BlankBottle Epileptic Inspiration 2021
Starting the year with a fave...but brace yourself for the twist, where our heroine is brave enough to admit that there are limitations to her fangirling.
The Wine:
A gloriously pronounced nose with brazen vanilla essence, bitter chamomile leaves, preserved lemons and slightly oxidized lemon oil, floor wax...or beeswax 😂, ripe watery apricots, fresh soapy coriander, and green melon. I want to push for spices...but it’s not as blatant as that...it’s more like fragrant honey from bees buzzing around the spice cupboard?!?
There’s lovely acidity and body, with a palate that’s fairly intense and echoes the nose. The bitter chamomile or radicchio is perfection. I know I lean on this a lot, but a hollow bitter burnt sugar crust adds beautiful depth that’s sustained for a delightful length of time.
Eish...and then I tried to guess the grape and the new oak threw me off completely...it’s not something I associate with BlankBottle. Recent oaked Verdicchio memories? Semi oaked Semillon? Wooded Chenin? Google to the rescue: Sem! And 40% new oak for the first time in this wine!
Viti & Vini:
Sémillon from South East facing slopes in cool climate Elgin.
"The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness and cooled overnight to 4º celsius. The next morning the grapes were pressed as whole bunches. The juice underwent spontaneous fermentation in a combination of Amphora as well as new and old French oak. Deep winter the wine received one sulfur addition. 10 months on the lees, blended and bottled."
Alc 12.5% | RS: 1.8g/L | Acidity: 5.8g/L | pH: 3.35 | Volatile Acidity: 0.57 g/L | Free SO2: 33 ppm | Total SO2: 93 ppm
Final Thoughts:
Now for the twist...as much as this is a very distinctive and memorable wine...there’s something disjointed about the flavours. All that complexity of winter melon, coriander, honey and lemon oil are prefixed and suffixed by vanilla. And vanilla isn’t my fave...especially when it detracts from the wine (for me). Does this need more time in bottle to find its cohesive footing? Or is it an oaked style that I struggle to make peace with? Or maybe it was my mood for that week.
Whatever the reason, it hasn’t halted my fandom. If you ever have the chance to watch this movie, Epileptic Inspiration, you’ll understand some of my passion for this winemaker...and develop a newfound respect for his hand crafted labels. Also...a box of tissues might come in handy.
Find the wine:
Click here to read about the BlankBottle Pseudonym 2019, BlankBottle Saint Rand 2020, BlankBottle TBC NV, BlankBottle 1 Click Off 2021, BlankBottle Manon De Sources 2016, BlankBottle Searching For L’Estrange 2019, BlankBottle Little William 2019, BlankBottle Kortpad Kaaptoe 2019, BlankBottle Unity 2015, BlankBottle Sin A Bhfuil 2016, BlankBottle My Eie Stofpad 2017, BlankBottle HBK 2015, BlankBottle Familiemoord 2015, and BlankBottle - AKA My Favourite Day Of 2019
