Deepish colour - faintly alamingly so: previous bottles have been much paler, though this has been in the cellar for about five years now. £6 in 2003. Current vintage is the 2007, which is £8 from Woffenden Wines of Bolton. A smoky, spicy nose is followed up by a full palate. Nicely rounded, but there is just a touch of acidity to freshen up the slight sweetness. A nice oriental spice flavour: Steve mentions ginger, which points me in the direction I was trying to find: there are some rather nice, fragrant galangal flavours. I'd happily drink this. Very Good.
A powerful, extracted, concentrated nose with nuts and a bit of oak. Very big palate. Very hot. But really rather flat and dull on the palate once you get beyond the alcoholic burn. Don't like it, and there's not much I can appreciate in it.
Screwcap. Very high fill - ridiculously high fill, almost to the brim. Well, a 20-year old South African Riesling under screwcap. Not the most promising of prospects. But in the end, quite possibly my WOTN. It's a mid golden colour. The nose feels old. Quite raisined and sweetened-with-must feeling. Well, this isn't unpleasant. There's quite high acidity and a slight raisiny feel. But it also has an interesting roundness. Coming back to it through the evening, I found this going from merely very interesting to really rather enjoyable. For an experiment, it's worked rather well. The combination of this and the green pepper sauce with the steak was a revelation: a completely off-the-wall pairing that was much more than the sum of its parts.
South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland, Malmesbury
Mid gold. A decent nose, though nothing special: feels a bit like a fairly basic white Rhone. Really nice in the mouth. This has good depth and is a very well made wine. Very enjoyable now, but it could do with more time, I think.
A nice rich, oaky, buttery chardonnay nose. Lovely palate: rich, but not overblown. In fact, I find it very finely balanced. Really nice poised finish. This is a top notch chardonnay. Yum.
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
A warm, slightly scented, slightly floral red fruits nose. Nice, open palate. Fairly attractive; quite floral and scented. There's a bit of a bitter edge, which for me gives the impression of the burn you'd normally associate with excessive alcohol.
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
This has an attractive nose - very rounded and Bordeaux-like in style. Lovely, caressing palate, with sweet, but not over-sweet round, black fruit. A very pleasant, very drinkable, very impressive wine.
The nose is dominated for me by volatility, backed up with some muddy dirtiness. But forget the nose. This has a very classy feel on the palate: quite evolved, with some high tones, but also a real spicy, floral feel on the palate.
An attractive nose with sweet black fruit and nutmeggy overtones. Very direct and a bit hot on the attack. Nice pleasant, black fruit on the palate. Just feels a bit flat and ordinary. Possibly closed down??
The nose has warm, tending to hot, red fruit; fairly attractive. Very attractive palate. Quite approachable. There's sweet, clean fruit on the palate, but ultimately it feels a touch simple.
A very interesting nose: there is some sweet blackcurrant fruit evident, followed up by some spicy red fruit and violets. Nice open palate with some oakiness evident. Fairly direct and maybe a bit ordinary? Sorry.
A hugely fragrant nose, more like white wine than red: almost gewurztraminer-like, it's so floral and scented. I think most of the table agrees that this smells much more like gewurztraminer than anything related to syrah. Very strange. Interesting palate. Again very fragrant, and it feels like there must be some viognier in it. Or maybe it's some syrah blended into viognier? What on earth do you do with this? Very difficult to judge or assess: it's just so different and completely in a style of its own. A red wine for girlies? someone suggests. If you ignore the fact that it's nothing like syrah, or even red wine, it's an unchallenging, pleasant drink.
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Overberg, Klein River
A very fresh, clean nose with some sweet mulberry and blueberry fruit. Quite sweet and floral on the palate, but it also has a decent freshness. Possibly a bit overshadowed by a number of preceding wines. Very pleasant wine, notwithstanding.
Ever-reliable. Deep golden colour. This has botrytis and apricots on the nose with a lovely fresh cleanness. Rich, sweet, but not overly so. Precise and enjoyable as ever.
A floral, fresh nose with some spirit rather evident. Chocolatey palate, but also feeling very winey. There's a touch of astringency. Not as good as i remember previous bottles being.
A deep, dark purple with very firm legs. The nose has ripe black plums and berry fruit. Port-like, but with an edge. Rich and chocolatey palate. Jolly good, but far too young.
2001 Cederberg Bukettraube 87 Points
South Africa, Western Cape, Cederberg
Deepish colour - faintly alamingly so: previous bottles have been much paler, though this has been in the cellar for about five years now. £6 in 2003. Current vintage is the 2007, which is £8 from Woffenden Wines of Bolton.
A smoky, spicy nose is followed up by a full palate. Nicely rounded, but there is just a touch of acidity to freshen up the slight sweetness. A nice oriental spice flavour: Steve mentions ginger, which points me in the direction I was trying to find: there are some rather nice, fragrant galangal flavours. I'd happily drink this. Very Good.
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2007 de Trafford Chenin Blanc 80 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
A powerful, extracted, concentrated nose with nuts and a bit of oak. Very big palate. Very hot. But really rather flat and dull on the palate once you get beyond the alcoholic burn. Don't like it, and there's not much I can appreciate in it.
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1987 Nietvoorbij Riesling Proefwyn Experimental Wine 89 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
Screwcap. Very high fill - ridiculously high fill, almost to the brim.
Well, a 20-year old South African Riesling under screwcap. Not the most promising of prospects. But in the end, quite possibly my WOTN.
It's a mid golden colour. The nose feels old. Quite raisined and sweetened-with-must feeling. Well, this isn't unpleasant. There's quite high acidity and a slight raisiny feel. But it also has an interesting roundness. Coming back to it through the evening, I found this going from merely very interesting to really rather enjoyable. For an experiment, it's worked rather well. The combination of this and the green pepper sauce with the steak was a revelation: a completely off-the-wall pairing that was much more than the sum of its parts.
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2005 Sadie Family Palladius 90 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland, Malmesbury
Mid gold. A decent nose, though nothing special: feels a bit like a fairly basic white Rhone. Really nice in the mouth. This has good depth and is a very well made wine. Very enjoyable now, but it could do with more time, I think.
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2003 Meerlust Chardonnay 92 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
A nice rich, oaky, buttery chardonnay nose. Lovely palate: rich, but not overblown. In fact, I find it very finely balanced. Really nice poised finish. This is a top notch chardonnay. Yum.
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1999 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir 87 Points
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
A warm, slightly scented, slightly floral red fruits nose. Nice, open palate. Fairly attractive; quite floral and scented. There's a bit of a bitter edge, which for me gives the impression of the burn you'd normally associate with excessive alcohol.
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1998 Meerlust Pinot Noir Reserve 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
A rather stinky, goaty nose. A darkish, fairly youthful-looking colour. Quite big on the palate, feeling much younger than the Hamilton Russell.
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2002 Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
This has an attractive nose - very rounded and Bordeaux-like in style. Lovely, caressing palate, with sweet, but not over-sweet round, black fruit. A very pleasant, very drinkable, very impressive wine.
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1995 Meerlust Rubicon 91 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
The nose is dominated for me by volatility, backed up with some muddy dirtiness. But forget the nose. This has a very classy feel on the palate: quite evolved, with some high tones, but also a real spicy, floral feel on the palate.
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2000 Eikendal Vineyards Classique 89 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
Quite a meaty, horse-sweaty nose. But great, refined palate. Nicely elegant. Lovely wine.
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2004 Sadie Family Columella 86 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland
An attractive nose with sweet black fruit and nutmeggy overtones. Very direct and a bit hot on the attack. Nice pleasant, black fruit on the palate. Just feels a bit flat and ordinary. Possibly closed down??
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2003 Sequillo Cellars Sequillo Red 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland
The nose has warm, tending to hot, red fruit; fairly attractive.
Very attractive palate. Quite approachable. There's sweet, clean fruit on the palate, but ultimately it feels a touch simple.
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2000 Morgenster Lourens River Valley 84 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
A very interesting nose: there is some sweet blackcurrant fruit evident, followed up by some spicy red fruit and violets. Nice open palate with some oakiness evident. Fairly direct and maybe a bit ordinary? Sorry.
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2004 Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards (TMV) Syrah Swartland 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland
A hugely fragrant nose, more like white wine than red: almost gewurztraminer-like, it's so floral and scented. I think most of the table agrees that this smells much more like gewurztraminer than anything related to syrah. Very strange.
Interesting palate. Again very fragrant, and it feels like there must be some viognier in it. Or maybe it's some syrah blended into viognier? What on earth do you do with this? Very difficult to judge or assess: it's just so different and completely in a style of its own. A red wine for girlies? someone suggests. If you ignore the fact that it's nothing like syrah, or even red wine, it's an unchallenging, pleasant drink.
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2002 Raka Shiraz Biography 89 Points
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Overberg, Klein River
A very fresh, clean nose with some sweet mulberry and blueberry fruit. Quite sweet and floral on the palate, but it also has a decent freshness. Possibly a bit overshadowed by a number of preceding wines. Very pleasant wine, notwithstanding.
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2003 Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest 90 Points
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin
Ever-reliable. Deep golden colour. This has botrytis and apricots on the nose with a lovely fresh cleanness. Rich, sweet, but not overly so. Precise and enjoyable as ever.
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1990 Overgaauw Cape Vintage Fortified Wine 86 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
A floral, fresh nose with some spirit rather evident. Chocolatey palate, but also feeling very winey. There's a touch of astringency. Not as good as i remember previous bottles being.
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2005 Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 88 Points
South Africa, Klein Karoo, Calitzdorp
A deep, dark purple with very firm legs. The nose has ripe black plums and berry fruit. Port-like, but with an edge. Rich and chocolatey palate. Jolly good, but far too young.
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