc nose, with a little added Chanel perfume to splash behind your ears. With tangy crisp fruit, this has lots of potential to age. Deep, rich and long flavours with the wood hinting and floating in and out of the glass
Shy on the nose, with a whiff of smoke. Then a blockbuster wine in the glass, it shouts "I am Here!"
Some semillon richness, complexity with English gooseberries, citrus freshness and wood support
67% Semillon and 33 % Sauvignon; this reverses the normal blend. A classic dusty semillon nose with some floral notes, then green pepper speaks for the Sauvignon. Crisp clean zingy good flavours; some Hungarian oak is used. Hazendal has decided to use what we would normally call a Muscat bottle on all of their wines. These are imported from Italy
From what is acknowledged as one of South Africa's best Sauvignon vineyards, the Suider Terras (Southern Terrace). Green pepper and wood smoke, then asparagus and peas on the nose.
It has clean, crisp long integrated flavours, quite French in style
A coastal Blanc Fume grown on the Outeniqua Mountains, with smoke, citrus, clean minerality
and sea air. Lemon lime citrus some good wood mid palate, long flavours with cream or fatness
perhaps from a little semillon?
Green pepper and smoke on the nose. Rich with creaminess, deep and concentrated citrus flavours, and a distinct tingle on the tongue
Faint smoke, elegance, stone fruit, rich clean with minerality and length
A classic noseful of Elgin Pyrazines, At first, some sweetness then a good balance of fruit acidity,
long flavours, some oak wood, minerality and length. They also scored 92 with their Sauvignon Blanc,
with its classic green leaf nose, rich and full, with good acid balance, long flavours
with some chalk on the end and a hint of wood
Our wine of the week last week, with whiffs of smoke, It brings out the best in both grapes,
dusty and fresh with green pepper and asparagus notes, full on the palate,
advancing in layers of fruit and elegance
With its classic nose of green pepper and kelp.it is full of crisp, lean pyrazines and citrus,
long flavours, complexity and minerality.
The wine was best overall in the Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Blends category.
It also won a R25000 Aerobotics voucher & the 225 litre Sylvain barrel, presented by Jean Daneel
Conrad Vlok, winemaker at Strandveld Vineyards with his Adamastor white blend and its certificate
Jonathan Snashall pours a glass of Highland Road for Michael White
Michael White and Vanessa Simkiss of Highland Road
Uitkyk is tastefully furnished with beautiful examples of Cape furniture and some imports,
with original frescos on the walls. We do hope that these will be retained by the new owners
Wow, one of the longest tables we have ever seen, made from Yellowwood, an
indigenous hardwood tree, the national tree of South Africa, as is the large Armoire behind it
Elegant proportions and wooden ceilings and floors
A side sitting room with a beautiful mantle mirror
and another dining room

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