Older Oddities

When one begins to learn of The Good Wine, one learns quickly that age is a rather sought-after characteristic in wines as a general rule. Herewith, my experience of some of the oddities of The Older Wine.

WHITE:

• Tokara Sauvignon Blanc (2005): Peach juice & litchi, baby oranges & limes.

• La Motte Blanc Fume (1997): Caramelized honey brandy, vinegar pudding, sharp vinegar sypup.

• Opstal Barrel Sample Semillon (2013): Unracked, unfiltered, unfined. Cloudy apple & pear juice, apple pips trodden in cement dust, building site & bricks.*

• Vondeling Rose (2013): Classic Bordeaux blend. Salty petunias, egg sandwiches, tinny, soft.

RED:

• Cathy Marshall Zinfandel (2005): Marzipan raspberries, perfumey powder with sour black plums, Marmite, rotting strawberries.

• Oak Valley Bordeaux Blend (2004): Maple syrup, perfumed berry jam, coffee berry jam, balsamic rum, peppery, full.

• Dornier Malbec (2012): Floral braai smoke, creamed blueberries, soft & creamy with dust, runny cream with dust.*

• Inglewood Cabernet Sauvignon (2006): Black cherry cream, nutmeg, inky & chalky, rich

*These do not fall within the category of The Old Wines, I do not live in the future

Delightful Dornier

Dornier

An educational tasting involving learning not only about more examples of The Good Wine, but also fascinating facts about lesser wines.

WHITE:

• Cocoa Hill Bush Vine Chenin Blanc (2013): Green apple, pineapples, vague Chevin, sprightly, white peach, acidic.

• Semillon Reserve (2011): 1^st fill oak, fermented on the lees in tank. Buttered roses, shortbread & caramel, perfumey jasmine, floral dolmades, orange rind in butter, orangey Hollandaise, lurking maple syrup. (**)

ROSE:

• Cocoa Hill Rose (2013): 100% Merlot, Blanc de Noir style, 4 months on lees. Soft pink peppercorns, strawberry & salmon, soft pink balsamic strawberry Chevin drizzle, marshmallow meringue. (*)

RED:

• Cocoa Hill Red (2013): 50% Merlot, 40% Shiraz, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Cab. Smoked dark chocolate, soft with a midget kick in the back, dusty pepper, wet biltong, mushroom soil.

• Malbec Reserve (2011): Toasted coffee cherries, baked cherry tart with chocolate/coffee digestive biscuit crust, initially sour but smooths out, yoghurt tannins, blue cheese with tangy berry coulis, gay cat tongue.

• Donatus Red (2009): 84% Cab, 8% Malbec, 8% Cab Franc, 50% French oak, 16 months. Fragrant blueberries, blueberry muffins, drinking  coffee mousse clouds, lurking youngberry coulis with chocolate shavings.(**)

Dotings from Dornier:

• Cellar roof is shaped to imitate the Stellenbosch mountains.
• The bottom the label mirrors the roof.
• Bodega (Spanish for wine cellar) – Restaurant at the farm
• Donatus is a family uncle, the name means donation
• Tassenberg is 45% Argentinean Malbec
• Semillon is the mushroom of wines – if you treat it like shit, it grows well
• No single Semillon was produced in 2012/2013
• Cocoa Hill name relates back to a story of a pirate who was the first to plant grapes at the back of the farm’s hill.
• Dornier was a German aircraft manufacturer during the war.