FlagstoneCase of Noon Gun White Blend 2016 (R41.50 per Bottle, 6 Bottles)

About

Flagstone’s unpretentious blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, is fondly referred to as, ‘Mom’s Plonk,’ and delivers balanced drinkability year in and year out.

We put an extraordinary amount of care into crafting this quirky blend – which for the past 12 vintages has won numerous awards and a legion of fans around the world for its balance and zesty concentration.

When I started making wine under my own label, I was, like most young winemakers, obsessed with crafting exuberant examples of single varieties like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

All my naïve pontificating eventually got to my mother, who told me it was OK if I wanted to be the Mozart of Merlot or the Salvador Dali of Sauvignon Blanc, as long as I also made a wine for her which was unpretentious and all about balanced drinkability. Although we called the project Noon Gun, my mom always referred to this blend as “Mom’s Plonk” – it was her way of helping me keep my feet on the ground.

There was always a bottle of “Mom’s Plonk” in her fridge, and I was in serious trouble if I didn’t keep the standard of her favourite tipple up to her high expectations – year in, year out.

Obviously with all our wines, we want to create a wine that cannot be made in any other cellar. It must have that special Flagstone character – we call it “The Yum Factor”. This is achieved by balancing the different blend components as perfectly as possible, so that they meld together seamlessly while retaining their varietal aromas and flavours.

We blend what we believe to be the three best white varieties growing in South Africa today, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The Chenin Blanc grapes are from quite old, gnarly, dry-grown vineyards in the Swartland. They are naturally in balance and yield a very small, concentrated crop. This gives amazing structure and creaminess to the wine. The Sauvignon Blanc loves our mineral rich soil and cool sea breezes and offers zesty zing with passionfruit and fig flavours with a long, refreshing finish. These grapes hail from various coastal vineyards, including Elim, Elgin and as far north as Lutzville. The Viognier adds an inviting fruity/floral nose and lots of ripe citrus flavours on the palate. We source our Viognier from both warm and cool climates to get both the heady, spicy flavours and enticing floral aromas.

Product Features

• 6 Bottles
• 34% Chenin Blanc, 34% Sauvignon Blanc, 23% Viognier
• Vintage: 2016
• Technical Analysis:
• Alcohol 13.50%
• Residual Sugar 3.6 g/l
• Total Acid 6.2 g/l
• pH 3.26

Tasting Notes

Intriguing, floral nose of guava, orange zest and apple. The smooth, balanced palate offers honeydew melon with slices of paw paw, a touch of orange peel, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  The fruitiness is balanced by a creamy mouthfeel and a zesty crisp lingering finish.

Food Pairing

This versatile wine is perfect on its own but also works as an excellent pairing with any of these dishes: 

• Caramelized leek, wild mushroom and spinach lasagna
• Ricotta and basil frittata
• Whole grunter on the braai, with a cherry tomato, black olive, lemon and rosemary salsa. Served with crushed baby potatoes and green beans in a tarragon mustard vinaigrette
• Roast free range chicken, homemade tarragon mayonnaise, served with an avo, watercress and asparagus salad in a verjuice dressing
• Sticky 5-spice pork ribs with pineapple chutney

A classic chicken Caesar salad