Our trustworthy guide Greg Sherwood MW helps navigate the complicated world of wine in the fifth instalment of his three-wines-a-week series, An Informed Opinion. Mid-January at Museum Wines being dry, but only insofar as beautifully DRY wines.
Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging. Which in these trying times seems like a necessary service. We invite you to keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to find something to suit your mood (and pocket). Or even discover something NEW.
#AnInformedOpinion
An Investable Wine
These are showstopper wines worthy of their price tag, and something to invest in.
“Ian Naude started his winemaking career with wine industry greats like Eben Sadie and after a decade of hard work focusing on quality, quality, quality, his old vine wines are finally becoming almost as collectible with allocations becoming tighter and tighter every year. This is one you can drink now or preferably bury 2 or 3 cases in your cellar for future drinking pleasure. They will never be priced this cheaply again… and that’s if you can access allocations in the future!” – Greg Sherwood MW.
96+ Points – Greg Sherwood MW
“This premium red blend draws on the unique South African expressions of 77% Darling old bush vine Cinsault planted in 1978 blended with prime Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon and fermented naturally using 40% whole bunches. Reduced yields in 2019 reminded everyone of the hangover the vines were still experiencing after four years of severe drought despite most regions receiving good rainfall during the season. Grape quantities may have been compromised but the quality was exceptional, and this 2019 red blend shows fabulously lifted notes of pink musk, red cherry, rose petals, violets and Turkish delight with some darker black berry fruit hints together with subtle nuances of raspberry herbal tea, graphite and cherry tobacco. The palate displays a wonderfully linear acid driven structure with a real mouth-watering verve and vigour, a magically textural plushness and weightless elegance. Trying to comprehend the intensity, fruit concentration and glycerol mouthfeel all delivered at an astonishing 11.5% abv. is simply mind blowing. This is another incredible vinous creation that will take its place in the history books of South African winemaking. Sure to be very long lived, the irony is that this wine is also unbelievably drinkable right now and many will find it impossibly hard to resist pulling the cork. Drink now to 2045+.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
A Mid-Week Wine
A wine to elevate any random Tuesday without breaking the bank.
“I have built much of my career championing value second wines from all around the world. Whether from Bordeaux, South Africa, or California, second wines offer much of the Grand Vin quality consumers crave but all packaged in a more accessible structure and offered at much more willing prices. These are wines for the savvy, price-conscious drinker who don’t want to compromise on quality.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
90 + Points – Greg Sherwood MW
“Mid-week drinking is usually about matching sumptuous reds and whites in the evening with whatever’s on the menu and this delicious Bordeaux petit Chateau is simply a classic must-have for the drinking rack. This second wine, Les Tourelles de Barrail is made from a 3-hectare parcel of younger vines, blending 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot which were aged in 20% French oak and 80% in stainless steel tanks. Made for accessibility and earlier drinking pleasure, this 2018 comes from the trilogy of great vintages in Bordeaux (2018, 2019, and 2020) and offers up a potent, ripe Bordeaux blend expression. In the glass there is an alluring, intense ruby garnet colour and aromatics of creamy black berry fruits, earthy black currant, salty black cherry and baked black plum compote with attractive complexing notes of caramelised roasted almonds, buttered brown toast and vanilla pod spice. The palate is plush and generous with a mouth-watering black fruited depth and intensity. Harmonious, soft textured Bordeaux reds like this are almost unrivalled for their food-friendly drinking pleasure so don’t let the small price tag put you off. Drink this now and over the next 2 to 3 years.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
An Eclectic Wine
A story wine worthy of its salt, and your cellar.
“Provence is synonymous with its prestigious dry Rose pink wines but this massive wine-growing region is much more than a one-trick pony. Its diverse and complex terroirs allow growers to farm a broad array of grape varieties that make a complex offering of wine styles. There has never been a better time to explore!” – Greg Sherwood MW.
91 Points – Greg Sherwood MW
“The Cotes de Provence covers a varied patchwork of different maritime terroirs, one of the most important being the clay-limestone soils made up of ancient gravelly alluvial deposits where the 30-year-old Rolle vines (Vermentino) of Famille Sumeire are cultivated to produce beautifully crisp, fresh, characterful wines. The 2021 Blanc has a glassy pale neural translucent colour but boasts an intense aromatics of white flowers, honey suckle, pear drops, peach stones, nectarines, green melon rock candy and an underlying stony limestone minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with an expressive, leesy, glycerol weight in the mouth. Crystalline and pure fruited, there is a deceptive richness that is finely balanced by bright fresh acids that highlight notes of crunchy white peaches, green pears, more nectarine citrus and a subtle wet river pebble minerality on the faintly saline finish. Wonderfully Mediterranean in character, this wine’s flavours simply cry out for grilled white fish, shellfish platters and poached salmon. Drink now and over the next 1 to 2 years.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
