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EP 842 South African Chenin Blanc Tasting

Gary explores this white wine, specifically from South Africa. Chenin Blanc, also known as Steen, can bring some great value to the table.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2008 Sizanani Chenin BlancSouth African Chenin Blanc
2008 Savanha SteenSouth African Chenin Blanc
2009 Teddy Hall Chenin BlancSouth African Chenin Blanc


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luca bercelli

92/100

line of the day – ‘This wine stinks, tastes like water with rocks and a little topsoil’

This is what GV is all about. Entertaining, opinionated and fast-paced. Love it

Tags: chenin blanc, review, South Africa, Video, white, wine, wines

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  • jalapenonate

    Loved this episode. Don't have much experience with chenin blanc, definitely going to have to explore it more deeply. Also, for anyone who can answer, is this poised to be one of south africa's defining varietals for the future?

    QOTD: Teddy Hall: my stock broker who runs a cheap vineyard over the weekend

    QOTD2: I personally like to float around, every once and a while, green is exactly what I need, like the grassiness of certain NZ Sauv Blancs. I, like others here have said, definitely appreciate incorporating different styles.

  • winecrazy

    Fruit monster here Bro……Love the fruit bombs.

    Thanks for the show……at least I know what wine I don't want to be trying anytime soon..lol

    QOTD: Is that Daryl Halls Father?? Or maybe James Halls uncle from Patz & Hall. Or maybe…..Johnny Corridors cousin…?? Get it….Hall…..Corridor….No? OK I tried.

  • Branden George

    Enjoyed the episode Gary. Appreciate the shout out today on your live webcast from Sydney.

    Just started getting into wine seriously (reading, palate training, etc) in the last 6-9 months. Bought a case of wine from WL that all had video reviews by you (including the Sansonett), so I can practice tasting this summer.

    Thanks for the informative videos!

    -Branden
    Proud CKC at the University of Texas

  • John Rogers

    Where is the man? camera person by commitee not the same! Not a big fan of chenin blanc but the last one sounded interesting.

    QOTD; Terry Hall sound like a tv talk show host probably late night.

  • ilbee

    Gary: It's okay to drop a couple of tears when you taste a really bad wine like the first one here!

  • waynoooo daaaaa winoooo

    Yo G , Watched Yur “Work/Work Balance” Video…… Ya need ta sit on yur Lazy Boy,
    chill-out, & crack-open a Bottle of yur Goooood Viiiiiinoooooo……. :o)

  • cellarrat5

    I admit I do not have very much experience with the “burnt rubber” aroma, but it seems to me that Gary comes across it a little too much to be a flaw. I have picked it up on a few wines, particularly whites, and did not see anything fundamentally wrong with them. Maybe the smell reminds me of getting a new bike when I was a kid who knows.

  • zrm

    Fruit Monster! Back witha a bang gary glad your tasting in the under 10 crowd

    QOD:teddy hall sounds british to me

  • Moselman

    QOTD: Teddy Hall is where the union guys meet.

    I've never really been able to relate to a 'vegetal' taste in wine, but will be purchasing some Teddy Hall to help me explore that experience now. Unfortunately, in the BC Liquor Stores, it's 88 = 16 (bones). Not one I'd otherwise pick up, especially since my limited experience with SA CB (and SB) relates more to the dumped wine.

  • I had to 🙂

  • U think?

  • hollisdevillo

    republican congressman. oh shit! watch out! here comes teddy hall!

  • hollisdevillo

    i like the bits of green. i love walking outside to fresh cut grass, so why not smell it in my wine? basil? cilantro? thyme? all good. mix it up. as long as it doesn't irritate me. naturally.

  • I leaning towards the green in the last couple of month because of tasting more and more older wines. A nice example was a 1990 Chateau Musar or a some 1980s Gran Reservas out of Rioja.

    @QOTD
    Teddy Hall is the name of the father from Karate Kid 😉

  • Agrre on some level. But that if you talk about the under 10 bones. If we move up a notch to 15 SA can bring really good value with Pinotage and Touringa National and even an occational Shiraz, well on par with all other countries. Actually haven’t had a SA wine under 10 that was really good, but many around 15-16.

  • Allan

    Fun show G! Good energy!

    I like you when you get agressive on the wines.. But hey, where's Mott?? Is he ok?
    I miss that guy!

    You say Teddy Hall, i say: Something in tins; Teddy Hall's Pickles, Teddy Hall's Tomato soup, the list goes on forever…….

    As long as the wine is well made, i'm all in, on both fruit and vegs.

    Signing off..

  • chukheadted

    Teddy Hall definitely sounds like a wrestler.

    I like fruitier wines. Vegetal sounds unripe to me.

  • I don't think anything when I think Teddy Hall, sorry. As for the green vegetal play, that excites me quite a bit. I've always enjoyed my reds (Pinots) that have brussell sprout & green pepper tastes.

    Would write more but still waking up.

  • A_S

    Teddy Hall: “Hey, Teddy Hall is here!” Ha ha, funny Gary:)
    That's what I think of when I hear Teddy Hall. (Your description of “Teddy Hall”)

    I like both fruity and “green” wine. Depending on what kind of mood I'm in. Also, I like wines that can play more than just one side. Wines that have both the fruit- and the green-aspect.
    Good episode!

  • A_S

    I agree:)

  • kasperhip

    QOTD: Teddy Hall sounds like the guy who invented cup cakes. Or the manager of an unnamed british folk singer from the 60'es. He is definately wearing a tweed jacket, and he always pats your back when your down, and says “don't think so much, kid, or your brain will explode” in a strangely comforting way. That kinda guy.

  • kasperhip

    Oh: I fucking LOVED the part where you just go quiet, and look really serious like the wine has actually been made just to offend you personally. Great stuff. I also love your new habit of discarding a wine you don't like into the spitbucket. I just always wish you would finish it completely off….

  • kasperhip

    Get well soon, Mott! We miss you!

  • well, now we are getting into the ancient alchemy and modern chemistry of wine making, where much is known but still much more to be discovered. Sulphur dioxide and hydrogen disulphide + mercaptans can both be associated burnt rubber aromas…the former through “sulphite addition” and can be detectable by nose at about 50ppm, while the latter is a sometimes by-product of the fermentation process,and can’t be removed through copper treatment. The WS 100 point scale puts mediocre, drinkable but slightly flawed wines in the 75-79 range, but GV seems to take those wines up a bit higher at times. I’m no great monitor of the GV tasting notes archive, so maybe one of the gurus has a bead on this?
    I think that GV is an anomaly ( in many ways ) in that he tends to enjoy the “more pungent” slices on the aroma wheel. He may have a similar new bike or tire skid friendly association with the aroma…although if I remember correctly, a Big Wheel was his preferred ride, and so burning plastic might be more up his ally.
    Cheers!

  • Carpe Vinum

    South Africa is a great story. Wines feel old world in many ways. As far as whites go, Iona Sauvignon Blanc is better than just about anything I've had from New Zealand or Sancerre.

  • Christopher

    Thanks Gary for featuring some SA wines. I am in Poland and I pop into the local wine stores here, which are fantastic and I now and again pick up a red or white from SA. True, alot of chenin blancs have a grassy, green flavour to them. I prefer the fruity variety, but do find them slightly watery. But they are super to drink when the temperature reaches 35 degrees celcius!

    I think you are changing the wine world. Certainly my wine world.

    PS: do you ever contact the producers of wines that seem to be struggling with flavour, style, labelling, etc,…? I believe they would value your opinion.

    PS: I think Teddy Hall is an out of work actor. Let's google him and make him famous.

    Thanks Gary

    PS:

  • james

    vegetable vs fruit.find vege wines are ok with matching food.prefer fruit driven wines by themselves.

  • nicolai winkler

    sounds like these wines might go good with like curry dishes bringing out the tumeric,lemongrass,curry leaves,coriander seedes,fennel,type of flavor newonces.exited to try a chenin blanc in the near future.also thinking green papaya salid,summer rolls and or maybe some other Thai food like with blue ginger,galangal or coconut milk and tofu.Im gona grab a bottle drink some and pair it with super exotic crazy fruits I can find here on the Island. Thanx Gary you da bomb wine critic… peace out chefnicolaiwinkler.com

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for the info. I did a little bit of reading after reading your reply, and found it interesting that a flaw which is relatively rare can come about of Sulfite addition being that it is so prevalent in winemaking. I add sulfites to all our wine at various stages and I have never detected this flaw in any of our vintages past or present. Perhaps the key is to balance the addition carefully or monitor the kinetics of fermentation that dictate whether or not this flaw presents itself. Either way I would like to know more (everything, if it were possible) thanks for dropping your knowledge on me brother!

  • the art of tasting different thing was portryed in this show 🙂
    QOTD:Teddy Hall, I once vivisted Oxford University, England I think there was a facualty or college there namned that.
    I try taste different stuff and lately I found myself liking both the green and fruity wines. Old world, new world. as long as it do not bring to much bitterness ( aka grapefruit taste)

  • Cellarrat5, I’m still learning too, and soaking up whatever knowledge I can. Absolutely, careful attention is key, and proper addition levels are always a challenge. You doing this at home or have you got a “real” gig?

  • Anonymous

    I have somewhat of a “real” gig I suppose. I work for a winery in Lodi CA, 40 minutes south of Sacramento (if your not familiar with the area, few people are even in CA). We can boast one of the largest crush areas per ton in the US and possibly the world. About 65% of the bulk bottled in Napa comes from here in the Central Valley. Specifically, Lodi is known more for smaller production than further south where a lot of the bulk market stuff is grown. There are over 80 thousand acres grown here in the Lodi appellation with approximately 800 wine grape growers. Lodi also can boast the first Sustainable wine grape growing program and a groundbreaking integrated pest management program which others (such as Napa and Sonoma) have imitated. Our winery is small production, as most are in this area; there are about 55 producers in the Lodi area alone. The QPR here is quite good because of the relatively high acreage that in some cases grow outstanding fruit, and the fact that you?re not paying for a multi million dollar tasting room or brand when you buy the wine. Sorry for the rant, many people don?t know Lodi exists, got to spread the word somehow.

  • DanLacher

    QOTD: Teddy Hall… I say google.

  • ed-d

    When I hear Teddy Hall I think of Kanu & Rudera.
    I'm solidly on the fruit side of the debate. It's grapes! Grapes do not taste like bell pepper & asparagus. Excessive vegetal aromas & flavors are indications of a flaw in the vineyards or sometimes the winemaking itself. Most of the time it has to do with canopy management where the vines are concentrating too much on leaf production & not enough on the fruit.
    Chenin Blanc is one of those versatile grape varieties that can produce a spectrum of wines from dry to sweet. Because of that, styles are all over the map, much like riesling & zinfandel.

  • Replying here because of the comment nesting limitation. Congrats, that definitely is a REAL gig, and you should definitely use the opportunity to talk about your area…you’ve got some nice old zin vines there! Sulphite additions tend to be much lower in reds due to the natural protection of the tannins and other anti-oxidant compounds, and since you are probably using high quality fruit and following best practices, the chance of a rubbery red is pretty small. If you do get it in a red, I’m usually suspicious that the S02 is being used to arrest a rogue microbe bloom.
    Keep at it!

  • Junkyard Jeff

    First time in a very long time…A) Where's Mott? He's not allowed vacation is he? B) Are you thinking of Teddy Long for the rasslin ref?

  • scottEJ

    Thanks, G. I normally like SA whites for their QPR factor. Some nice chards, too.

    QOTD: Sounds like a college auditorium.

  • Vegetable wines go well with Food. Most of my wines get drunk by themselves, so i would tend towards the fruit..

    QOTD Teddy Hall sounds like a small Asian computer programmer with broken glasses and a high pitched voice.

  • Tom

    I'm more of a fruit monster when it comes to wine. Kind of weird, because I usually prefer vegetables over fruit to eat.

    QOTD: The first thing that came to mind was Teddy Ruxpin…you know, that freaky talking robot-bear. I'm surprised that thing didn't give me nightmares when I was younger.

  • The wine Gary hated is -The Sizanani wine brand was created in the spirit of helping each other by Bellevue Wine Estate and around 100 of its staff from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. Sizanani is an isiXhosa word meaning 'helping each other'. 'In unity there lies strength, therefore let us help each other!' is the upbeat credo of this determined team. A trust has been created and there are currently 101 members of the Sizanani Trust involved in the process, all of them either permanent or retired employees of Bellevue. Another goal is to achieve Fairtrade certification, which would further enhance the Sizanani's brand credibility!

    The Savanha is made by Spier , a large winery with a great african experience show and buffet who have made award winning chenins in the past

    Teddy Hall is The Chenin King in SA. Rudera wines were made by him and he has a new venture

  • unclemeate

    AotD: HOOTERZ!

    I am a Veggie Head !!!

  • Anonymous

    Dialogues like this is the reason why this forum kicks serious ass, thank you very much, hopefully we (and others) will keep it up!

  • cellarrat5

    Gary, it seems you have brought out more lurkers in the last couple weeks than the last year or so. Keep calling em' out! Perhaps it is people who used to post who are making a comeback, either way your bringing thunder to lurker?s lives by making them stop their incessant lurking!!!!!!!!

  • Lb_in_KS

    qotd..makes me think baseball… Teddy Hall up to bat….what's this?!?! He's calling his shot!!(pointing out to left field)… yeah, makes me think baseball. Probably the season. Which wine goes best with hotdogs and peanuts? may have to stick with the beer for that….

  • Anything's good but mushrooms!

  • cellarrat5

    but mushrooms go perfectly with steak, steakmonster. Maybe you meant in your wine?

  • JayZee13

    I think I like my fruit with my veggies. I love a good salad that also has fruit in it.

  • davidemillombard

    Down with the fruit.

    Teddy Hall is like the local high school football/baseball coach, minor league star, or the guy in any professional sport who is rides the pine (probably an MBA pitcher). Not to hate on the name or anything… : ) ***** I got it..he's one of the guys in that last pack of broke ass cards you opened

  • delboyoflondon

    Just back to London from Stellenbosch where I was loving the steen (most of the time). I asked a few winemakers down there about the origin of the word “steen” and the general sense was that it comes from the dutch word for stone, which describes much about the soil in the area. Might be total crap, but thats what they were telling me. I was a lurker………I am not any more!!

    QOTD – He sounds like a session musician…….. something like James Jackson and the Teddy Hall band

  • cellarrat5

    Nice, ending lurkerdom with a nugget of knowledge is always a good thing!

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