A lovely white wine from South Africa

Having spent most of Saturday tasting more than 100 red wines from the Loire Valley (actually, there were almost 150, but I simply didn't have the staying power!) I have plenty of notes to write up over the next few days. Meanwhile, here's a note on a rather good South African Chenin-based wine that was enjoyed at the post-tasting dinner.

Mullineux White 2010 Swartland, SA

This is a blend of 80% Chenin Blanc, 10% Clairette and 10% Viognier, bottled unfined and unfiltered. Whether it is aged in oak, I can't say for sure, although if it is, the effect is subtle. The texture is lovely, with a slight oiliness and a really quite rich mouth-feel, but that richness is beautifully offset by a combination of intense, stoney minerality and ample acidity. It isn't overtly fruity, either on the nose or the palate - aside from a touch of orange/lime pithiness and perhaps a vague hint of spiced apple - but it is intensely "winey", which I guess is another way of saying it is complex. The fact that I find that complexity hard to describe is very much a positive, because it is a wine for contemplation, which keeps inviting you back for more. And there is definitely a start, a middle and a finish - it is weighty and intense to begin with, before a wave of minerality and zingy acidity hits you, followed by a long, warm and really quite spicy finish. This bottle was brought to dinner by the man who imports the Mullineux range of wines into the Netherlands, and he kindly gave it to me to take home at the end of the evening. And 3 days later, it continues to offer a lot of enjoyment - and, indeed, is still evolving and gaining weight, which is a sure sign that it should age nicely for a good few years. Having rather damned the 2009 vintage of this wine with faint praise a while ago, I found this bottle to be really excellent. I believe it retails for around about £16 in the UK.

                

A lovely, Spring-like Saturday, plus 2 very different white wines

Although today is grey, damp and blustery around these parts, yesterday provided a tantalising glimpse of Spring. It was a lovely day to be out on the golf course (even though my game wasn't exactly on song - though I did come tantalisingly close to another hole-in-one) and we even had to take a layer of clothing off after a few few holes, with glorious sunshine and the temperature almost nudging into double figures. Of course, it is still only mid-February, so there is still time for a sting in Winter's tail, but I always feel that when March is approaching, we're almost there. Having said that, I think the long spell of bitterly cold weather we had in November and December has delayed the growing season a little - perhaps not a bad thing, since the seasons have certainly been a bit out of synch over the past few years. So I guess it is just about the right time for these pretty little flowers to put in an appearance.............

The first Snowdrops of Winter, spotted by the side of the 17th green

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2009, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany 

Here's something that fits perfectly with the almost spring-like weather we enjoyed yesterday. TLD and I enjoyed our first bottle of this wine whilst sat on the terrace at the Hotel Piesporter Goldtröpfchen in September last year  - and have enjoyed several more since then. It really is a wonderfully drinkable and more-ish wine, with aromas of limes and wet slate, nettles and cut grass, apple and mandarin orange. Over the last few months, it has shed a little of its puppy fat, with the intensely mouth-watering acidity integrating more with the rich, almost Spatlese level fruit. I have no doubt that this wine will age and evolve gracefully for another 5 to 8 years, but I find the combination of mandarin and lime, a touch of honeyed richness and oiliness, together with truly mouth-watering acidity almost impossible to resist. Look for this wine appearing on the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines list, within the next month or so. The price will be around £11.75 - a bit of a bargain, for a wine from a top grower, in a top, top year.

Mullineux White 2009 Swartland, South Africa (widely available - average price around £14.95)
61% Chenin Blanc, 23% Clairette and 16% Viognier, fermented and matured in 225 litre barriques (it doesn't say how new, or for how long). This is the third in a trilogy of wines from this grower that I have drank over the last few weeks, and I was hoping (given some positive - even, occasionally, gushing - reviews I have read) for great things. On first pouring, the nose displays quite pronounced sweet apple and stone fruit aromas and a touch of Chenin minerality, with background notes of honey and sweet oak vanillin. But I don't really get much in the way of freshness - it comes across as big, rich and ripe, without any of the high notes or suggestion of acidity that I would expect from a wine dominated by Chenin Blanc. The palate shows more promise in the acidity stakes, but still not quite enough to lift it sufficiently for my taste. There's a good deal of Chenin flavour, again with some rich, baked apple flavours and a touch of mineral, but the overall impression is of a slight pithiness and alcoholic warmth, rather than elegance and freshness - perhaps more in the way of a southern Rhone blend (and, to be fair, 40% of it is just that). After a day or two in the fridge, the remains of the bottle begin to show a little more freshness and the overripe flavours have receded somewhat, although the elegance I crave has still failed to materialise. It is an OK wine, but I was hoping for so much more, and I wouldn't buy it again. If you're interested in trying something in the same vein (in fact, a very similar blend, from the same region) that really does tick all my boxes, then I would suggest the gorgeous (and significantly cheaper) The Liberator Episode 1 The Bureaucrat 2009, which I will happily sell to you for the princely sum of £12.95. ;-)


         

The journey continues - yet more white wines!

Domaine de Calet Esprit de Blanc 2009 Costieres de Nimes

I can't remember the last time I tasted a white Costieres de Nimes - I know I've had at least one or two, but they were obviously such a long time ago that I had no real idea what to expect from this wine. The reds from this estate are really good, but a rather sweet, blowsy - in fact, quite sickly - Chardonnay tasted a few weeks back had me thinking that the other whites might be disappointing. But this one was a very pleasant surprise. The blend is 60% Roussanne, with the remaining 40% being Vermentino, Bourboulenc and Clairette. The nose really is very appealing, offering peach, apricot and zesty lime/lemon fruit aromas, together with hints of honeysuckle, buttercream and garrigue herbs. In the mouth, it manages to be both rich and distinctly refreshing at the same time - quite a rare combination in a white wine. The honeyed oiliness of the Roussane, the savoury, slightly salty tang of the Vermintino and the  fresh fruitiness of the Bourboulenc and Clairette make for a really interesting and beautifully balanced wine. The inherent zestiness of many southern Rhone whites can sometimes be a bit too pronounced and pithy for my personal taste, but this one offers just enough lime peel tanginess to match the rich tree fruit flavours, whilst the savoury, almost spicy warmth is countered by excellent orange-tinged acidity. All-in-all, this is a rich, rounded, yet poised and elegant wine, which belies its rather humble origins. I like it a lot. I have some wines on order from Domaine de Calet, which should be arriving within a couple of weeks - this one will retail at £8.50.

Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008 Waipara Valley, New Zealand
This is another wine sent to me by Staurt Travers at Cambridge Wines - and another real winner, I have to say. The nose is a gloriously fresh combination of gooseberry, lemon, elderflower and mineral. The merest hint of tropical fruit perhaps betrays this wine's new world origins, but it would otherwise be easy (if tasted blind) to mistake it for a very good white Bordeaux or - given that the Sauvignon seems to dominate - Sancerre. The flavours offer a beautifully focused and zingy combination of gooseberry, lime and bramley apple, with a subtle hint of peach countering the tartness, whilst a strong mineral streak adds a touch of depth and complexity. The finish is long and fresh. New Zealand continues to go from strength to strength, and this is a fine example of what it can do with a classic French blend. Lovely stuff, which more than held it's own against the house lamb curry.

Rolly Gassmann Riesling 2007 Alsace
This is the last in a trilogy of wines I now list from the latest relases from this fine Alsace grower - and another real winner, in my book. As a lover of the German "fruchtighe" style of Riesling, I often struggle to appreciate the more robust, dry style of Alsace Riesling. But this one ticks all of my boxes. It has a wonderfully expressive nose, combining lemon, peach, apple and grape skins with a really pronounced, up-front wet stone/mineral quality. The palate has an earthy richness to it, with a sweet, almost cider apple quality, offset by zesty lemon and lime flavours, and again a palpable streak of minerality. The aromas and flavours continue to grow in the glass, in a wine of real complexity, finesse and great length. Although an absolute joy to drink now, it promises much for those who are patient enough to cellar it for a few more years. Boy, I love these Rolly Gassman wines! £14.99.

Mullineux Straw Wine 2009 Swartland, South Africa
I've heard some good things about this grower, and especially this particular wine, so was really looking forward to trying it. The colour is a dark orange/brown, whilst the nose has intense orange marmalade and toffee apple aromas, with a touch of grapiness. But such is the intensity of these aromas, I really am struggling to pick out any subtle nuances. The texture in the mouth is almost like treacle - and so, unfortunately, is the taste. Nobody could ever accuse the Chenin Blanc variety of lacking acidity, but what acidity there is in this wine proves to be woefully inadequate in balancing the shockingly concentrated, almost painfully sweet flavours the palate has to offer. I was expecting sweet and sour and tangy, but all I get is sweet. I have always had a sweet tooth (and have spent many a painful hour in the dentist's chair as a result) so a love of sweet wines is one of my weaknesses. And, to use a muscical/satirical analogy, I've even been known to like the occasional wine that goes up to eleven. Unfortunately, this one is all bass and no treble.