Wines Of South Africa Tasting London

• 2004 Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon - South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl, Franschhoek Valley (10/10/2006)
  Dark plum. Black berries,cedar and earthy,smoky new oak.Dense,opulent,seamless and medium to full bodied,this is a lovely wine.Drinkable now but give it a few years. This is one of the best cabs I have tasted at this years WOSA,and justifies its high rating. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay - South Africa, Walker Bay (10/10/2006)
  Another Platter 5 point wine tasted at WOSA 2006. Pale gold.Gorgeous spice/lime,balanced butter toast density,and lovely creamy texture.Good,length,will improve with age but definately a classy wine,and drinking well now. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Rudera Rubusto Chenin Blanc - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (10/10/2006)
  Yellow.Rich truffly custard aromas,luscious peach fruits supported by clean oak lines.Lovely balance,creamy texture and fresh finish.A very elegant and well made wine that deserves its 5 star rating. (91 pts.)
• 2001 Hamilton Russell Pinotage Ashbourne - South Africa, Walker Bay (10/10/2006)
  Dark ruby. Nose of exotic herbs and meat,with smoke,spice and blackberries. This is medium to full bodied,quite refined,although fairly hard tannins at the finish.Needs a few more years,but is a very nice wine that will fool many at blind tastings. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Vergelegen Vergelegen White - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (10/10/2006)
  Light straw.Nose of lanolin,citrus and minerals with smoked herbs.It has great intensity and surprising depth and persistence on the palate. A long refreshing finish.Will definately improve with 3-5 years bottle age.This is one of the best Verg whites I have tasted. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Neil Ellis Shiraz Vineyard Selection - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (10/10/2006)
  Dark purple.Spicy,savoury nose,quite Rhone like,black plums,roast beef and dark chocolate richness.Very firm now but still approachable.Always one of my favourite Cape shiraz and this one will be outstanding in 5 years or so. Very good/excellent (89 pts.)
• 2004 Ernie Els - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (10/10/2006)
  Dense dark purple. Layers of concentrated fruit along with graphite,camphor and jammy cassis.Immense in the mouth,very rich with a boatload of tannins.This is a wine made in the modern day style that will no doubt suit Mr Parkers palate,but is just a little too over extracted for me.No doubt will improve with at least 5 more years but I would not be tempted to buy at the current price of £40 or so. (87 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[Jenise]

Ah, here are names I know. Say, passed on buying an Ernie Els last week because I was concerned it was made in a Parkerized style--your note confirms it. Whew, I saved $40!

Jenise:

If you're looking to add some interesting wines to your South African stash, may I recco Vilafonte.

It's a joint venture between Zelma Long and Warwick Estates (with Phil Freese, Selma's partner, doing the viticultural work).

I tasted the wines when they came into the country...and I was floored by their quality. Some of the best stuff I've had out of South Africa.

They have two wines, the M series, which is a Merlot-heavy blend, and the C series, which is heavy up on Cabernet Franc and Sauv.

Get both.


They are imported by Broadbent Selections, and should be attainable up in Washington state.

[Jenise]

Hoke, I knew about Zelma Long doing work in South Africa but I don't recall knowing the name of the venture. Thanks for the tip.

Vilafonte make nice wines to be sure,but do I think they are worth the money? No .
Far better value for money,and proven quality, in wines such as Rustenberg Peter Barlow,Kanonkop Paul Sauer and the Vergelegen bdx blend-------not the V which is also overpriced.
For straight cab hard to beat the Boekenhoutskloof and Le Riche.

Vilafonte make nice wines to be sure,but do I think they are worth the money?

But they are marketed to the US and without a serious price they won't be taken seriously in that market.

Yes I agree Peter.Made the same point,in a letter I wrote to Wine magazine in South Africa and a few Americans were quite upset at the suggestion

[Jenise]

Yes I agree Peter.Made the same point,in a letter I wrote to Wine magazine in South Africa and a few Americans were quite upset at the suggestion

Silly Americans! It's true. I used to have a friend who was proof of why it's unfortunately so--tell her a wine costs $100, and she'd rave about it (if it was good wine) and write notes to remind herself to buy it. But an equally good wine that only costs $20? She'd say: "This is pretty good for cheap wine" and forget about it.