Simonsig - well worth a visit : Part One

January 22, 2008

I was in the beautiful Cape winelands yesterday (amid the 33 degree heat) - and decided to pop into the esteemed Simonsig Wine Estate.

Other than the well known Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Cap Classique - I hadn’t tried many of their wines and was very eager to do so.

Well I was more than impressed -not only with the wines on offer but with the friendly and passionate staff too - even though I was alone, I felt right at home.

All of the wines were exceptional with the following two emerging as the standouts of the tasting:

Simonsig Cuvee Royale 1999

This is gorgeous and rich. A glowing gold colour. Dizzy-dense bubbles. Butter, honey and almonds on the nose. The same notes come through on the palate with an additional dusty lime note thats incredibly refreshing. A butter biscuit finish that lingers on and on and on…

Simonsig Chenin Avec Chene 2006

A wooded Chenin with a delicate white gold hue. There is no mistaking the dried apricot, peach and litchi skin aroma. Butterscotch and toffee flavours abound on the palate and an enternal finish that reminds me of warm buttered toast. Beautiful.

Perhaps it was the heat of the day that made to favour the bubbles and white wines on offer. The red’s were exceptional and tightly knit with much needed time to open up. I’ll bring you tasting notes on the red’s in a second installment of this post!

Either way - do yourself a favour and head to Simonsig - you wont be disappointed and I’m willing to bet you’ll leave with a case of wine under your arm!

Posted in Estates, Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews