On the 10th of September we tasted a few of the MCC’s from Graham Beck. The tasting was supposed to be presented by Mandla Patson Mathonsi, but there was confusion with his dates. In the end Cheryl Jennings one of our members stepped in and managed to get the wine donated. Simoné Haikney of Graham Beck kindly stepped forward and saved the day! Simoné was an absolute star and sent us all the notes and the wines to do the tasting, thanks kindly! The following is the tasting order, the comments and the average scores.
Blanc de Blanc 2018 (Chardonnay)
Colour- light green to golden, fine mousse. Nose- citrus, brioche, biscuit, lemon, apples. Palate- crisp acidity, citrus, green apple, sherbet, lemon, smooth with a long dried fruit finish.
Score- 16.19.
2. Brut NV (2022), the blend 53% Chardonnay, 47% Pinot Noir
Colour- light green to golden, fine mousse. Nose- lime, raisin, citrus, soft brioche. Palate- crisp acidity, toast, biscuit, citrus, sherbet, lime with a creamy mouth feel.
Score- 16.77.
3. Brut Rose NV (2022), the blend 50% Pinot Noir, 49% Chardonnay, 1% Pinot Mineure
Colour- bright, light pink, fine mousse. Nose- meaty, candy floss, full forthcoming strawberry. Palate- crisp acidity, candy floss, bubble gum, dried fruits, red berry, strawberry, with dried fruits on a long finish.
Score- 16.71.
4. Bliss Nectar NV (2022), the blend 53% Chardonnay, 47% Pinot Noir
Colour- light green to gold, fine but feisty mousse. Nose- brioche, honeycomb, apples, citrus. Palate- crisp acidity, citrus, Golden Delicious apples, green apples, red berries and cherry, soft.
Score- 16.69.
5. Bliss Nectar Rose NV (2022), the blend 50% Pinot Noir, 49% Chardonnay, 1% Pinot Mineure
Colour- light pink to onion skin, fine energetic mousse. Nose- lime, melon, raspberry, mulberry. Palate- crisp acidity, raspberry, red berry and cherry, with a slight praline like bitterness, almond, sweet cherry finish.
Score- 15.73.
Thanks kindly to Cheryl and Simoné that saved this tasting and turned it into a lovely tasting of lovely Graham Beck MCC’s! The Nectar’s were interesting, one expects to get very sweet MCC, but they were not that, not at all. Both were very well rounded and rich! Top wine was the Brut, followed by the Brut Rose and in third was the Bliss Nectar. The top three only
separated by 0.08 in score so very close. Pieter Ferreira as Chief Operating Officer and his Cellar Master Pierre De Klerk have certainly kept their eye on the ball, ensuring that we get to taste real quality in every glass.
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