Prescient Tasting - Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon and SBA Blends

A tasting of the winners from the Sauvignon Blanc, SBlanc wooded, Semillon and White Bordeaux Blends. With some Red Bordeaux Blends from the Prescient Competition

• 2017 Peter Falke Noelina Méthode Cap Classique 88 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  Lively mousse, with an intense effervescence in the glass. Enticing aromas of brioche, ripe apple and ripe white peach. A fresh intense entry with a bright vibrant acidity, the texture is a touch sinewy leading to a grippy and chalky finish. This textural element is reminiscent of an early-picked style and it leans more towards varietal components than autolytic (yeasty) notes. There are still evident ferment esters but it still delivers an enjoyable wine.

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Cucumber Salad
Burrata Salad

• 2020 Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Point

  Sauvignon Blanc with 3% Semillon. Impressive wine with lifted and intense nettle, green apple, and cucumber aromas accompanied by pyroxenes and thiols. A touch of oak spice adds intrigue. Certainly vibrant, the wine enters fresh and linear in shape with a chiselled acidity that adds an edgy texture. The pronounced cucumber flavours add some lushness to the mid-palate, whilst a saline edge gives tightness. Yet there is a skinny feel to the wine - almost anorexic but still an enjoyable wine. Closes with some cut grass.

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• 2021 Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Wild Horseshoe 92 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Tygerberg, Durbanville

  A ripe and floral wine that exhibits guava, granadilla and some apple skin. Focussed wine, the palate is rich and round with some savoury nuances adding complexity and more guava, cut apple, nettle and a creamy texture. That apple skin adds texture that I assume is from the extended maceration? Fairly long, I liked the complexity of this wine and its difference, displaying a focus or precision with savoury edges alongside a gentle tannin that really worked well given the richness of fruit. Complex.

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Homemade Pea and Ham soup

• 2021 Wildeberg Sémillon 94 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Franschhoek Valley

  The handpicked Semillon comes from the Landau vineyard in Franschhoek that was planted in 1905. Aged in 100% Stonkinger Foudres. Ripe orange fruit flavours join Fanta grape, grapefruit, fennel fronds and some river stones. Extraordinary intensity and ripeness is followed by excellent concentration on the palate and depth of flavour. Creamy textured, fennel fronds, tarragon, kakkebos and fynbos scrub add an edge whilst the orange skin and tangerine peel give texture and pith. An impressive wine with a long, lingering finish that penetrates everywhere! 93-94

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• 2021 Nitida Sémillon 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Tygerberg, Durbanville

  It has lifted aromas of orange and kakkebos, reminiscent of the scrub you find in just-ripe Semillon, accompanied by a dusty quality and hints of green pepper. The palate is linear with a sharp acidity and orange rind texture but has mid-palate depth and stuffing that slowly fills out the wine. However, there is a phenolic quality lending to a gentle bitter edge that adds intrigue more than protrudes. Or it just seems to work. Certainly, the riper flavours contain along with, the more generous alcohol adding a glycerol edge that smooths the bitter elements. 89-91

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• 2019 Benguela Cove Sémillon Catalina 90 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay

  The aromas show more green elements apple and snow pea, touch sweat and warm oranges that run to kakkebos. Certainly intense but a little one-dimensional. The palate has dusty and smoky notes with green tangerine, lemongrass, lime leaves and orange skin. There is more depth than the nose suggests, with a linear palate shape and long length. Some grippy textural components with green apple skin pith and citrus. A touch of lanolin on the close. The wine is made from estate-grown fruit, pH of around 3.0, sold in three packs. Good wine.

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• 2020 Wade Bales Constantia 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia

  (Tasted Blind) A refined blend that exudes fruit purity, with mineral, dusty notes running to citrus and waxy aromas that slowly reveal thiols with granadilla. The front palate is lifted, intense and juicy with a linear structure and bright almost glassy acidity. Whilst approachable there is a phenolic texture that adds substance and good length.

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• 2020 Wildeberg Coterie 88 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region

  80 Semillon; 20 SBlanc. Light and floral nose, with moderate intensity showcasing apple, cut grass, nettle, greengage, and hints of guava-like blossom. The palate has a prominent guava element accompanied by dried grass, seaweed and green elements akin to apple sauce or cream soda. The acid is zippy but the mid-palate feels awkward and not fully integrated at this point and is very linear in profile, making it somewhat challenging.
  Wild fermentation.

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• 2020 Richard Kershaw Wines GPS Series Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

  (Tasted Blind): An intense and complex wine with ripe orange and citrus notes on the nose, along with some oak elements. A fresh acid entry, clean with excellent breadth, there is a freshness ands brightness that extend to the long finish. Ripe citrus join some green apple. I gave it 95 served blind, but have a conflict of interest so no actual score

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Parma Ham, Exotic Mushroom, Truffle Oil Flatbread
Rocket Biltong, Feta, Peppered & Rocket Flatbread

• 2017 Peter Falke Kanoa 91 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind) Cab S and Cabernet Franc blend with the CF being Clone 46 from the Cordoba farm. The nose is subtle with wafts of ripe black and red fruits with a sprinkle of spice. A fresh wine backed by lively acidity, the wine sits up straight in the glass. The palate entry is soft, attractive and rich with bright cassis notes and herbal notes amongst dark chocolate. A brightly focussed wine with wider powdery tannins, medium weight with some depth of flavour. Finishes long.

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• 2019 Benguela Cove Collage 87 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay

  (Tasted Blind) A dusty and stalky nose with noticeable green elements, including a green pepper juice-like quality. Also cola, tonic, and charcoal give an old-school vibe. Is it picking issues or virus?
  The palate reflects this green profile with herb, saline notes giving a sinewy and narrow texture. Fresh, crisp acidity throughout, good intensity and arguably relatively restrained, it took some time to lift the lid onto some red fruits and red plum. Dry, medium length.

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• 2018 Dornier Donatus 85 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): A broad, ripe nose with plenty of black and red fruits. The palate feels a little smudged, lacking clarity, almost dulled. Elements of engine oil, dried orange peel from super ripe grapes. Not a heap going on and for me a little ho-hum.

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• 2017 Glenelly Estate Lady May 93 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Again the CF is Clone 46. A lifted and intensity bone with fresh currants, both blackcurrant and redcurrant along with graphite and cedar-wood. A bright, focussed entry, fine-grained powdery tannins that are compact; amazing depth of flavour giving layers of pleasure. A poised, purely fruited wine finishes long with a touch of green herbs.

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