Treasure Hunter Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Good buy.

Colyn Truter, independent wine marketer, thinks that the general failure on the part of the South African wine industry to focus on provenance is eroding margins and turning the product into a commodity.

He represents five farms, namely Arendsig (situated in Robertson), Bloemendal (in Durbanville), Druk My Niet (in Paarl), Journey’s End (on Sir Lowry’s Pass near Somerset West) and Star Hill (between Montagu and Barrydale) as well as acting as a negociant putting wines under his own label called Treasure Hunter.

A blind tasting of the portfolio intended to show that origin really does matter.

My stand-out wines as follows:

Journey’s End The Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Price: RR60
Lime through peach. Good palate weight, bright acidity and a bone-dry finish. Not super-complex but composed, well balanced.
Score: 86/100.

Star Hill Chenin Blanc 2011
Price: R75
Bruised apple, yellow peach, stale beer and vanilla. Rich, full and pleasantly rustic. Ends savoury.
Score: 87/100

Treasure Hunter Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Price: R50 – BARGAIN ALERT
70% Franschhoek Semillon, 30% Elgin Sauvignon Blanc. Lime and white peach with a saline undertone. Good concentration, zesty acidity and a long, pithy finish. Intense without being weighty.
Score: 90/100.

Druk My Niet Malbec 2010
Price: R125
Dark fruit, an attractive herbal edge, tilled earth. Rich but balanced by fresh acidity while the tannins are firm but fine.
Score: 88/100.

Star Hill Shiraz 2010
Price: R90
Red and black fruit plus some smoked meat. Sweet fruited with bright acidity and fine, spicy tannins.
Score: 88/100.

The Arendsig Inspirational Batch 1 2012 (from Rawsonville Chenin Blanc) proved controversial on the day, some noting excessive VA but I think it has loads of personality and still like it very much (see previous review here).

For notes on Bloemendal, see here.