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Chamonix Estate Limited Release
In my humble, but equally correct opinion, South Africa is the most exciting source of decent, exciting wines at prices that are so sensible, only a fool should resit! No this is not grown in a ski resort, but instead on the distant, sun-drenched eastern mountain slopes of the Franschhoek valley, north of Cape Town. We've been following the fortunes of this estate for a few years now, and our unreserved support has been rewarded with decent allocations of their most sought-after wines. Established in 1991, Cape Chamonix was originally part of the La Cotte Farm given to the French settlers in 1688. It has always had a reputation for the quality of its Chardonnay, due in part to the limestone soils located on the higher, most northern slopes of the crescent of mountains which encircle the Franschhoek valley. However since the arrival of young, German trained, Swellendam-born Gottfried Mocke in September 2001, the quality of their entire range has catapulted Chamonix to being, along with Boekenhoutskloof, a leading producer in the valley.
Chamonix Blanc 2009
We've managed to get our hands on a good chunk of their Estate white blend, imaginatively called 'Blanc', which brilliantly and seamlessly marries Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc (if you'll allow me to marry 3 things!). It's as clean as a whistle, bursting with orchard fruit with a zesty crunch on the finish. I genuinely feel that this is the most exciting wine in the shop sub £8, which it is, at £7.99. And in an act of unprecedented lunacy, we're offering it at a case price of £6.99! Only 3000 cases were made for the entire world, and we've got 100 of them for Sandiway village, so fill your boots before it's all gone! You're welcome.
Chamonix Blanc 2009 - £7.99
Chamonix Blanc 2009 Special Case Price - £83.88
Please call 01606 882101 to order today
Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2007
Just 5 cases of this to go around so get in quick. A wonderful toasty, creamy Chardonnay that would embarrass many a Puligny Montrachet. Full and rich but with a captivating tautness. Fermented and aged in new French oak barriques for 14 months.
Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2007 - £14.99
Please call 01606 882101 to order today
Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2007
If you've enjoyed Otago Pinot Noirs from New Zealand in the past, you'll love this. Full of dark cherry and raspberry fruit with a succulent character and a good twist of fine-oak spice. Made from 2 blocks of Pinot Noir grown at 500 metres whose ripeness has become as eagerly awaited by the local baboon population as by the winemaker. Indeed in this vintage, the crop was further reduced as the farm's dairy herd broke through the fence and gorged on top-drawer Pinot Noir!
Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2007 - £14.99
Please call 01606 882101 to order today
Chamonix Skuinskap Steen Reserve 2006
Just 2 barrels of this were made- living proof that great things come in small parcels! Chenin Blanc from a bizarre looking parcel on the farm. The unusual trellis system (known in Afrikaans as 'Skuinskap'' meaning skew') looks like a maladjusted spider. They have also adopted the now rarely used synonym for Chenin - deciding 'Skuinskop Steen'' has a certain ring to it. The wine itself spent two years in old barrels and, is what in Vouvray would probably be termed a petit moelleux, given its thirty grams of residual sugar. One of the most exciting finds of recent times, one of those wines that takes you aback as soon as it hits your nostrils. And it does hit your nostrils- with a waft of exotic, spicy, stone-fruited beauty. Wonderful ripeness on the palate, with a complex mix of fruit (apricot, apple, nectarine, passion and mandarin have all been spotted!) and a slightly troubling Dreyfus-eye-twitching mineral intensity on the finish. Extraordinary wine, and probably the best £13.95 you'll spend, and you will spend won't you, yes Jon I will, in a long while. And as if it needed anything else to set it apart, it's got one of those funky glass stopper thingies instead of a cork!
Chamonix Skuinskap Steen Reserve 2006 - £13.99
Please call 01606 882101 to order today
Visit www.chamonix.co.za for further info.
