BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

yellow peach and sweet pineapple flood the nose and
palate. Drink now. Z Wine Company. —L.B.
abv: 13% Price: $14
84
De Meye 2011 Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch).
Opens light and easy, with scents of
green apple flesh, lemon rind and soft herb. A tart,
nervy streak overwhelms the mouth, with flavors of
white currant and citrus pith. wine@34south. —L.B.
abv: 12.5% Price: $12
WHITE BLENDS
90
Sijnn 2010 White Chenin Blanc-Viognier
(Malgas). This blend of 57% Chenin Blanc
and 43% Viognier is opulent and forward. Rich scents
of baked apple, clove-spiked orange, honeysuckle and
hazelnut crisp dance on the nose and mouth, but the
palate remains lifted with fresh acidity and a saline note.
Accents of spice and toast remain through the long
close. A gorgeous wine now, but it should age beautifully
through 2015. Boutique Wine Collection. —L.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $35
90
Mullineux 2010 White Blend (Swartland).
This Chenin-based blend—with 10% Clairette
Blanc and 10% Viognier—offers great richness and a
lush texture. Notes of beeswax and brioche add depth
to the orange oil, pear, melon and honeysuckle aromas
and flavors. The medium weight mouth offers a fresh
lemony citrus and green plum tartness, keeping the palate
clean and vibrant. Drink now–2014. Kysela Père et
Fils. —L.B.
abv: 13.5% Price: $28
88
Thokozani 2010 Chenin Blanc-Chardonnay-Viognier
White Blend (Wellington).
A blend of mostly Chenin Blanc, with 9% Chardonnay
and 5% Viognier, this is a charming white with alluring
notes of orange blossom and peony that mingle with the
white peach and mango fruit. There’s a nice vibrancy on
the palate, with fresh tropical-fruit flavors that hang on
to the finish. Cahoots. —L.B.
abv: 13.5% Price: $17
86
Beyerskloof 2011 Chenin Blanc-Pinotage
White Blend (Coastal Region). An interesting
blend of 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Pinotage, this
white is fresh and fruity, with an enticing mixture of
citrusy flowers and small red berries. There’s a touch
of earthiness on the palate, with a nice smoothness its
medium weight. So crisp and alive now; drink up. Total
Beverage Solution. Best Buy. —L.B.
abv: 13% Price: $11
DESSERT WINES
93
de Trafford 2008 Straw Wine Chenin
Blanc (Stellenbosch). This luminous and
unique Chenin Blanc straw wine is a real stunner, showing
an upfront and approachable character as well as
hidden layers of nuanced herbs and the potential to develop
additional complexities with time. Heady notes
of toasted brioche, dried apricot, gingered orange peel
and baking spice abound throughout, with great richness
and a lush texture in the mouth. Intense but bal-
66 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | JULY 2012
anced; it can be enjoyed now or cellared for up to ten
years. Boutique Wine Collection. —L.B.
abv: 13% Price: $50/375 ml
92
Ken Forrester 2009 T Noble Late Harvest
Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch). A stunning
and inviting dessert wine that exhibits the superb balance
that Chenin Blanc can lend to the style. Honeyed
peach and apricot notes abound, with spicy accents of
ginger, clove-spiked orange and toast. The mouth is lush
and slightly viscous, but the racy acidity provides good
cut. This ends with a long, spice-driven finish. Delicious
now, but it should age for another five years. Cape Classics.
—L.B.
abv: 12.5% Price: $55
90
Rudera 2008 Noble Late Harvest Chenin
Blanc (Stellenbosch). This wine starts off
with an enticing honeycomb and baked apple aroma,
followed by secondary accents of baking spice and orange
zest. The fully textured mouth is loaded with dried
peach and apricot flavors, followed by a nice citrus
zip that adds spring to the long finish. DRG Imports.
—L.B.
abv: 12.5% Price: $27/375 ml
AUSTRALIA
CABERNETS & BLENDS
92
Hazyblur 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Kangaroo Island). From the relatively unknown
GI of Kangaroo Island, this is a full-bodied, reasonably
structured Cabernet that looks to have a good
10 years of evolution ahead of it. Right now, it’s still primary,
with cassis and plum fruit framed by vanilla oak
and a long, fruit-driven finish. Baum Wine Imports Inc.
Editors’ Choice. —J.C.
abv: 15.5% Price: $30
91
Langmeil 2008 Blacksmith Cabernet
Sauvignon (Barossa). Full bodied and richly
textured, this is a terrific value in Barossa Cabernet.
And it’s no simple fruity concoction, either. Instead, it
delivers complex notes of grilled meat, coffee and black
olive layered easily over a base of dark plums. Finishes
long, velvety and mouthwatering; drink now–2020. Negociants
USA, Inc. Editors’ Choice. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $30
91
Leeuwin Estate 2007 Art Series Cabernet
Sauvignon (Margaret River). A textbook example
of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2007
Art Series offers perfumed cassis fruit just tinged with
mint and tobacco. There’s ample body yet classic Cabernet
restraint, so it’s not jammy or overdone. The tannins
are supple enough to make it enjoyable now, yet
sufficient to see it through 2018, at least. Old Bridge
Cellars. —J.C.
abv: 14% Price: $45
91
Wirra Wirra 2007 Dead Ringer Cabernet
Sauvignon (McLaren Vale). A full-bodied,
ripe Cabernet, with plenty of cassis fruit shored up
by vanilla and cedar. There’s just enough mint for it to
be a pleasant accent rather than an annoying distraction,
while the tannins are supple almost to the point of
creaminess, making it easy to drink now. International
Vines, Inc. —J.C.
abv: 13.5% Price: $60
90
Earthworks 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Barossa Valley). This Cabernet is built
for current consumption, boasting a savory, complex
blend of meat and herb elements nicely balanced by
just enough dark plum fruit. The tannins are soft to the
point of creaminess, letting just a bit of warmth show
through on the lingering finish. Drink now–2016. Negociants
USA, Inc. Editors’ Choice. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $17
90
Leeuwin Estate 2007 Prelude Vineyards
Cabernet Merlot (Margaret River). Hints
of smoked meat and cedary oak mark the nose, nicely
accenting the cassis and cherry fruit. The flavors follow
suit, picking up hints of vanilla, while the texture is lush
without going all soft and creamy. Fresh berry tea notes
linger on the finish. Old Bridge Cellars. —J.C.
abv: 13.5% Price: $29
90
Vasse Felix 2007 Heytesbury Cabernet
Blend (Margaret River). This blend of Cabernet
Sauvignon (72%), Malbec (15%) and Petit Verdot
(13%) still seems very youthful and fresh. The cassis
fruit is relatively simple and primary, accented only by
hints of vanilla and mint until the finish, when some coffee
notes creep in. It’s full bodied and heavily extracted,
yet the tannins remain velvety from start to finish. Negociants
USA, Inc. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $75
89
Plantagenet 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Mount Barker). Toasty oak frames dark,
earthy flavors in this Cabernet from Western Australia.
Despite being medium to full in body, it turns crisp
on the finish, an enjoyable contradiction highlighted by
tart plum notes and hints of tapenade. Drink now–2018.
Old Bridge Cellars. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $29
89
West Cape Howe 2008 Book Ends Cabernet
Sauvignon (Great Southern). This is a
good value in the plush superripe style of Cabernet that
seems to be popular these days. The velvety mouthfeel
easily carries bold vanilla and plum flavors over the palate,
partly balanced by a savory-spicy element. Drink
now. The Country Vintner. —J.C.
abv: 14% Price: $22
86
D’Arenberg 2008 The Coppermine Road
Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale).
There’s a slightly scorched character to this wine that
I had a tough time getting past. There’s solid plummy
fruit, but also recurring hints of freshly sawn lumber
and burnt coffee. It’s full bodied, with plenty of astringent
tannins, so it might age past this current stage, and
it’s possible this rating could look stingy in a few years.
Old Bridge Cellars. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $65
PINOT NOIR
90
Yering Station 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir
(Yarra Valley). Like all of the Yering Station