I haven’t had the opportunity to try many wines from South Africa, so I was glad to give this one a shot.  Two Oceans wine is named for the two oceans that converge at the Cape in South Africa.

The label on this wine says that it has “ripe gooseberry flavors” but I don’t think I’ve ever tasted gooseberries, so I’m not sure about that.  What I am sure of is that this wine is characteristically different from Sauvignon Blanc I’ve tasted from other regions.  There is something much more earthy in the nose on this one.  It does have the tropical fruit aromas you would expect from a Sauvignon Blanc, but they are slightly restrained.  That’s not a bad thing, it’s just different.

Melon, apricot, lemon, flint and dried straw make an interesting bouquet.  Really, it’s that dried straw aroma that makes this wine different than other Sauvignon Blanc I’ve tasted.  It’s funny though, often a SB will have a “grassy” characteristic but this one is like a dried grass making it rather earthy.  The palate is tart and minerally.  It’s like green apples and flint stones, followed by more apple, apricot and melon on a lengthy finish.

To me, this wine is slightly off balance.  That said, there are some interesting characteristics to it and if you’re looking for a very acidic white you may like it.

Wine: Two Oceans
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 81
Price: $7.99

Find Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc with Snooth

Sebeka is still relatively new to the American wine market, as it first appeared here in 2007.  It’s produced in the Swartland Winery in South Africa, which dates back to 1948, and distributed in the US by E.J. Gallo. You can’t miss this wine on the shelf, as it stands out with a bright yellow label showing a cheetah running.  Sebeka is actually named after a cheetah that was raised by wildlife conservationist Lente Roode, who founded the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre to help preserve endangered species.

I haven’t had the opportunity to sample many wines from South Africa, so I was curious to see how this compared to Shiraz from other regions.  My first impression upon pouring this was that the color was a little light for a Shiraz, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and so I let the tasting be the judge.

Upon first opening this I was underwhelmed, but after decanting and letting it aerate for about an hour it came to life.  Therefore, this is a wine that I do recommend decanting.  The nose has a good balance of fruit and earthy aromas, with blackberry, cherry, leather, and smoke.

The palate is crisp and vibrant with bright cherry flavors.  This wine is not as jammy and overpowering as a lot of Shiraz I’ve had, which makes it a little more approachable than some others.  It is also a little bit on the acidic side, which can work well for pairing with certain foods.  I would think this would go quite well with a yellow fin tuna steak.

Wine: Sebeka
Variety: Shiraz
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $10.00

Today marks Wine Blogging Wednesday #36, and the theme is Naked Chardonnay.  That’s defined as any chardonnay that has never touched oak.  These are also typically chardonnays that haven’t gone through malolactic fermentation.  Malolactic fermentation is a process that converts malic acid to lactic acid which will reduce the overall acidity and gives typical chardonnays their buttery characteristic.

Naked Chardonnays are more fruity and acidic than their oaked counterparts.  The ones I tried all presented a variety of fruit and crisp acidity.  I did keep all of my clothes on throughout tasting these, although I was tempted to strip — particularly after I’d had a few.

For my contribution, I tasted five different unoaked chardonnays from around the globe.  I had a difficult time finding unoaked chardonnay for under $10, but I was able to find three at $9.99 and bought two more at $11.99 & $12.99 for comparison.  And to make it even more interesting, the five I tasted are from around the globe.

Here are my selections:

The good news is that there were no total duds.  They were all enjoyable to some extent, but some were better than others.

For something new this month, I took all the bottles outside for a photo-shoot amongst my Chardonnel grape vines.  If you haven’t heard of Chardonnel, it’s a grape variety that was created by Michigan State University, Cornell University and Tabor Hill Winery in Buchanan, Michigan.  It is a hybrid between Chardonnay and Ceval Blanc.  I have some vines growning in my backyard but have yet to produce enough to make any wine… but I am feeding the birds with them. 

Now, let’s get on to the results!

Top Choice

This is actually a tough call with the numbers coming in so close.  I actually ended up with an 86, 87, 88 and an 89 and I wasn’t even comparing the numbers to rank them, it just came out that way.  There are some characteristics I like about a couple of these despite not getting the top numbers.  However, by the numbers the 2005 Monjardin “El Cerezo” from the Navarra region of Spain gets top honors with 89 points.

The Monjardin has a nice crisp acidity, but is still well balanced. The dominant flavors are pear, mineral and lime.  It has a medium long finish.  This is a very enjoyable chardonnay for $11.99.

Best Value Picks

I’m calling a tie on the best value pick.  Brampton from South Africa and Gisborne from New Zealand are both excellent choices and are both priced at $9.99.

Brampton Unoaked Chardonnay 2006 is produced by Rustenberg Wines in coastal South Africa.  It is nice and light with apple, peach, pear and mineral flavors – subtle, but a good bit of complexity.  I was particularly surprised by its exceptionally long finish.  This is a nice unoaked chardonnay, although it’s not terribly exciting.  It’s very refreshing and simple.  I gave it 88 points.

Brancott Gisborne Unoaked Chardonnay 2005 comes from Brancott Vineyards in New Zealand.  A tropical twist is what I really enjoyed about this wine.  It has a unique pineapple flavor, complimented by a touch of pear.  The acidity is crisp and it has a relatively long finish.  There is a slight bitterness to the finish, but it’s not bad.  I did a write up on this wine last week that included recipes from the awesome dinner I enjoyed with this wine:  Citrus Marinated Tilapia and Cauliflower Asparagus Salad. 

The numbers on the Gisborne added up to a rating of 87 points, but I still call it a tie with the Brampton because I enjoyed the pineapple characteristics so much.

Worth Mentioning

Razor’s Edge Unwooded Chardonnay 2006 is definitely a good chardonnay.  At $12.99 it was the most expensive one I purchased but it wasn’t my favorite.  It comes from South Australia via Joshua Tree Imports.  It has citrus, mineral and green apple flavors up front.  One thing I find really interesting in this chardonnay is that it has a touch of Golden Delicious apple that sneaks up on you late in the finish.  Just when you think it done, BAM! there’s a little Golden Delicious for you.  Other than that, it was a fairly simple chardonnay and not worth the extra couple dollars compared to the other options.  I gave it 87 points.

Three Thieves Unoaked Chardonnay 2005 is the only California chardonnay I tried for this event.  It was also the least expensive at $9.99 for a full liter.  Although it was the least expensive, I didn’t pick it as a best value because I felt the two I did pick were that much better. 

Three Thieves wines come in a fun little jug.  It looks similar to the jugs you might buy really cheap wine in, but smaller.  They’ve gotten some decent reviews on their other wines, but I haven’t seen any reviews of the chardonnay (until now).  I honestly didn’t expect much from this one but it was better than I expected.  The nose is not far from what you would expect in a chardonnay, but it is a little tart – as is the palate.  The only real dissernable fruit is apples, but they are green apples… a little too green.  Three thieves chardonnay is drinkable, but it will make you pucker.  84 points.