The Skurfberg Mountain is part of the Citrusdal mountain area and the word Skurfberg (Rugged Mountain in Afrikaans) mainly refers to the edgy and rough appearance of the mountain. The soil is mainly decomposed Table Mountain sandstone formations and tends to be very sandy. It is regarded as a truly great site for Chenin Blanc, and it is most unusual that such a warm and dry area still produces wines with this enormous texture and balancing freshness.
Together, the three low-yielding parcels Sadie Family Wines uses represent the possibilities of the area, each offering something unique to the complexity of the final blend. The one site has huge aromatic fruit concentration; the second offers an earthy character and overt minerality, and the third (the highest, and closest to the Atlantic Ocean) retains amazing acidity and freshness. The three parcels of fruit are vinified separately.
Winemaking: The grapes are picked in small 20kg picking crates and then placed in a cooling room to reduce the temperature. Eben Sadie considers this an essential step in the Swartland where temperatures are often 35 degrees C and more during harvest time; and pressing warm grapes comes with a series of potential challenges. The cooling process is followed up by whole bunch pressing. The process takes about three hours and during this time there is a margin of settling of the juice in the collecting tank. The juice is then transferred to two older foudre where it is left undisturbed until natural fermentation starts. The fermentation process can sometimes take up to 10 or more days to initiate and can last anything from 1 to 6 months, sometimes only finishing during the next spring, by which time the malolactic fermentation would often have come to completion as well. The wine is left in cask on the fermentation lees for 12 months and bottled directly off the lees. They add about 50ppm of sulphur 2 weeks prior to bottling and bottle directly from the cask.
2017 Producer Note:“Skurfberg fruit came in fully ripe in 2017 and produced a very serious wine in the Chenin arena. The aromatics are very spicy, white pepper with some flinty tones that then cross over into again the stone fruit aromas of apples and pear skin. There is also a minerality that is running throughout the wine and not only on the aromatics, but it carries through to the palate. This wine needs a serious plate of food.” ~ Eben Sadie.
Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2017, WO Olifants Rivier, 14% Abv.
A more creamy expression on the nose, quite leesy and biscuity. Also a bit of delicious pear fruit. Juicy and tangy on the palate, delicately pithy, deceptively grippy but finishes with a cool, vibrant precision. No real rush but keep an eye on it. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
2018 Producer Note:“The Skurfberg up in the Clanwilliam mountains was definitely the area most affected by the drought. Not only did these vineyards receive less rain, but with half the normal rainfall and the extremely well-drained, decomposed Table Mountain sandstone soils the combination was just suicidal. We only managed to pick 30% of the grapes we collect in a normal year. The wine is unbelievably harmonious and poised and it actually does not show much of the drought other than a slightly lower alcohol level and a higher acidity than normal – we picked earlier to try and save as much of the vine reserves as we could. Drinking this wine is the closest we’ll probably get to walking on crystal.” ~ Eben Sadie.
Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2018, WO Olifants Rivier, 13.5% Abv.
A very saline, tangy expression of Chenin full of white peach, pear and green apple aromatics. Full and mouthwatering on the palate, packed with pear and peach fruits but essentially a very vibrant expressive and pure focused Skurfberg. Impressive concentration and really no rush if you have in your cellar. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
2019 Producer Note:“Following the trajectory to the northern territories of the Citrusdal Mountain area the Skurfberg yields, just like those of the Soldaat, were suicidally low and we managed to bottle only a third of our usual production. The 2019 displays amazingly concentrated stone fruit and quince flavours with a pronounced mineral note, very good acidity and freshness. In many ways this is one of the purest forms of Chenin we have had in the tank to date.” ~ Eben Sadie.
Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2019, WO Olifants Rivier ,14% Abv.
A more honied, opulent aromatics with notes of bees wax and melted wax candles. Rich and punchy, this is a block buster from the outset – broad but also fresh and intense but super long on the finish. Wow! A big, big, big vintage. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
2020 Producer Note: “This 2020 vintage of Skurfberg was a very limited production as yields again dwindled down, the drought in the Cederberg Mountains continued and we opted to reduce the yield in order to save reserves. This 2020 is an incredibly compact and viscus expression of Chenin Blanc and the stone fruit and peach skin aromas are followed up by a very mineral expression and some tropical aromas in the background. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is perfectly nestled in between the fruit and the tannin. Please give wine the time in the bottle.” ~ Eben Sadie.
Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2020, WO Olifants Rivier, 14% Abv.
Wow, what a beautifully fragrant Skurfberg with hints of yellow peach, honey, and buttered white toast. Full, fresh, and fleshy on the palate, this is a powerful, dense expression. Really amazing, this tops the line-up with its structured, balanced by power. A really sophisticated age worthy success for a vintage that often leans to the earlier drinking side. No rush here however. Drink now to 2036+.
And just like that, what started out 10 years ago as a serious but fun effort by a group of passionate wine trade professionals and wine collectors to taste and benchmark some of the best Grenache wines in the world has evolved into one of the most respected annual blind Grenache assessments organised anywhere in the world. Year by year, more and more effort has been channelled into sourcing the rarest, the finest and the purest terroir expressions of Grenache produced. Much of this positive momentum and passion must be attributed to the Judgement of Wimbledon’s Convenor of Judges, Riaan Potgieter.
A Historic 10th Anniversary Tasting
Year after year, Riaan has painstakingly scoured the new releases and global reviews with the sole mission of tracking down any new fine Grenache expressions whether produced in the USA, South Africa, Australia or Spain. So, it seems only fitting that Riaan’s efforts and considerable financial outlay annually, are acknowledged and recognised. As soon as one Judgement tasting ends, Riaan can be seen planning the next line-up by tracking down and tasting numerous new pretenders as well as organising multiple preliminary blind tasting rounds to whittle down the final selection.
67 Pall Mall – the 2026 tasting venue.
In its 10th year, the Judgement of Wimbledon 2026 departed slightly from previous editions by assembling an array of wines mostly from producers who had performed well in previous years, but this time using vintages with some additional bottle age. The New World participants were chosen primarily from the 2019 vintage and the Old World producers from the 2018 vintage, allowing for some wines to shed their youthful reductive veil and show their true terroir and pedigree as their winemakers intended.
The 18 wine blind Grenache line-up.
The final 18 wine line-up for the 2026 Judgement of Wimbledon blind tasting featured 3 wines from Australia, 3 wines from South Africa, 11 wines from Spain (1 x Aragon, 1 x Costers del Segre, 3 x Gredos, 2 x Montsant, 3 x Priorat and 1 x Rioja) and 1 from the USA. Due to the older vintage categories chosen, this naturally excluded some newer start-ups such as Dylan Grigg from the Barossa Valley in Australia as his first Vinya Vella Old Vine Grenache vintage was only produced in 2021. The other notable change to the format was moving the venue from Wimbledon to the mecca of London fine wine, 67 Pall Mall, where a professional team of sommeliers could organise optimal glassware and perfect pouring temperatures.
With guest judge Dominik Huber from Terroir Al Limit in Priorat. With last year’s winner, Juanan Martin from Rico Nuevo in Gredos.
In 2024, the judging panel was joined by Vinous.com lead critic Neal Martin, and in 2025, the panel was positively thrilled to have world renowned wine critic and Grenache / Garnacha specialist Luis Gutierrez from The Wine Advocate join proceedings. For the 10th anniversary, two top producers were invited to join the Judgement panel, namely Dominik Huber from Terroir Al Limit in Priorat and Juanan Martin, who’s own wine Rico Nuevo La Quebra 2021 won the Judgement tasting in 2025. In all, there were 14 judges this year and two bottles of each wine were poured blind.
The 2026 pouring order of wines.
As is customary, below you can find my personal BLIND tasting notes and scores.
Typing up my blind tasting notes.
Judgement of Wimbledon 2026 Blind Tasting Notes:
Wine 1: Alvaro Palacios Quinon de Valmira 2018, Rioja, Spain
Sweet and sour red and black fruits on the nose with clear savoury hints, stewed red plums, dried baking herbs and bramble berry spice. The palate is sleek and taut, fine grained, mineral yet delicately sappy with bramble berry fruits, silky soft compact tannins and a spicy, stony mineral finish with a delicate kiss of dried thyme on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 2: Torres Mas de la Rosa 2018, Priorat, Spain
Deeper, darker broodier aromatics with notions of sweet damson plum, black cherry, cinnamon and clove spice with a hint of mixed dry baking herbs and mint leaf. On the palate this is a real Peter Pan wine packed full of blue and black berry fruits, pithy cherry and saline cassis on the dense, compact finish. Wonderful composure, balance and harmony on this young, vibrant, fruit forward expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 3: Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat 2019, Swartland, South Africa
A tighter, fresher, mineral driven aromatics with hints of crushed granite, bay leaf and whole bunch red berry spice. The palate is subtle and understated, compact and pithy with hints of vermouth spice, Seville orange peel and pithy black cherry persistence. A more classically framed, Old World leaning expression that you expect would have been reductive in its youth but that is now finally drawing the curtains and letting in the light. A very pretty, stony, terroir driven expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 4: Frontonio El Jardín de Las Iguales Garnacha 2018, Aragon, Spain
A more lifted, exotic aromatics with notes of cherry cola and stewed strawberry but also some subtle early tertiary notes of bramble berries, tannery leather and strawberry compote. The colour shows some age and development, the palate too is equally sweet and sour, slightly evolved and showing savoury cured Serrano ham notes over pithy stewed red berry hints. An intriguing expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)*
*It should be noted that some tasters who know the Frontonio well thought that the 2018 bottles might have suffered some heat damage or poor storage. While the wine still performed relatively well, judges wanted it noted for the record that the bottles may not have shown at their best.
Wine 5: Rico Nuevo La Quebra 2018, Gredos, Spain
A darker fruit profile is dominant in the glass with a dusty, stony minerality and some smoky, spicy wood smoke and blueberry fruit opulence. The youthful depth and blueberry opulence follows to the palate that shows chalky grippy tannins, a fabulous piercing black cherry and black fruited intensity with a searing saline oystershell maritime edge to the finish. Very impressive indeed.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 6: Lagravera Ciclic Negre 2019, Costers del Segre, Spain
A richer, riper aromatics with notes of cola syrup, red cherry candy and caramelised brown sugar. The palate is cool and sleek, slightly understated but retaining the cola candy mouth coating “dry” sweetness. Plenty of glycerol weight, the tannins are stony and slightly rasping, the finish drying, picante and slightly curtailed at the moment.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 7: Mas Martinet Els Escurcons 2018, Priorat, Spain
Exotic aromatics suggests pink musk, rock candy and Wrigley’s chewing gum. Underneath, there are herby spicy notes with subtle medicinal medicine chest nuances. The palate is fleshy and generous, cool and chalky with a certain harmonious accessibility and chalky, candied approachability. Silky tannins, beautiful finesse and a fine youthful freshness on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 8: Alkina Polygon No. 5 Grenache 2019, Barossa Valley, Australia
A taut, tight, broody aromatics with defined notes of granitic tension and dusty minerality over sappy red fruits and pink musk. Compact yet fleshy, there is good glycerol weight, savoury broody, earthy red and black fruits and a fine-grained chalky limestone mineral finish. Tight, youthful overall impression but certainly not lacking any class.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 9: Terroir Sense Fronteres Guix Vermell 2018, Montsant, Spain
The aromatics are stand alone with unique hints of caramelised brown sugar, wood smoke, roasted caramelised nuts and cola syrup hints. Tight grained, chalky and deliciously mineral on the palate, there is that invigorating salinity that raises its head, with creamy talcum tannins, tight grained tension and a real pedigree on display here. True class.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 10: Venus la Universal Venus de La Figuera 2018, Montsant, Spain
The aromatics show a unique mix of baking herbs, cinnamon and clove spice over notes of cola, pithy red cherry and delicate reductive black currant nuances. The palate is a little looser knit than some examples, with savoury strains, clove and vermouth spices, dried herbs and pithy red and black cherry spices over cured meats on the chalky mineral finish that coats your palate with energetic grippy tannins. An enticing expression of Grenache.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 11: Terroir al Limit Les Manyes 2018, Priorat, Spain
This shows hints of tertiary complexity before notes of cinnamon and cedar oak spice, bramble berries, cola and top notes of thyme. The picante, spicy, lipstick lift continues to the palate that is incredibly tight grained, chalky and mineral, with a fascinating texture. The acids are fresh and lift the wine on its long finish. Another wine with a real terroir feel.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 12: Comando G Tumba del Rey Moro, Gredos, Spain (Magnum)
A complex expression that combines aromatics of musk, talc and dried herbs with notes of dried cherries, potpourri and pressed violets over a subtle granitic undertone. The vermouth spices and red liquorice notes rise on the palate with more pink musky fruits, red cherry, and the ever present drying chalky granitic spice from some formidable tannins. Despite its age, this is an infant in nappies, promising a phenomenal future of fine wine drinking.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 13: Naude Wines Grenache 2019, Western Cape (Swartland), South Africa
This feels a leaner, tighter, more mineral expression on the nose with an earlier picked translucent, mineral brightness to the bramble berry and wild strawberry fruits. The palate is vibrant and plucky, fresh, light on its feet but certainly lacking no intensity, as the acids reverberate across the mouth, the cranberry and red apple fruits lingering for extra effect on the finish. A pristine, focused, classical expression of note.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 14: Thistledown Sands of Time 2019, McLaren Vale, Australia
A rich, expressive aromatics boasts notes of caramelised sugar, toffee apples, red currants and bramble berry spice with a hint of cherry cola. The exotic aromatics translate into a delightfully approachable expression on the palate with generosity and opulence, tangy acids with crystalline red cherry and red plum fruits and an altogether more serious length and power on the saline finish. Very long, intense and piercing! Wow.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 15: Momento Grenache Noir 2019, Swartland, South Africa
Another complex, broody example with slight cola-tinged red cherry hints over delicate wild strawberry spiced fruits. The palate is a little wild and bloody, like fresh game birds bleeding on the chopping board as they are dusted with herbs and spices. With plenty of minerality on the finish, this is yet another artisanal Grenache that speaks of its terroir.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 16: Yangarra High Sands Grenache 2019, McLaren Vale, Australia
This shows a compact, dense black fruited aromatics with youthful complexity, black plum layers, and blueberry and mint leaf nuances. If the nose was fanning the proverbial peacock’s tail, the palate is positively in full dance mode, plush, fresh, compact and youthful with rich and intense black berry fruits that remain restrained and never err on the side of vulgar sweetness, always carefully ringfenced by chalky mineral tannins with just the most delicate vermouth herbal nuance on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 17: Clendenen Rancho La Cuna Grenache 2019, Santa Maria Valley, USA
An exotic, overt aromatics showing a slightly more medicinal, herbal array of spice and macerated red berry fruits over barley sugar and molasses hints. While the medicinal notes dissipate, the slightly caramelised molasses black stewed fruits persist long on the palate, giving this wine a feel of ripeness, some early development and a warmer climate feel. The finish is intense, long and decidedly savoury.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 18: 4 Monos Viticultores La Isilla 2018, Gredos, Spain
A beautifully lifted aromatics displays notes of talc and pink musk, red cherry, strawberry candy and fresh pink bubble gum nuances. The tension and linearity on the palate are palpable, strict, focused and rasping with chalky limestone tannins, tart piercing tangy acids and a fine-grained texture that is so beautifully polished. Very impressive, mineral expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Judgement of Wimbledon Blind Scoring Procedure:
All judges are required to offer their final rankings from their favourite to least favourite, numbered from 1 to 18, with the largest score tally going to the top ranked wines which are then all added together to get a final 1 to 18 group ranking by “preference points”. So, a slightly different dynamic to that of the judges’ favourite to least favourite choices by score alone, which of course could easily see 3, 4 or even 5 different wines sitting on the same score of 94 or 95 points etc. However, judges are then required to retaste the matching scored wines and order them in a subjective preference to complete a final 1 to 18 without actually being required to change the wines final blind score. This method can sometimes lead to wines scored slightly higher, perhaps on 96.9/100, ranking lower than a wine on 96.3/100, because of judges final “preference points” tally.
Riaan Potgieter, Convenor of Judges for the Judgement of Wimbledon.
Judgement of Wimbledon Convenor of Judges 2026 Executive Summary – By Riaan Potgieter
The 10th anniversary always had to be something special, and while I knew we wanted to open some back vintages, selecting the right vintage(s) was far from straightforward. These wines are typically made in small quantities, and with many producers still relatively new, sourcing bottles was always going to be a challenge. Naturally, the further back I looked, the fewer options were available. In the end, I settled on 2018/19: old enough for the wines to be drinking beautifully, yet recent enough to ensure a compelling lineup from two excellent vintages.
Dominik Huber deep in thought mid tasting.
Armed with a selection of wines ready to drink, we were all exhilarated by the prospect of experiencing them a bit closer to their peak. What we didn’t anticipate was just how challenging that would make the tasting. Given we normally use wines from the latest vintage release, judges are used to wines being closed off initially but continuing to evolve over the course of a tasting session, but this time the wines took “evolution” to an entirely new level. They were playful and unpredictable in the best possible way. Every sip brought something new and exciting, and returning for another pour often felt like encountering a completely different wine.
Trying to rank the wines in any sort of order was equal parts delight and agony. Each wine demanded your full attention, yet the ticking clock kept dragging us back to reality and the serious business of attempting to record something remotely coherent on our tasting sheets. One thing is certain: I’ve never seen Judgement of Wimbledon judges so quiet, and for so long, before finally erupting into the inevitable excited post wine tasting chatter.
The final results revealed.
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Juanan Martin of Rico Nuevo and Dominik Huber of Terroir al Limit for joining us at this year’s event. It felt only right to share the 10th anniversary with some of the people who made it possible and who continue to bring us so much vinous joy. It was a true honour to have them both with us for the occasion. We did, of course, do our best to persuade them to have a guess which wine was their own, but they steadfastly rebuffed even our most determined efforts.
In the end, these wines more than delivered on the brief — doing so in a way that goes far beyond anything a simple 100-point score could ever capture. The 2026 Judgement of Wimbledon provided an experience that will resonate for a very long time, far exceeding even our wildest expectations when we took our first tentative steps into this new world of light, edgy Grenache way back in 2017.
The Judgement of Wimbledon 2026: Group Blind Ranking Results
All judges were required to submit their final rankings, from favourite to least favourite, numbered from 1 to 18. Points were allocated accordingly, with higher-ranked wines receiving more points. These scores were then aggregated to produce a final group ranking from 1 to 18 based on total preference points. Under this format, first place was awarded to Terroir al Límit Les Manyes—an old favourite and a first-time winner—which secured the largest winning margin in the history of the Judgement of Wimbledon. Second place went to Marelise Niemann’s Momento Grenache, improving slightly on last year’s maiden entry and finishing in the top three for the second consecutive year. Rico Nuevo rounded out the top three with his maiden vintage of La Quebra, another strong performance following his win at last year’s event with the 2021 vintage.
The Judgement of Wimbledon 2026 Final results (by judges’ preferences).
When the results were recalculated using a straight score ranking—by averaging all judges’ 100‑point scores—the order shifted slightly, with a tighter distribution among the top wines. Les Manyes remained firmly in first place, while second and third positions were taken by Álvaro Palacios Quiñón de Valmira and Sadie Family Soldaat, respectively.
Final results by straight averaged judges’ scores.
Final Conclusions…
The 2026 tasting line-up featured an incredible array of mature Grenache wines, all representing the finest expression of terroir and winemaking from around the world. Also, it cannot be overstated that many preliminary tasting rounds took place during the course of the year with view to choosing the final line-up of wines. Merely having your wine selected for the final Judgement of Wimbledon tasting line-up should be regarded as a massive accolade in itself.
The 2026 Grenache line-up.
For the 2027 Judgement of Wimbledon Blind Grenache Tasting, the younger 2023 vintage will be assessed. If you would like to potentially have your wines included in the tasting, please message me directly through the A Fine Wine Safari contacts page. Until next year, keep drinking Grenache!!
Fine organisation by the sommeliers at 67 Pall Mall Private Members Club.
The Glenelly Estate is a beautiful winery buried in a little corner of the Idas Valley in Stellenbosch. The property was famously bought in 2003 by Madame May de Lencquesaing of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande fame in Pauillac, Bordeaux, with a vision to transform the property into one of the preeminent fine wine producers in Stellenbosch. With vineyards planted on near virgin granitic rich soils, Glenelly Estate had the opportunity to map out a varietal path that completely suited the style of wines they were looking to make.
With May Lencquesaing celebrating her 100 birthday in 2025, I thought it would be a good time to pay another visit to the winery. With previous cellar master Luke O’Cuinneagain now settled in at Vergelegen Estate in the Helderberg after taking over from a retiring Andre van Rensberg, the mantle was passed to the talented winemaker Dirk van Zyl to pick up where Luke left off and take the Glenelly Estate into a new decade of premium wine production. Along with the below Lady May mini-vertical, Dirk also kindly let me taste through multiple barrels of the phenomenal quality 2025 vintage to plant the seed for the exciting wines to come.
Glenelly Estate Lady May Vertical: 2017 to 2021
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2017, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The aromatics are incredibly pure and precise with finely integrated notes of herbal spice, graphite, black currant and hints of chocolate and spearmint complexity. The palate is tight and restrained, silky, focused and very tight grained, with incredible fruit concentration, a light touch mineral intensity and a notable harmony. An incredibly accomplished wine still in its shell, that’s hardly evolved in the past two years. One for the cellar!
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting with Dirk van Zyl, Glenelly head winemaker and cellar master.
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
“Simply the true essence of Bordeaux in a glass…”
A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Merlot. Incredibly restrained aromatics with intense notes of graphite, cedar spice, delicate black currant, sweet black cherry, creme de cassis complexity. So incredibly fine grained texture, pin point focus with a fantastic mineral vein. Fabulous velvety tannins but held in place by a bright steely framing acidity. This is probably one of the most accomplished reds produced in the entire 2018 vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly barrel maturation cellar.
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. This shows a more classical Stellenbosch feel with layers of black currant fruits, black fruit, tilled earth, sweet tannery leather and black tea. The palate is sleek, cool, focused, quite muscular but steely and stony, with a notable underlying power and intensity but with polished corners, a creamy velvety chalky tannin grip and a well integrated acid freshness. Tangy and bright on the finish, this is a beautifully focused wine that just needs a few more years in the cellar.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. From a relatively warm early vintage yielding ripe, accessible, forward wines that many winemakers feel has been forgotten as the covid year. An intricate wine that offers accessibility with structure, allowing the wine to age for many years. The aromatics are intense and fresh, loaded with creme de cassis, black cherry and blueberry hints, with dried mint leaves, baking herbs, and curry leaf spice complexity. The elegance is very clear and apparent, the silky finesse and accessibility complimented by effortless tannins. This should be good to drink on release but comfortably age worthy for 15-20+ years. (32,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Dense dark and opaque in the glass with incredibly potent and pure fruited aromatics of creme de cassis, saline black currant, cherry tobacco, grilled herbs and subtle vanilla pod spice nuances. The palate embraces power and density showing fine chalky tannins, a real black and blue fruited intensity with just the most classically restrained, harmonious and elegant finish. This is a phenomenal red wine that registers quality wise in the highest of echelons of Cape Bordeaux Blends.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting the 2025 vintage barrels with cellar master Dirk van Zyl.
Six months on gross lees in stainless steel tank. Shows lovely clarity and purity, earthy waxy citrus, hints of lime peel, peach and grapefruit pulp. Delicious crystalline expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
A portion of the wines was settled in tank but a portion went straight into barrel. 22% new French oak, on the lees in barrel for 10 months. 18% underwent malolactic fermentation. Shows a classy creamy lemon butter character, complex green herbs, fresh fennel, yellow grapefruit and tangy lemon cordial nuances. Very impressive purity and poise with a delightful kiss of passion fruit on the finish. Very nice.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Fermentation cellar at Glenelly
Glenelly Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.1% Abv.
Six months in barrel of which 12% was new oak. Bottled beginning 2024. Aromaticly lifted with green dried baking herbs, sapidity and hints of white peach. The wine shows a fine texture and a light weight buttery citrus fruit character, with plenty of elegance and a long subtle finish. Fine boned but very classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Le Rose de May Rose 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
Delightfully sappy and fragrant showing strawberry fruit notes with hints of red currant and red cherry fruits. The Syrah lends a linearity, focus and purity with a cool, polish finished. Lovely freshness and a finessed accessibility. Top drawer Rose.
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The 2021 Lady May will be released in May 2026. The Glenelly wines are imported into the UK and distributed to trade by Seckford Agencies. Contact: pippa@seckfordagencies.co.uk
The viticultural scene of Bordeaux is an ever-evolving landscape with new boutique chateaux blossoming out of older historical sites, many within appellations that are slowly but surely rising in prominence as greater technology and knowhow is applied in new and unique ways to differing terroirs that are now being rediscovered, being capable of producing some exceptional classical Bordeaux reds and whites. One such boutique winery is Chateau de Malherbes, located in the Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux appellation that was historically incorporated into the Bordeaux Cotes group of appellations under the Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux regional umbrella.
Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux is now climbing in prestige and significance as quality focused pioneering boutique chateaux like Chateau de Malherbes slowly but surely focus on growing exceptional quality Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc on the varied soils of the plateau that rises up from the Garonne River, offering a variety of favourable terroirs situated on gravelly or calcareous terrain where clay predominates, making the vineyard sites perfectly suited to growing premium Merlot grapes.
The spacious modern tasting room at the chateau.
More uniquely, Chateau de Malherbes is a leader in redefining the wider “Bordeaux wine experience” producing not only exciting premium wines but also offering visitors, customers, and merchants a unique winery experience involving not only approachable immersive wine tourism but also a more educational involvement, something Bordeaux chateaux have long been criticised for neglecting in the past.
The ultra modern winery in Bordeaux.
With the Chateau de Malherbes winery project only coming to fruition as recently as 2014, co-owner Julia Lindholm Bereshchanskaya has focused on reshaping the winery’s brand image, wine tourism offering, gastronomy, and vision of excellence, while wine director Christophe Bedouet, who has been involved with the project since its inception in 2014, focuses on managing a skilled team of viticultural and oenological staff to produce a vibrant, quality focused range of chateau wines. Having worked in the USA for many years, Christophe brings a modern, forward-looking outlook to this boutique chateau where the winemaking team focuses on producing quality wines that showcase the finest elements of the estate’s terroir.
The fermentation cellarA view into the barrel maturation cellar.
I first visited this impressive modern winery in September 2023 just as the harvest was starting to come in and was seriously impressed by not only the high-tech cellar and its beautiful surrounding vineyard scenery, but also by the quality of wines being produced from this less internationally lauded region. I recently took the opportunity to retaste several of the chateau’s current releases available to the market and was suitably impressed by what I tasted.
Chateau de Malherbes 2018, Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux, 14% Abv.
The 2018 Malherbes is a seductive blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc that was aged in a selection of new and older French oak barrels for 12 months. In the glass, this youthful blend is deep, dark, and opaque retaining a garnet-purple hue. One sniff of the perfumed aromatics suggests this is indeed a serious effort, with an expressive bouquet of pressed violets, sweet oak spices, cinnamon stick, plum liquor, crème de cassis, black cherry compote and subtle hints of mulberry, crushed rocks and a delicate but alluring vanilla pod dusting. The palate is ripe yet beautifully poised, tight grained but reassuringly giving after some time in the glass, where more textured layers of earthy black currant, tilled earth, salty black liquorice and baked black berries resonate across a long, fresh tangy finish. Powerful in essence, but also impressively supple and textured offering well managed creamy tannins that combine with impressive oak integration. Tasted seven years from vintage, this wine is still approaching its peak and whilst offering a depth of drinking pleasure now, this wine will reward another 5 to 6+ years of further cellaring.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau de Malherbes 2016, Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux, 14.5% Abv.
The reputation of this vintage precedes any wine release and this impressive 2016 is a blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, with the components aged in new and aged French oak barriques for 12 months. Sourced from the best fruit of this 12-hectare estate on gravel and clay limestone soils, the aromatics burst out the glass with a rich, ripe expressive array of black berry, black plums, and savoury black cherry notes before hints of chargrilled meats, tilled earth, graphite and charcoal embers add to the complexity. True to the characterful and established quality of the vintage, the concentration is notable with rich intense black berry compote nuances that combine with black liquorice, toasted oak, crème de cassis and a long, textured savoury length embellished by hints of sweet cherry tobacco and vanilla pod spice. A dense, compact wine with plenty of dry extract, creamy soft spicy tannins but also an energetic freshness and polished mouthfeel. A serious wine that really does open up with decanting to reveal a quite compelling personality. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau de Malherbes Grand Vin 2015, Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux, 14.5% Abv.
This impressive Grand Vin from the Chateau de Malherbes is a blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc that was aged for 18 months in specially selected new oak barrels from premium coopers Radoux and Seguin Moreau. On the nose, this opulent 2015 shows an impressively lifted and intricately perfumed aromatics brimming with violets and white blossom, black cherries, ripe blueberries and black currant nuances. The palate weight is sleek and sophisticated, supple, and elegant with a weightless concentration of black and blueberry fruits, earthy red currants, and tangy fresh mulberry notes. The classy oaking is beautifully integrated, melting into the concentrated berry fruits before hints of graphite, bitter cocoa, and pithy black berry compote shine on the finish. A beautifully classy wine that really shows the true pedigree of this boutique estate’s terroir. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Chateau de Malherbes wines are available to merchants direct from the Chateau. Please contact Christophe Bedouet for current vintage availability and ex-cellar pricing.
While so many column inches are written about the great wines of Bordeaux every year, much of this commentary is restricted to the top 25, or perhaps the top 50 Cru Classé Chateaux of the Medoc. The charm and appeal of these great historical Chateaux is clear for everyone to see, however, everyday wine consumers are far more likely to first encounter the delicious wines from the many Petit Chateaux in Bordeaux, located on both the left and right bank of the Gironde, long before they ever graduate to the classified Cru Classé growths. Drinking and enjoying wines like Chateau Moulin Lafitte, is a key part of many consumers Bordeaux journey.
The small 13.5-hectare Bordeaux property of owner Eric Couthures is located in Saint-Pierre d’Aurillac on the northern banks of the Garonne river just east of Barsac and Preignac. The average age of the vines is 30+ years old with most of the vines planted on primarily clay rich soils at a density of 3,000 to 5,000 vines per hectare. In these clay rich soils, Merlot thrives, forming up to 40% of the final Chateau Moulin Lafitte blend depending on the vintage, along with up to 30% of Cabernet Sauvignon for added structure and density, and 30% Cabernet Franc for textural elegance, perfume, and finesse. At the Chateau, De Mour head winemaker Jean Michel Garcion acts as technical director, crafting these three cultivars into classical red blends that are aged in vats for between 8 and 12 months before bottling. I recently tasted the 2018 vintage that is currently on release in many European markets and was suitably impressed.
An opaque red plum colour in the glass with a bright garnet rim, the aromatics on the 2018 cuvee are evocative, deep, and broody, with ample notes of potpourri, dried mint leaf, white flowers, freshly tilled earth and subtle notes of ripe wild dark berries, pink musk, spiced plums, black currant compote and sweet sappy cedar spice nuances. The medium bodied palate shows a sleek, polished mouthfeel with harmonious tight grained tannins and a controlled power, perfectly balanced by soft, fleshy black berry fruits, spicy black cherry, hints of black tea, and a pithy vibrant freshness on the finish. Masterfully assembled, this blend combines the generosity and plushness of the Merlot fruit with the ample structure and authority of the two Cabernet grapes, fashioning an impressive, classically styled savoury Bordeaux with harmony and finesse. At almost 7 years old, this 2018 is approaching peak drinkability!
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines are distributed by De Mour Wines. Contact Anthony Crameri for further vintage and ex-cellar pricing information.
The Burlotto family winery was established in Verduno, one of the most historic communes in Barolo, 174 years ago and today the winery produces classical Barolos with one eye firmly on tradition and the other on modernity, focusing on making wines with a real soul and an incredible sense of place. It is undoubtedly this unwavering classicism, a resolute focus on premium quality and attention to detail that has helped elevate Burlotto into the ranks of one of the most sought-after cult Barolo producers, comfortably rubbing shoulders with other iconic names likes Bartolo Mascarello, Giacomo Conterno and Guisseppe Rinaldi – all of which are now desperately difficult to buy at first release prices.
After the death of their founder, Giovan Battista, the winery passed into the hands of his son Francesco, and then again, after Francesco died prematurely, to his grandson Ignazio. Courageous and far-sighted, Ignazio found himself alone at the helm of the company navigating through the most challenging periods of time during world war II. He was the only vintner of the region who continued to produce varietal Pelaverga wines, growing grapes on his own and buying small quantities from neighbouring farmers.
Ignazio Burlotto passed away in 1968, the year in which the winery passed to his daughter Marina, then only seventeen years of age. Marina, with her husband Giuseppe Alessandria, and their children Fabio and Cristina, represent the fourth and fifth generations at the helm of this historic company. With the 2020 Barolos due to arrive on the market soon, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have a closer look at the last three vintages of Burlotto’s Barolo ‘normale’ seeing as these are the wines people are most likely to have in their cellars rather than the super delicious – but super rare – Barolo Monvigliero cru.
Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo 2017, 14.5% Abv.
The 2017 is an elegant expression of Nebbiolo with fragrant aromatics of polished mahogany, sweet red cherry, black berry, tar, roses and aniseed root. The palate texture is elegant and silky with fine powdery dry tannins supporting a medium to light weighted palate density where the spicy tannins and peppery herbal notes dominate a delicately translucent red and black fruited concentration. Certainly a beautiful interpretation of Barolo from a so called ‘lesser’ vintage but perhaps lacks the opulence and intensity of a riper vintage like 2016 or the accessibility of 2018. Drink now or hold comfortably for another 5 to 8+ years. But best enjoy the 2017s while the fruit is still in its ascendancy.
(Wins Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo 2018, 14.5% Abv.
The 2018 Burlotto Barolo is not only a classical beauty, but at its core, it possesses a wonderfully sweet, fleshy elegance and a delicious accessibility with aromatics packed full of ripe red cherry, rose petals, orange peel and vermouth spices with a hint of candied cherry bon bons. On the palate, there is a softer, less tannic spiciness than the 2017 expression, accompanied by a sweet fruited fleshy core with a notable elegance and genteel silky opulence. Fabulous balance is the order of the day, and this is certainly a wine that is incredibly pleasurable to drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years, so bury a few bottles away in your cellar.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo 2019, 14% Abv.
The 2019 Barolo is made from fruit sourced from a vineyard with southern exposures at lower elevations bordering on the famous Monvigliero cru. While still noticeably youthful and taut, the aromatics offer up perfumed notes of rose petals, vibrant red cherries, ruby grapefruit, iron filings and sweet cardamon pod herbal nuances. There is a fabulous translucent clarity and an orange peel-tinged fruit purity to the wine together with tight grained powdery tannins and a chalky drying mouthfeel. Never short of freshness, even in warmer, riper vintages, the balance and equilibrium on this wine is astonishing, with a tight knit core of Verduno fruit power expertly interwoven into a complex minerality and a weightless intensity. A reassuringly classical vintage that impresses with its structural precision and polish. Drink on release if you must, but the 2019 vintage will certainly benefit from further cellaring.
The 2018 vintage in the Western Cape was certainly marked by one of the worst droughts on record and presented some significant challenges for all vine growers and winemakers. With water resources at an all time low and strict rationing in effect, reduced water availability for irrigation led to reduced vine vigour and reduced canopy sizes.
Some unseasonable rains and low temperatures in October and November disrupted fruit set and further reduced the number and size of berries on grape clusters. For many wineries, yields ended up being around -25% lower than the fairly generous 2017 crop, however, quality was high overall with intense inky colours, piercing concentration and striking fruit richness across cultivars.
Van Biljon Cinq Cape Bordeaux Blend 2018, WO Stellenbsoch, 14.5% Abv.
2.3g/l RS | 5.60g/l TA | 3.59pH
Always small and always boutique, this singular Cape Bordeaux blend Cinq from Van Biljon has always been about top quality as well as expressing the premium terroir of the Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch. The 2018 is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 9% Malbec, all aged in French oak barrels for 18 months after fermentation. Following on from a very influential, high flying 2017 vintage, the challenge for winemaker Chris Keet and the Van Biljon team was always going to be about strict grape selection to allow the very best fruit to enter the production process. 2018 was a more challenging year but with most premium examples on the market already, the vintage has slowly but surely carved out its own niche among connoisseurs and consumers, with wines of generosity, intensity, acid structure, but also elegance and finesse that can be approached over the short to medium term. This Cabernet Sauvignon dominated wine is initially quite savoury, dark and broody on opening but within a short amount of time, starts to reveal lifted perfumed notes of earthy red flowers, violets, and pressed rose petals together with pure black currant, black plum and mulberry hints. There is that unmistakable earthy, peaty note of freshly tilled damp earth that is so typical of Stellenbosch Bordeaux blends, which lends a familiar, comforting charm. On the palate, the expression is one of elegance, sleek focus and freshness, with a soft seductive savoury mineral tannin vein, earthy red and black currant fruits, but also a silky finesse undoubtedly encouraged by the high Cabernet Franc component. This is a delightful expression that may well be more approachable now than either of the block buster 2015 or 2017 Cinq editions but is certainly a wine that will comfortably slumber and mature with benefit for another 10+ years in your cellar.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Van Biljon wines are imported into the UK by Woodwinters UK and retail for circa £48 per bottle from fine wine merchants.
