Haskell Anvil 2010

If you know me, you know I get excited about wooded white wine, and none more so than wooded Chardonnay.  The guys from Haskell told us a year or so ago that they’re in the process of making a super premium offering, an improvement on their already stellar Dombeya Chardonnay.  We’d been holding our collective breaths ever since, and last week the day finally arrived.

For those of you not in the know, here’s the lowdown:  Haskell is owned by Preston Haskell, an American businessman. They produce 2 ranges of wine – Dombeya and Haskell.  Both stand completely on their own, and is not seen as a first and second label.  In fact, the Dombeya range is probably some of the best value for money wines in South Africa.  The grapes for Dombeya are both estate and bought in grapes.  Dombeya retails roughly for R100 or less.  Haskell on the other hand, is their premium offering.  The wines are pricey, starting at R160 for the Haskell II (review to follow) and jumping to R290 for the Aeon Shiraz and R400 for the Pillars Shiraz.  The grapes are all estate grapes, showing the unique terroir of the Helderberg property.

Back to the Chardonnay though.  The Anvil shows excellent varietal character with the typical citrus blossom and white peach.  The oaking regime of 50% new French oak for 11 months shows up as a pleasant nuttiness.  The wine is made in a much racier, more linear style than I expected.  I felt the wine is far from ready to be enjoyed fully – give it another 2 years.  Its not cheap at R290, but I reckon the investment is worth it, if you are patient enough.

http://www.haskellvineyards.com/