'Tis the season of new wine releases. Mostly new vintages of familiar wines, but also some entirely new wines. New however does not always equate with exciting. Who, frankly, cares if relative newcomer Chateau Smith Estate (pretentious names seem de rigeur in some circles) has now added an unwooded Chardonnay to their 2011 range? Decent oak barrels are expensive, many consumers are close to broke and ... let's just say the unwooded Chardonnay's appearance probably has more to do with economics than the winemaker's epiphany described in the press release.
Attending the relaunch of Paarl stalwart Rhebokskloof this week I was pleasantly surprised to find something truly new. Winemaker Rolanie Lotz has turned the familiar Shiraz-Viognier blend on its head to come up with a Viognier-Shiraz blend (98% Viognier & 2% Shiraz). I found the wine to be full of apricot and blossom flavours and even picked up some berry flavours from the dash of Shiraz. Unlike most Viogniers this wine is unwooded and in its case I'm happy to attribute it more to epiphany than economics. It has a lovely full mouthfeel and smooth finish. All in all it's my idea of a perfect spring wine. At R62 per bottle ex cellar it is a bit more expensive than most wines on my quaffing wine list, but then it does also sport an environmentally-friendly treeless label (made from sugarcane fibres) which makes me feel better about spending a bit more!
I didn't try any of the Rhebokskloof reds on offer at the relaunch, but from experience know their Syrah and Pinotage to be well made wines. The Chardonnay is also good and the Sauvignon Blanc under-rated in my view. Look out for the new packaging of their flagship Syrah - very nice!
The venue for the relaunch was the French Toast Tapas and Wine Bar in Bree Street Cape Town. A bit of a schlep for us winelanders to get there, but a great discovery. They should open one in Franschhoek - my hometown needs new ideas...
To learn more about Rhebokskloof or buy their wines click here.
To learn more about French Toast Wine & Tapas Bar click here.
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| Rhebokskloof 2011 Viognier/Shiraz |
I didn't try any of the Rhebokskloof reds on offer at the relaunch, but from experience know their Syrah and Pinotage to be well made wines. The Chardonnay is also good and the Sauvignon Blanc under-rated in my view. Look out for the new packaging of their flagship Syrah - very nice!
The venue for the relaunch was the French Toast Tapas and Wine Bar in Bree Street Cape Town. A bit of a schlep for us winelanders to get there, but a great discovery. They should open one in Franschhoek - my hometown needs new ideas...
To learn more about Rhebokskloof or buy their wines click here.
To learn more about French Toast Wine & Tapas Bar click here.
