Once more with feeling
We keep running into this issue, and we will show crass examples from time to time. The wine in question is Cape Mentelle Georgiana Sauvignon Blanc 2012, which sell for about $14 – $15. The wine gets 93 points from both James Halliday and Tyson Stelzer, so it really hits our sweet spot of well-priced wines with high scores.
What went wrong? Let’s make clear that we’re big fans of Cape Mentelle’s Trinders Cabernet Merlot and Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc. We could not taste the Georgiana at the winery – they don’t offer their cheapest wines there, which is another story. We ended up buying a bottle (yes, they sell it for $17).
We really wanted to like this wine but …
It was clear from the first sip that this wish would remain unfulfilled. The nose was vaguely savvy but suggested low origins; the palate confirmed an unattractive commercial concoction with too much sugar and not enough character. Really ordinary stuff, I thought, then I wondered if 12 days of tasting the wines of the Great Southern and Margaret River had taken their toll on my faculties.
I asked my ever-reliable partner for her opinion, and her take on the wine was the same: vin ordinaire. We had another go at this wine the following night, but more time and more oxygen didn’t improve things. We’d give the wine 86 points, which puts it at the bottom end of what we call decent wines.
What others say
‘Sourced predominantly from the cooler southern half of Margaret River, ’12 is one of her most graceful expressions yet. Fragrant elegance of Granny Smith apple, grapefruit and lemon blossom glides through an airy bouquet and a honed palate of zesty poise and refreshing restraint. Rating: 93 Points.’ James Halliday.
‘Predominantly from the cooler southern half of Margaret River, this delightfully refined sauvignon is one of Georgiana’s most gracious expressions yet. A beautiful perfume of fragrant elegance focuses in on granny smith apple, grapefruit and lemon blossom. The palate faithfully continues the theme of honed, zesty poise and consummate restraint.’ Rating: 93 Points;’ Tyson Stelzer; Wine Taste. More Here.
There will be answer
It is rare to find 2 reviewers giving the same wine the same score, but it doesn’t provide an answer to our question: what went wrong? With Sauvignon Blanc, one obvious thing that can go wrong is too much time in the bottle. Maybe James and Tyson reviewed this wine before it lost the zest of spring and the blush of youth. Savvies age quickly so maybe it’s way past it’s best.
Maybe. We’ve had quality savvies that we kept too long, and they still show the hallmark of former glory. The Cape Mentelle Georgiana 2012 does not.
Kim