Under the Influence of Bottle Age tasting… WOW!

Yesterday evening we had the privilege, nay, the honour, of hosting a tasting of bottle aged wines. We are all used to drinking wines packed with primary fruit and secondary oak flavours but the elusive tertiary flavours and aromas can only be found from wines that have rested in the bottle for a significant amount of time. This is what we went in search of at the Roundhouse’s tasting room.

The wines were dreamy

First up, a wine not 100% applicable but 100% flippin delicious. To get the palate calibrated to pure primary fruit we tasted the Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc, which is packed full of bright fruit, minerality and crisp acidity. This was to be the “on the other hand Darren” of the evening.

Next up, a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from Ingwe, which already had some funky flavours and aromas going on, not everyone’s cup of wine, but certainly showing off a lot of complexity. Certainly our Sauvignon Blanc’s from cooler regions have the acidity to develop beautifully over a few years of bottle age, so one doesn’t need to necessarily drink them in the parking lot after purchasing them to ensure freshness.

Next up, two rockstar Chardonnays, the 2008 and 2003 Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay. Rustenberg have an incredible track record with these wines and you literally can not go wrong on this front. The 2008 was fresh, full of citrus and stone fruit with a soft and buttery finish. The 2003 showed off more of a honeyed flavour, richer mouthfeel and a darker golden colour, and was as fresh as a daisy on a crisp morning. Both bottles had the benefit of screwcaps, which certainly seems to keep the wines fresher for longer.

Next up, we were onto the reds and to start off with, the wines of Grangehurst. Grangehurst was one of the very first Estates that Under the Influence got onboard and we have always admired Jeremy Walker’s approach to making quality wine, where he only releases the wines when he feels they are ready. The 1992 Grangehurst Pinotage was the first up and whilst the team of wine tasters assembled agreed the wine had probably peaked, it was still fresh, with dried fruit and loads of tertiary flavours and a silky smooth tannin.

The tasting host, overexcited!

Next up was the Grangehurst Nikela 1997 and this wine was very much alive and kicking. Lovely cherry fruit, smoke, cedar and earthiness with silky tannin and lovely acidity. This was a crowd pleaser!

Next up were two wonderful wines from De Trafford. The De Trafford Merlot 2002 is everything a great Merlot should be, soft tannins, dark fruit, mulberry leaves, bacon kips and more! David Trafford is certainly responsible for one of the finest Merlots in the country.

Finally we ended off with the De Trafford Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, a big, beastly and beautiful wine showing off fruit and secondary flavours that we are used to, as we consume mainly younger wines. The great thing about drinking this wine last was reaching an understanding of just how incredible it will become over time…