Had these two fabulous older whites, and thought they deserved a blog post of their own. Both have aged beautifully.
Domaine Marc Morey 1er Cru Virondot Chassagne Montrachet 1999 Burgundy, France
Toasty, taut and complex with spicy notes and fresh citrus, as well as some bready character. Satisfying and broad with real finesse and good acidity. 94/100
Klein Constantia Blanc de Blancs 1987 South Africa
Quite remarkable. The cork is very soft and wine-soaked, but the wine itself is still fully alive. Complex and spicy with notes of grapefruit, melon, toast and nuts. Complex and profound, with a distinctively sweet character. Rich and stylish – drinking beautifully now. 94/100
The Klein Constantia Blanc de Blanc 1987 is a legendary wine made by the now sadly late Ross Gower, a great inspiration and mentor of mine. The wine is mainly Sauvignon blanc with around 5 % botrytised Chenin Blanc and strangely was not deemed good enough to release as their Sauvignon Blanc. Admittedly it had a very different character to the equally famous and long lived KC Sauvignon Blanc 1986, which was their maiden vintage, which is why Ross released it as Blanc de Blanc. It’s great to see these South African classics holding up and improving over time, defying the received wisdom of the day.How did you get hold of a bottle Jamie?
According to Platter 1990 (who gave it 4 stars) Ross Gower decided the botrytis infusion “ruled it out as being a classic sauvignon” adding “We sometimes have to yield to public expectations for sqeaky clean wines.”
Whoa – I remember that wine (though I remember it as botrytised Sauvignon with a touch of Chenin, but I’m not nearly as well connected as Chris)! Was a beaut when I had it last in the middle nineties. We were wondering how much longer it would keep…
Chris is right; one of the greatest white wines ever to emerge from the Cape. I haven’t tasted it in a while, so pleased to hear it’s still going strong.