Foundry Awards and Ratings
2006 Viognier
-91 Points - Steve Tanzer (2009)
Pale yellow-gold. Intriguing aromas of apricot, ginger and flinty minerality, with hints of flowers and dried fruits. Dense and tactile but with an invigorating thread of acidity giving the oily nectarine and marzipan flavors a steely quality. Fascinating and substantial viognier.
-88 Points - eRobertParker.com (August 2008 - Wine Advocat #178)
-Their 2006 Viognier manages to avoid the frequent pitfalls one encounters in ripe, barrel-fermented wine from this grape, such as canned fruit cocktail aromas, oily heaviness, or excessive astringency. Aromas of acacia, white peach, apricot kernel, and roasted pistachio greet you, and the palate impression is enveloping in richness, subtly creamy yet refreshing, and only lightly tinged with bitter herbs and fruit pits. Notes of cress and white pepper add to an imposing finishing cling. I would plan to enjoy this over the next 6-9 months.
-4 ½ Stars: 2008 Platter South African Wine Guide
-92 Points: wine-anorak.com October 2007, Jamie Goode
Very fresh, aromatic nose is quite perfumed, with flowery, gently peachy fruit. The palate has a nice fresh texture with rich, grapey, peachy fruit plus some good acidity and a bit of vanilla. There is subtle oak influence. Sophisticated, with real personality.
-Harpers - 26 October 2007:
Pure, clean, and concentrated with orange and peach aromas. While some Viogniers can verge on the flabby side, there’s a real freshness of acidity that comes from high pH soils and putting only 50% through malolactic fermentation. Very elegant indeed.
2007 Viognier
-Great New SA Wines: Jancisrobinson.com 5 November 2009
Racy, attractively savoury, tangy, lean and rather Riesling-like instead of the usual fatness. Interesting. This has to be labelled Coastal rather than Stellenbosch because it contains 10% fruit from higher vineyards in Paarl whereas the 2006 and 2008 vintages are 100% Stellenbosch. 14.3%
-17/20 : Jancis Robinson, 5 November 2009.
Racy, attractively savoury, tangy, lean and rather Riesling-like instead of the usual fatness. Interesting. This has to be labelled Coastal rather than Stellenbosch because it contains 10% fruit from higher vineyards in Paarl whereas the 2006 and 2008 vintages are 100% Stellenbosch. 14.3%
2009 Grenache Blanc
-17/20 : Jancis Robinson, 5 November 2009
Crunchy, off dry, packed with energy.
-17.5/20 : Decanter, December 7, 2009 (Tim Atkin’s Top 25 South African Wines)
As well as making the wines at Meerlust, Chris Williams has his own brand. His Syrah and Viognier are both top notch, but this minerally, lightly oaked example could outdo them both. £8.99; WSo
2003 Syrah
-92 Points: Wine-anorak.com October 2007, Jamie Goode
Lovely refined fresh, dark fruits nose. Sophisticated with a nice spicy character. The palate is tight with lovely dark fruits. Ripe but with great definition and a nice minerally edge.
2004 Syrah
-94 Points: Wine-anorak.com October 2007, Jamie Goode
’Personally, this is the style I prefer’, says Chris Williams. Lovely dark fruits nose with fantastic freshness and purity, along with a nice dark peppery character. The palate is fresh and full with lovely elegant dark fruits and great definition.
2005 Syrah
-89+ Points - Steve Tanzer (2009)
Ruby-red. Brooding aromas and flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and mint seem a bit youthfully stunted. Ripe, dense and tactile but not yet expressive. A firmly built, dry, rather muscular syrah that seems at its best today on the ripe, persistent finish, where the tannins are sweet. Give this a couple of years to loosen up.
-91 Points - Winespectator (4 March 2009)
-Lush but focused, with blackberry and fig fruit that races along with a nice graphite undertow. Spice and toast notes fill out the lengthy finish. Really fleshes out nicely with air. Drink now through 2010.
-4 ½ Stars: 2008 Platter South African Wine Guide
-Ten Best Varietal Wines from SA: Decanter 26 July 2009
From a great, smaller-scale producer, this is run through with tanned leather and blueberries. It possesses a meaty, gamey edge in the mouth, but there’s a burst of blackberries and more blueberries in there as well, with a roasted meat touch to the finish. This has soul.
-Great New SA Wines: Jancisrobinson.com 5 November 2009
Seductive in texture and leathery in flavour (sounds quite X-rated really), but it also has freshness and frankness and great balance. This is a complex wine that is very fairly priced for what it offers. Winemaker Chris Williams should take a bow on this one. Just the right sort of restraint.14.5%
-17/20 : Jancis Robinson, 5 November 2009.
Seductive in texture and leathery in flavour (sounds quite X-rated really), but it also has freshness and frankness and great balance. This is a complex wine that is very fairly priced for what it offers. Winemaker Chris Williams should take a bow on this one. Just the right sort of restraint.14.5%
Download the Awards list here...
2006 Viognier
-91 Points - Steve Tanzer (2009)
Pale yellow-gold. Intriguing aromas of apricot, ginger and flinty minerality, with hints of flowers and dried fruits. Dense and tactile but with an invigorating thread of acidity giving the oily nectarine and marzipan flavors a steely quality. Fascinating and substantial viognier.
-88 Points - eRobertParker.com (August 2008 - Wine Advocat #178)
-Their 2006 Viognier manages to avoid the frequent pitfalls one encounters in ripe, barrel-fermented wine from this grape, such as canned fruit cocktail aromas, oily heaviness, or excessive astringency. Aromas of acacia, white peach, apricot kernel, and roasted pistachio greet you, and the palate impression is enveloping in richness, subtly creamy yet refreshing, and only lightly tinged with bitter herbs and fruit pits. Notes of cress and white pepper add to an imposing finishing cling. I would plan to enjoy this over the next 6-9 months.
-4 ½ Stars: 2008 Platter South African Wine Guide
-92 Points: wine-anorak.com October 2007, Jamie Goode
Very fresh, aromatic nose is quite perfumed, with flowery, gently peachy fruit. The palate has a nice fresh texture with rich, grapey, peachy fruit plus some good acidity and a bit of vanilla. There is subtle oak influence. Sophisticated, with real personality.
-Harpers - 26 October 2007:
Pure, clean, and concentrated with orange and peach aromas. While some Viogniers can verge on the flabby side, there’s a real freshness of acidity that comes from high pH soils and putting only 50% through malolactic fermentation. Very elegant indeed.
2007 Viognier
-Great New SA Wines: Jancisrobinson.com 5 November 2009
Racy, attractively savoury, tangy, lean and rather Riesling-like instead of the usual fatness. Interesting. This has to be labelled Coastal rather than Stellenbosch because it contains 10% fruit from higher vineyards in Paarl whereas the 2006 and 2008 vintages are 100% Stellenbosch. 14.3%
-17/20 : Jancis Robinson, 5 November 2009.
Racy, attractively savoury, tangy, lean and rather Riesling-like instead of the usual fatness. Interesting. This has to be labelled Coastal rather than Stellenbosch because it contains 10% fruit from higher vineyards in Paarl whereas the 2006 and 2008 vintages are 100% Stellenbosch. 14.3%
2009 Grenache Blanc
-17/20 : Jancis Robinson, 5 November 2009
Crunchy, off dry, packed with energy.
-17.5/20 : Decanter, December 7, 2009 (Tim Atkin’s Top 25 South African Wines)
As well as making the wines at Meerlust, Chris Williams has his own brand. His Syrah and Viognier are both top notch, but this minerally, lightly oaked example could outdo them both. £8.99; WSo
2003 Syrah
-92 Points: Wine-anorak.com October 2007, Jamie Goode
Lovely refined fresh, dark fruits nose. Sophisticated with a nice spicy character. The palate is tight with lovely dark fruits. Ripe but with great definition and a nice minerally edge.
2004 Syrah
-94 Points: Wine-anorak.com October 2007, Jamie Goode
’Personally, this is the style I prefer’, says Chris Williams. Lovely dark fruits nose with fantastic freshness and purity, along with a nice dark peppery character. The palate is fresh and full with lovely elegant dark fruits and great definition.
2005 Syrah
-89+ Points - Steve Tanzer (2009)
Ruby-red. Brooding aromas and flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and mint seem a bit youthfully stunted. Ripe, dense and tactile but not yet expressive. A firmly built, dry, rather muscular syrah that seems at its best today on the ripe, persistent finish, where the tannins are sweet. Give this a couple of years to loosen up.
-91 Points - Winespectator (4 March 2009)
-Lush but focused, with blackberry and fig fruit that races along with a nice graphite undertow. Spice and toast notes fill out the lengthy finish. Really fleshes out nicely with air. Drink now through 2010.
-4 ½ Stars: 2008 Platter South African Wine Guide
-Ten Best Varietal Wines from SA: Decanter 26 July 2009
From a great, smaller-scale producer, this is run through with tanned leather and blueberries. It possesses a meaty, gamey edge in the mouth, but there’s a burst of blackberries and more blueberries in there as well, with a roasted meat touch to the finish. This has soul.
-Great New SA Wines: Jancisrobinson.com 5 November 2009
Seductive in texture and leathery in flavour (sounds quite X-rated really), but it also has freshness and frankness and great balance. This is a complex wine that is very fairly priced for what it offers. Winemaker Chris Williams should take a bow on this one. Just the right sort of restraint.14.5%
-17/20 : Jancis Robinson, 5 November 2009.
Seductive in texture and leathery in flavour (sounds quite X-rated really), but it also has freshness and frankness and great balance. This is a complex wine that is very fairly priced for what it offers. Winemaker Chris Williams should take a bow on this one. Just the right sort of restraint.14.5%
Download the Awards list here...
