Nose of pineapple, brioche, smoke, hay, m int Palate f body, new oak well integrated but still sweetly there, cream, butter, fleshy peaches, , m acid, yeasty finish
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Plenty of fruit intensity and complexity, with lemon, melon, peach, and pineapple notes, and some floral intensity too. It's developing some nice honey and hazelnut notes, and there is some well-integrated oak here. Creamy texture. A fabulous wine.
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A worthy opponent to Chris Alheit's bush vine Chenins.. On nose: a distictive , pronounced note of tart slightly green peach, so vivid , I could almost feel the fuzz, with oak/ vanilla and toasted bread in tow. On palate: all above flavour notes, in addition to delightful nuances of mace and a ghost of ginger,supported by melon rind, meyer lemon,and blanched almonds...all on a full body, balanced with clean acidity and a long finish, echoing the muted peach, with an echo of sea salt....great wine for rich seafood: Sea Bass and Salmon.....ready now , but can age for a decade.
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Medium gold with some green hues. Intense nose, full of floral notes, exotic fruits and melon. Medium acidity and medium to full bodied. Concentraded and elegant, you can find vanilla and honey notes. Medium to long finish. My first S. Africa Chenin Blanc impressed me. Very good wine.
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Briefly, very tart on entry, followed by a rich fruit driven mid-palate and then a very crisp, clean, but short finish.
We paired this with vegetable soups, and lobster, which was maybe not the best pairing. Will try our other bottle with slightly spicier food as suggested by the producer.
But on the basis of this showing there's no wow factor to justify the ~US$58 price.
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Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc Tasting (Stellenbosch): (Tasted Blind): Light+ yellow with bold aromas of jasmine, yellow flowers, guava, mango and pineapple. With further swirling it starts to reveal angelica, waxy lemon, and ripe Williams pear. A clean entry with a lovely sappiness and juiciness that shows the herbal and pithy notes filled with streamlined flavours of tropical fruits, orchard fruits and some Meyer Lemon. The alcohol is warming and generous leading to the pithy element feeling lightly bitter on the back palate. Broad and ripe style of Chenin, the wine has lively acidity but the finish is relatively short for what it promised. Has the building blocks that indicate aging potential. Closes with dried apricot and botrytis. It is not the most complex style, more present and upfront but very enjoyable, well-made and it did improve in glass.
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Always a solid and dependable wine and did not fail us this time either. A bit less on the oak int he last few vintages, less waxy feel. We wonder if this is a change in wine making style which btw we welcome as the wine has a better purity and focus. Good even at this young age, nice ripeness, a bit more of a cool climate feel, better on the acidity front and a solid 90
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The name stands for "Forrester Meinert Chenin". From a low-yielding vineyard planted in 1974. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (30% new, 70% 2nd fill). 13% alcohol, 7,6 g/l residual sugar, 6,2 g/l acidity, pH 3,34.
Medium-deep yellow-green color. Creamy and complex nose with layered aromas of white peach, some sour apple candies, a little bit of toasty oak spice, light smoky notes, a hint of honeydew melon and a touch of wizened stone fruits. The wine is broad yet firm and structured on the palate with medium body and rich flavors of ripe golden apples, some creamy oak, a little bit of apricot, light toasty tones, a hint of pineapple and a touch of sweet caramel oak. The rather high acidity keeps the wine nicely in balance and lends it nice sense of freshness. The finish is spicy, slightly woody and long with flavors of toasty oak spice, some creaminess, a little bit of red apple, light peachy tones, a hint of pineapple and a touch of vanilla.
A complex, fresh and balanced Chenin Blanc with a lot of depth and intensity. The oak feels quite prominent and perhaps slightly awkward here, but the wine still exudes finesse; it is still all too young for its own good and I have no doubts that the oak will integrate with the fruit if given enough time. For immediate consumption the wine is a bit too oaky for my taste, but there's tons of promise for future development. Let the wine wait and expect the score to go up with age.
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Praelum - Homedrunk (Praelum Wine Bistro): Straw and butter on the nose, and some hay, greens, mint herbs, cream, honey. A bit of pepper and star anise towards the back, but finished short
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South African Chenin Blanc: A Signature Variety Arrives (SOMM CON DC): Deep greenish yellow. Warm brioche on the nose with nutmeg, baked apples, stone fruits and some hay. Medium plus acidity (7/10) and full bodied. Layered palate with lots of tree fruits, apricot and cantaloupe. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2029.
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4/20/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fresh fruit, good color, good finish. A real treat on a hot afternoon. Drink or hold.
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11/3/2022 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 92 Points
So youthful in color and nose, good palate feel and finish. Should get better but with Sushi tonight it was light and filling.
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8/21/2022 - RVC_Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose of pineapple, brioche, smoke, hay, m int
Palate f body, new oak well integrated but still sweetly there, cream, butter, fleshy peaches, , m acid, yeasty finish
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3/27/2022 - mrgarreth Likes this wine: 88 Points
Plenty of fruit intensity and complexity, with lemon, melon, peach, and pineapple notes, and some floral intensity too. It's developing some nice honey and hazelnut notes, and there is some well-integrated oak here. Creamy texture. A fabulous wine.
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3/3/2022 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needs a decant. But lovely out of the btl. Wonderful fruit tones and slippery finish. Hold.
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12/14/2021 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 90 Points
On the beach watching a sunset. Bright color, lots of melon fruit, going to age well. Drink/hold/Buy
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10/20/2021 - Pontifax Likes this wine: 93 Points
A worthy opponent to Chris Alheit's bush vine Chenins..
On nose: a distictive , pronounced note of tart slightly green peach, so vivid , I could almost feel the fuzz, with oak/ vanilla and toasted bread in tow.
On palate: all above flavour notes, in addition to delightful nuances of mace and a ghost of ginger,supported by melon rind, meyer lemon,and blanched almonds...all on a full body, balanced with clean acidity and a long finish, echoing the muted peach, with an echo of sea salt....great wine for rich seafood: Sea Bass and Salmon.....ready now , but can age for a decade.
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9/19/2021 - nnektarios Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium gold with some green hues. Intense nose, full of floral notes, exotic fruits and melon. Medium acidity and medium to full bodied. Concentraded and elegant, you can find vanilla and honey notes. Medium to long finish. My first S. Africa Chenin Blanc impressed me. Very good wine.
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7/16/2021 - Paul852 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Briefly, very tart on entry, followed by a rich fruit driven mid-palate and then a very crisp, clean, but short finish.
We paired this with vegetable soups, and lobster, which was maybe not the best pairing. Will try our other bottle with slightly spicier food as suggested by the producer.
But on the basis of this showing there's no wow factor to justify the ~US$58 price.
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3/16/2021 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 90 Points
Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc Tasting (Stellenbosch): (Tasted Blind): Light+ yellow with bold aromas of jasmine, yellow flowers, guava, mango and pineapple. With further swirling it starts to reveal angelica, waxy lemon, and ripe Williams pear.
A clean entry with a lovely sappiness and juiciness that shows the herbal and pithy notes filled with streamlined flavours of tropical fruits, orchard fruits and some Meyer Lemon. The alcohol is warming and generous leading to the pithy element feeling lightly bitter on the back palate. Broad and ripe style of Chenin, the wine has lively acidity but the finish is relatively short for what it promised. Has the building blocks that indicate aging potential. Closes with dried apricot and botrytis. It is not the most complex style, more present and upfront but very enjoyable, well-made and it did improve in glass.
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9/9/2020 - MS86 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Does this really get better with age? It is unbelievably good right now! Remarkably bold and full bodied Chenin Blanc.
Aromatic nose of lemon zest, saline, wet stone, petrol, vanilla and melon.
In the mouth this is a huge, balanced wine with crisp back of palate acidity and high alcohol.
Flavours closer to an oaked Chardonnay with creamy citrus, melon and spicy white pepper.
Lemon meringue finish is exceptional and lasts forever.
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1/13/2020 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ripe citrus, apricot, oak, a bit of creamy character, balancing acidity there. Could wait for 2 years or so for better integration. Overpriced though.
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11/4/2019 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Always a solid and dependable wine and did not fail us this time either. A bit less on the oak int he last few vintages, less waxy feel. We wonder if this is a change in wine making style which btw we welcome as the wine has a better purity and focus. Good even at this young age, nice ripeness, a bit more of a cool climate feel, better on the acidity front and a solid 90
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9/10/2019 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
The name stands for "Forrester Meinert Chenin". From a low-yielding vineyard planted in 1974. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (30% new, 70% 2nd fill). 13% alcohol, 7,6 g/l residual sugar, 6,2 g/l acidity, pH 3,34.
Medium-deep yellow-green color. Creamy and complex nose with layered aromas of white peach, some sour apple candies, a little bit of toasty oak spice, light smoky notes, a hint of honeydew melon and a touch of wizened stone fruits. The wine is broad yet firm and structured on the palate with medium body and rich flavors of ripe golden apples, some creamy oak, a little bit of apricot, light toasty tones, a hint of pineapple and a touch of sweet caramel oak. The rather high acidity keeps the wine nicely in balance and lends it nice sense of freshness. The finish is spicy, slightly woody and long with flavors of toasty oak spice, some creaminess, a little bit of red apple, light peachy tones, a hint of pineapple and a touch of vanilla.
A complex, fresh and balanced Chenin Blanc with a lot of depth and intensity. The oak feels quite prominent and perhaps slightly awkward here, but the wine still exudes finesse; it is still all too young for its own good and I have no doubts that the oak will integrate with the fruit if given enough time. For immediate consumption the wine is a bit too oaky for my taste, but there's tons of promise for future development. Let the wine wait and expect the score to go up with age.
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8/31/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 90 Points
Praelum - Homedrunk (Praelum Wine Bistro): Straw and butter on the nose, and some hay, greens, mint herbs, cream, honey. A bit of pepper and star anise towards the back, but finished short
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6/29/2019 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 89 Points
A chalky, citrussy nose
A crisp lemony palate with a bit of a chalky crunch on finish
Young but impressive.
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6/24/2019 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 93 Points
South African Chenin Blanc: A Signature Variety Arrives (SOMM CON DC): Deep greenish yellow. Warm brioche on the nose with nutmeg, baked apples, stone fruits and some hay. Medium plus acidity (7/10) and full bodied. Layered palate with lots of tree fruits, apricot and cantaloupe. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2029.
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