Elena Walch Lagrein Alto Adige 2024
Lagrein is the noteworthy red grape of the Sudturol. A late ripeing variety comparable to Teroldego and related to Syrah, this is dark and spicy yet with wonderful youthful freshness. The team at Elena Walch mature the wine in large wooden barrels to help soften out the graphite like tannins and spice up the plummy fruit. Lots of bramble nuance alonside cocoa and smoke while the palate has a muscular earthiness similar to Cornas Syrah of Spanish Monastrell.
Fenocchio Langhe Nebbiolo 2023
Shannon Vineyards Rockview Ridge Pinot Noir 2021
Cool-climate Pinot Noir grapes are harvested from up to a dozen blocks, each with different soil types and planted with specific Dijon clones. Some parcels are wild fermented and maturation is in French oak barriques for 10 months prior to blending. The wine shows both power and elegance; flavours of raspberry, strawberry, currant and cherry; the finish is long, with savoury notes, spice and richness.
Elegant, savoury, berry-fruit flavours that are excellent with game, wild mushrooms and rich chicken and beef dishes.
Pio Cesare – Barbera d’Alba Doc “Fides” Vigna Mosconi 2019
Crystallum Peter Max Pinot Noir 2024
Crystallum Peter Max Pinot Noir 2024
A concentrated and complex vintage with damson, cherry and wild strawberry aromatics complemented by cocoa nibs and a subtle earthiness. The palate opens with fresh and lively rhubarb and cranberry notes before the sumptuous flavours of dark chocolate and maraschino cherry. Grippy tannins provide a long, dry finish.
Iona Pinot Noir 2023
The 2023 Elgin Highlands Pinot Noir is perfumed with a floral nose of rose petals, black and red cherries, strawberries and underlying spice notes. The palate is textured, succulent and complex, with a long savoury finish. Vibrant acidity and fine grained chalky tannins make this a powerful and exceptional age worthy wine. This is classic, focussed Pinot Noir.
Accolades
“An incredibly pure and perfumed aromatics greet you with a fragrant embrace, showing lifted notes of cranberry and bramble berries, cracked red peppercorns, wild strawberry and red currant fruits. Wonderfully delicate and intricate on the palate, the purity and precision of fruit is once again front and foremost in the mind with a pithy bramble berry spice, silky black raspberry and cherry fruits before stony, mineral, fine-grained tannins coat the palate. The mouthfeel and textural harmony on the wine are next level, enlivened by bright tangy acids and a long, mouthwatering, juicy fruited finish with just the faintest of savoury, earthy nuances. A wine that tastes slightly riper than previous vintages but also more complete in many ways. Very classy indeed. Drink now to 2030+.”
GREG SHERWOOD MW [ 93/100 ]
Dog Point Marlborough Pinot Noir 2022
Dog Point Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021
Tasting Notes
A bright perfumed, supple expression of Marlborough pinot noir from clay hill slopes. The fruit is supported by dried herb and characteristic brown spice notes and complex smokiness. The palate has a dense core of juicy fruit and bold, fine grained, ripe tannins
On the nose, this wine is bursting with aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, and plums, along with hints of vanilla, cloves, and oak. On the palate, it is velvety and smooth, with layers of black and red fruit flavors and a long, satisfying finish.
Raats Red Jasper 2022
Raats Red Jasper 2022, is a blend of 49% Cabernet Franc, 35% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot and 3.5% Petit Verdot, we encounter an incredibly plush, luscious, approachable red blend brimming with earthy red berry fruits, aromatics of violets and sweet lavender, dried baking herbs and subtle notes of graphite and lead pencil. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied and plush, soft textured but also fleshy, creamy and deliciously accessible boasting toasty notes of black currant, damson plum and sour black cherries. A very compact and complete wine on release, this cuvee might not rise to the heights of the 2021, but in a funny kind of way, consumers desiring instant enjoyment now may actually love the 2022’s creamy opulence more than the bracing acid structure of the 2021. This wine simply gets better and better every vintage. Well done Bruwer!
93/100 GSMW (review c/o.)
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Food suggestions Venison dishes / lazy-aged sirloin or rib-eye / Hard cheese
TOKARA Director’s Reserve White 2022
TOKARA Director’s Reserve White
This wine displays a pale straw colour with light catching brilliance. The nose is complex, exhibiting attractive aromas of passionfruit and pink grapefruit intermingled with hints of black currant and freshly toasted brioche. On the palate the wine enters full and rich, reminiscent of the aromas on the nose. It has amazing clarity and depth with a zesty persistence. Currently drinking exceptionally well but will continue to develop positively with correct cellaring.
This is a blend of 68% Sauvignon blanc and 32% Semillon. It was made from grapes grown on the highest slopes of Tokara’s Stellenbosch property. The wine spent a total of 10 months in barrel.
Food pairing: Best served with saffron infused creamy seafood dishes or grilled white fish.
TOKARA Director’s Reserve Red 2021
TOKARA Director’s Reserve Red 2020
The wine has stunning depth of colour with an intense garnet centre and a ruby rim. The nose showcases complex aromas of dried tobacco leaf, subtle violet flower, dried currants, baking spice and graphite. The wine enters the palate with incredible purity and
focus. Flavours are those of dark cherries, blackberries and ripe plum skin. Sumptuous and full there is a hint of spice on the mid-palate which leads to fine yet dense tannins and a lengthy finish.
This wine is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. The grapes originated from TOKARA’s premium vineyards on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain outside of Stellenbosch.
Food pairing: Grilled ribeye steak served with Béarnaise sauce, and potato Dauphinoise.
TOKARA Reserve Collection Chardonnay 2024
TOKARA Reserve Collection Chardonnay 2024. This 100% Chardonnay is made from grapes grown on Tokara’s Stellenbosch farm on the slopes of the Simonsberg. Aromas of fresh grapefruit, grilled pineapple, star anise and toasted brioche emanate from the glass. The wine enters the palate with fresh citrus flavours leading to a creamy mid-palate with flavours of vanilla, star anise and toasted almond.
Food pairing: Best served with grilled fish - roasted white meats or creamy white cheese.
Domaine Boutinot Argiles Blanches Blanc Cairanne 2024
Tasting notes
Fresh aromas of fruit and flower aromatics mingle with the spicy and smokey notes from the barrels. On the palate it feels plump fresh and mineral, with spicy, smokey fruit.
Grape
Grenache Blanc 70%, Roussanne 20%, Clairette 10%
Food match
A versatile wine. Works as an aperitif, with summer salads and lighter fish and chicken dishes. Equally happy however, being paired with richer poultry and fish dishes that feature roasted fruit or fruit-based sauces.
