The name Vergelegen sounds like something the Swedish Chef from the Muppets would say. I tried their wines recently, this is what I thought.
2009 Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc
OK, so the labeling is a lie! It is neither entirely Sauvignon Blanc, and isn’t even entirely from 2009, but because of the rules, they can still label this as they have! And that isn’t a bad thing because although this contains 5% of Semillon, and two fifths of that from 2008, it is a tasty bottle of wine! At £9.49 it is in the ‘just under a tenner until the government raises the tax again’ price point where there is a lot of competition, but this South African wine holds up well. Very grassy, with some green chilli peppers on the nose with some gooseberry. A nice, fresh palate with some lime skin and lemon juice, but with a creamy palate. Clean and fresh finish. 7.5/10
2009 Vergelegen Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
Much more herby than the basic Sauvignon, with asparagus aromas, some warm nettles and a hot concrete aroma. The palate is softer, some round stone fruit with some tangerine and a lovely texture. A good wine, and worth the £14.50 it costs. 8/10
2008 Vergelegen Chardonnay
Vanilla pod and mango on the nose with lemon juice squeezed all over it! Oak is there, but not massive, dry, very clean with some pineapple skin and a bit of under ripe mango on the palate. Vanilla comes through with pine and just a bit of heat on the finish. Very clean. £9.50 a bottle is a steal. 8.5/10
2008 Vergelegen Reserve Chardonnay
The basic chardonnay has a lemony colour to it, but this is bright yellow. A sort of yellow that doesn’t exist in nature. The nose has a bundle of oak, but quite Burgundian in it, with some cream and buttered toast. There is bitter wood up front on the palate and then this is softened by the fruit, A nice wine, quite balanced once you get through the big oak up front. 8/10, but at £14.50 it is a bit pricy.
2007 Vergelegen Blanc
This is their oaked Semillon Sauvignon and, although I don’t normally like oaked Sauvignon, but it is quite tasty. It is grassy, yet with some light floral elements, nice veggie notes on the soft and creamy palate, but with oak elements coming through. Lemon and honey is on the palate, but it has a bit of heat on the finish. It is a very good wine, but £22? A bit pricy. 8/10
2007 Vergelegen Cabernet Merlot
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, that gives a bit of wet tar on the nose, some sweet berries, mint and cocoa. Hints of tobacco coat the whole thing. The palate is soft, it has the South African burnt rubber element that I associate with Pinotage, but it is not off putting. A hot finish, with liquorice and spice. 7/10 £9.50
2006 Vergelegen Shiraz
A great wine. OK, so it is £14.50 a bottle, but it is worth it. A rich, sweet element on the nose, lots of rich, almost ripasso sweet aromas. Dried berries, menthol, some lovely spice and berry compote. The palate is dry, spicy with some pippy elements and a balanced finish of sweet fruit, leather and blackcurrant cordial. 8/10
2006 Vergelegen Reserve Merlot
Ah, another wine that contains other grapes! 91% Merlot and the remains split evenly between Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon. This £14.50 wine is a bit of a waste of money. The nose is fruit driven, no rubber, but with hints of nettle, eucalyptus and bramble. Some floral elements too. The palate is a bit dull, the fruit is there but it just lacks any form of interest, which is worse than it being bad! 6/10
2005 Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon
A bit of veggie and bramble on the nose, some dried lavender and a cherry aroma too. The palate is nice, some raspberry and bramble, dark chocolate and liquorice. The tannins grip, with punchy, crunchy fruit on the mid palate, and more vegetal elements on the finish. I like this. 8/10
2003 Vergelegen Red
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and spent 24 months in French Oak, this wine has a voluptuous nose, with juicy bramble and blackcurrant punching its way out of the glass. There is also some milk chocolate and toffee. Some sweet fruit on the palate, quite thick and intense with berries being rammed in your mouth. Very chunky tannin, with a really nice, knitted together structure. This is big, but is quite balanced and a long, juicy, finish that comes back in waves. At £27 it is a bit much, but it is very very tasty. 9/10
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