Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc, 2006
~$18US, 100% Saugivnon Blanc, Stellenbosch South Africa
My hunt for weird and wild white wines takes me to South Africa, this time to one of Stellenbosh’s top producers, Mulderbosch. This wine has been noted as a prime example of Southern Hemisphere Sauv Blanc, so I thought I’d see how it stacked up against the Loire and New Zealand companions I’ve had in the past (I embarrassingly haven’t had a white Bordeaux example yet).
Very pale yellow color. Aromatically complex and unusual, with extreme green vegetable action. Lime pips, bell pepper, and peas. Very bright and high-toned on the palate with lime, green apple. and jalepeno peppers. The acidity is so fresh it’s spicy through the midpalate. Very focused and precise. Crispy finish bursting with chalk and grass. Like a gravel ceviche.
Overall a wild ride through the vegetable garden - you usually don’t get this complexity and uniqueness below 20 bones - in the Loire, or beyond. This is not a wine for everyone, but I’m loving it for the nose alone. I wouldn’t pair it with anything acidic - probably softer sweeter cheeses, asparagus, and oysters.
Update: After 24 hours, the wine loosened up considerably - so much that it fell apart - the spike of acidity was too aggressive as the rest of the fruit softened. Sharp and disjointed.