Quite golden, amber tinges. Nose of marmalade, quince and lemon. Fine acidity. Marzipan, honey, citrus. Tons of complexity. Screams S Rhone white, aged. Very well made but maybe pushing its envelope. I liked it but others didn't. Not for the faint hearted.
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Done.... I have a few more of these because the first one was so amazing, but this one was almost undrinkable. It's a deep gold, and too aged (or aged too quickly maybe). There seems to be a ton of bottle variation, with the first of the three we've had being spectacular; this and the previous one the edge or clearly past "done." Thank goodness for PA's liberal return policy -- back to the store with the rest!
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Totally different than the previous bottle of this -- it was not as fresh.... definitely not corked but the oxidation was noticeable. Still a pleasant drink, with Deb saying it had notes of cognac. I don't mind when a white, sometimes, has a little bit of oxidation, so I don't mind this too much but it's right on the border of being done.
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Really lovely white. nose of sea air with little to none of the fruitiness noted by others....but this is a little later in life than those notes. Nose also of stoniness, a little herbaceousness. The palate is similar, with definite minerality and little fruitiness. the finish is remarkable and long, we can barely tell the difference in intensity a good while after we swallow. A great surprise.
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Simple Midweek Dinner (Kaiseki) (Dezato, Jalan Telok): A good showing. Decanted for half an hour, chilled, but this took a while to open up nonetheless. Nose was very tight at first, all steely minerally, with slatey, seashell accents, and a neutral white fruit backdrop. With time, there was a touch of beeswax, a touch of grass, slowly opening up into more honeyed notes. The consensus was that it could well be a white Burg on the nose. Palate was entirely different though. Rich, nicely structured and textured, just flecked at the edges with some alcohol, but not enough to throw the wine off. Flavour-wise, some hay again, plenty of beeswax, ripe red apples, some yellow fruit, little lemony notes, all laced with bright acidity and lots of lovely minerality, especially moving into the dry finish. New world with shades of old world I thought. Hsien Min thought it might be a Vouvray, and called it his WOTN. I was not too sure about that, preferring the 1988 Hugel slightly, but I enjoyed this nonetheless.
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Dinner with the Chiams (Asia Grand, Odeon Towers): Opened this half an hour before and chilled it well - started much better off the blocks this time. Still though, it really needs a good splashy decant with plenty of time to air, as it really started to shine only towards the end of dinner. Very good as usual though. Beeswax, honeyed white fruit and mineral on the notice. Lovely cleanness on the weighty palate, along with touces of apricot and and a mineral streak moving towards the lengthy finish. Big, but juicily fresh and very nicely defined. Yummy.
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Dinner with Jerming (Imperial Treasure Nan Nei, Suntec City): This seems to be getting better and better with age. Lovely nose, very developed, with beeswax and honeyed tones, along with earthy notes, chalky and flinty mineral, dried peach, pears, musk and a touch of herbs. Palate had a real richness to it, with yellow fruits and sweet ripe lemons and limes wrapped in a creamy texture and balanced by very nicely integrated acidity. Lots of structure and dry extract here, so that the wine was almost chewy. I get a feeling that this can develop for quite some time yet. Finish was, as always, impressively lengthy, with pears and grapefruit tones riding on a bed of lovely flinty mineral. As with the other bottles, this really started to shine when properly chilled and aerated - I would suggest decanting it before drinking. Otherwise, it was a very complete wine, I am looking forward to tasting these over the next few years.
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Initially, the wine was too warm and all I got was alc alc and over alc lemon notes, even a bit burnt. But this wine proved to be quite a magician. Once cooled, the fresh lemony citrus and mineral bomb came forth. Almost aussie riesling like... with its neat and clean mouthfeel. After some time, the wine evolved into how I remembered it to be.. a chard! The buttery nutty overtures came out , the mouthfeel became denser with beeswax and honeysuckle...a straddle between a new and old world chard. Still lots of minerality. A master magician though not in the class of david copperfield.
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Dinner at Thai Gold Cafe (Sunshine Plaza, Singapore): Interesting blend of 90% Chenin blanc, 5% Clairette blanche, 5% Voignier. Good showing this time round - towards the last glass, it really displayed itself as a rather classy, complete white. I think I finally got the hang of how to serve this wine. Cold, but not too cold, maybe around 11-13 degrees celcius. Give it lots of time to breath - no filtration, no fining, minimal sulphur, this needs air when first opened, a decant if possible is recommended. This bottle was a lesson in point. Horrible first out of the bottle, all alcohol and acid and flabby fruit swirling around. With time, it toned down, took on shape and was positively Chardonnay like, with lots of crushed rocky mineral, nuts and lemons - a little reserved though. After an hour, and properly chilled, it really hit its stride. On the nose, butter, cashew nuts, beeswax, honeysuckle, lots of mineral. On the palate, big but balanced, with ripe yellow fruit, apricots, a lot more minerality, ripe lemons, beeswax, honey, osmanthus flowers, a touch of sweet green tea even a bit of creamy mushroom at the finish. Lots of complexity. Excellent. It will be interesting to see how this wine ages - I think it has plenty of stuffing to develop a few more years in the bottle. Strange coincidence that I had this with Thai food twice in the space of a week - must say it goes pretty well with the less spicy dishes, with the ripeness and acidity of the wine being a good foil for the sweet and savoury dishes.
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Yet another bottle, at lunch with the Small Group along with Peranakan food. Showed pretty well. Served a bit too cold, it took a bit of time and air to open up. Golden yellow in colour by now. Nose showed honey, beeswax, some flowers and straw, musky figs, kumquats and a caramel note along with nice, dusky minerality. Palate was rich as always, with sappy yellow fruit well-balanced with integrated acidity and deep reservoirs of mineral underneath. Little floating honeysuckle notes rounded the wine off. Finish showed decent length. Still an extremely enjoyable white.
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Drank with Nasi Lemak and fruits at Edmund and Shuming's. Beautifully paired with mangoes and papayas. Apart from one slightly off bottle where the wine seemed to be going through an awkward stage, this is getting better and better all the time. I think it has really hit its stride now, with mature, honeyed tones coming out. The wine is rounder, more complete, and is quite certainly the best South African Chenin Blanc based white I have had the pleasure of drinking. Golden yellow in colour. Nose showed chalk, honey and beeswax along with a whiff of mushroom at first. As it warmed up and opened up, I started getting musky peach, pollen, flowers and lots of tropical fruits, like mangoes and golden kiwis. These just tumbled from the nose into the palate, which was rich and fleshy, with plenty of fruit sweetness. There, they were met with slatey mineral, ripe lime and lemon notes and golden delicious apples. As always, great balance throughout, ending in a decent finish with more fresh lime and plenty of the dry minerality. Lovely.
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Dinner with the monthly group at Restaurant le Nicolas (Nicolas Restaurant, Keong Saik Street, Singapore): Yummy. Best showing of this wine yet (my fifth bottle) – possibly because we served it at just the right temperature after 30 minutes in the ice bucket. Everything was integrated and in the right place. Nose was all honeycomb, honeydew and sweet yellow fruit - almost jackfruit-like I thought. There was less mineral and beeswax than I expected given the last couple of bottles, but there was still a hint in there, especially with the slight underlying chalkiness that floated beneath the sweeter scents. Palate was open and delicious - sweetish and big, with a generous burst of yellow fruit carrying on from the nose along with a honeysuckle and nectar accent. There was lots of structure undergirding all that, so that it was never imbalanced. This was especially evident as the wine moved into its really dry, minerally finish with nicely integrated notes of slate and chalk. Excellent.
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Bramble Dinner (Oak Avenue, Singapore): This was my fourth bottle of this wine in the past year, and probably the most developed of the lot. The bright, almost tropical fruit scents on the nose had faded somewhat, leaving lots of chalk and beeswax, along with nectarine fruit, honeysuckle and a touch of butterscotch. The palate had the familiar creamy, waxy texture, but was nice and fresh with sweet nectar flavours, more honeyed beeswax and ripe yellow fruit - almost banana like. This was certainly more toned down than the previous bottles and waxier, especially at the finish. Fruit was certainly still there as well, but lower-toned. Acid was there as well, but while it was still very fresh, I found it better integrated and less in your face. An excellent white.
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Dinner with Edmund and Shuming (Edmund and Shuming's place @ the Cornwall): Yet another excellent bottle. We popped a Faiveley Meursault Charmes at first, but that was a little heavy for the Thai influenced food, so this was opened instead and it went much better. Absolutely cracking wine. Chalky mineral, beeswax and tropical fruit on the nose. Lots of mineral on the palate, but so nicely balanced out with sweet honeydew, starfruit and honey flavours and fresh, snappy acidity that carried the wine into a lovely, sappy finish that showed a final linger of chalk, lemon and beeswax.
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Dinner at Edmund and Shuming's (The Cornwall, Singapore): I was as impressed by this bottle as the last one I had. Golden yellow coloured, this was served a little warmer than the last time I had it, with the flavour profile showing less of the citrussy grapefruit tones. This time round, the nose held fleshy white fruit, musky white flowers and a slight savoury whiff. The palate was rich and creamy, with honeysuckle and beeswax tones. Very nicely balanced, with round dollops of acid and a nice minerally finish. Just a light touch of heat, but otherwise a great wine all round.
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Drank this over a lovely lunch with mussels, cheese and ham with Alex and Kate. Pale golden yellow, with a lovely perfumed nose of white flowers, lemon and fleshy white fruit. Very big palate, yet nicely balanced with round, gummy acid. Lots of honeyed flavours, with some beeswax, lemon and grapefruit and the slightest bit of pineapple wrapped in a creamy package. Big as it was, it was kept very alive by both the acid and a slatey, mineral backbone that streaked through the wine from its fruit-driven attack to the dry, lingering finish. Very good.
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Nice clear pale yellow. 13% alcohol. Certified organic. Citrus, apricots/peaches on the nose. Sweet attack slightly bitter finish (maybe the fraction of viognier in this blend?). Rich mouthfeel and long finish. Balanced acid. Very good to excellent.
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5/9/2015 - cannym Likes this wine: 89 Points
Quite golden, amber tinges. Nose of marmalade, quince and lemon. Fine acidity. Marzipan, honey, citrus. Tons of complexity. Screams S Rhone white, aged. Very well made but maybe pushing its envelope. I liked it but others didn't. Not for the faint hearted.
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9/14/2012 - P&F wrote: flawed
Done.... I have a few more of these because the first one was so amazing, but this one was almost undrinkable. It's a deep gold, and too aged (or aged too quickly maybe). There seems to be a ton of bottle variation, with the first of the three we've had being spectacular; this and the previous one the edge or clearly past "done." Thank goodness for PA's liberal return policy -- back to the store with the rest!
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8/26/2012 - P&F wrote: flawed
Totally different than the previous bottle of this -- it was not as fresh.... definitely not corked but the oxidation was noticeable. Still a pleasant drink, with Deb saying it had notes of cognac. I don't mind when a white, sometimes, has a little bit of oxidation, so I don't mind this too much but it's right on the border of being done.
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7/22/2012 - P&F wrote: 92 Points
Really lovely white. nose of sea air with little to none of the fruitiness noted by others....but this is a little later in life than those notes. Nose also of stoniness, a little herbaceousness. The palate is similar, with definite minerality and little fruitiness. the finish is remarkable and long, we can barely tell the difference in intensity a good while after we swallow. A great surprise.
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9/27/2011 - IB71 wrote: 92 Points
Full review: http://atasteforwine.blogspot.com/2011/09/2006-tulbagh-mountain-vineyards-tmv.html
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6/9/2010 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Simple Midweek Dinner (Kaiseki) (Dezato, Jalan Telok): A good showing. Decanted for half an hour, chilled, but this took a while to open up nonetheless. Nose was very tight at first, all steely minerally, with slatey, seashell accents, and a neutral white fruit backdrop. With time, there was a touch of beeswax, a touch of grass, slowly opening up into more honeyed notes. The consensus was that it could well be a white Burg on the nose. Palate was entirely different though. Rich, nicely structured and textured, just flecked at the edges with some alcohol, but not enough to throw the wine off. Flavour-wise, some hay again, plenty of beeswax, ripe red apples, some yellow fruit, little lemony notes, all laced with bright acidity and lots of lovely minerality, especially moving into the dry finish. New world with shades of old world I thought. Hsien Min thought it might be a Vouvray, and called it his WOTN. I was not too sure about that, preferring the 1988 Hugel slightly, but I enjoyed this nonetheless.
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1/31/2010 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with the Chiams (Asia Grand, Odeon Towers): Opened this half an hour before and chilled it well - started much better off the blocks this time. Still though, it really needs a good splashy decant with plenty of time to air, as it really started to shine only towards the end of dinner. Very good as usual though. Beeswax, honeyed white fruit and mineral on the notice. Lovely cleanness on the weighty palate, along with touces of apricot and and a mineral streak moving towards the lengthy finish. Big, but juicily fresh and very nicely defined. Yummy.
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1/4/2010 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Jerming (Imperial Treasure Nan Nei, Suntec City): This seems to be getting better and better with age. Lovely nose, very developed, with beeswax and honeyed tones, along with earthy notes, chalky and flinty mineral, dried peach, pears, musk and a touch of herbs. Palate had a real richness to it, with yellow fruits and sweet ripe lemons and limes wrapped in a creamy texture and balanced by very nicely integrated acidity. Lots of structure and dry extract here, so that the wine was almost chewy. I get a feeling that this can develop for quite some time yet. Finish was, as always, impressively lengthy, with pears and grapefruit tones riding on a bed of lovely flinty mineral. As with the other bottles, this really started to shine when properly chilled and aerated - I would suggest decanting it before drinking. Otherwise, it was a very complete wine, I am looking forward to tasting these over the next few years.
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11/3/2009 - Alex H wrote: 84 Points
Initially, the wine was too warm and all I got was alc alc and over alc lemon notes, even a bit burnt. But this wine proved to be quite a magician. Once cooled, the fresh lemony citrus and mineral bomb came forth. Almost aussie riesling like... with its neat and clean mouthfeel. After some time, the wine evolved into how I remembered it to be.. a chard! The buttery nutty overtures came out , the mouthfeel became denser with beeswax and honeysuckle...a straddle between a new and old world chard. Still lots of minerality. A master magician though not in the class of david copperfield.
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11/3/2009 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Dinner at Thai Gold Cafe (Sunshine Plaza, Singapore): Interesting blend of 90% Chenin blanc, 5% Clairette blanche, 5% Voignier. Good showing this time round - towards the last glass, it really displayed itself as a rather classy, complete white. I think I finally got the hang of how to serve this wine. Cold, but not too cold, maybe around 11-13 degrees celcius. Give it lots of time to breath - no filtration, no fining, minimal sulphur, this needs air when first opened, a decant if possible is recommended. This bottle was a lesson in point. Horrible first out of the bottle, all alcohol and acid and flabby fruit swirling around. With time, it toned down, took on shape and was positively Chardonnay like, with lots of crushed rocky mineral, nuts and lemons - a little reserved though. After an hour, and properly chilled, it really hit its stride. On the nose, butter, cashew nuts, beeswax, honeysuckle, lots of mineral. On the palate, big but balanced, with ripe yellow fruit, apricots, a lot more minerality, ripe lemons, beeswax, honey, osmanthus flowers, a touch of sweet green tea even a bit of creamy mushroom at the finish. Lots of complexity. Excellent. It will be interesting to see how this wine ages - I think it has plenty of stuffing to develop a few more years in the bottle. Strange coincidence that I had this with Thai food twice in the space of a week - must say it goes pretty well with the less spicy dishes, with the ripeness and acidity of the wine being a good foil for the sweet and savoury dishes.
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11/1/2009 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Yet another bottle, at lunch with the Small Group along with Peranakan food. Showed pretty well. Served a bit too cold, it took a bit of time and air to open up. Golden yellow in colour by now. Nose showed honey, beeswax, some flowers and straw, musky figs, kumquats and a caramel note along with nice, dusky minerality. Palate was rich as always, with sappy yellow fruit well-balanced with integrated acidity and deep reservoirs of mineral underneath. Little floating honeysuckle notes rounded the wine off. Finish showed decent length. Still an extremely enjoyable white.
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8/22/2009 - IB71 wrote: 91 Points
Good. A new world-Savennieres. Has a certain classy minerality. The style is rounder, softer and slightly less complex than its Loire counterpart.
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8/11/2009 - Alex H wrote: 80 Points
National Day Dinner (Kome): Subtle honeysuckle notes. Lovely sugars and good weight.
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5/3/2009 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Drank with Nasi Lemak and fruits at Edmund and Shuming's. Beautifully paired with mangoes and papayas. Apart from one slightly off bottle where the wine seemed to be going through an awkward stage, this is getting better and better all the time. I think it has really hit its stride now, with mature, honeyed tones coming out. The wine is rounder, more complete, and is quite certainly the best South African Chenin Blanc based white I have had the pleasure of drinking. Golden yellow in colour. Nose showed chalk, honey and beeswax along with a whiff of mushroom at first. As it warmed up and opened up, I started getting musky peach, pollen, flowers and lots of tropical fruits, like mangoes and golden kiwis. These just tumbled from the nose into the palate, which was rich and fleshy, with plenty of fruit sweetness. There, they were met with slatey mineral, ripe lime and lemon notes and golden delicious apples. As always, great balance throughout, ending in a decent finish with more fresh lime and plenty of the dry minerality. Lovely.
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4/2/2009 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with the monthly group at Restaurant le Nicolas (Nicolas Restaurant, Keong Saik Street, Singapore): Yummy. Best showing of this wine yet (my fifth bottle) – possibly because we served it at just the right temperature after 30 minutes in the ice bucket. Everything was integrated and in the right place. Nose was all honeycomb, honeydew and sweet yellow fruit - almost jackfruit-like I thought. There was less mineral and beeswax than I expected given the last couple of bottles, but there was still a hint in there, especially with the slight underlying chalkiness that floated beneath the sweeter scents. Palate was open and delicious - sweetish and big, with a generous burst of yellow fruit carrying on from the nose along with a honeysuckle and nectar accent. There was lots of structure undergirding all that, so that it was never imbalanced. This was especially evident as the wine moved into its really dry, minerally finish with nicely integrated notes of slate and chalk. Excellent.
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12/30/2008 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Bramble Dinner (Oak Avenue, Singapore): This was my fourth bottle of this wine in the past year, and probably the most developed of the lot. The bright, almost tropical fruit scents on the nose had faded somewhat, leaving lots of chalk and beeswax, along with nectarine fruit, honeysuckle and a touch of butterscotch. The palate had the familiar creamy, waxy texture, but was nice and fresh with sweet nectar flavours, more honeyed beeswax and ripe yellow fruit - almost banana like. This was certainly more toned down than the previous bottles and waxier, especially at the finish. Fruit was certainly still there as well, but lower-toned. Acid was there as well, but while it was still very fresh, I found it better integrated and less in your face. An excellent white.
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11/21/2008 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with Edmund and Shuming (Edmund and Shuming's place @ the Cornwall): Yet another excellent bottle. We popped a Faiveley Meursault Charmes at first, but that was a little heavy for the Thai influenced food, so this was opened instead and it went much better. Absolutely cracking wine. Chalky mineral, beeswax and tropical fruit on the nose. Lots of mineral on the palate, but so nicely balanced out with sweet honeydew, starfruit and honey flavours and fresh, snappy acidity that carried the wine into a lovely, sappy finish that showed a final linger of chalk, lemon and beeswax.
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9/13/2008 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Dinner at Edmund and Shuming's (The Cornwall, Singapore): I was as impressed by this bottle as the last one I had. Golden yellow coloured, this was served a little warmer than the last time I had it, with the flavour profile showing less of the citrussy grapefruit tones. This time round, the nose held fleshy white fruit, musky white flowers and a slight savoury whiff. The palate was rich and creamy, with honeysuckle and beeswax tones. Very nicely balanced, with round dollops of acid and a nice minerally finish. Just a light touch of heat, but otherwise a great wine all round.
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8/29/2008 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Drank this over a lovely lunch with mussels, cheese and ham with Alex and Kate. Pale golden yellow, with a lovely perfumed nose of white flowers, lemon and fleshy white fruit. Very big palate, yet nicely balanced with round, gummy acid. Lots of honeyed flavours, with some beeswax, lemon and grapefruit and the slightest bit of pineapple wrapped in a creamy package. Big as it was, it was kept very alive by both the acid and a slatey, mineral backbone that streaked through the wine from its fruit-driven attack to the dry, lingering finish. Very good.
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11/23/2007 - Nico P. wrote:
Nice clear pale yellow. 13% alcohol. Certified organic. Citrus, apricots/peaches on the nose. Sweet attack slightly bitter finish (maybe the fraction of viognier in this blend?). Rich mouthfeel and long finish. Balanced acid. Very good to excellent.
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