On the 12th of November Judith Lee presented the wines of Van Loveren’s Prestige range, Christiena Trousseau, plus a few other great wines. Judith has been a friend to Vats for many years and has presented many amazing tastings to us over the last twenty years. This was such a tasting, filled with lovely information of who Christiena Van Loveren was and how Van Loveren was built on solid winemaking, as well as viticultural practices. Christiena was an amazing woman, and her Kist or Trousseau, still stands in the tasting room today. The following is the order that we tasted the wines in, the comments of the tasters and the average scores.
Christiena Trousseau Brut NV (80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir)
Colour- light green, fine mousse. Nose- citrus, brioche, terpene, orange. Palate- crisp acidity, slightly oily, terpene, oranges, citrus, sweet dried fruits on the after palate.
Score- 16.25.
2. Christiena Trousseau Brut Rose NV (Pinot Noir)
Colour- light golden to copper, fine mousse. Nose- strawberry, citrus, brioche. Palate- crisp acidity, brioche, red cherry, strawberry that lingers to the after palate.
Score- 16.88.
3. Christiena Trousseau Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Colour- light green. Nose- figs, asparagus, gooseberry, apples, passion fruit. Palate- crisp acidity, guava, green bell pepper, grapefruit, apples, with figs that linger to the after palate, lively minerality.
Score- 16.00.
4. Blaauwklippen Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Colour- inky dark red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose- black forest cake, tobacco, cedar, caramel, chocolate, black berry and cherry, cassis, plum. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, chalky, cedar, marzipan, cassis, black berry and cherry.
Score- 17.44 (tied 23rd best wine of 2024, out of 283 tasted).
5. Christiena Trousseau 9 Barrels Pinotage 2020.
Colour- inky almost black-red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose- full, forthcoming, black cherry and berry, plums. Palate- crisp acidity, firm but softening tannins, black cherry, plums, raspberry, with black cherry finish, needs time.
Score- 17.33.
6. Van Loveren Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot 2023 (60/40)
Colour- inky deep red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose- black cherry and currants. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, caramel, black and red cherry, almost like a cherry bomb.
Score- 16.44.
7. Zandvliet Hill of Enon Shiraz 2020
Colour- inky purple-red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose- leather, spice, sundried tomatoes, black pepper, black cherry and berry. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, black pepper, spice, sundried tomatoes, plums, black cherry and berry, black pepper finish.
Score- 17.56 (17th best wine for 2024).
8. Blaauwklippen De Blaauwe Klip Red Blend 2020 (42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Malbec, 12% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot)
Colour- inky dark red, with no gradation to the rim. Nose- salty, blue berry, black cherry, bramble berry. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, tobacco, cedar, leather, chocolate, black berry and cherry, young needs time.
Score- 17.30.
High scoring tasting, with four wines above 17.30, one wine in the top twenty for Vats in 2024 and another in the top twenty five. Top wine was the Zandvliet Hill of Enon Shiraz, followed by the Blaauwklippen Cabernet Sauvignon and third the Christiena Trousseau 9 Barrels Pinotage. A simply magnificent tasting by Judith once again. We love having this vibrant lady at Vats, her amazing stories from wealth of knowledge about the farms and their winemaking styles, coupled with viticultural practices, makes her tastings an experience not to be missed. Thanks kindly Judith, you are one of our favourite people!
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