South Africa

Another excellent Chenin Blanc from South Africa.  This also has 10% Semillon blended in.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has apples with a slight orange peel and minerality.  Medium to full bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is crisp and delicious.  Apples, salinity, and minerality.  Long finish.  This is very nice on its own and will work with a wide variety of food.  A nice choice for grilled snapper.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is Chenin Blanc from South Africa.  it is excellent and a great value.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with oranges, orange rind and minerality.  Also, some salinity.  Medium bodied.  Good balance and acidity.  On the palate, the minerality dominates but the citrus gives it some lift and energy.  Long finish.  This is great on its own but also great with food.  This would go very well with grilled Tuna Steaks.  Drink over the next ten years.  

In trying to explore Chenin Blanc, this one came highly recommended.  It is expensive for Chenin, but quite good.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is lovely with red apples, salinity, peach and slight floral notes.  Medium bodied with a crisp, slightly oily texture.  On the palate, the apples come thru along with a bit of peach and great minerality.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and better with food.  It would be nice with a dish that combined pork and roasted apples.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

This is a blend of 86% Chenin Blanc and 14% Semillon from South Africa.  Medium gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has red apples, slight wax/lanolin notes and a bit of honey dew.  Medium to full bodied.  Some warmth on the palate.  Very concentrated with flavors of apples, slight honeyed notes and an almost lime quality.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  A very serious wine that is ageing well.  It has shed its primary qualities at this point.  This should drink well for another ten years (provided one enjoys aged Chenin).  It went very well with a "Somosa Pie".

Silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with limes, slight orange peel, and a slightly burnt note.  Nice, slightly oily texture.  This is dry.  On the palate, limes and a slight bitter almond note.  There is a bit of depth here.  It needs to food to show its best.  Goat cheeses would work well, say a Goat Cheese and Beet salad.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

From South Africa, this is a blend of 76% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Petit Verdot.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, chocolate, slight tobacco, a hint of bell pepper and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, the black cherries come thru along with some cherries and a bit of chocolate.  Some depth.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This will drink nicely on its own but better with food.  Drink over the next three to five years.  It will work well with meatloaf or a burger.  

Pinotage has long been a maligned grape. Though South Africa is known for pinotage, there are many South Africans who wish it did not exist. However truly exceptional pinotage can indeed be found. Created as a cross between pinot noir and cinsault in 1911, Barista creates a well-defined iteration. This wine states pinot very clearly yet the underlying notes of earth, mushroom, tropical fruits are nonetheless there, but not in the traditional banana way that many inferior pinotage are known for.

This is a classic dessert wine in an attractive 500ML bottle.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is drop dead gorgeous.  Apricots, marigolds, slight honey, floral notes, and a touch of dried fruits (oranges?).  Full bodied.  Viscous.  Sweet not cloying.  Clean.  On the palate, this is not quite the nose, but outstanding anyway.  Layers of candied apricots, quince (think tart oranges with more acidity), and just a touch of spice (nutmeg?).  Enough acidity to balance the sweetness.  Complex and also delicious.  Long finish.  This should last decades.  Great on its own, this should

This is a blend of 44% Tinta Barocca, 44% Syrah, 7% Grenache, 4% Cinsault, and 1% Carignan.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, char and spice.  On the palate, this is a bit tart.  Black cherry fruits with underlying char/ash.  Moderate acidity.  It drinks like a nice Cotes du Rhone.  This should drink well for the next five to seven years.  Nice on its own, this would work better with pizza or a burger.