In what could be one of the most obstruse exercises in sauvignon blanc exploration (or is it marketing?), Durbanville Hills have released two Rhinofields Sauvignon Blanc 2006s – Inner Valley and Outer Valley. Rhinofields is a premium label.
Inner Valley is, according to the notes, “selected from a single vineyard which is trellised to protect the fruit from direct sunlight. The soft, radiated heat allowed for the gradual ripening of the fruit, which meant flavour components could be developed to the full.” Furthermore, the wine is described as “robust” – even though it carries an alcohol of 11.9%. This is alarmingly low for a Cape wine, even for tasters like me who dislike over-alcoholic wines. Can this wine have all its flavours fully developed?
The Outer Valley 2006 which is in its turn described as “full-bodied” sits at an even slighter 11.09% alcohol. Both wines’ acidities are around 6.7, and with these figures they certainly are refreshing – but not robust, full-bodied or, in fact, particularly complex. They are both light and lean, with fleeting palate weight.
These wines do have something of a reputation for developing in the bottle, so I would be interested to track their development, but I have to wonder if these grapes had reached fruit ripeness. And then there is the price, R55 from the farm, which unfortunately does not let then slip down as fast as they probably should.
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