Wine of the week: Goats do Roam White 2022

South African quality shows again – and no, that’s not a typo

A friend was reminiscing the other day about “critter wines” – the glut of simple, cheap (and some not so cheap) wines with cutesy animals on the label that were inspired by Yellow Tail and that dominated store shelves in the early 2000s. “I hope,” he said, “that they never come back.”

Which is understandable, given the poor quality of many. But some critter wines never went away — and, in fact, really weren’t critter wines at all.

Instead, they used that kind of label to market quality cheap wine, of which the South African Goats do Roam 2022 ($12, purchased, 13.5%) is a terrific example.

The wine is a white blend, using grapes from France’s Rhone. Hence, Goats do Roam is a play on Rhone. Regardless, it’s a spot on example of the style. It’s made with viognier, grenache blanc, marsanne, and roussanne, so expect some oiliness, stone fruit, a little lime in the back, and even – hard to believe, I know– hints of minerality.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2024 Hall of Fame. Chill this and drink it as summer ends; it’s just the kind of thing for 105 degree days we’ve had in Dallas. Pan bagna, anyone?

Imported by Indigo Wine Group