MICHAEL GREEN’S WINE NOTES #256

“Not the run of the mill white wines” was the title given by Peter and Annette Hoyer to a tasting given at their home for our private wine group, and this was no more than the truth. The six wines tasted were all distinctly unusual, and expensive.

They were all South African wines, but the grapes used in making them included some exotic names -- viognier, roussanne, grenache blanc - plus the more generally known chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and semillon.

The tasting was, as usual, blind - we were given information about the wines but not the order in which they were poured - and the scores of the tasters were averaged out at the end. In this case the scoring was exceptionally high - all the wines were given 17 or more points out of 20 - and top place finally went to Idiom Viognier 2006, from the Da Capo Vineyards at Helderberg, Somerset West.

This is a relatively new cellar. Its first bottling of wine was eight years ago. Viognier, a Rhone valley variety, is still a sparsely-planted vine at the Cape but its reputation is growing steadily. The Idiom Viognier had peach, citrus and fig flavours and scents, with a touch of almond in the aftertaste, and it was a big, powerful wine, 14,5 percent alcohol, the highest of the six wines we tasted. Maybe that’s why we liked it so much. Its retail price is R110 a bottle.

The alcohol volumes of all six wines were unusually high for whites, 14,5 to 13 percent.

Second place in our scoring went to Vergelegen White 2009, the flagship white from this distinguished and historic estate near Somerset West. This wine, rated five stars in the Platter wine guide, is a blend of sauvignon blanc (65 percent ) and semillon. Pale green colour, rich and complex, a classy wine at a classy price, R228 a bottle.

The other wines tasted were:

Rustenberg Roussanne 2010, from a famous old estate at Stellenbosch. This is made from a grape that originated in the Rhone area of France. Another complex wine with tastes of peach, apricot, apple. Price: R155.

The Foundry Grenache Blanc 2010, yet another wine from a grape grown widely in the Rhone valley. The Foundry is based at Stellenbosch, its grapes come from various sources, and its wines are made in the cellar at Meerlust. This one is another five-star wine, fruity, rich, just off-dry, 14 percent alcohol. Price: R150.

De Grendel Winifred 2009. De Grendel, at Durbanville, has for three generations been the home of the Graaff family, its best known member being Sir de Villiers Graaff, one-time leader of the opposition in Parliament. The Winifred wine, named after the wife of the farm’s present owner, Sir David Graaff, is a blend of semillon, viognier and chardonnay, smooth and rich, citrus, apricots, butterscotch. Price R85.

Rustenberg Schoongezicht 2010. A blend of semillon, viognier and roussanne, with citrus and savoury flavours and a touch of sweetness, 14 percent alcohol. Price R82.

As Peter Hoyer said, not run of the mill wines. – Michael Green