Balnaves Cabernet – Merlot 2020
Hartenberg The Megan 2016
Hartenberg The Megan 2016
TASTING NOTES:
Vibrant red cherry, Karoo shrub and spicy notes on the bouquet. Incredibly soft on palate entry. The mid-palate is creamy, juicy,
bursting with flavour and finishes with a very moreish, lingering aftertaste. Fine dry tannins will ensure beneficial further ageing.
85% Shiraz
12% Grenache
3% Mourvedre
94/100 Tim Atkin MW
Meerlust Rubicon 2016 Magnum Gift Tin
The Meerlust Rubicon 2016 (Magnum) shows great charm and drinkability even at this early stage, no doubt a result of the high Merlot and Cabernet Franc composition. We were very cautious with regards to tannic structure as some of the later Cabs exhibited astringency which we wanted to minimise in the final blend. Wonderful exotic aromas of plum, sandalwood and perfume, still with a touch of creamy vanilla. The palate is medium bodied with a forward dark fruit flavour of cassis and mulberry followed by a lithe tannic structure fleshed out with juicy fruit. The impression is one of litheness and grace rather than over-arching power.
Blend Information
49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Mullineux Syrah 2021
The Mullineux Syrah 2021 has Swartland aromatic notes of spicy citrus zest, black fruit, and violets, which follow through on the palate. The wine is elegant and restrained yet has good body and a silky texture balanced by a fresh, natural acidity. The finish is long with supple, dusty tannins.
Deano
Constantia Glen THREE 2022
Constantia Glen THREE 2022 is youthful in appearance, this wine has a deep ruby hue. Beautiful concentration of dark fruit aromas on the nose with pronounced blackcurrant and ripe plum is complemented by a subtle touch of dried herbs and a hint of spice. There is a lovely savory complexity beyond the initial ripe fruit with lingering notes of white pepper, graphite, and cedar. The wine is rich and textured, with elegant, velvety, fine-grain tannins that grip the palate in a vibrant intensity of flavour. This wine is poised, elegant and with it’s inherent freshness, brings about a long, well-defined finish. While this wine comes across as tightly wound in its youth, it holds significant ageing potential
Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2022
Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2022
Clear ruby red. Compact nose, lots of ripe fruit, cherry and plum, behind some vanilla and dark chocolate. The palate is balanced and full, nice interplay between fruit and spice, ripe tannins and well-integrated acidity, a little black pepper on the finish.
92/100 - Falstaff
Genuine and decidedly vibrant, it shows notes of raspberries, currants, cherries, lime, mandarin peel, camphor, black cherries and chopped almonds. Full body, soft and enveloping in the sip, it closes harmonious and balanced with excellent progression. Drink now.
92/100 - Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com
La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza 2019
La Rioja Alta S.A. Viña Ardanza 2019
The vintage is regarded as outstanding, with strong ageing potential.
Colour: Bright cherry red with medium-high density and a classic garnet rim.
Aroma: Redcurrant, plum and cherry layered with balsamic touches and spice notes such as black pepper, licorice, clove, nutmeg and vanilla.
Palate: Fresh, balanced and elegant. Sweet, refined tannins, vibrant acidity, red-fruit purity, hints of cedar and tobacco leaf, and a long, energetic finish.
Critic Scores
Jeb Dunnuck: 96
James Suckling: 95
Wine Advocate (Robert Parker): 94
Decanter: 94
Vinous: 93
DeMorgenzon Maestro Red 2017
DeMorgenzon Maestro Red 2017
TASTING NOTES
This wine has notes of cassis with rich, red fruit, dried herbs, perfume and plums
on the nose. The palate is soft and silky with integrated flavours of cigar box and
black fruit.
Decanter World Wine Awards 2020: Silver Medal
International Wine Challenge 2020: Silver Medal
Tim Atkin MW Special South Africa Report 2019: 92 points
Dominio de Atauta 2020
Dominio de Atauta 2020
Intense aromas of black cherry, plum and smoky, mocha notes. Powerful, ripe fruit flavours combine with a darker, more brooding, wild character and hints of garrigue which open up in the glass. There is substantial tannin on display but, despite this, they are fine grained and integrated. After the initial power and explosion of flavour on the palate the finish shows freshness and elegance. This would be best approached after an hour in a decanter, and best enjoyed over the next 2-10 years.
Pair with roast lamb, good cuts of beef, or game.
95pts – Ribera del Duero: Panel tasting, Decanter (Feb ‘ 24)
Classic Ribera from a producer in one of the region’s wildest and most rugged areas, the valley of Atauta. The bodega works with pre-phylloxera vines, 130-190 years old. These vineyards are located at 940m-1,010m, resulting in fresh acidity and elegance. To balance the wine’s lively backbone, it is fermented in either large wooden vats or concrete, then aged for 14 months in French oak. Beth Willard: A really complete wine with beautiful fruit, precision and great balance. The oak is fine and lightly toasted so doesn’t dominate the fruit. Tannins are supple, the palate velvety. David Williams: Keen and succulent: mulberry and cherry with a little bittersweet hit of blood orange and citrus pith. Complexity, and substance. Diana Rollan: Blackcurrant, liquorice, violets and plum compote. Muscular and concentrated with good balanced acidity and a savoury, herbal character.
Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz 2021
100% Shiraz
Colour : Deep purple.
Aroma : Layers of violets and cloves on the nose with hints of mulberry and dark chocolate.
Palate : Purity of dark fruits and cut plums on the palate with firm, savoury tannins, impressive depth and harmony.
Peak Drinking : Great drinking now but this wine will also benefit from 10 12 years of careful cellaring.
Glaetzer Wallace 2021
Glaetzer Wallace 2021
Variety: 78% Shiraz / 22% Grenache
Tasting Notes
Colour: Vibrant dark red.
Aroma: A lifted combination of bright red fruits with fresh spice notes of star anise and cedar.
Palate: Bright red berry fruit, redcurrant and liqorice flavours complement the soft and rounded Grenache fruit tannin and the savoury finish of Shiraz. Lovely refreshing acidity provides both lift and depth.
Peak Drinking: A wine to enjoy in its youth that will also develop additional complexity for up to 8—10 years of cellaring.
Crocus Le Calcifère 2016
Tasting Note
Deep purple, with touches of fuchsia on the rim. An intense malbec displaying aromas of red cherry, blueberry, rose petal, ripe Italian plum, black liquorice and spice box. The palate is concentrated and bright, cascading with focused flavours of black cherry, red plum, milk chocolate, talc and hints of butterscotch and star anise, supported by fine-grained tannins.
Food Matching
Braised leg of lamb, Lamb shanks, Duck confit.
