Editor's choice: November 2009
Editor's choice
Looking for a personal recommendation? Christian Eedes discusses the wines that particularly stood out for him during this month's blind tastings.
VALUE WHITE BLEND
★ ★ ★ THREE STARS
Groot Constantia Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009
CELLAR PRICE: R56
55% Semillon, 45% Sauvignon Blanc. Very approachable with a youthfully fragrant nose of guava and grass and a fresh, clean palate. Pronounced lime flavour and bright acidity. Light bodied and elegant - offers great quaffing now but should also fatten out with some time in bottle. CE's score: 17/20.
INVESTMENT CHARDONNAY
★ ★ ★ ✩THREE AND A HALF STARS
Jordan Nine Yards 2008
CELLAR PRICE: R195
A wine that's supposed to make a statement and does so emphatically. Twelve months in 95% new and 5% second-fill French oak. Citrus and some leesy character on the nose, while the palate shows excellent fruit expression, layers of primary and secondary flavours and well-judged oak. Rich and concentrated, but impeccably balanced.
CE's score: 17/20.
INVESTMENT SAUVIGNON BLANC
★ ★ ★ THREE STARS
Vergelegen Reserve 2009
CELLAR PRICE: R159
A site-specific wine from vineyards situated on the notoriously windswept slopes of the Schapenberg near Somerset West. Absolutely nothing generic about the 2009 which shows pronounced herbaceous aromas on the nose while the palate has an arresting pepper character to go with juicy fruit and vivid acidity. CE's score: 18/20.
INVESTMENT SEMILLON
★ ★ ★ ✩ THREE AND A HALF STARS
Steenberg 2008
CELLAR PRICE: R160
Super-ripe fruit and deft use of oak (fermented in barrel and left for a further three weeks) make for a wine with great fruit intensity and not insignificant palate weight. Lime, tangerine and nutmeg throughout. Rich but not at all clumsy, it should reward at least
three years of bottle maturation. CE's score: 18/20.
