GREAT WINE AND BENEVOLENCE FROM THE CAPE

Yesterday, local wine guru/Vintner Select rep Gary Boswell came by with Bob Lynde, owner of a new line of wines called Fat Barrel from South Africa. I’ve known Gary for awhile, and trained under him (steer clear gutterheads) at the now defunct Pho Paris restaurant in Oakley (Cincinnati), one of Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel’s amazing restaurants that inevitably became Chalk Food+Wine here in Covington, KY.

Anyway, Bob hails from Oregon, and actually went to Denison University near Columbus, Ohio, and was one of the primary owners of Cape Classics (an American importer of South African wines such as Mulderbosch, Rustenberg and Raats Family) until 2005, when he sold his interest in the company to create wine brands with a focus on value and quality and would create philanthropic opportunities for local markets.

We tasted the four wines of his Fat Barrel line, a percentage of the sales he told me would go to a charity of Vintner Select’s choosing, which I was pleased to hear were going to Chef Jean-Robert’s Seven Days of SIDS charity:

Fat Barrel Sauvignon Blanc South Africa 2009. Grade=Outstanding. A soft, supple, well-rounded SB that shows off more Loire leanings than New Zealand, with lime, gooseberry and guava characters, nice minerality and a clean, refreshing finish.

Fat Barrel Chenin Blanc South Africa 2009. Grade=Outstanding+. A delicious, Loire-themed CB with honeydew melon, crème fraiche, d’Anjou pear, slight ginger and honeysuckle notes. More viscous in its mouthfeel, definitely a more medium-bodied CB. Very nice!

Fat Barrel Pinotage South Africa 2008. Grade=Outstanding+. Pinotage usually has people ducking for cover, but this one will definitely draw them back to the much-maligned and misunderstood cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault (known as Hermitage in South Africa). Raisiny red berries, dark plums, dark chocolate and notes of espresso, peat, tar and roasted meats.

Fat Barrel Cabernet/Shiraz South Africa 2008. Grade=Outstanding+. Very smooth, medium-bodied red blend with jammy red and black fruit aromas and flavors, baking spices, tobacco, some cedar and vanillin oak. A great value.

I was sold on the wine alone, but the benevolence of Bob and his company make this line of wines a no-brainer. Look for them soon.