Nepenthe

I can't recall how we come about adding this bottle to our wine rack, but it appears the winery has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride of late. According to Aussie wine scribe, James Halliday, Nepenthe's founder and owner died unexpectedly in 2006. The winery was purchased the following year, only to close in 2009. The winery assets were sold, but the winery has since been re-opened and seems to have re-established itself in the Adelaide Hills region.

I certainly didn't know any of that information when I picked up the bottle.

963. 2007 Nepenthe - Tryst White (Adelaide Hills - Australia)

The 2007 vintage would have been assembled during those tumultuous years and was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (68%), Semillon (27%) and Pinot Gris (5%). According to the website, the wine is made to be enjoyed young. Looks like we maybe waited a bit too long and I think maybe that was reflected in our rather lackadaisical response to the wine. The bottle was under screwcap; so, it theoretically should last a reasonable time, but it didn't come across as fresh as the whites we're more used to in BC. Then again, I drink way more Aussie reds than whites; so, it may just be that Aussie whites don't turn my crank quite as much.

The website also says that the name "Nepenthe" is "described by Homer in The Odyssey as an Egyptian herbal drink so powerful that it eases grief and banishes sorrow from the mind."

I'd be one of the last to categorize this little blog, "2001 Bottles - A Wine Odyssey," as a peer of the literary tome that is Homer's "Odyssey," but I think he was likely drinking something other than this particular bottle when he referred to Nepenthe. We didn't experience quite the same "power," however, the wine certainly didn't cause us any grief or sorrow either - and it did pique my interest to look for the circumstances surrounding Homer's quote.