Notes from my monthly blind tasting lunch – a particularly interesting
batch of wines this time.

2008 SpringfonteinWhite – this Cape wine with a needlessly cryptic
label (you have to get out a magnifying glass to find out who made it)
is 100% sauv blanc, but maybe they call it just ‘white’ because they
intend to vary the blend in future. It had some colour and a nice
stony nose with a bit of grassiness and considerable fruit, almost
lush in the mouth. Very good.

2006 Christian Moreau Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru Cuvee Guy Moreau –a
nice clean chard nose, some light pear flavours and a clean long
finish.

2009 Shannon Vineyard Rockview Ridge Pinot Noir (Elgin Valley) -
South Africa is not the first lace you head for Pinot Noir. This wine
had a spicy slightly woody nose , and was forward and sweet and tasty
on palate, very smooth. May have to start looking at this area for
PN! They also make a late harvest sticky from Pinot….?!?

1998 Bests Great Western Bin #0 Shiraz (Victoria) – not sure why you’d
start numbering casks with zero instead of one… Anyway, it has been a
long time since I had a Bests wine, but I remember them fondly. This
one didn’t seem like a 1998, it seemed more under control and a bit
younger. There was still some purple at the edges, and a very nice
sweet blueberry and vanilla nose. Medium to large frame, soft tannin,
very enjoyable. We seemed to be on a Southern Hemisphere bent.

2008 Reynvaan Family Vineyard ‘In the Rocks’ Syrah – had heard good
things about this Walla Walla winery, but had never tasted their wine
before. A sweet currant nose that morphed into more raspberry with
time, sweet entry, soft and with good length. Delicious. Obviously one
to watch for.

2006 La Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia – this is the second wine from
Ornellaia, a Bordeaux blend with merlot, cab, cab franc and petit
verdot. It had a dark colour and a nose I call ‘vitamin tablet’ (guess
we need to figure out what compounds create that sensation). The only
hint as to origin was lots of up front acidity. There were coffee
mocha hints and soft tannins. Excellent and drinking well now but no
rush at all.

2003 Susana Balbo Brioso (Mendoza) - this red Bordeaux blend from
Argentina had a good Bordeaux style nose, , was quite sweet on entry
with some currant, had lots of fruit and tannins at the end. 68% CS,
19% Malbec, 10% petit verdot and 10% cab franc. May develop further.

2001 Ch. Pradeaux Bandol – picked up on a trip to France last year, I
failed to nail this one. Medium dark with rich peppered plum nose and
obviously old enough to have shed any give-away Mourvedre funkiness.
Lots of soft tannin, lots of acidity, maturing but nowhere near the
end of the road. Very nice.

2004 De Lisio Catalyst – this was a love it or hate it wine (I liked
it quite a bit). Purple edges, very dark, a smoky sweet nose with
blackberry and currant notes and hints of vanilla, but less oak than
many Oz wines. It has huge concentration and a good, very long finish,
ending dry. Blend of shiraz and Grenache, this is a smooth well
educated wine, not a brawling lout like some, and gets French oak
rather than American. No rush. Makes a great cheese wine at the end
of a meal.