Tag Archives: unwooded

Stark-Condé, Zevenwacht and Mulderbosch among standout Sauvignons

WHAT to take away from Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Report on South African Sauvignon Blanc… For starters, editor Christian Eedes and fellow tasting panel members Roland Peens as well as James Pietersen of Cape Town merchant/cellarer Wine Cellar are among those who generally regard the Bordeaux-style blends and Wooded Sauvignons as generally superior to unwooded Sauvignon. “Whereas unwooded Sauvignon often succeeds

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Bottelary fruit, Helderberg tasting room, bargain white again and again

IT WASN’T the first time they’d won with their second-tier Chenin that doesn’t see the inside of a barrel. The grapes come from different blocks relative to those used for their flagship Barrel Fermented version or The Mothership in their ArtiSons range, but the vines are also very mature (experienced?) and grown in the same part of Stellenbosch from which

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Bon Vallon Chardonnay does it again – again without a stave in sight

THE QUALITY and interest value of Chardonnay that has never seen the inside of a barrel is streets ahead of what it was at the turn of the century, but still! Who would have predicted that it had risen to the level that it could triumph over wooded masterpieces on the world stage. To quote the organisers of Chardonnay du

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Another unwooded standout! Bon Courage Chardonnay shines in France

UNWOODED, unoaked, sans barrique… South African Chardonnay that hasn’t spent any time in a barrel is hardly a new phenomenon, but the numbers are growing and the quality is on the rise. It’s a great option for wine lovers who can’t stomach wooded whites, some seek it out because it presents an opportunity to enjoy the varietal character in its purist

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Unwooded Chardonnay now commonplace in South Africa with increasing number of leading cellars stepping up to the plate

MANY WINE lovers can remember when not that long ago most of the big-name Chardonnays from the top white wine cellars in South Africa (and elsewhere) smacked of oak. Heavily wooded Chardonnay became a turn-off, and an increasing number of both casual as well as serious wine consumers preferred wines that hadn’t seen the inside of a barrel when it comes

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