Hárslevelü in South Africa? Who would have thunk!

As part of my interest in discovering all the unusual grape varieties planted in the Cape,  I picked up this Testalonga that is 100% Hárslevelü.

The Wine:

Uhm…someone didn’t make notes again, so here’s a list of random words scribbled under Mangaliza: Cloudy yellow (not the wine in the picture, floral jasmine, peach, ripe apple, pear, herbs, salty/mineral, electric lime acidity, rich, full bodied. The only complete sentence was: ‘A lovely long finish’. Good thing I have a few more bottles to practice on.

Vini + Viti:

The grapes come from organically farmed bushvines planted in 1971 at the bottom of the slope in the Paardeberg. Neutral oak, unfined, unfiltered, low sulphite.

Conclusion:

Balance (1) + Length (1) + Intensity (1) + Complexity (½) = A very good wine, but let’s reserve a final conclusion for another day where I’m more focussed.

Can be drunk now, but has potential for much further ageing.