The wild is my sanctuary. It’s where I feel the most at peace, where my mind winds down to a perfect harmony and clarity; where I can stand or seat still for hours and only be concerned that there wasn’t enough time to take it all in. It’s the expanse, the diversity of flora and fauna, the beauty, the seeming miniature nature of our existence in perspective, the contrasted savagery and yet unity, the resilience, the ingenuity… All of it, that somehow resonates deeply with my core.
After a long 2014, I was fortunate enough to spend two days recharging in the 1,510 squared kilometre Maasai Mara: one of Kenya’s… correction… the world’s, most astonishing game reserves. There is certainly something prehistoric and reverend about the spotted grassland with a staggering per capita concentration of wildlife. The warmth of the people, simultaneously, makes you feel like you are exactly where you belong.
I was disappointed by the “execution” of the wine list at the establishment we stayed at. Initially, intrigued by the diversity it boasted in writing, it turned out they only had about 40% of the wines in stock. What use is a list that shows more of what you don’t have than what you do?…
Bare with me, I seem to be going through an Elgin infatuation as we … speak? It probably won’t pass, however I’ll most certainly move to another obsession next week that will keep me preoccupied for a little while. In this instance, I’ve been fortunate enough to taste a couple of their stunning Chardonnays over the last few weeks, and decided to stick my “aches-ridden” neck out for it as a variety (dramatic huh?).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a firm believer in letting people do whatever rocks their boats. Who am I to judge? As long as you are drinking wine (especially if it is something I’m flogging 
), I couldn’t care less what you are having and how you decide to have it: hot, cold, with coke, in food… you name it, you’ve bought it!
However, almost universally Sauvignon Blanc has become that terribly crisp and unimaginative fruit bomb or glass full of grass, spring chicken to be drunk straight off the bottling line which I believe does the cultivar a great disservice. Given, majority of them are produced in such an easy drinking, cheap, swimming pool wine style, which, ironically, is probably what is keeping the industry afloat. Nonetheless, this need not be the be all and end all of Sauvignon Blanc…
It’s a remarkable grape variety capable of surprising depth, complexity, fragrance and most importantly versatility. Heavily dependent on the location it is planted (the French calling that terroir), it truly can be a beaut in the right setting! And to my reverence, there are producers that are churning out sheer stunners year after year! But yet the market is repeatedly drinking them way too early: before that acidity that many claim to be too tart and austere, carries that very wine into a graceful age; maturing into a classy lady or sophisticated gentleman.
I recently tried two such expressions, the last of which, driven by the number of other wines I had to taste that night, brought on this heartfelt rant. Both were probably remarkable in youth, however as I keep telling a certain little lady, I rather prefer allowing them to age into their peak, where their elegance and subtly is a greater spectacle than their youthful vibrance…