Tastings & Events

Oldenburg Vineyards Reveal an Alluring Array of New Red and White Wines in London…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 3 Comments

Oldenburg Vineyards is perched high-up in the scenic Banghoek Valley, just above Stellenbosch. In this impressive natural setting, winemaker Nic van Aarde plies his craft making some of the most captivating wines in Stellenbosch. Nestled within a soaring mountain amphitheatre, cooling ocean winds funnel though the warm valley creating optimal temperatures during both day and night, allowing Oldenburg to grow high quality grapes suitable for a premium selection of both red and white wines.

When current owner Adrian Vanderspuy bought the farm back in 2003, this was already and area he knew well, having been born on an adjacent property in the valley. This long-term project is finally bearing fruit and the red and white wines being produced on the farm are nearing the quality level Adrian knew this unique terroir was capable of reaching. Ahead of the 2022 vintage releases, I caught up in London recently with both Adrian and winemaker Nic van Aarde to run through the current releases from Oldenburg on the market.

Winemaker Nic van Aarde and owner Adrian Vanderspuy.

The Oldenburg Vineyards wine range currently consists of the more affordable CL white blend and CL red Bordeaux blend, the Oldenburg single varietal range and then the premium Rondekop Reserve wines that include the Stone Axe Syrah, Rhodium Right Bank styled blend (Cabernet Franc and Merlot), and the Per Se Cabernet Sauvignon, all made from 8 hectares of older vines around 14 to 18 years old, and 12 hectares of younger vines planted more recently.

Oldenburg Vineyards Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

18 year old vines from a single vineyard of 1.5 hectares on sandy black alluvial soils. Slow whole bunch pressed oxidatively then fermented in 300 litre old barrels and 2500 litre Stockinger barrels. Natural slow fermentation with 50% malolactic fermentation, aged 11 months in foudre and bottled in February 2022.

Steely and intense, super focused and energetic, showing white pear, classic straw and dried herbs and peach stone. Seamless purity with bright refreshing acids, effortless concentration and a delightful focus. Really very pure and princely with a wonderfully premium feel.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Oldenburg Vineyards Chardonnay 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Sourced from two vineyards on alluvial and brown river rock soils. Whole bunch pressed with no SO2 in a more oxidative handling method, then fermented in 228 litre barrels with partial malo with lees stirring during fermentation. Barrels were rolled post-fermentation once a week. Wine saw 11 months oak ageing with light blond toast, 33% new / 33% 2nd / 33% 3rd fill.

Lovely natural purity to the wine with a gentle elegance, supple soft textural breadth, lemon and vanilla pod spice with a mineral note adding extra interest. Acids are glassy and fresh and the mid-palate creamy but crystalline with the signature effortless intensity. Impressively balanced and poised.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Oldenburg Vineyards Stone Axe Syrah 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Grapes from a vineyard at 410 metres altitude, NE slope on the warmer side. Earlier picked to express the site with 1/3 whole bunch pressed and lightly stomped with destemmed fruit on top. Natural fermentation allowed with 1-2 punch downs per day, wetting the cap gently. Aged in new Stockinger foudre and 5-6 year old 500 litre older foudre for 16 months.

Plenty of tarry, smoky black bramble berry fruits, olive, sweet black peppercorns, grilled herbs, cured meats and saline black berry fruits. Palate is super sleek and elegant with lovely intensity but light touch intensity, pristine purity and a weightless, savoury, spicy concentration with manicured tannins. Wonderfully characterful, classy and pure but beautifully classical. Very impressive.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Oldenburg Vineyards Rhodium Red Blend 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Shows a classical Stellenbosch nose of sweet cedar, tilled earth, sappy black and blueberry fruits, bouquet garner and dusty graphite hints. The palate is sleek and beautifully polished with a silky texture, bright red and black cherry fruit notes, some iodine and salinity, finishing with a harmonious, effortless intensity but also an understated, compact concentration. Lovely length, elegance and pedigree.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Oldenburg Vineyards Per Se Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

NE facing single vineyard with a coffee klip bank of 1.2 hectares. Grapes were crushed and destemmed with strict sorting, 6 days 12 degree C cold soak and then a natural fermentation was allowed to begin. Wine saw a 3-week cold soak post fermentation and was then basket pressed. Aged in 55% new 225 litre French oak barrels and was bottled early Sept 2022 after being aged 19 months. 

Show and expressive nose of tilled earth, savoury black berry, tobacco, earthy cassis, black cherry, fynbos, delicate dried herbs and graphite… then cherry and parma violet. A fine sinewy line of tannins is evident with a precise mineral focus supported by fresh glassy acids. Opens and develops beautifully in the glass. A very smart Cabernet Sauvignon indeed.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Glenelly Estate Finally Release their Long-Awaited Lady May 2017 Flagship Bordeaux Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Glenelly in Stellenbosch is certainly an estate that is starting to really hit its straps after years of producing wines that were always impressive but which you knew had the potential to reach ever greater heights of quality. This all became apparent with the release of the 2015 vintage of the Lady May Bordeaux blend which garnered high praise globally as well as an impressive 96+/100 point score on the Fine Wine Safari.

Only mid last year, Glenelly announced the appointment of ex-Saxenburg Estate Dirk van Zyl as their new head winemaker, succeeding the talented Luke O’Cuinneagain who moved to Vergelegen earlier in the year to replace the retiring Andre Van Rensberg. While Dirk obviously did not make the 2017 wine, he has the good fortune to prevail over the launch proceedings of this masterpiece and I hooked up with him in Johannesburg recently for the Lady May 2017 industry launch tasting at Marble Restaurant. (Recommended retail price is £42.99 per bottle for the UK market.)

Tasting Lady May 2017 with Dirk van Zyl.

Glenelly Estate Lady May 2017, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5 Abv.

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot

If the 2015 Lady May resembled a powerful, dense, Pauillac-styled Cabernet Sauvignon led red blend, and the 2016 a broader, softer expression from a warm dry vintage, then the 2017 is pretty much the antithesis, boasting the most elegant, silky, seamlessly harmonious texture combined with an attractively fragrant, Margaux-esque delicacy, an understated density and graceful precision. While super youthful, the wine inevitably displays some of the lush, alluring and reassuringly expensive new oak creaminess, boasting layers of warm buttered brown toast smothered in black currant preserve, fresh espresso, hints of mocha dust and delicate vanilla pod spice notes. But probably the most pleasing element about this wine is the way ex-winemaker Luke O’Cuinneagain captured the truest essence of the 2017 vintage with its extreme purity, weightless fruit concentration that dances across the palate together with a focused, piercing intensity on the long, silky, luxurious finish. This is class personified and I for one am completely smitten. Drink on release and over 25+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting and Reviewing One of the Greatest White Wines in Spain – Pazo Señorans Selección Añada 2013…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Pazo de Señorans Selección de Añada is an incredible white wine produced in the D.O. Rias Baixas by the Pazo de Señorans winery and is undoubtedly one of the finest wines made from Albariño grapes as well as one of the greatest white wines produced in Spain. The grapes used to produce Pazo de Señorans Selección de Añada come from gnarly old vines of over 45 years old planted on an elaborate trellis system so that the plant is protected from the soil moisture but also has a greater leaf surface area exposed to the sun.

The vineyard is planted about 300 meters above sea level on poor sandy soils of decomposed granite and a cool Atlantic climate with mild temperatures and abundant rainfall. Pazo de Señorans have been an industry leader in showing the aging potential of Albariño and releasing older wines. Collectors and connoisseurs should indulge themselves!

Pazo Señorans Selección Añada 2013 Albarino, DO Rias Baixas, Spain, 13% Abv.

The seriously fine Pazo Señorans Selección Añada 2013 is a fabulously cool, taut, creamy Albariño creation that expresses both youthful and subtle tertiary aromatics all at once. Matured in stainless steel for 36 months on its fine lees, the wine is then aged for a further 72 months in tank before being bottled in April 2022. The wine always shows such incredibly fine-tuned, pure precision without any oxidative notes whatsoever. On the nose, the 2013 positively bristles with hints of dried herbs, acacia flowers, quince puree, pithy waxy lemons, honeysuckle, yellow grapefruit, black currant, and complex notes of smoky lees, and crushed granite minerality. The palate baffles the mind with an electrically charged bright acidity that invigorates the senses with its intensity and freshness. The wine unfurls in the glass for hours, revealing layer upon layer of ripe stone fruits, crunchy white peach, tart yellow grapefruit, gooseberry, and tart green apple. A truly wonderful, eccentric style of premium Albariño that every fine wine lover should drink at least once! Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Bodegas Noemia Reaching New Quality Heights in Patagonia – Tasting the A Lisa Malbec 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Bodegas Noemia’s owner Hans Vinding-Diers is a South African born Dane whose father Peter produced some epic wines at Rustenberg in the 1970s. Indeed, Hans was born on the Rustenberg estate in Stellenbosch. To complete the vinous triangle, Hans is the cousin of that other renowned Danish winemaker, Peter Sisseck of the iconic Ribera del Duero winery Dominio de Pingus. What Hans has achieved at his remote Patagonian winery in the Rio Negro Valley 998km south of Buenos Aires in the middle of a desert is absolutely astonishing. In this barren region, viticulture is only made possible by channel irrigation excavated in the 1820s by British colonists with the Andes snowmelt fed rivers of Neuquén and Limay supplying the water for a growing season that varies in temperature between 28 and 9 degrees C.

For most of Argentina’s wine regions, 2021 was a cooler vintage which brought its own challenges but also offered the potential for fresher styles of wine. Covid restrictions were still in place for the 2021 vintage in Argentina although, after their experience of 2020, wine producers were much better equipped to deal with the extra challenges. In southern Argentina, in Patagonia’s Rio Negro and Neuquén regions, winemakers reported a relatively dry, windy summer with warm daytime temperatures and cooler nights. This combination of conditions for the harvest 2021 led to wines with piercing concentration but also wonderfully fresh acidities with lower pHs. Tasting this wine with Hans’s UK importer, The Wine Treasury, we all agreed that this is possibly the finest vintage of the A Lisa Malbec to date. Definitely a wine worth buying to experience the dramatic quality from the remote Patagonia region.

Bodegas Noemia A Lisa Malbec 2021, Patagonia, 14% Abv.

The A Lisa from Bodegas Noemia is always an impressive glass of wine, but with the 2021 vintage, we see an exceptionally exuberant expression of Malbec marked by intensely perfumed aromatics and a piercingly vibrant palate. The nose is rich, detailed and opulent with exotic notes of violets, sweet rose petals, black plum, sweet herbs, black cherry and intense layers of sweet crème de cassis with a salty black liquorice graphite hint. Packed full of juicy red and black berry fruits, the palate displays an incredible intensity that really elevates this vintage above previous releases. Sumptuously soft, luxuriously fleshy, there is an alluring brightness, a fruit precision and a tight knit acid focus that makes for a very sophisticated offering indeed. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

André van Rensburg Storms the Bastille with his Maiden Red and White Releases – Tasting the Most Exciting New Releases of 2021…

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‘The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.’ If that quote could be applied to just one winemaker, it would be André van Rensburg. Never one for mediocracy, he has, over the years, often been accused of being obsessive in the pursuit of his vinous vision and so the madman image has stuck with him for nearly thirty years. Frequently misunderstood, some might say that he suffers a personality disorder, particularly when, in conversation, expletives abound. Opinionated in the extreme, he remains, without exception, respected by his industry peers.

If success can be measured by the countless local and international awards he has enjoyed during his already long and distinguished career, then you could almost argue that André should be ready for retirement. Chatting to his long-time friend and now importer Richard Kelley MW, he describes how his first encounter with the relatively unknown André was in 1995. “Even then, the winemaking genius was apparent. We became good friends. Our long-standing relationship is a tale of two ill-matched individuals: the outspoken rock spider and the quiet English rooinek. The quintessential odd couple. Over the last three decades, I’ve come to understand that André is the greatest winemaker in the world. It’s something he reminds me of every time we meet.”

Everything about these two new wines seems to speak of his almost three decades of experience gained at Vergelegen, yet they also seem to express a certain unique, unbridle passion and artisanal precision that was perhaps more difficult to bottle when creating such large volumes at the Anglo-American owned farm. Both the red and white thrill from the moment they are poured, they impress in a passionate, heartfelt manner which shows that André has undoubtedly poured his heart and soul into these two new maiden releases.

André van Rensburg Artisan Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.86% Abv.

1.6 g/l RS | 6.8g/l TA | 3.11 pH

This very impressive maiden release is a blend of 86% Sauvignon Blanc but also features a 14% splash of Semillon for some extra salt and pepper complexity and mid-palate textural finesse. Regarded as his signature white grape, this beautifully crafted wine is certainly no “facile poolside quaffer” as André’s UK importer and close friend, Richard Kelley MW sternly proclaims. And indeed he is right!

This is a very serious barrel-fermented example in the style of top white Bordeaux expressions that is approachable now but will undoubtedly benefit from further maturation of up to a decade or more in the cellar. In the glass, the aromatics are packed with apple blossom, ruby grapefruit, citrus lemon, crunchy green apple, savoury gooseberry, fresh dill and tantalising touches of lemongrass and tangerine peel. But it’s on the palate where the true class and pedigree of André’s winemaking is revealed, boasting a concentrated, energy packed mouthful bursting with tangy gooseberry, lemon oil, crystallised ginger and lemongrass spice underpinned by a dusty, granitic crushed gravel minerality. The texture is super compact and dense, glycerol and mouth coating with just the most subtle hints of vanilla oak spice, a lick of lanolin, lime leaf and a spine-tingling acidity on the finish. This is certainly one of the finest Sauvignon – Semillon blends I have tasted in the past several years. Chapeau André!

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

André van Rensburg Artisan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

2.8g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.63 pH

I often wonder whether André made greater red or white wines in his previous life as head winemaker at Vergelegen. The problem is that his whites were so exceptional, that sometimes what he achieved with Cabernet Sauvignon and the other Bordeaux varieties was maybe sometimes overshadowed. But for me, André, the self-proclaimed Chateau Petrus-lover, was always the quintessential red wine obsessive, producing some of the most classically styled reds in South Africa when sweet, fruity, over ripe Parkerized wines were the flavour of the day. Like Sauvignon Blanc is his white signature grape, so too are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot his red counterparts.

This Van Rensburg red features 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot but also includes a small addition of 7% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc and the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, 50% of them new. The aromatics are set to slow-release and gently ease their way out the glass in a leisurely fashion to reveal a complex melange of earthy violets, melted milk chocolate, forest berries, freshly tilled earth, raspberry liquor chocolates and undertones of dried herbs, melted tar and black berry compote. The palate is silky soft and beautifully elegant with a medium-bodied weight, soft brittle tannins and an almost 2017-esque weightless concentration of black berries, red currants, light soy, cherry tobacco and crème de cassis. There is an incredibly fine, seamless mouthfeel that is cool, compact and incredibly classical and fine boned. This is André flexing his winemaking muscles to the max, creating a superstar Bordeaux blend that is going to make some serious waves in the local and international marketplace. I feel privileged to vinously share in the next chapter of this great winemaker’s wine journey. Drink now or cellar for 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines are available in the UK from South African specialist Museum Wines at circa £21 and £26 per bottle for the white and red. http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards Impresses with Another Exceptional Bordeaux Blend – Tasting the Flagship O.T.V. 2018 Red Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Stellenbosch region has arguably the finest terroir in the Cape for growing the famed Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Often attributed to a combination of poor sandstone or decomposed granite topsoils that make the vine struggle, ideal aspects, and the important, however cliched, cooling influence of the coastal breezes off the False Bay, the wines the Cape’s most intelligent and intuitive winemakers are now able to produce are certainly capturing the attention of the world’s top red wine connoisseurs.

The Uva Mira estate also benefits from the location of its mountain vineyards, which are 620 metres above sea level at their highest point, as the climate falls into category two on the Winkler Scale. In layman’s terms, this means it has a lot more in common with vineyards in France than many of their South African neighbours. This, alongside the decomposed granite soils, allows them to produce wines which are some of the finest expressions of terroir anywhere in the Stellenbosch region.

Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards O.T.V. Red Blend 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Located in one of Stellenbosch’s nine wards, Uva Mira has grown to become one of the most respected producers in the Helderberg, the ward closest to the cooling Atlantic Ocean. This super premium O.T.V. blend is a classy mix of 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, two of the most successful red varieties grown on the estate. This flagship blend commemorates the current owner’s father, O.T.Venter Senior, with an inspirational and prestigious cuvee that spares no expense in the pursuit of greatness. The rigorous selection of fruit has yielded a beautiful red wine with clarity, purity, precision, and distinction. The aromatics are packed full of perfumed pressed violets, sweet cedar spice, saline crème de cassis, red currants, and hints of freshly tilled earth. On the palate, it is every bit as cool and seductive as you would expect from a flagship blend like this, boasting a dense silky texture with tannins of velvet, classical layers of picante black currant, and black cherry fruits all wrapped in a considerately oaked, vibrantly fresh, intensely luxurious package. Like the other 2018 reds in the Uva Mira range, they nailed the vintage in 2018, producing some of the most attractive wines in the region. Drink now, after an hours decant, if you feel like spoiling yourself, or else bury a case in your cellar for 8 to 10+ years to experience the wine’s true inner class.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Uva Mira Wines are available exclusively in the UK from importer Museum Wines.

https://www.museumwines.co.uk/shop/uva-mira-mountain-vineyards/2017/o-t-v/

Tasting the New Release Sassicaia 2020 – A Unique Vintage of Generous Ripeness and Nervy Freshness…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

After missing the 2019 Sassicaia new release tasting in London last year due to unforeseen circumstances, this year Priscilla Incisa made sure she was in London in person to present the 2020 vintage of this famous Bolgheri estate in Tuscany, along with the 2021 Le Difese. Having always been in and around the family business, Priscilla started to take a more active role in the marketing and promotion of the Sassicaia brand from around 2012 onwards, and now has become the modern-day face of the winery.

Sassicaia is of course one of the largest private estates in Bolgheri consisting of 2,500 hectares, of which around 100 hectares are planted with vines. The estate also famously consists of over 1,500 hectares of wild woodlands of which almost a third of is a protected wildlife conservation area. The first vintage of Sassicaia was the 1968, which was released in 1971, produced with the help of Antinori’s winemaker at the time, the famous Giacomo Tachis. In 2000, Sassicaia was joined by a “second wine” called Guidalberto, consisting of around 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Finally, in 2002, Le Difese was added to the range, made from around 45% Bolgheri Cabernet Sauvignon and 55% Sangiovese sourced from vineyards in Chianti Rufina.

The 2020 vintage began with adequate rains and generally mild conditions while February and March were more threatening with freezing temperatures, particularly for the prized Cabernet Franc, resulting in lower yields but also concentrated high-quality fruit. Of course, 2020 was the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw very warm, dry summer conditions as well as major challenges securing enough pickers to bring the crop in. With the warm conditions, Tenuta San Guido erred on the side of caution and picked their fruit earlier to preserve freshness and avoid over ripe flavours. As a result, the 2020 wines show a generous ripeness together with a fine purity and a nervy, crisp freshness.

Since the release of the 2019 Sassicaia vintage last year, global demand has soared with merchants and consumers alike sweeping the market for well priced back vintages putting massive upward pressure on older vintages but also ensuring that the new release would follow suit with a higher price. The 2020 sees a considerable price increase from £995 IB per 6 in the UK to £1,200 IB per 6. So you’re going to have to dig that little bit deeper this year to secure a case of this icon wine at the release price.

Tenuta San Guido Le Difese 2021, IGT Toscana, 14% Abv.

The 2021 is a blend of 55% Sangiovese and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and reveals all the brightness, perfume and purity of the 5 Star 2021 vintage. Fragrant and very pretty, the aromatics are full of violets, red cherries, sun raisined cranberries, pink musk and hints of black currant rock candy. The palate mouthfeel is medium bodied but beautifully creamy and textured with a real density and concentration that glides across the palate with ample supporting velvety tannins and the most delicious mouth watering acids. Expertly conceived and wonderfully constructed, clearly showing the precision, intensity and purity of an exceptional vintage. Drink this on release to enjoy its youthful vivacity or hide a few bottles in the cellar for 6 to 8+ years. One of the best Le Difese reds produced since 2002!

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2020, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, 14% Abv.

This is a classical Sassicaia blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc from a vintage that started cool but finished warm and dry in August. Bottled in early January 2023, the aromatics are noticeably plusher and more opulent than some cooler vintages but the purity and precision is, as always, stunning with lofty perfumed notes of rose petals, lavender, black plum compote, fruit cake and a melange of black berry nuances. The enticing nose draws you in and the palate delivers an opulent, voluptuous mouthful with layers of earthy black cherry, liquorice, dried fennel, tart black currant with and an alluring reductive saline creme de cassis intensity. The textural precision is pinpoint and the acids surprisingly vibrant and tangy with stony mineral tannins adding a lithe, athletic frame beneath the sumptuous cloak of black fruits. Like all of the greatest red wines in the world, I would happily drink this beautiful wine young, even from the barrel, marking its true finesse, balance and harmony. I suspect this vintage will continue to offer generosity and accessibility for longer than normal before starting to close up and slumber. Drink on release and over 15 to 20+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Also tasted…

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2014, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOCG, 13% Abv.

There are aromatic similarities here to the 2020 with plenty of dark broody fruit layers over potpourri, sappy wood spice, stewed plum and sun raisined black currants. The palate shows hints of tertiary Cabernet Sauvignon with sweet cherry tobacco, tilled earth and well brewed black tea before another burst of creme de cassis, salty liquorice and oyster shell intensity re-emerge on the silky, sumptuous finish. Lauded as a “restaurant vintage” on release, this label should now be viewed as a badge of honour rather than any detraction from the innate quality that is undoubtedly on display here in the glass. Certainly no rush if you have this in your cellar but why hang on for much longer if the wine is drinking with such seductive elegance. (It was noted that at the Press Tasting the day before, tasters were poured the Sassicaia 2014 from magnum and many noted quite a savoury, evolved maturity suggesting notable bottle variation. The 75cl bottles served at the Trade Tasting, of which I tasted from two different bottles, showed impressive freshness, reductive hints and only very modest evolution.)

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

An Iconic Block Buster Ribera del Duero that’s Shooting Out the Lights – Revisiting the Garmon 2018 Tinto…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s a phenomenon that has gripped the fine wine world for the past four or five years. With prices and availability of top producers’ wines from the classic regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany and Piedmont becoming impossibly hard to secure on release, loyal fine wine consumers are consigned to trawling the secondary market where they are expected to pay exorbitant prices from opportunistic brokers. But among all the fine wine market’s hubris, high demand and heat of the past five years, one classic region has slowly but steadily been on the ascendancy – no, not with prices, but rather with its wine quality.

The DOC of Ribera del Duero is indeed the current darling of fine wine lovers around the world and producers like Garmon, owned by the Garcia family, one of Spain’s most famous winemaking dynasties, seem to have all the right attributes to attract serious drinkers and collectors alike. With Garmon’s current production at around only 5,000 cases per year, this represents approximately a third of what Chateau Latour produces or about half of the production of iconic estates like Chateau Angelus or Bolgheri’s Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia. But of course, Ribera del Duero is no stranger to icon and cult producers with wineries like Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus regarded as some of the greatest wineries in the world of fine wine. Indeed it was Mariano Garcia, the owner of Garmon, who produced some of the most iconic vintages at Vega Sicilia whilst head winemaker there from 1968 to 1998.

The Vintage

The 2018 vintage started quite cold with a generous winter rainfall providing replenishment to the water table after a dry 2017. The winter was cold and challenging, with late frosts that did not harm the vines due to a slow vegetative development as a result of prolonged low temperatures. Spring was rainy and cool, increasing the vigour of the vineyards and requiring a greater leaf thinning program to control the yields. At the end of June, the temperatures reached summer highs and allowed for almost perfect development of the berries. The good weather remained until the end of ripening, with the harvest starting on the 27th of September.

Garmon Continental ‘Garmon’ Tinto 2018, Ribera del Duero DOC, Spain, 14.5% Abv.

The 2018 Garmon is made from pure Tempranillo fruit sourced from several different villages all with a pronounced continental climate and old organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards. The various parcels are fermented individually, village by village with indigenous yeasts and matured in 225 litre French oak barrels for 20 months. The 2018 is a bit of a block buster and shows a wonderfully deep, intense, expansive expression of premium Ribera del Duero boasting complex layers of exotic spices, a sweet intoxicating purple flower perfume, violets, red cherries, strawberries and a seductive blueberry nuance. Below the opulent red and black pastille fruit layers purrs a powerful V8 engine, brimming with a black berry compote intensity, salty black liquorice and hints of dried fennel seeds and woodsmoke. This wine has all the power and purity you could possibly want with invigorating, mouth-watering acids and just the slightest exotic balsamic hint on the long finish. A really impressive creation as well as being incredible value for money.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Available from Museum Wines at £42.50 per bottle Inc. https://www.museumwines.co.uk/shop/garmon/2018/garmon-2018/

Sam Lambson and Minimalist Wines Releases a New Single Site Elgin Syrah – Tasting the No Place Like Home Syrah 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Sam Lambson is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s rising star producers and after only four vintages (2018 to 2021), has introduced another exciting single site Syrah to his growing range. The 2020 Minimalist Wines ‘Experimental’ Syrah was produced from this same Elgin vineyard but was made differently, showing a more accessible, crunchy, fresh, herbal fruity expression compared to this very fine, focused, cool fruited 2021 bottling that is greatly elevated in stature, joining Sam Lambson’s Stars In the Dark Syrah among his more premium range of wines.

The grapes all come from Niemandsrivier, a beautiful 3 hectare vineyard in Elgin that are leased from Johan and Milanie Vosloo and farmed by the Minimalist team themselves. Planted in 2006, the vineyard features three Syrah clones on a geographically complex mix of Sandstone and Shale soils and is the perfect canvas to produce fine premium Syrah wines. Vines located in the same block can react to their environment in unique ways, says Sam Lambson, and No Place Like Home is an exploration of the variation that exists within a single vineyard. Using a mix of drone technology (with a Near Infrared Camera flying 80m above the vineyard) and good, old-fashioned soil analysis, Sam and his team identified four distinct pockets across the 3 hectare parcel, then harvested and fermented them separately before marrying them together for this unique wine.

I met up with Sam in the UK in the Autumn of 2022 and was thrilled to taste this new, premium expression of Elgin Syrah. I was one of the first wine trade professionals to taste a barrel sample of his 2018 Stars in the Dark way back in late 2018 and knew from that moment that this was the beginning of a new exciting wine. When I tasted the maiden No Place Like Home 2021 Elgin Syrah with him in September 2022, I experienced a similar feeling and felt confident that this was also the beginning of something special. Track down an allocation now before the hype goes mainstream!

Minimalist Wines No Place Like Home Syrah 2021, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

An alluring and instantly impressive classically styled wine aged in neutral 228 litre French oak barrels for 16 months, reveals complex aromatics of ripe black plum, boysenberry, potpourri, sweet black peppercorns with a hint of sweet grilled herbs and black berry reduction. The intensity and precision of this 2021 are notable and follow to an elegant, medium-bodied palate that coats the mouth with sumptuous, saline cassis fruit layers, sweet smoky black currant and subtle hints of kelp and oyster shell minerality. This is another delightfully vibrant expression that will seduce many Syrah obsessives, with its 20% whole bunch portion adding an extra little complexing sapidity on the long finish. Undoubtedly a wine that is going to cause a stir… but that is exactly what Sam Lambson has become famous for! Start chasing an allocation now and drink this beauty on release and over the next 6 to 10+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Wines available in the UK from Museum Wines from February 2023. http://www.museumwines.co.uk or email sales@museumwines.co.uk to secure an allocation. Retail price is circa £32.99 inc per bottle.

The Collector Hysteria Continues Unabated As Sakkie Mouton Releases His Second Vintage of Sand Erf Vermentino 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

This unique white wine is sourced from a tiny patch of Vermentino vines grown on orange sandy soils in Koekenaap planted in 2017, and which are located only 15 kilometres from the cold Atlantic Ocean up the barren West Coast. The unwaveringly maritime and saline characteristics of this dry coastal terroir up the West Coast has become almost synonymous as Sakkie Mouton’s signature style and these particular Vermentino grapes are located no more than 600 metres away from his old vine Crayfish Chenin Blanc vineyard with its decomposed sandstone soils with pockets of limestone which lend great minerality and low pH’s to the finished wines.

After tasting a few tank samples with Sakkie Mouton at the Cape Wine Trade Fair in Cape Town in October 2022, it was inevitable that the excitement would build until he released his second Vermentino vintage. More importantly, after Cape Wine, I made the five hour trek up the West Coast with Sakkie after the trade fair to go and visit not only his famous Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc vineyard, but also the two long rows of Vermentino that were planted originally as an experimental grape.

The experimental Vermentino rows planted in 2017 planted on Ramsey rootstocks to help against nematodes in the soils.

The 2022 Sand Erf was harvested in two separate parcels, with the first parcel getting 12 hours on the skins before pressing, and the second parcel getting whole brunch pressed. After pressing, both parcels were blended together. After a one month fermentation, the wine was racked into one 300 litre barrel for ageing for four months with regular stirring of the lees.

Sakkie Mouton surveying his two rows of experimental Vermentino along side wider plantings of Chenin Blanc.

The wine was bottled as Wine of Origin Koekenaap, unfiltered and unfined, with just the smallest addition of sulphur. While the one parcel only saw 12 hours of skin contact, Sakkie feels this factor has had a significantly positive influence on the finished wine, helping it to portray a slightly fuller, fleshier, more textural expression in the glass.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Sand Erf Vermentino 2022, WO Koekenaap, 11.93% Abv.

1.4g/l RS | 6.9g/l TA | 3.4pH

This white wine is classic Wes Kus misfit Sakkie Mouton at his best. The nose is packed full of youthful cream soda and rock candy aromatics before notes of peach kernals, crunchy green pear, white blossom and lime peel emerge to spar with the ever-present layers of maritime salinity, dried kelp, nori seaweed and rock salt complexity. The extra time on the skins lends the palate just that little extra fleshy, glycerol weight and roundness in the mouth to balance the intense briney rock salt salinity. The palate remains rapier fresh and precise but just that little bit broader and more architecturally layered, revealing a delicious green apple freshness and white peach and dried herb nuances on the long, generous finish. This is a wine that speaks of a specific maritime terroir and its harsh corresponding wind-swept coastal environment. In Koekenaap, the people are as hardy as the vines, but both are equally generous and expressive when handled correctly. A beautiful follow-up release that grows in confidence like Sakkie’s very own winemaking prowess. Drink this wine on release with wild Wes Kus oysters or fresh line fish or else watch it unfurl extra layers of complexity over the coming 3 to 5+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Life imitating art… Sakkie is a keen musician like his grandfather, who is featured on the 2022 label.