Cathy Van Zyl on Clubhouse

Bio

Master of Wine, Associate Editor of Platter's South Africa Wine Guide, often wine judge, and sometimes wine writer and educator.

TASTING NOTE - January 20, 2022

Colour:
Translucent, ruby red with beginnings of flashes of garnet.

Nose:
Initially: Slightly volatile, little reduced but below off (but no, it was not in a screw cap). Restrained.
Opens to: Cherry fruit but it doesn’t speak to me of pinot noir, sangiovese or tempranillo. The fruit is slightly simpler than those expressions, but it is elegant and engaging. There’s a slight ‘woodiness’, which I associate often with stems. There is no vanilla or other oak spices.

Palate:
Fruit: This is not really a fruity wine, but there is refreshing red cherry and cranberry flavours, a real purity of expression and mineral stamp.
Residual sugar: None discernable.
Acidity: Lively, and bright, subtle cranberry character to it.
Alcohol: 13%
Oak: None discernable.
Tannins: Lean & agile, fine tannin structure.
Finish: Clean, refreshing, medium bodied, fair but not exceptional length, some flintiness and there is a 'viande' character which I have been told refers to developed and enticing meaty flavours.

Quality:
This is not an overly complex wine, nor is it embellished with new oak, nor is it dense or concentrated. Its charm is based on its freshness and tannic structure, it remains elegant, refined and promises pleasant tasting moments. It is drinking well now, and may hold for a few years but I don’t believe it will gain complexity.