In that case, PB, you've met (sod it, given Boer genetics, you're related to) the man who made Koos Kombuis what he is. It must be like shaking the hand of God the Father... :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy
Right, a few little notes from the wine-stained scrawl:
First off, SA reds. I've been harbouring a little suspicion about these little beauties for a while. It was sparked off by two things; frequently, they don't taste as good here as they do in the warm wild of SA; and secondly, a comparison on the same wine. Rustenberg's 2004 Brampton OVR. Lovely, soft fruity wine, Shiraz-led blend. Now, I had it back in August, in a warm pub full of wiremen, and it was fan-fecking-tastic, a joyous gulper of a red. Then I had it about a month ago, at home, which I tend to keep cold enough at about 15 C, no more. It was tight, coiled in on itself, hadn't opened up the way I remembered. Then, suddenly, after I'd been holding it in my hand to warm up, it got that bit warmer and it exploded out into the same wine it was in August.
Now, Thursday night, I opened my 2000 Spier Private Reserve Pinotage. I've been looking after this wine for three years, btw. Same thing; tight, not that fruity, tannins softened out, the hints of the big spicy stewed black fruit and bananas that you should have with Pinotage, but muffled. Then it warmed up, and bang - big, open wine, soft, but surprisingly civilised (I'm a firm believer that lots of bottle age for Pinotage can make it something spectacular). It had a backbone to it, a hint of minerality to balance out the fruit, just enough tannin left to provide structure to it. The amount of sediment it had thrown off was spectacular, btw. Finished it off last night (I was away in the interim) and it still drank well after four days open.
So, I'm seriously starting to think SA red wines need to be drunk at a higher temperature, as there appears to be a crucial cut-off temperature of the wine below which they don't open out and above which they do. I'll test it further.
Next up - Little Yering Pinot Noir 2006 (Aus). Now, let's be frank here; you're an uncivilised bunch in the Great South Land. You're not subtle. The fecking Boere have more Nobel Prizes for Literature than you, and that's a bad state of affairs (and not their best writer either - Nadine fecking Gordimer isn't fit to fill Breyten Breytenbach's fountain pen, but I digress). You're cheerful, happy-go-lucky louts - good guys, but you'd make sure and hand out the Ferrero Rocher at the diplomatic reception before letting you near the bar, know what I mean? So, when let loose on Pinot Noir, the elegant sophisticate that it is, you're not going to make a Gevray Chambertin. This ain't a Gevray Chambertin, which can make me repent my sins and promise God I'll be a better Thomond78. What it is, is a lovely cherry-and-strawberry light Pinot Noir for about 12 yoyos. Soft, open, ready now, won't age, won't get the chance to, because it's a lovely drinkable wine to slip down. Had it with some very good pork sausages, and it's a good wine with pork, as you'd expect, and I suspect it'd be great with cheeses as well. It's what I'd describe as a Fleurie-style Pinot, doesn't have the whiff of farmyard that can make a serious red Burgundy so complex. Doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't, asks you politely would you like a beer rather than a Shiraz-style slap on the back, calling you a bastard and shoving a Bundy in your fist, but a good friendly wine. And, let it be noted, better than anything I've seen the Kiwis do for that price. Cry havoc and let slip the dingoes of wine, gentlemen... >
