nanson.ch a sweet wine selection

sweets for my sweet . . . . . .

It's usually around this time of year that I start the civilised habit of having a chilled glass of sweetie as an aperitif. Considering the almost constant +30°C that we've enjoyed this summer, it's been even more welcome than normal. So I thought it might be a bit of fun to try a range of wines from less 'obvious' countries, so no Sauternes, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, German Trockenbeerenauslese or Tokay. What I did come up with was a mini vertical of three from the US, two each from Austria and South Africa and one to finish off from Australia.

Is it hard to go wrong with sweet wines? Not hard at all; I've had many a syrupy wine which needed more acidic bite, but fortunately all eight here show sufficient acidity to avoid the wines becoming cloying. Then there's a 'confected' nose and flavour that I sometimes find in cheap bottles of Sauternes. Finally it's even possible to spoil a sweet wine with oak treatment. The 2000 Kacher TBA #5 sails dangerously close to the wind in that respect, but I guess this will integrate with time.

Overall I think sweet wines are a great place to experiment - and you don't need desert to accompany them!

Rustenberg, Brampton Qf2
Couldn't find a vintage on the bottle. First bottle opened following holidays in South Africa last November. Deep gold. The nose is quite deep and sweet, almost in a Christmas pudding fashion, almost a little lanolin too. Fat, unctuous palate with lovely acidity - I wasn't sure about the acidity when first tast in SA, but this is no problem. The finish keeps going in a slightly caramel fashion - very, very enjoyable - fortunately there's another 5 bottles left !
1989 Château St.Jean, Alexander Valley Johanisburg Riesling - Hoot Owl Vineyard
A medium amber colour. This was my note from 12 months ago "Nose is sweet with dried fruits; raisins, sultanas, perhaps even dried cranberries. Palate is thick and very sweet & fruity with a burnt sugar aftertaste like from well cooked jam tarts. It's thick in the mouth, but with just enough acidity to avoid it becoming cloying." The finish is not so long as some of the wines here, but it's certainly the most decadent." Nothing to add or take away, wonderfull wine.
1990 Château St.Jean, Alexander Valley Johanisburg Riesling - Belle Terre Vineyard
A deeper browner amber colour. Deep caramel notes, a little green tea and herb, even acrylic paint notes! Fat, sweet palate but really good acidity. There's plenty going on in here, but it's terribly hard to put your finger on it - certainly concentrated cararmelised apple. Anyway the finish is much longer than the 1989. So perhaps an even better wine.
1991 Château St.Jean, Alexander Valley Johanisburg Riesling - Belle Terre Vineyard
It's hard to know what to say about this wine after the last two. Not quite as dark coloured as the 1990, similarly the acidity is somewhere between 1990 & 1989. The palate shows caramelised apple and pear - perhaps tart tartin. Remarkable consistency over three vintages. Another fine effort.
1998 Klein Constantia, Vin de Constance
Deep gold. Nose is sweet, a touch of lanolin with lots of floral notes. In the mouth it's very thick with intense fruit that just shows a harsh edge - but only in the way the thick curd does in a Seville Marmalade. Actually the harshness is associated with the acidity much like the harsh acidity you can get in young, high class, riesling. This wine is super and very, very young.
2000 Kracher, Scheurebe TBA Number 5
Medium gold colour. Nose is very smokey with bacon fat - it's quite hard to get at the high toned fruit, but it's reminiscent off lychee. The palate is very thick and sweet in a marmalade way, just a little more acidity would have been better (for my taste), though it doesn't quite show the harsh edge of the Vin de Constance, but overall is slightly less involving. I'm not sorry to have another in the cellar though!
1998 Kracher, Muskat Ottonel TBA Number 5
Fabulous colour, like iced tea, but more orange. The nose is sweet with honeysuckle and a deeper candied fruit note and for my taste, fortunately none of the smokyness of the previous wine. Thick, very sweet but not a bit cloying. The length is very good, but this is a very young and primary wine. Potenially better even than the Chateau St.Jean wines - I wish I'd bought a case of this stuff!
2001 Mount Horrocks, Cordon Cut Riesling - Clare Valley
Quite a nice gold colour. The nose starts with obvious riesling and mineral tones. The palate is (unsurprisingly) sweet with a very raisin style of fruit, there's even grapefuit in there. The acidity is just about perfect with a finish like a blood orange. This is certainly the most intruiging wine of the whole line-up in the multitude of recognisable fruits you can identify. I don't know if it will get better, but as my supply of Chateau St.Jean is almost exhausted I aim to find out! Really super.