*This post was originally published on Real Time Wine by guest writer Ricardo Gouveia*
The Muse?
It has been a while since I have posted to my blog, as I have been busy setting up a property valuation company. I guess this will be a good time to punt such, so if you require a property valuation, be it a wine farm, commercial or residential property, visit: www.valuetec.co.za! (Editor – SHAMELESS self promotion!)
All I needed was a little inspiration to get back into the swing of things and Bouchard Finlayson, which I have now dubbed my Muse, did exactly that!
I attended a Bouchard Finlayson tasting held at Great Domaines in Johannesburg, which was superbly presented by Jessica Saurwein. It was an enjoyable evening with delicious canapes and humorous banter about smoked chicken, or should I say gerokte kiep, to be more precise 😉
The entire flight consisting of numerous Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay wines were exceptional. Scores were high and characters of the wines between the 2005, 2007 & 2009 vintages were varied.
It was extremely interesting to experience, that although the wine making style remained unchanged over the aforementioned vintages, the changing annual climatic conditions influenced the characteristics of the wines with great finesse, from green and fresh to fruity and complex.
I guess you could say the lady in the photo above, visually describes the flavours of the wines to a T – elegant, impressionable and clean with a great depth of character.
As difficult as it is to chose, my favourites of the night were:
2005 Bouchard Finlayson Sauvignon Blanc
2005 Bouchard Finlayson Sans Barrique Chardonnay (unwooded)
2009 Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay
2005 Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay
So hopefully the inspiration continues and you will be hearing from me more often!
Until next time… Cheers!
Ricardo Gouveia is The Wine Oak and the Oke likes wine! His blog reveals his wine experiences, from wine Reviews, tastings, events, wine-Making, South African wine & related regions, interesting facts, wine courses and MORE! Follow The Wine Oak on Twitter or visit his blog, www.thewineoak.com.