Fruit was selected from the oldest vineyard at Coriole planted in 1977 to make this single vineyard reserve wine. Chenin Blanc is a classic variety with considerable ageing potential. It is often underrated and unfortunately is rarely considered at a "reserve level". Hence the name.

Tasting Note: The Optimist Chenin Blanc 2005

Bottled under cork, and with over two years' bottle-age, this funky wine opens up foxy and heady with musk. Quince and honeydew begin to appear, together with a complex sherbet aroma reminiscent of aged Vouvray. With more breathing, barrel-ferment notes become evident, together with rich tropical fruit. The wine smells like a bowl of summer fruits.

The palate is rich with herbals and a light custardy texture - creamy and leesy. Tropical fruits and refreshing sherbet flavours, rounded out in the mouth with yeasty, bready undertones. The finish carries firm rhubarb acid, dry and almost tannic in its complexity - which should ensure a few more years of vitality in the cellar.

Try this with almost any food - the dry complexity and rich texture will be more compatible with a meal than many of the high-acid styles to be found on contemporary wine lists.

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