All White Sunday

What are friends for? Supplying you with wine, of course! And that proved to be my role last Sunday evening when I went to visit Mike. I had brought three wines from three different countries, grape varieties and styles, and was keen to see what he would like the most. Call it professional curiosity.

Metis_largeWe started with a personal favourite Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa called Metis, produced at Klein Constantia. In retrospect, this should have been the second wine, because she had a larger than life personality and character that wine number two simply could not live up to. Made from grapes at their highest vineyards, they are harvested by hand, naturally fermented and left on the lees for 10 months in stainless steel. The result is an inspired Sauvignon Blanc that could still go some way with regards to aging.

She was pungently aromatic showing black currant leaf, yellow exotic fruit and mineral kiwi on the nose. The palate was fresh and zesty, showing a slight fatty creaminess on the mid palate as I had tasted before here, underlying a wealth of fruit. Fresh and bold, yet balanced and entertaining for a 2 year old Sauv (2013 vintage) that just kept on going. I was impressed.

18.5 / 20

Protos_Verdejo_2011_copy_grande

Next we went to Rueda in Spain, with a Verdejo from Bodegas Protos. It too was a 2013 vintage. The winemaker had allowed a few hours of skin contact, before pressing, fermenting and then allowing 3 months of maturation on the lees.

The wine lead with roasted nuts and a slightly green character, almost like fennel. On the palate it had steely acidity, suggesting it too did not see the inside of a barrel. Coming from the previous wine, it felt a little light and thin. It however had a struck match character and silky texture which added to its overall intrigue. But having tried a bottle before this day I knew it was a fleshy fruit driven, subtle wine with poised acidity and good texture.

16 / 20

 

1144020xLast, we had the Joseph Drouhin Meursault 2007. I’d only purchased it a couple of days ago from the Wine Gallery at half its cost and as such I was most curious about how it would be showing. The cork came out uneventfully and was adequately moist, which was a pleasant start.  This straight Chardonnay was made from low yielding vineyards in famed Côte de Beaune, Burgundy. Following light pressing and racking the wine was placed directly in to oak for fermentation and ageing. 25 % of this was new. The wine was left there for another 12 months.

Caramel, vanilla and bacon were my first impression. Following this, there was cooked peaches, spice and an oxidative tone. The wine remained fresh and elegant, had a floral hawthorn fragrance and drunk really well. However, it was starting to show exhaustion, with the fruit and fragrance fading. This was Mike’s favourite.

17.5 / 20

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