Friday, March 10, 2006
http://winnipegwine.blogspot.com/
wine in the 'peg

Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc

From South Africa’s Flagstone Winery comes the Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc (2005 vintage). It will set you back $14.93 plus tax at your neighbourhood MLCC. And it is so worth the price!

First off, I am biased. I love South African Sauvignon Blanc. I’m always willing to go the extra mile for a bottle of the Cape’s finest. And Flagstone ranks up there as one of my favourite wineries. Having gotten that confession out of the way, I’ll go on to say that this wine exceeded even my high expectations.

It’s a wine of many contradictions. Flinty on the nose, yet fruity in your mouth. It gushes with gooseberries, fills your mouth with fresh-cut grass and harmonizes it all with herbs. A full-bodied mouth-feel and a VERY long finish make this one worth tracking down.

As always, it straddled the line between Old World restraint and New World exuberance. South Africa does this so well, and this wine is the perfect example. The nose reminded me of a decent Sancerre, with steel and flint. In the mouth, I could taste Marlborough, with ripe juicy gooseberries – yet it was tinged with a hint of French-style herbalaciousness (yes I made that word up).

We served it up with classic smoked salmon, latkes and Swedish lumpfish “caviar” last Saturday and it was fabulous. And it absolutely kicks the kiwis of any New Zealand Sauvignon under $20.

If this is a sign of things to come, South Africa can only get better.