Tall Horse Pinotage Rose 2007
You’d think this site became a pink wine blog …
Yes, it’s yet another rose wine review. Sorry, but there are so many gosh-darn good pink wines this year.
The latest I’ve tasted is by Tall Horse, made from 100% Pinotage — an unlikely candidate for rose wine. Pinotage is from South Africa, and traditionally a big, bold red wine with black berry and earth character, and a touch of an unusual aroma that can only be described as “band-aid”. When I heard that a) there was a rose from South Africa and b) it was made from Pinotage, I had to get my hands on a bottle for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity and bewilderment. After all, it’s difficult to find ANY South African wines in a typical US wine shop, and damn near impossible to find a rose from SA — and even then it most likely would be made from Cabernet.
Suspicious of any pink wine made from Pinotage, especially one adorned with a label of a cartoon-like giraffe, I’ll admit my initial prognosis was, “there’s no way this is going to be good.”
As is often the case with low expectations, however, I was pleasantly surprised — this rose is a fruit-filled quaffer with plenty of complexity and enough structure to stand up to food.
The tasting notes:
Mild aromas of red berry, red licorice, cranberry (none of the typical “band-aid” aroma associated with Pinotage, by the way). Fruit is more pronounced on the palate, offering juicy watermelon candy, raspberry candy, pomegranate, pear, peach, and a touch of mineral. Acidity is mild to medium – not too high for drinking alone, but tart enough to match with fairly simple foods. It finishes quickly, but with a nice red licorice and red cherry flavor, as well as a bit of citrus. Easy drinking, with enough perceived sweetness to sway white zinners toward finer wine. Don’t drink this too cold, or you’ll miss a lot of the fun and complexity. Enjoy it as an aperitif, with simple appetizers, or with barbecued chicken. May also be good with sweet and spicy dishes, such as you might find on a Chinese take-out menu. At around 8 bucks, this is a great value.
a-7 t-8 b-8 fc-7 v- 9 ~ 89 Points
Glad you enjoyed the pink Pinotage — there’s quite a few of them around nowadays as well as sparkling pink Pinotages.
I am concerned to read tho’ that you are stating that “band aid” is an aroma typical of the Pinotage variety, since “band-aid” is the classic descriptor of brett (Brettanomyces) a form of yeast infection that can affect any variety anywhere. In small quantities it is sometimes said to add complexity but usually it is considered to be a fault in winemaking.
I don’t know which Pinotage you had that was bretty but be prepared to reconsider your opinion of the variety as you taste more. As the Tall Horse showed — ‘band-aid’ is not typical of the variety. Tall Horse is an export brand of DGB. South Africa’s largest independent wine and spirit producer and distributor. — see http://www.dgb.co.za
http://www.pinotage.org
Peter, thanks very much for your comment — your longtime experience in SA wine and Pinotage is highly respected and I welcome your comments.
Personally, I’ve tasted Pinotages from less than 20 producers over the past 10 years, so my knowledge is not nearly as vast as yours. As you may know, the US does not import too many different brands, and the ones that are brought here are typically low and volume and therefore difficult to locate. Off the top of my head I can say I’ve tasted Pinotage from Kanonkop, Fairview, Spier, Warwick, French Hill, Simonsig, KWV, Fleur de Cap, Nederburg, Bellingham, Robertson, Zarafa, Indaba, Stormhoek, and Beyerskloof. I’m not sure how representative those brands are, but that’s what we find in the USA.
That said, I have smelled band-aid in many of those wines but never associated it with brett — perhaps because my perception of brett is more of a rancid, earthy, barnyard aroma (such as the more pungent aroma you get in some wines from Spain and a few Bordeaux). Moreover, the band-aid I smell in most of those examples is faint — neither overpowering nor a turn-off. Maybe my definition of “band-aid” is different from yours … after all, aromas are a personal thing and wine enjoyment is subjective.
In any case, I am looking forward to trying many more Pinotages — if they ever come here ! The best higher-end Pinotage we get here are from Kanonkop and Beyerskloof — neither of which are too shabby.
Thanks again for your comments, and please keep us up to date on the goings-on with Pinotage!