Faraway Farm: Chenin Blanc 2009

Bottle of Faraway Farm
Chenin Blanc 2009

Faraway Farm
Chenin Blanc 2009
Western Cape, South Africa
Varietal:  Chenin Blanc
~10.00 USD

There is a special place in Africa, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, where soaring mountains dominate the landscape.  Tucked away behind these mountains you will find our vineyard.  this is the home of Faraway Farm.  

Our Chenin Blanc will spoil you with flavors of fresh green apple and succulent ripe melon.  Drink with close friends.  (bottle label)

It's wine Friday everyone!  Unfortunately one leg of the "wine Friday" tripod is missing in action...Derek, you know who you are!  However, Marie and I are keeping it classy this evening with a nice bottle of Faraway Farm's 2009 Chenin Blanc.  We have decided to pair this with some delectable citrus tilapia and asparagus served over a bed of rice.  In my opinion we did well with this pairing and I do have to say that I will be trying this one again.  The chenin blanc looked almost as clear as water and the green apples smacked you in the face the moment you got your nose anywhere near the glass.  You could tell that it was going to be light and citrusy with out any doubt.  There was an undertone of melon present as well on the nose but by far the green apple stood out.  Taste wise it was like squeezing  lemon and green apple juice right into your mouth.  It had a light, crisp character to it that I feel helped cut some of the sour sweetness down.  It wasn't overly sweet or dry by any means and had a spicy note to it when tasted after some of the tilapia.  It did have a bit of heat from the alcohol but it certainly wasn't overbearing.  I think without that it would have just tasted like green apple juice.  All in all this was a very pleasant wine.  It would be a good summer evening wine as well or a picnic wine for that matter. 

Henry Lagarde Cab Sauvignon 2010

Bottle of Henry Lagarde
Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Henry Lagarde
Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Mendoza, Argentina
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
17.95 USD

Cherry color, almost black towards the center of the glass. The bouquet is a complex mixture of fruity and spicy sensations, with some notes of smoke and minerals.  Full-mouthed and highly structured.  Its ripe tannins give persistence to this excellent wine. (Vintage Cellar)

This cabernet sauvignon was a lot of fun to sample.  There was a pleasant fruitiness to the nose I believe it was a nice cherry.  There was also hints of tobacco and a nice vanilla undertone.  Just from the nose it felt like it would be smooth and full of body.  And my nose was right!  It was wonderfully smooth and heavily silky.  It coated my mouth instantly and left a full rich after taste.  The flavors were unfortunately subdued I was not able to really pick out any dominating

 fruit flavors or and flavor for that matter.  It was very nice don't get me wrong but 

nothing jumped out at me.  I'd like to give this one another go though.

Atlas Cumbres Malbec

Bottle of Altas Cumbres
Malbec 2010

Altas Cumbres
Malbec 2010
Mendoza, Spain
Variety:  Malbec
12.95 USD


This Mendoza Malbec is produced by Lagarde Winery from vineyards that are more that 65 years old.  This is 100% Malbec and it offers lush aromas of berries, cassis, caramel and potpourri.  the color is deep purple tainted ruby with a violet hue.  This is a medium bodied wine with a lovely smooth texture and abundance of dark black fruits, some minerality and smoke.  The tannins and acidity are well balanced creating a pure and elegant finish. (Vintage Cellar)


This wine was a pleasure to sample.  It had a nice deep, rich purple color and had an amazing spicy, smokey, oak scent on the nose.  It was fairly dry on the nose with some sort of deep red fruit.  The taste was surprising. It was unexpectedly  light bodied on the palate compared to the density of the nose.  It was smooth with a fruity sweetness and no heat.  In my opinion it was a very well balanced wine. 

Altas Cumbres Torrontes

Bottle of Altas Cumres
Torrontes 2009

Altas Cumbres

Torrontes 2009

Variety: Torrontes

Mendoza, Spain

8.95 USD

Yellow color with greenish nuances.  Very intense aroma of fresh grapes, flower perfume and mature peaches.  Fresh in the mouth.  Light and easy to drink.  Ideal with seafood, Thai and Chinese food. (Vintage Cellar)

This was like night and day with the previous wine [the Altas Cumbres Viognier].  Immediately you are hit by an amazing flowery perfume on the nose yet it still maintained its "lightness".  There was a nice sweet fruit base that complimented the the strong floral edge.  It was a delightfully crisp and light wine that was still very smooth all the way through.  It left a nice coating in your mouth afterwords as well.  You couldn't get any hint of alcohol except for maybe a smidgen on the back end.  There was an interesting fruit component but was unable to make out what exactly it was.   For this price I will definitely be revisiting this wine in the future.  

Altas Cumbres Viognier 2009

Bottle of Altas Cumbres
Viognier 2009

Altas Cumbres

Viognier 2009

Variety: Viognier

Mendoza, Spain

11.95 USD

This 100% Viognier nose is fresh and floral, with notse of ripe peach, melon and apricot.  Powerful in the mouth with good weight and a well-balanced finish. (vintage cellar)

This was a very clear wine.  Slight yellowish hue but it kinda looked like water.  I was a little disappointed with this wine.  I was not able to get much on the nose of this wine.  There was a fruit-citrus tendency but nothing was jumping out of the wine.  The same really went for the mouth.  It was light and citrus-y but at the same time that was about it.  There was a bit of green melon but it was a very underwhelming wine.

Perle de Roseline 2010

Bottle of Perle de Roseline

Perle de Roseline
Cotes de Provence Blanc 2010
Provence, France
Variety: Ugni Blanc, Rolle
14.95 USD

Shop review: Chateau Sainte Roseline is a very ancient Abbey (XII century). Founded by a hermit named Roubaud who, seduced by the beauty of the place, calmness and presence of an abundant source, decided to retire. Roseline, daughter of the Marquis de Villeneuve, Lord of the Arcs, was the Mother Prioress of the Abbey from 1300 to 1329. Very pious and generous, it marked strongly the local population and it is natural that gave the place its name. (vintage cellar)

So that's a nice story about this wine...but on to my review and we all know what that is worth:

So starting out with the color: it was a light clear wine with a hint of some yellow hues to it.  It had an interesting nose to it with a light citrus base.  There were hints of what I thought was pear peaking out as well.  There was also an interesting scent that I could only characterize by some sort of cheese but my comrades in drinking [Marie and Derek] suggested some kind of soapy smell.  After the first taste there was definitely some pear underneath the clean and light citrus base.  

Glop Priorat

Bottle of Glop
Priorat 2009

Glop 
Priorat 2009
Grenache Blend
Catalunya, Spain
20.95 USD

Glop is a customer favorite in our retail store and it has a very memorable name which means 'sip' or 'gulp' in Catalan.  Glop is an inky red wine from Priorat with deep plum and blackberry flavors perfect for pairing with grilled chorizo or Iberico pork. (Vintage Cellar)

This was another wine I tried yesterday at the Vintage Cellar (as you can probably tell from the above tasting note).  It seemed to be much harsher in the nose than the Novelty Hill.  It was bold with sweet molasses and a hint of sweeter smelling cigar, almost like one of those crappy Black and Milds.  It was a smoother wine that had a light body despite its strong nose.  I expected feel much heavier in the mouth than 

it did (also, that's what she said).  Surprisingly, despite its high 

alcohol content I found very little heat present in the wine.  

Again, there were fruits in it, but like before I couldn't place them.