“Nose of dry hay, with quite delicate and shy aromas of lemon pith. “Might come from cold climate and sandy soil,” he speculated. Stock also had it as just being pipped for top spot. Complex and beautifully balanced,” she wrote. “A lovely spectrum of white stone fruits with pears and apples that is met with a delicate but striking phenolic grip. “Loaded with aromatic lift, the perfume and palate drive are pure and enticing,” noted Reynolds, who had it second on her sheet. “Red apple flesh, quince, ripe stone fruits, with superb balance, fresh acid and purity on the palate – good phenolic grip to it,” he wrote. This was Avril’s top wine of the tasting. Below are the top wines from the tasting.Ģ020 Dormilona Chenin Blanc, Margaret River $30 All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines. We set our expert panel the tasks of finding the wines that compelled the most. Our panel: Kate McIntyre MW, Marketing and Business Development Manager Moorooduc Estate Isabelle Szyman, Sommelier Kayleen Reynolds, Manager City Wine Shop Pierre Stock Co-owner/Director France-Soir Wine Selections Natasha Johns DipWSET, Owner/Director Primavera Selections Loic Avril, Wine Director LUCAS Restaurants Anthony Pieri, Head Sommelier Brae Ben Ranken, Vigneron/Owner Wilimee and Vineyard Manager/Winemaker Mount Monument. With ample producers dedicated to elevating the grape, a Deep Dive was called for, so we gathered as many bottlings as we could find and enlisted the help of eight of this country’s finest palates to check in to see just where Australian chenin blanc is at. And it’s not just in the West, either, with makers from South Australia also putting their hands up. But the grape also excels out of the cool of the Loire, being South Africa’s most important white variety, while also thriving in the heat of Western Australia’s Swan Valley where a renaissance is in full swing. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.Chenin blanc is the heroic white variety of France’s Loire Valley, making wines up and down the scale, from vibrant and carefree sparklings to lusciously sweet whites that are some of the world’s most long-lived wines. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines-a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa.
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