On the 10th of October Christiaan Coetzee (Winemaker) & Pearl Grant Muiznieks of Uva Mira visited us. It is wonderful to have a winemaker at Vats, thanks to Pearl for organising that Christiaan could come! Christiaan is a wealth of information, of everything that happens at Uva Mira. Both Christiaan and Pearl made us feel real special with their line up and beautiful wines. The following was the tasting order, the comments made by the tasters and the average scores of the wines.
1. Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Colour- light green. Nose- gooseberry, fresh green peas, asparagus, salty, cut green grass. Palate- crisp acidity, soft tropical fruits with pineapple, guava, passion fruit, beautiful minerality, lemons, with green fruits that linger to the finish.
Score- 16.64.
2. The Mira Chardonnay 2022
Colour- light green. Nose- butterscotch, pineapple, orange blossom, spices, butter. Palate- crisp acidity, spices, lime and lemon, apples, peach, butterscotch and toast.
Score- 16.80.
3. The Single Tree Chardonnay 2020
Colour- light green heart, with golden yellow rim. Nose- smoke, citrus, white peach, butterscotch, toast, salty. Palate- crisp acidity, lovely minerality, lime and lemon, butterscotch, a slight oily feel to the mouth, lime lingers to the finish, full bodied, great depth.
Score- 17.38 (40th out of 255 wines tasted in 2023).
4. The Mira Shiraz 2020
Colour- inky reddish purple, with almost no gradation to a light purple rim. Nose- plum, caramel, white pepper, toffee, cassis, spice, cinnamon, chocolate. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, plums, spices, chocolate, jammy black fruits, black cherry and berries, mulberry, toffee.
Score- 17.08.
5. The Mira Merlot 2020
Colour- inky red, with almost no gradation to a light red rim. Nose- spices with cumin, cardamom and coriander, black berries and cherries, savoury hints. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, spices, plums, prunes, black berries and cherries that linger to the finish.
Score- 15.79.
6. The Mira Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Colour- inky red, with almost no gradation to a light pink rim. Nose- wet earth, Eucalyptus, marzipan, cassis, chocolate. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, dark chocolates, Eucalyptus, fresh green herbs, tobacco, black cherries.
Score- 17.00.
7. The Dance Cabernet Franc 2019
Colour- inky dark red, with almost no gradation to a clear rim. Nose- cassis, black cherries, tobacco, chocolate. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, tobacco, chocolate, cassis, loads of black berries and cherries that linger to the finish.
Score- 17.88 (8th best for 2023).
8. OTV Red Blend 2018 (59% Cabernet Franc, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Colour- inky dark red, with almost no gradation to a light red rim. Nose- savoury, sun dried tomatoes, meaty, vanilla, black cherries and berries. Palate- crisp acidity, firm tannins, lots of spices with cardamom and cumin, cassis, black cherries and berries that linger full to the finish, a beautiful wine that still needs lots of time to grow and unwind!
Score- 18.25 (3rd best wine tasted for 2023).
Spoilt rotten we were, with brilliant, juicy, fruit driven wines, with depth and ability to develop! The information of vine and winemaking was stunning! All of us present learnt so much. Two top ten wines for 2023, out of 255 tasted thus far and the third in the top 40, awesome. Best the OTV, second the Cabernet Franc and third the Single Tree Chardonnay! Thanks again to Christiaan and Pearl for a simply superb tasting!
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