Sterhuis 2014 Chenin Blanc Barrel Selection

This Chenin has an alluring medium straw colour.
On the nose the wine is rather forthcoming with ripe tropical fruit such as guava and passion fruit. A hint of rich butterscotch indicates that this wine has seen some wood. The nose is mouth-wateringly rich and complex.

The wine has a crisp dry entry. The acidity is slightly on the lower side and perfectly balanced. The tropical fruit from the nose follows through to the palate. Vanilla and butterscotch flavours, along with the rich, medium body gives a long lingering, creamy finish. While this wine is not bold and in your face, it is deliciously appealing with regards to intensity and complexity.

This wine would pair well with a creamy slightly spiced dish, but it also drinks extremely well on its own!

Score 17.5/20

Perdeberg Wine Estate Wine Tasting

Perdeberg is located outside Paarl, with climate and terroir close to that found in the Swartland. Perdeberg could be translated as Horses mountain; referring to zebras that used to roam the area. The climate is rather dry and warm with 75% of the vineyards going without irrigation and 50% being bush vines.

We had the pleasure of tasting 8 different wines.

Method Cap Classique Pinot Rose Reserve 2013

This is an attractive salmon pink wine with medium to small beads.

On the nose, fresh strawberries and distinct yeastiness can be detected.

The entry of the wine is crisp and dry. While the wine is dry, there is an illusion of sweetness. The flavour of freshly baked bread follows through from the nose to the palate. The fruity finish is medium.

This is an easy drinking wine for all the lovers of bubbles. It scores 15.5 out of 20, only because I prefer my MCCs more serious.

Method Cap Classique Blanc Reserve 2012

This MCC is pale straw in colour with medium to small beads.

The nose is dominated by tropical fruit.

The entry is crisp and dry. On the palate, Turkish delight can be detected. The alcohol content of this MCC is slightly higher.

The wine is also an easy drinking wine, not to be taken too seriously. It gets 15 out of 20.

Perdeberg Vineyard Collection Grenache Blanc 2015

This wine is very pale straw in colour and very translucent.

On the nose, this wine is herbaceous with notes of fresh green apple, white stone fruit and citrus. This is a slightly shy wine that should be revisited to detect the full spectrum of aromas.

The entry is slightly sweet with the herbaceousness and fresh fruity flavours following through onto the palate. A slight minerality can also be detected. The acidity of this wine is slightly high, contributing to the crisp character. The medium aftertaste is that of apple and pear.

I rated this wine 16.5 out of 20.

The Dry Land Collection Courageous – Barrel fermented Chenin Blanc 2015

The Dry Land Collection is made of grapes from unirrigated bushvines.

The chenin blanc is pale straw in colour.

On the nose, this is a fresh and fruity wine with notes of peach, apple and citrus. A faint vanilla aroma can also be detected.

The wine has a crisp dry entry with the fruitiness following through from the nose. Flavours of apple, pear and citrus are dominant with a slight herbaceousness. The acidity of this wine is medium. The fruity aftertaste is long, lingering.

The wine scored 17 out of 20.

The Dry Land Collection Rossouw’s Heritage – Chenin blanc driven blend

This is a pale straw coloured wine.

Citrus, crisp apple and a distinct perfumey aroma can be detected on the nose. While the wine is slightly shy, it has a pleasant nose.

The entry is crisp and dry with the apple and citrus flavours following through from the nose to the palate. The acidity is high, making this a very crisp wine. The aftertaste is herbaceous and medium length.

This is a distinctly easy drinking wine, scoring 16 out of 20.

The Dry Land Collection Resolve - Pinotage 2014

This pinotage has an attractive deep ruby to garnet red colour. Gradation is visible.

This is a forthcoming and complex wine. The nose of this wine is very jammy with notes of youngberry, black cherry and plum distinguishable. It has a slight warming effect on the nose.

The entry of this wine is dry with a jammy character. Very ripe, dark fruit such as ripe blackberry, cherry and plums are detectible. The wine is full-bodied with a lingering jammy aftertaste. The wine is slightly higher in alcohol, around 14%.

I gave this wine 16.5 out of 20.

Perdeberg Vineyard Collection Malbec 2015

As I stated in my previous post, I am rather critical on South African Malbec, ever since I tasted Argentinian Malbec.

The colour of this wine is deep ruby to garnet red. The wine is nearly opaque.

The aromas are forthcoming and typical of malbec. The wine is smoky, jammy with aromas of sweet, ripe cherries. There is also a slight warming effect on the nose.

On the palate, the malbec is full-bodied with a smoky warm entry. The wine has flavours of slightly sweet black berries and a medium to long finish.

Unfortunately, this wine does not meet my expectations of the high standards of Argentinian malbec. This wine scored 15.5 out of 20.

The Dry Land Collection Joseph’s Legacy – Shiraz based blend 2014

This blend is almost opaque with a deep ruby to garnet red colour.

On the nose this is a smoky and jammy wine. Aromas of ripe red and black berries, and a slightly savoury spice is detectible. The wine seems to be rather complex and forthcoming.

The entry is spicy and slightly savoury. This is a full-bodied wine with loads of savoury spices. Flavours of pepper, minerality and dark berries are obvious. The finish is long and lingering.

This is a very pleasant wine, scoring 17 out of 20.

Perdeberg is a wine estate that offers good value for money, and some very decent wines.

Land of Hope 2012 Reserve Chenin Blanc

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!