Testalonga El Bandito Mangaliza 2018

Testalonga El Bandito Mangaliza 2018

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.

1 Comment

  1. Pingback: Hárslevelü – What’s The Grape – cape of good wine

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