Diemersfontein and the big chili

Well, here it is, the first posting. The wines I drank this weekend were recommended by Natalie Maclean, a well known wine critic in Ontario (the Diemersfontein) and the Wine Spectator, a "Daily Pick" (the Santa Rita).
So, how did they fare?? First I opened the DIEMERSFONTEIN, Pinotage, 2005 with great expectations. The label on the back says, "this is the one!, it befriends, it converts, it seduces". This is a South African wine, made with their signature grape; I can't honestly say I've ever had a "wow" wine made from pinotage, so I did have some reservations about the recommendation. Well, what an interesting wine. It smelled and tasted of coffee to me. My girlfriend went one better and hit the nail on the head - coffee crisp!! This wine is like drinking a coffee crisp bar. And the finish is loooong.
The rating: GOOD.
Value for money: Cost $23, would I buy another at that price? - just one bottle to let my friends try it because it is sooooo different.
I quickly opened the second wine with a "Oh, probably another good but non-descript Chilean effort", but was quickly blown away. The SANTA RITA, shiraz reserva, 2002 smelled like a bowlful of fruit and oak and had the stuffing to back it up on the palate. Simply delicious and the second best chilean shiraz I can remember (the best was a Luis Felipe Edwards Reserva that I had about 5 years ago; unfortunately, none of his efforts have stood up to it since).
The rating: WOW.
Value for money: Cost $14, it doesn't get any better than this at this price!
Cheers!