Something Sharp on your Tongue (Long Mountain Chenin Blanc)

Member Name: Blurbubble

Product:	Long Mountain Chenin Blanc
Date:	03/08/02 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good price, mid range to appeal to many

Disadvantages: Quite sharp if you don't like drier wines

It turns out last month in my local Alldays store they were doing a three bottles of wine for £10 offer and this actually meant ANY three bottles of wine in any combination regardless of brand or type so I chose three different ones. I opted for one known favourite and two previously unsampled bottles. The normal price for one bottle of this wine is £4.69.

Long Mountain (2001) Chenin Blanc was my second choice of wines new to me to try. This wine is produced in South Africa in the Western Cape region and imported by Caxton Wines of Middlesex. This comes in a simple straight green 75cl (standard size) bottle with a green and cream label displaying detailed information. Unlike most white wines now produced this does not display a dryness grading (1-9 = driest to sweetest) but I would put it at about a 2 to 3 on my experience of wines (and, as many of you know, that is quite extensive!) Its alcohol content is 12.5% volume, which is a little above the average strength of similar wines. This is produced in the Western Cape mountainous area which gives a varied climate suitable for producing many differing flavours and strengths of wines .

This wine has quite a sharp, tangy but not unpleasant aroma which is a surprise as it tastes considerably nicer than it smells! The flavour is still quite sharp and citrus but with gentle fruity undertones and no nasty acidic after taste which can be a feature of some drier white wines. The label states that "the palate is dominated by fresh, floral-fruit flavours, with a clean and gentle finish". I'm not sure about the "floral" bit, that always foxes me but this is crisp, dry and very pleasant to drink on its own, as an aperitif or to accompany food. This would go well with light meals such as pasta, poultry and salads or with a picnic. If you're like me however, this also goes well when watching television or using your computer ;o)

So, this is unlikely to become one of my firm fa
vourites but, compared to many I have tried (purely for research purposes for the sake of opinion writing, of course!), this is a very smooth, pleasant wine if a little sharp.

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