However you dissect the results of Wednesday’s Top Luxury White Taste-Off, the FMC 2012 was the clear winner and South Africa’s top luxury white. Made from a 40-year-old Stellenbosch vineyard, like our red wine winner last year – the De Toren Book 17, it was aged in 100% new oak. The 2012 is a great vintage for the FMC, following international acclaim and the success of previous vintages since its maiden 2000. There are hints of botrytis and 10g/litre residual sugar, which is balanced by fresh acidity, rich oak and old-vine depth. It is bold, exotic and textured with the ability to age well for a decade.
The wines selected this year all retail at over R300, a hefty price by South African standards, but hardly premium by international standards. Village Burgundy and Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux start at around R600 per bottle, showing just how under-priced top SA whites really are. This minimum price limit meant the exclusion of top wines such as Alheit Cartology, Cape Point Vineyards Isleidh, Tokara White and Badenhorst White. The quality level was extremely high, with Wine Cellar’s James Pietersen awarding half the wines 5 stars and commenting, ‘The white wines were much closer in quality to each other than the red wine category.’ High scores were also awarded by Christian Eedes.
Chardonnays lead the luxury list, featuring strongly in Johannesburg as well as overall. A leading category in SA, their high quality is coupled with a styling that is most familiar to the tasters. Jordan’s Nine Yards and Uva Mira, both benchmark in SA, performed consistently well with their bold, yet conservative styling, rich oak and deep texture. The Crystallum did surprisingly well given that the 2013 Clay Shales is probably the most natural Chardonnay on the list with the least amount of new oak. A winner in Joburg, tasters commented on its ‘silky quality’ and ‘easiness to drink’, noted Debi van Flymen in Johannesburg. Hamilton Russell was mid-field, suffering perhaps from its youth; it requires a year or two to show its best. 2014 is a top vintage for Hamilton Russell Vineyards.
Capensis, the most expensive white wine in South Africa, was not as well liked. Most commented on the off-putting, obvious oak notes that seem to have cloaked the varietal character and complexity. Perhaps it also needs time.
Alheit Magnetic North Mountain Makstok from the famous Skurfberg vineyard, and probably SA’s most sought-after white wine, came stone last overall but was third amongst the wine trade. Along with the Mullineux and Sadie to some extent, the old-world like, savoury and textured Chenins did not win over the consumers. ‘Mullineux, Sadie Family, and Alheit showed incredible complexity with a tremendous purity of fruit and true expression of terroir,’ commented Debi. It seems the consumers and trade have completely different views on what constitutes a top luxury wine. Consumers want drinkability, familiarity, oak and fruit.
While the FMC performed well as an off-dry Chenin Blanc, the Ou Steen from Longridge at 17g/litre sugar was regarded as ‘too sweet’ in the line-up. The Sauvignon Blanc based wines also performed poorly. Tasters commented on the high, harsh acidities and green flavours that made them uneasy on the palate and less enjoyable.
All wines were tasted blind in a random order. Both venues were lively, almost rowdy in atmosphere and there are calls to host this tasting regularly!