Browse Tag

south africa

Diabolo Cody

[bottle]Juno 2007 Rosé (South Africa) – Sweet, blush-style strawberry and red cherry. Nice enough, but I could do without the residual sugar. (2/08)

Erebor

[barrel]Bellingham 2005 “Dragon’s Lair” (Coastal Region) – Shiraz, mourvèdre, viognier. Plum, boysenberry, olallieberry, spice, seed pepper, and smoke – quite a combination – with only a green edge to the tannin marring the complexity. Not bad. (2/08)

Let’s go Duke

[bottles]Allée Bleue 2005 Shiraz (Western Cape) – Incredibly dense, to the point of organoleptic opacity. Balanced and structured, with blueberry and chocolate dominating. This will permanently ruin your teeth. It’s all too much, really, yet I’m sure many will find it appealing. (2/08)

Jar-Jar Binks

Stony Brook 2004 “Camissa” (Coastal Region) – Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz. Full-bodied and structured, with tooth-staining dark fruit, chocolate, and lots of thick wood. Very New World. (2/08)

Stony the stiger

[tasting room]Stony Brook 2003 Syrah (Coastal Region) – Fuller-bodied and better than the 04. I’m not sure of the reasons for the nomenclature change. Blueberry and beet, tangled roots, and spice. The finish is a bit hot, and there’s a plastic note throughout. (2/08)

Headroom

Stony Brook 2004 “The Max” (Franschhoek) – Peppers, leaves, and chocolate…a strange combination…with far too much peppery, bitter tannin. (2/08)

John Stuart running

[vineyards]Vergelegen 2004 “Mill Race” Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon (Stellenbosch) – Classic cabernet peppers, leaves, cedar, and ground-up pencil. There’s a bit of oak soup on the long finish, though. Nicely structured, clean, and promising. (2/08)

Zinedine Zidane

[grapes]Allée Bleue 2005 Cabernet Sauvigon/Merlot (Western Cape) – Big, chewy fruit with chalky minerality. Structured. Obvious wood on the finish. Still very primary. There are gaps and voids in this wine that I don’t think time will fill. (2/08)