95 points, Tim Atkin The fruits of an eccentric scientific experiment some years before, that saw a team of neuroscientists attaching probes to Pieter's scalp and skin as he blind tasted 21 samples and blended wines according. The orbitofrontal cortex is the conscious part of your brain, and thus, this is a wacky white blend produced from all the components that Pieter and his assistant like the best. Not necessarily "the best" technically, but their favourite barrel and tank selections from a host of sites and varieties across the winelands. It's young on release, with hint of shortbread, fresh cut apple, with a creamy, almond loaded palate, hint of honey and pithy note, with a very long finish. This, the 2023, Pieter is absolutely thrilled with. As are we! 12 varietals from his favourite barrel samples culminate to this absolute gem, with Chenin, Verdelho and Chardonnay to name but a few featuring grapes. #Tasting# The tale behind the name BLANKbottle is that when Pieter was starting out, he made a small parcel of Shiraz and was left with a few unlabelled cases. One day, a woman wanted to buy a wine – “Anything but Shiraz,” she told him. Pieter shrugged and sold her the unlabelled Shiraz, neglecting to mention the variety. A few weeks later she returned demanding more, saying it was the best thing she’d ever drunk. For Pieter, it was a lesson on the gap between what people think they like (or dislike) and what they actually like (or dislike). After that, he decided not to list the varieties on his labels. Every one of Pieter’s wines is a story, rather than a grape variety, and it’s the juice inside the bottle which reveals that story. He doesn’t own any vines, but instead scours South Africa’s winelands for top-quality fruit that has somehow slipped under the radar, now sourcing from nearly 70 sites. Some years he’ll make 20 wines, other years 35. With the benefit of anonymity, variety and regional identity take a back seat while parcel expression does the driving. These are some of South Africa’s most original wines, made by one of South Africa’s most original winemakers.
