South Africa

Revisiting South Africa for the first time since 2015. Three whites and five reds representing well-established regions (Stellenbosch, Western Cape) as well as some that might be less familiar (Swartland, Walker Bay). Grapes will include the usual suspects (Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Chardonnay), plus Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir (made by winemakers specializing in those grapes), and a couple of interesting Syrah blends.

We’ll be dining at Palais by Perfect Pie, the new restaurant by celebrity chef Bill Yosses, formerly of the Obama White House. They’re setting aside a private upstairs room for us, so this should be a pretty special event.

http://perfectpie.com/

2016 Alheit Cartology, Western Cape $42
Jancis Robinson 17.5/20 – Scented with citrus and lime leaf, creamy and spicy too with just a touch of oak-fermented and lees mealiness. This has wonderful richness of fruit but also a lovely acid tension giving an incredibly long finish. 89% Chenin Blanc, 11% Sémillon.

2017 Sadie Skurfberg Chenin Blanc, Swartland $56
Vinous 96 – 100% Chenin Blanc, planted between 1940 and 1955, fermented and aged in old foudres. A very sophisticated bouquet of Japanese yuzu, mirabelle, a little honeysuckle and a light turpentine scent. Balanced with perfect acidity, veins of stem ginger and a touch of curry leaf fanning out wonderfully on the finish along with hints of white peach and melon.

2016 De Wetshof Bateleur Chardonnay, Robertson $40
Wine Spectator 93 – Liberally framed with brioche and warm butter notes, but the mix of yellow apple, green melon and fig flavors is lively enough to absorb them easily, while a lovely flash of verbena adds cut and length on the finish.

2015 Storm Vrede Pinot Noir, Walker Bay $44
Wine Advocate 92 – Dark cherries, boysenberry and wild hedgerow scents that are neatly enmeshed with the 25% new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation. Plenty of sappy red cherry and raspberry fruit here; saline in the mouth with a pinch of black pepper on the finish that has a touch of more structure and backbone.

2014 Raats Family Cabernet Franc, Stellenbosch $34
Wine Advocate 93 – From the Raats family's oldest and highest vineyard grown in cooler conditions. It has an open and energetic aniseed-tinged bouquet, with hints of allspice and clove emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a harmonious, smooth entry, with touches of oregano and white pepper sprinkled over the long finish.

2016 Kanonkop Pinotage, Stellenbosch $34
Wine Spectator 92 – Sleek and refined, especially for the grape, with a sanguine thread weaving around a core of gently steeped black currant, cherry and plum fruit flavors. Alluring black tea details and a dash of singed alder check in on the finish.

2014 David Elpidios, Swartland $29
Jancis Robinson 17/20 – 30% Syrah, 28% Carignan, 14% Grenache, 17% Cinsaut, 11% Pinotage.
Awesome fruit clarity – modern, sensitive, crisp, delightful. So subtle and light-hearted. Effortless and fragrant.

Wine Advocate 93 – From seven vineyards of shale, schist, granite and iron-rich soils. Matured for 20 months in old 500-liter barrels, it has a composed bouquet with raspberry, cranberry leaf and light lavender scents. It is very floral. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, an open-knit and generous blend that expresses harmony and refinement on the finish, a saline tang lingering on the aftertaste.

2014 Anwilka, Stellenbosch $41
Vinous 92 – Matured for 15 months in 50% new and 50% second-fill French oak 400-liter barrels. It has a luscious, pure black cherry and boysenberry jam bouquet, certainly more concentrated and opulent compared to the 2015, which is a surprise given the respective growing seasons. The poised, harmonious palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, rounded in the mouth with an almost citric thread of acidity, and delivers gentle grip on the classically styled finish. 52% Syrah, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot.