Tag Archives: South African wine

Wine of the week: Goats do Roam Red Blend 2020

Goats do Roam red blend bottle
Goats do Roam red blend 2020/$8-$16

The South African red blend does all a wine at this price should do

Anyone who knows the Wine Curmudgeon won’t be surprised to see this South African red blend as a wine of the week. If nothing else, one of the nine grapes in the blend is white and another is petite sirah, but called by its “other” name, durif.

And how often do we see either of those?

The other reason it’s here? Because the Goats do Roam Red Blend 2020 ($12, purchased, 13.8%) is about more than its nine-grape blend. Rather, it’s here because it does something that used to be common, but has fallen by the wayside in this age of overpriced $17 California field blends.

In other words, a well-made, professional wine that delivers what it should for this price. That means a sturdy blend with a bit of heft, but with tannins that don’t get in the way. There’s lots and lots of black fruit and even a little spice, something I didn’t expect. Some tasting notes call this a Red Rhone blend, but it seems more South African, with less Rhone-style fruit.

Highly recommended; a Hall of Fame quality wine. Pair this with winter braises and stews, and even something like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Imported by Indigo Wine Group

Wine of the week: MAN Chenin Blanc 2021

MAN Chenin Blanc bottle
MAN Chenin Blanc 2021/$7-$12

Once more, South Africa’s MAN chenin blanc reminds us that cheap doesn’t always mean crummy

There are some wines that I drink, vintage after vintage, that don’t necessarily win awards, aren’t 90-pointed by the Winestream Media, and are mostly ignored by the wine geeks. They include this wine and this wine, as well as my beloved Tariquet, and I drink them because they offer value and quality. What other reason is there?

The MAN Chenin Blanc 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%)  is one of those wines. This vintage is not as impressive as the 2019, which won the Turner award in 2021, but it’s exactly what great $10 wine should be. That is: Worth much, much more than it costs, does justice to its varietal (or varietals), and doesn’t insult the intelligence of those of us who drink it.

This vintage of the MAN has lemon fruit and a certain stoniess associated with chenin blanc. It’s not sweet or even especially smoooth, but bone dry and speaks to South African chenin blanc. The only thing missing that was in the Turner wine is a little bit of something in the middle. and which turned a good wine into a great wine.

Chill this, drink it on its own or with roast chicken, and be glad that cheap wine can still be this well done.

Imported by Vineyard Brands

Wine of the week: The Wolftrap White 2020

The Wolftrap White bottle
The Wolftrap White 2020/$9-$12

South African white blend reminds us how wonderful $10 wine can be

Once, in those long ago days when quality $10 wine was not an exception, white blends made with less common grapes were not unusual. Today, of course, in the age of sweet $25 supermarket chardonnay, one has to look long and hard to find those kinds of white blends.

Unless one knows to look in South Africa.

The blog has featured a number of these wines, several from Boekenhoutskloof, a producer in the Western Cape. The 2020 vintage of their The Wolftrap White ($10, purchased, 13.5%) is another excellent example of what can be with these kinds of grapes and quality winemaking.

I tasted the wine twice – once, shortly after it was released, and about a year later. The difference was quite intriguing. At first, it was a little heavy with less fruit (and mostly from the viognier). It was still balanced and enjoyable, but not what I expected.

But the year’s age gave it more fruit (apricots, maybe some citrus), and more of that wonderful viognier-driven oiliness, Plus, it was less heavy and more fresh. All in all, a lot more than I expected for $10.

Highly recommended, and a Hall of Fame quality wine. Chill this, serve it for Thanksgiving, or just keep it around the house because it’s so enjoyable.

Imported by Vineyard Brands

 

Wine of the week: Badenhorst The Curator Red 2020

Badenhorst The Curator Red label
Badenhorst The Curator Red 2020/$10-12

One more South African wine that shows its producers care about value and quality

Several years ago, a South African wine trade group official told me his country needed to premiumize – focus on selling more expensive wines in the U.S.

Boy, am I am glad so many producers in South Africa ignored that advice.

The most recent example is Badenhorst’s The Curator Red 2020 ($12, purchased, 14%), a red blend that has about half cabernet sauvignon and is rounded out with shiraz, cinsault, and grenache. It’s not exactly a Rhone blend knockoff, not with all that cabernet, but the effect is sort of the same: A big wine, with lots of dark fruit (blackberries and almost plums?) and hearty, but not unpleasant, tannins. And, somehow, a little rustic, so no one will confuse it with one of those supermarket red blends that is so smoooth.

In other words, just what we look for on the blog – an everyday wine that offers much more than it costs. It needs food, but that’s not a problem – burgers during the week, barbecue during the weekend, and pizza when you don’t feel like cooking.

Imported by Broadbent Selections

Wine of the week: Essay Red Blend 2020

Bottle of Essay red blend
Essay Red Blend 2020/$10-$18

This is one more South African label that points to the country’s wine resurgence

Essay is a South African wine brand (S.A. — get it?) from the same company that makes the top flight MAN Family wines. So buying this sight unseen was not a stretch.

That’s because the Essay red blend 2020 ($12, purchased, 13.5%) is all a great cheap wine should be – not stupid, much more than simple, varietally correct, and speaking to where the wine is from.

In this case, that means a red blend (a little more than half syrah, plus more or less equal amounts cinsault, grenache, and mouvedre) that is funky, dark, and rustic – and surprisingly satisfying. In other words, a very South African take on a classic French Rhone red.

The fruit is almost plummy, and there might be a bit of spice tucked in there somewhere. The tannins are soft, but they are there (as they should be). Perhaps most impressive: the acidity is in balance, which is not easy to do with this style of wine and especially at this price.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2023 Hall of Fame. It’s light enough for summer drinking and is spot on for almost any red meat on the grill. The white, a chenin blanc blend, is also well worth drinking,

One note: The wine apparently has a variety of names, including Essay Shiraz and Essay Syrah.

Wine of the week: Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Petit 2019

Ken Forrester petit chenin blanc
Ken Forrester  Chenin Blanc Petit 2019/$9-$16

Nothing illustrates how screwed up availability is better than this South African white, one of the all-time great cheap wines

The Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Petit is one of the world’s all-time great cheap wines – a white that’s consistent and varietally correct every vintage. Plus, it’s a long-time Wine Curmudgeon favorite, on a par with this wine and this one.

So why has it only been a wine of the week three times in 15 years?

Our old pal availability, of course.

I can only guess why this wine is so difficult to find; it’s chenin blanc, for one thing, and South African for another. Neither are the kind of wine stocked in the mega-stores that are coming to dominate wine retailing.

Which is a damned shame. The Forrester Petit Chenin Blanc ($12, purchased, 13%) is the quintessential everyday white wine – low in alcohol, fruity but not sweet, food friendly, and delicious. It’s the kind of wine, as I’ve noted on the blog before, that even people who don’t like wine should like. The 2019 is rich and full, with an almost chardonnay mouth feel. There is lemony chenin fruit, plus a bit of stoniness.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2023 Hall of Fame.

One note: This is an older vintage, and there seems to be more of it available than the two more recent vintages. Because, of course, availability.

Imported by USA Wine Imports

Mini-reviews 153: Tannat, Rioja, and two sauvignon blancs

wine demandReviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. This month, cleaning out the wine closet to start the new year.

• Marichal Tannat Reserve Collection 2018 ($20, sample, 13%): Well made tannat from Uruguay — softer, which with tannat is a good thing; more dark fruit and less tannic. Price is problematical. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Bilbao Rioja Crianza 2017 ($20, sample, 14.5%): There’s nothing really wrong with this Spanish tempranillo, though it’s a bit less subtle than classic Rioja. There’s nothing to make it stand out, either – and $20? Imported by Zamora Company

• The Goose Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($12, purchased, 13%): This is a stunning South African sauvignon blanc that has just enough French style — almost flinty — to go with New World citrus fruit. How it aged this well is beyond me – highly recommended. So what’s the catch? It will be almost impossible to find, which seems to be how the wine world works, isn’t it? Imported by IM Premium Imports

• Castle Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($10, sample, 13%): Supermarket sauvignon blanc, made to hit the $10 price and not necessarily because it tastes like California sauvignon blanc. Almost bitter, some lemongrass, some minerality.