Tygerberg, Coastal Region, South AfricaFrom the hills of Tygerberg outside Cape Town, this vineyard is planted to 35 year old vines that are dry farmed and grown on Malmesbury shale, 15km from the ocean. The bottle is overweight, as is the oak, but otherwise, it delivers a mouthful of zesty, tangy peachy fruit with grapefruit acidity. It spends a hefty 14 months in barrel, adding a nutty almond note with a touch of oxidation. The full meal deal and it should be served with one. Pricey.Tasted: 13 April 2021Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$35.00
750ml
BCLS
Producer: SpierDistributors: Whitehall Agencies Inc. | Premium Wines and Spirits Grape: Chenin BlancCSPC: 260646UPC: 819457001047
Tygerberg, Coastal Region, South Africa21 Gabels is the 'serious' chenin from Spier, as you can tell by the weightier bottle and ample oak treatment. This comes from a vineyard high in the hills of Tygerberg, rooted in the decomposed Malmesbury shale of Stellenbosch and 15km from the ocean. 35-year-old vines of dry-farmed chenin were destemmed with 6 hours of skin contact and an overnight settling before a ferment in various sizes of French barrels (60 % new) and an in situ rest on lees for 14 months. Full and forward, led by wood spice and quickly backed by ripe white peach, ripe pear, toasted almond on a medium-bodied creamy palate. There's a bracing white grapefruit acidity that keeps this full-bodied white aloft, marginally. Take now, with butter-drawn dishes.Tasted: 20 May 2021Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$35.00
750ml
BCLS
Producer: SpierDistributors: Whitehall Agencies Inc. | Premium Wines and Spirits Grape: Chenin BlancCSPC: 260646UPC: 819457001047
Tygerberg, Coastal Region, South AfricaI make no secret of my devotion to wines made from chenin blanc, but, and it is a big but, chenin crop levels need to be vigorously restricted before exceptional wine can result. That’s exactly what Spier has done with 21 Gables Chenin Blanc. This is oak-aged chenin made from old vines planted 15 kilometres from the coast in Stellenbosch, where cool ocean air has a significant impact on the balance between fruit and acidity, thanks to lengthier hang time. Vines root deeply in ancient shale soils in the Tygerberg hills producing grapes with tremendous concentration and expression that possess a deep golden colour and rich, nutty, buttery oak-derived aromas that combine splendidly with peach and cantaloupe. The wine spends 14 months in French oak barrels, 60% new, with the balance second fill. Spier has added complexity by using a range of casks, from 300 litres to 2,500-litre vessels and a 6-hour skin soak before fermentation. The result is a splendidly complex wine full of creamy oak, tropical fruit lushness, and flecked with salty minerals. Harmonious, mouth-filling, and vivid with succulent natural acidity, this chenin manages to be weighty but without heaviness. You’ll also note a honeyed, herbal perfume, the Cape signature of fynbos, which is a distinctly fragrant heather-like shrub only found on the southern tip of Africa. If ever there were a ‘shrimp on the braai’ wine, this is it, but a smoky pork chop or decadent triple cream cheese will do just as well. The 2016 edition of this wine won the Chenin Blanc Trophy at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, and this vintage will help you understand why. It's beginning to unfurl and will gain complexity over the next five years or so. Drink lightly chilled and splash into a decanter if you have one handy.Tasted: 20 April 2021Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$35.00
750ml
BCLS
Producer: SpierDistributors: Whitehall Agencies Inc. | Premium Wines and Spirits Grape: Chenin BlancCSPC: 260646UPC: 819457001047
Tygerberg, Coastal Region, South AfricaFrom the hills of Tygerberg outside Cape Town, this vineyard is planted to 35 year-old vines that are dry farmed and grown on Malmesbury shale. It's a riper, more powerful style, in contrast to Spier's Signature Chenin Blanc, with baked apple and honeyed tropical fruits. This wine also sees some oak, but it's deftly integrated and not as pronounced as one would expect from 60% new French barriques. Medium-full bodied, it's quite broad and round, but with enough freshness to balance the 14.3% abv. Fourteen months in barrel has given this dry chenin some nutty oxidative development, also apparent with the golden colour, and I would be tempted to enjoy it over the short term.Tasted: 01 May 2021Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$35.00
750ml
BCLS
Producer: SpierDistributors: Whitehall Agencies Inc. | Premium Wines and Spirits Grape: Chenin BlancCSPC: 260646UPC: 819457001047
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