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Posts Tagged ‘Cape Mentelle’

2008 Cape Mentelle Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc

28 Apr

This week’s second wine – a 2008 Cape Mentelle Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc – comes specifically from the Margaret River subregion of Western Australia (whereas the Hazard Hill hails from the broader Western Australia appellation).  Cape Mentelle is, along with Leeuwin Estate and a few others, one of Margaret River’s most prestigious wineries and is actually one of the (many) wineries Pop, SM and I visited in the Spring of 2008.  And as was the case with virtually every winery we visited during that two weeks, Cape Mentelle’s Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc was quite possibly my favorite wine.

Brilliantly clear and pale straw with hints of green, this wine has a lovely aroma of key lime zest, orange blossom and a hint of vanilla, and the palate is ripe with lemon and lime, freshly cut grass, and just a touch of soft oak.  The fruit is huge and ripe, but there’s generous acidity to balance it out, and the finish is long and refreshing.  In short, I could drink gallons of this stuff and be perfectly content.  It’s nothing short of a wonderful example of Margaret River’s signature white blend.

At $18.69/bottle from Wine Exchange, it’s a bit more expensive than the Hazard Hill but well worth price nonetheless….

4.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, Australia, Cape Mentelle, Margaret River, Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, white wine

 

Week 35: Western Australia Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc

26 Apr

Bidding farewell to Portugal, CorkPopper moves now back to the New World – to Australia, in fact, that mythical land of aboriginal peoples and descendants of British prisoners.  Australia is, of course, an enormous country which produces wine all the way along its western, southern and eastern coasts, and I’ve only managed to make it to the country once so far.  In 2008, Pop, SM and I went to Western Australia and spent two blissful weeks tasting our way through the country’s Margaret River wine region.  And that is exactly where I’m starting this month’s virtual odyssey through the vast world of Australian wine.

Western Australia – and Margaret River, in particular – is widely known for its high quality wines.  Indeed, some say that although the region produces only about 3% of the country’s wine overall, it produces over 20% of Australia’s premium wines.  All I can say is that if the wines I managed to taste during my visit were at all representative of the region as a whole (we organized our trip based on the recommendations of some wonderful locals Pop knows through work), those statistics must be true.

Though I tasted a number of different varietals and blends during my journey through Margaret River, my favorite by far was a blend with which I was previously completely unfamiliar – a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend.  We don’t grow a whole lot of Semillon in California, and what little Semillon I’d tasted from countries like France was a bit on the sweet side for me.  The combination of Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, however, was a revelation to me with its Sauvignon Blanc crispness and its Semillon depth.  Imagine my joy when I discovered that I could find a number of these blends distributed here in the U.S. – and within the CorkPopper budget, no less!

So, without further delay, here’s this week’s list…..

First, we've got a 2008 Plantagenet Hazard Hill Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, which is available for $13/bottle from Old Bridge Cellars.

Second, is a 2008 Cape Mentelle Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, which received 91 points from Wine & Spirits and is available for $18.69/bottle at Wine Exchange.

Finally, we've got a 2007 Leeuwin Estate Siblings Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, which earned 89 points from International Wine Cellar. You can find it at Wine Chateau for just $16.89/bottle.

It’s gonna be a great week!  Don’t miss it!!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in Australia, Cape Mentelle, Leeuwin Estate Siblings, Plantagenet Hazard Hill, Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, Uncategorized