Shifts in the wine industry might occur slowly but they occur definitively even so, witness the fact that at the beginning of the 19th century, 90% of local vineyard plantings consisted of “groendruif”, supposedly Semillon, this dropping to 40% … [Read more...]
Steenberg Semillon 2011
January 8, 2013 by 2 Comments
Some grapes are destined to work better in blends than on their own. With respect to Argentina, who really wants to drink single-variety Malbec? Petit Verdot unaccompanied is always overbearing for me while Mourvèdre alone is just unnecessarily hard … [Read more...]
Steenberg Semillon 2007 vs. Steenberg Magna Carta 2007
September 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday a taste-off between Steenberg Semillon 2007 and Steenberg Magna Carta 2007, the former having won Ruth Penfold (no longer with the winery) the title of Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year and the latter rated 5 Stars in the 2008 edition … [Read more...]
Steenberg Semillon 2008
May 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The first bottle of Semillon 2008 from Constantia property Steenberg opened last night appeared both corked AND prematurely oxidised. Hashtag fail for cork as a closure, to use Twitter vernacular. The second bottle provided a curious drinking … [Read more...]
Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2008
April 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Single-variety Semillon is not exactly everyday drinking but the best examples are always extremely satisfying – broader in structure and with less aggressive acidity than your average Sauvignon Blanc. At the weekend, two top examples: the … [Read more...]
Strandveld Adamastor 2007
March 21, 2012 by 2 Comments
How much pyrazine character is legit on a wine? There was a good deal of it on last night’s Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Strandveld Adamastor 2007 (gravel road dustiness and herbaceousness rather than outright green pepper) but somehow it was … [Read more...]
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