It is rare that one feels the pure enthusiasm of a group of informed wine lovers and whilst one might think that a wine called “Idiom” is a wine that speaks for itself, it is only through hearing a diverse spread of reviews that this collection of wines starts to come to life.
At the recent VATS tasting, where the entire Idiom Collection was presented, we were overwhelmed by the wordy aficionados who take time to meet every week and share back to the wine industry their thoughts on the wines they taste. Under the direction of Hanneke van Linge and Dave Moss, VATS is certainly one of the most structured evenings at a wine club that we have seen in South Africa with an air of seriousness given to the tasting process. We were thrilled to find that The Idiom Collection had scored the highest score for the year as a collective average which reinforced my father’s vision for the Idiom collection to bring together not just one good wine, but each as good as the next.
Idiom, through Club Idiom, strongly supports the idea of wine clubs where under a structure wines can be given an open assessment, uncorking wines for vivid commentary and at times criticism. Club Idiom is a private loyalty club that is exclusively open to all members of bona fide wine tasting clubs in South Africa, their members, as well as direct clients of Da Capo Vineyards on a loyalty basis. The club membership entitles those who belong to priority access to special limited releases, invitations and access to interesting barrel tastings in the cellar as well as direct purchase of case-lots of Idiom wines at Club prices. “We have found that when people enjoy our Idiom wines, tend to buy from the collection very regularly; and to support those loyal clients and wine lovers, Club Idiom gives club members the ability to buy from the extensive collection of wines at a significant discount.” – Alberto Bottega
Some of the notes gathered from the tasters at VATS, were wonderfully evocative and as such we drafted a few notes about the wines tasted: -
Idiom Viognier: Lime and apricots, big and showy, slight oilyness in mouthfeel. Forthcoming on the nose: very fragrant, high alcohol on the back palate with a long finish. Slightly too heavily wooded. Peachy with clear note of yellow fruit. Would be great with a curry.
Idiom Sangiovese: A bit of wild mountain inside. Fruity rich red berries, spices, toasty butterscotch finish, not that much depth and a light wine. Should be served slightly chilled. Fruity with tomato, floral notes.
Idiom SMV: Lingering aftertaste invite one to have another taste, delightful forthcoming entrée into wine that follows through on the palate, plum with slight chocolate, can already feel it is opening up nicely, full of juicy dark fruits such as dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry as well as blackcurrants. A lovely mouthfeel that is a great wine.
Idiom Bordeaux Blend: not overpowering, more severe. To be sipped and not quaffed. French dryness. Not too big and showy, yet has structured tannins and body. Vavavoom wine. Slightly too high alcohol for drinking a whole bottle. (Breadth of fruit and wide spectrum of flavours)
Idiom Cape Blend: intensive clean fruit, little acid on the palate, purple jammy black fruit on palate, slightly tannic finish. Feel that the pinotage gives it a slightly spicy yet fairly sweet sensation, with a bit of a metallic on the end. Tinge of sweetness with gamey, plummy.
Idiom Zinfandel: intense black fruit on the nose and palate, well balanced, lingering fine tannins, bayleaf on the nose, slightly spicy aftertaste eucalyptus and rosemary. Fantastic with a stew or casserole.
The Idiom Nebbiolo with its “cherry, pepper, meaty” character was also tasted as well as the Idiom Cabernet Sauvignon.
VATS SCORE-CARD
VATS RATING: 2005 Viognier - 15.61
VATS RATING: 2005 SMV – 16.13
VATS RATING: 2005 Sangiovese – 16.09
VATS RATING: 2005 Bordeaux Blend – 16.96
VATS RATING: 2005 Cape Blend – 16.83
VATS RATING: 2006 Zinfandel – 16.57
VATS RATING: 2005 Nebbiolo – 16.78
VATS RATING: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – 17.00
We would like to thank anyone who attended the tasting and contributed to this insightful tasting.
