Finding France

Wine Cellar International Tasting

At this point I shall veer from my mostly South African foray into The Drinking of The Wine and venture back into the annals of the history of this wonderful tradition by visiting The Wines (not the actual place, alas) of the origin of the practise of The Making of The Wine. The Wines on sample have been grouped by region rather than my normal insightful differentiation between The White & The Red.

CHAMPAGNE:

• Drappier Carte D’ Or (N/V): 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. Fresh, light acid, crispy, sharp Appletizer, cidery, chest tickles.

ALSACE:

• Trimbach (2010): Riesling. Current vintage. Petrol, Vaseline, yellow flowers dipped in petrol, oil bubble oil, fresh, oily sharpness, lemon Vaseline. Made for aging.

BURGUNDY:

• Joseph Drouhin Cote De Bearome Village (2011):  10% new oak. Pinot Noir. Cinnamon chocolate, Christmas pudding chocolate mousse, pot pourri powder, light like cold rooibos, puff of fresh flower powder, raw meat.  (**)

LANGUEDOC:

• Chapoutier Les Vignes De Bila Haut Rouge (2012): Grenache Noir, Grenache & Cinsault. Purple berry juice, blueberry flavouring, violet blueberry muffins, shot silk, powdery grip, drinking chocolate powder. (**)

COTES-DU-RHONE:

• Chapoutier Cotes Du Rhone Belleruche Rouge (2012): Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault. Nutmeg choc muffins, ground ginger on rare meat, gamey, soft & thick, like drinking blood, fine black pepper. 100 points on Robert Parker.

BORDEAUX:

• Clinet Ronan (2010): Spiced lamb shoulder, floral cumin, velvety, slightly medicinal, flat, cough mix powder, empty.

Facts about The French:

• By law, any NV Champagne must be 12 months on lees & aged for 13 months
• A vintage Champagne must be on the lees for 3 years
• Alsace may label their varietals
• Appellation system – regions legally designated to varietals & methods.
• Most Champagne houses state date of degorgement on bottles.

Getting Integrated with Coronata

Nitida Coronata Vertical Tasting

It is always a treat to discover the evolution of wines – and a vertical tasting of Nitida’s Coronata was no exception. Not being a very avid fan of the Durbanville region traditionally and also not traditionally being a lover of Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon as varietals in general, I approached the day with reserved enthusiasm. By the end, however, a new favourite was firmly secured.

On a lovely sunny Saturday morning, we seated ourselves outside of the winery awaiting the dear wine maker to explain his crafts. We learned of the extent (or lack thereof) of the operations on the farm (one of the oldest of the region) and the potential to lose large amounts of precious grapes due to howling winds in the region. Then we moved on to the truly interesting part – the wine.

• Coronata (2007): 60% Sauv, 40% Semillon. Semillon barrel fermented & batonaged. Bacon, salted asparagus, smooth, roasted green pepper, bacon Aromat.

• Coronata (2008): 70% Sauv, 30% Semillon. Roasted peppers, soft & smooth with a sneaky acid at the back of the throat.

• Coronata (2009): Roast green vegetables, cheekier, waxy, pithy, lurking naartjie pip.

• Coronata Integration (2009): Blended & barrelled before bottling. Honeyed asparagus, pretty vegetables, a bunch of veggie flowers. (*)

• Coronata Integration (2010): Asparagus dipped in caramel, veggie cotton candy, zesty & pithy, sugared cauliflower.

• Coronata Integration (2011): Green Sparkles, boiled sugar, slightly burnt sugar syrup, licking lime pith.

• Coronata Integration (2012): Sniffing paper, licking the back board of a new exam pad, unripe quince, “tastes like private pool water – not public pool”.

From the table, we ventured into the rather tiny batcave-esque home of the latest vintage of the Coronata Integration which we tasted from the barrel.

• Coronata Integration (2013): 50/50 Sauv/Semillon. Quince, passion fruit, liquorice bay leaves, black Sparkles, blackcurrant.

Having tasted our way through the entire Coronata offering, we were prepared to venture off into the valley to sample offerings from neighbouring farms. The lovely winemaker, however, had other ideas and proceeded to generously offer us tastings of the remaining range of Nitida wines.

• Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Super limey Sparkles, sharp, acidy

• Riesling (2013): Peachy Lipice, sharp unripe peach pips.

• Semillon (2013): Lightly oily peaches & orange pith.

From here on, note lost priority in comparison to the consumption of wine and a very merry day was had by all.

A Brief Roam In Robertson

Arabella

After a long trip to the Robertson region and an enjoyable day in the sunshine, the road led us along to a horse-focused wine farm.

• Arabella Chenin (2013): Guava, lime, pineapple, granadilla.

• Arabella Sauvignon Blanc (2013): Chevin & green pepper, asparagus, tangy Cheddar.

• Arabella Chardonnay (2012): 6 month on French chips. Buttered blossoms, mouthwatering, light, cotton candy water.

• Arabella Viognier (2012): French chips, marinara mix, crab sticks, buttered jasmine, round (*)

• Arabella Pink Pancea (2013): Cabernet Rose. Mossy swimming pool, bottled cherries, strawberry & yellow pepper, sunny disposition. (*)

• Arabella Shiraz/Viognier (2011): Shiraz – 14 months in oak, 10% Viognier. Currant cake with balsamic, spiced steak with creamed sauce, soft but chewy. (*)

• Arabella In Unison (2011): 33% Shiraz, 33% Cabernet, 33% Merlot, 14 months in oak. Drunken violets, youngberry, smokey, smoked fruit.