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Cape of Good Wine

cape of good wine | Sipping my way through the Cape Winelands | A South African Wine Blog

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  - Constantia Wine Route
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Cape of Good Wine

cape of good wine | Sipping my way through the Cape Winelands | A South African Wine Blog

About
- Contact Me
- Sample Policy
Musings & Ramblings
Learn with me
Interviews
Musings & Ramblings
Wine Reviews
Learn with me
- What's the Grape?
- Wine Regions
  - Constantia Wine Route
Wine Wise

chenin blanc

Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Sec 2022

Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Sec 2022

Botha Kelder Amyah Chenin Blanc 2020

Top 5 South African Chenin Blanc Wines

Brookdale Chenin Blanc 2019

Sadie Family Wines, Die Ouwingerdreeks, Rotsbank 2022

HER Chenin Blanc 2021

Elemental Bob My Cosmic Hands 2015

Wolf & Woman Chenin Blanc 2021

Mouton Family Wines Revenge of the Crayfish 2020

Klein Karoo Terroir Tasting

BlankBottle Manon De Sources 2016

BlankBottle Manon de Sources 2016

Son of the Soil Wines

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Lustau Manzanilla Papirosa Speaking of wines that

Lustau Manzanilla Papirosa

Speaking of wines that instantly transport you to the sea. Tell me this Manzanilla isn’t a sunset walk along the coast, crunching on an apple to tide you over ‘til dinner…inspecting every rock pool while sea mist starts to roll in and envelop you…until a sudden crash and spray reminds you that the tide is turning…and you reluctantly, despite the goosebumps, head back…the soft, warm glow through the windows a beacon guiding you to the thatched cottage that your high school friend calls home.

Romantic? Insert shrieking kids, belly laughs when you step in a pool of stagnant seawater, and the kids voting for takeaway pizza instead of the fish tacos you’d planned. The kids were right…pizza is easier.

Hay and chamomile, kelp and sea fog, lemon zest flecks in a green apple granita.

Dry, lower acidity, light bodied, near imperceptible alcohol for me...and a longish finish. Almonds, fennel bulb and bread dough insist on joining the watery bruised apple flesh. The kids pull faces when they sniff my drink…delish!

Arniston Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2026 I’ve seen this

Hirsch Ried Lamm Kamptal Grüner Veltliner 2019 We

Hirsch Ried Lamm Kamptal Grüner Veltliner 2019

We’re days away from meteorological Spring. Tangent: I always wondered why people thought Spring Day was 1 September…yet I always remembered it as 21 September (astronomical spring is on the 22/23rd). It’s one of those funny primary school teachings/artefacts that stuck with me. But the sunrise, trees and birdies are clearly working with meteorological Spring.

Back on track: who am I to argue with the chirping birds…they are an accurate alarm clock/calendar reminder that it is Sauv Blanc season! But before I OD on SB, let’s ease into the Spring with a Grüner.

An elegant nose of white peaches, apples and limes. Vegetal celery juice but also a herbal green something. Cream soda minerality and a flint-like smokiness.

Dry but so juicy, fine zesty acidity, lighter bodied but with depth of flavour, smooth but with some textural pithy grip, and a decent length to the finish. Juicy juicy juicy ripe peaches and apples, distinctive minerality… and an intriguing subtle salty yeasty leesy note.

It’s another wonderful gift from @grzesiek.just.grzesiek who is having the most glorious summer - so worthwhile checking out his annual wine adventures/pilgramages! Tangent: primary school also taught us that summer starts when the 6 week December holiday started. 6 weeks of holiday - oh, to be a kid again!

Mount Abora Saffraan Cinsaut 2022 Sticking with t

Elemental Bob Stonefields Moon 2021 I was perusin

Elemental Bob Stonefields Moon 2021

I was perusing an old Platter’s Wine Guide and landed on a different vintage of the Stonefields Moon. And realised I’d never shouted about this wine (consumed 2 years ago 🤦🏾‍♀️). It’s funny reading through an old diary…but kinda cool being able to date the origins of a thought or idea.

That thought was the importance of lekker/drinkability/yum. I have a few weeks of analytical tastings where scores don’t always align with my enjoyability, and ‘yum’ means nothing to a stranger. Wondering whether my yum is someone else’s yuck, and if my yuck is someone else’s yum? Wondering whether a stranger will appreciate this Sauv Blanc Gewurz blend?

Golden hued with intriguing struck match…that blows off quickly to reveal pretty honeysuckle & orange blossom billowing around limes & unripe oranges…chasing hints of chamomile, subtle sweet spices and walnut skin. The flint settles into seaweed that sort of stands apart…a solo figure watching from the sidelines. Lekker.

Dry with the usual Gewurz sweetness confusion, lovely acidity, weighty and mouthcoating, with a very decent finish. Bitter buchu, lemon peel, juicy sweet ripe lemons and honey. Cold, hollow burnt sugar/dark toffee finds its way into the crevices of your mouth. It reminds me of sucking too hard on a honeysuckle flower as a kid and hitting the bitter pollen. Yum.

Other than the seaweed…I found this so unified that it was hard to untangle the individual components or grapes. All I want is another sip. Drinkability.

Plot twist: I’d found a second bottle and my OG notes said this could be even better in a few years. So after a few weeks of trad reds, tasting analytically and writing for the broader public I opened it and compared it to my first set of notes. Possibly the funniest (and unusual) thing about diary entries and wine journeys is when you still agree with your slightly younger self. Your personal lekker/drinkability/yum are important…coz it transcends BLIC and scores and what strangers might think.

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