It is a sweltering hot, lazy Sunday afternoon and the hubby and I are feeling rather peckish. What better way to unwind than with a well aged bottle of wine and some cheese?
On the menu for the day is a 2012 barrel matured chenin blanc from Land of Hope.
The wine has a rich golden straw colour.
On the nose I detect orange blossom, vanilla butterscotch and ripe sweet pear, honey melon and tropical fruit. This is most certainly no shy wine, with loads of complexity.
The entry is smooth and slightly crisp. The fruitiness from the nose follows through onto the palate, creating a lingering sweet finish. There is a slight warming effect which could mean that the alcohol content might be marginally higher than usual. The wood is detectable through the forthcoming vanilla and butterscotch both on the nose and palate. The acidity is medium to low, while the sweetness could be contributed to either the residual sugar or alcohol level.
Overall this wine is excellent for enjoying solo.
For the cheeses we picked Pick'n'Pay's Mon Ami French Brie and Meze's Smoked Mozzarella.
Firstly with the brie; the woodiness in the chenin was accentuated, while the fruitiness was downplayed rather obviously.
Secondly with the smoked mozzarella; a crispness that was not apparent earlier, became the most noticeable feature of the wine.
To conclude: Land of Hope Chenin Blanc is an excellent wine to enjoy on its own or with something like rich creamy cheeses. I would rate this wine 17.5 out of 20. If you have this specific year, drink it now, it is at its prime!
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