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 Van Biljon boutique winery owned by Anton and Julia Van Biljon lies on a small farm situated in the Polkadraai Hills ward of the Stellenbosch region, neighbouring other highly esteemed producers such as Reyneke Wines, Raats Family Wines and De Toren Private Cellar. The region is well known for its deep, fertile and well drained decomposed granite soils and the moderating cool sea breezes that blow in off False Bay, lying directly to the South of the winery. Meticulous viticultural practices yield pristine grapes with intense colour, concentrated fruit flavours and firm structured tannins.
The wines have been produced by Bordeaux Blend specialist winemaker Chris Keet since 2011 and during my recent trip to the Cape, I popped in to taste and was treated to a rare bottle of the maiden vintage alongside the current release 2019. Also, knowing my intense fascination with the atypical, cool, 2021 vintage conditions, I managed to persuade Anton van Biljon to dig a bottle out of storage to let me get a sneak peek at what could be Chris’s most accomplished Van Biljon Cinq cuvee to date. With plenty of chatter on the wines of Stellenbosch and specifically the stand apart premium styling of Polkadraai Hills wines in particular, I perhaps made a sturdy case for Van Biljon to include this designation on their front or back label in future, as all five components of fruit are only sourced strictly from the Polkadraai Hills Ward.
With Chris Keet at the winery in July 2025.
As one of the few “single wine wineries” in the Cape, Van Biljon’s Cinq cuvee is definitely a wine classical Bordeaux lovers should seek out. Aside from its affordable pricing under £50 per bottle, the wine must also have one of the most consistent scoring track records in Stellenbosch, with the Cinq blend usually cracking the magical 95 point mark time and time again.
Van Biljon Cinq 2011 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
The maiden 2011 Cinq is a blend of majority Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with supporting components of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine is incredibly pure and spicy with a mineral integrity, showing layers of dried herbs, thyme, mint leaf, and wet stone minerality over black berries, black cherry and black plum notes. The palate is unbelievably energetic and fresh, vibrant and supremely classy, ageing incredibly well from a vintage that was taut, linear and possibly slightly understated on release. Still showing impressive palate depth, power and stony mineral graphite tannins that are maturing and resolving beautifully, coming together to make a very impressive blend. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Van Biljon Cinq 2019 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
The 2019 is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. 2019 was a more mixed vintage, cooler than 2018 but quite a muscular vintage making picking dates and extraction timings very important. There is incredible power and broody depth with aromatics full of black berry fruits, damson plums, black currant, white pepper and delicate bay leaf and sage herbal spice notes. The palate is fabulously polished, piercing and structured with a stony tannin frame, classical styling, and a finish kissed with mint leaf and chocolate peppermint crisp nuances. Really majestically power packed, compact and distinguished! Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The micro Van Biljon Cinq production in the cellar.
Van Biljon Cinq 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
On the eve of the Van Biljon Cinq 2020 release, I sat down with winemaker Chris Keet and persuaded him to allow me to also taste a very early pre-release sample of the 2021 Cinq blend. In keeping with this cooler, slower ripening year, the aromatics show a delicately fragrant perfume of violets and rose petals, sweet cedar, black cherry, saline creme de cassis and a pronounced undertone of graphite and granitic minerality. The oaking is already very well integrated allowing the cool, taut, linear black berry fruits to shine through on the palate. Delicately stony, this 2021 shows all the classical restraint and structure you’d expect from this cooler, slower ripening vintage, with a sinewy mid-palate tension and a tightly wound weightless concentration that seems certain to flesh out further ahead of its official release in perhaps 2026 or 2027. The Cinq 2021 is a wonderful representation of this unique Polkadraai Hills Stellenbosch vintage and definitely one to watch out for in future. I look forward to tasting this wine again on its official release.
(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Van Biljon wines are imported into the UK by Woodwinters. Contact: andrew@woodwinters.com
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 Spanish territory of Catalonia is comprised of four provinces, namely Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. Together, these provinces occupy over 30,000 square kilometres in the north-eastern corner of Spain (bordering France and Andorra) and are home to some seven and a half million people. Catalonia is one of a few regions in Spain, such as the Basque Country and Galicia, which has its own language apart from Castilian Spanish. Within Catalonia, you will find one of the most historic and elaborate histories of grape growing and winemaking that stretches back to Roman times and beyond.
While many international wine critics have visited the historical vineyards of Catalonia, especially its more famous wine regions of Priorat, Tarragona and Terra Alta, clustered west of the Catalan capital Barcelona, and Emporda and Alella further east, few of them tend to venture a mere 50km, just an hour and a half northwest up into the mountainous region near the city of Manresa, where you will find the small but increasingly influential Denominacion de Origen Protegida (DOP) of Pla de Bages.
The Exibis winery north east of Manresa.
One of the smallest DOPs in Spain, covering less than 500 hectares of vines (1,186 acres), it is also one of the newest denominacions having only acquired its official status in 1995. Consisting of only 16 wineries that produce just under 3,800 hectolitres of wine, you wouldn’t realise that this region used to be one of the most viticulturally significant areas of Spain in the pre-phylloxera 19th century when vineyards located in the valleys of the Llobregat and Cardener rivers and their weaving tributaries, numbered closer to 27,700 hectares in 1890. After being decimated by phylloxera which took hold in the Pla de Bages region in 1889, it would take almost a hundred years until the region properly resurrected its true winemaking heritage.
Today, 27 different municipalities are entitled to use the designation ‘DO Pla de Bages’ many of which encircle the city of Manresa. Splendid isolation is the word that comes to mind when you consider that this is one of Catalonia’s least densely populated regions. The climate in Pla de Bages is a mixture of Mediterranean and Continental influence with hot summers and cold winters as standard, with around 550 to 600mm of annual rainfall per year, something almost on par with Stellenbosch in South Africa.
Vineyards around the Exibis winery.
Vineyard locations, and the corresponding grape-growing conditions are defined by two distinct types of terroir – The central basin at an altitude of 200m, which has predominantly clay-based soils and is slightly warmer in the growing season, and then the Alt Bages (Upper Bages), which lies at over 500m above sea level and is generally the cooler part of the vineyards with a significant amount of lime in its soils that helps retain moisture during the hot summer months. Another key to high quality grape growing is the significant diurnal temperature variations that help both the red and white cultivars retain their all-important acidity levels while developing flavour complexity, with an annual average temperature of only 13C (maximum 35C and minimum -5C).
The dramatic mountains around DO Pla de Bages.
Having myself also only visited all the famous wine regions to the west of Catalonia, I recently decided to explore this intriguing region of DO Pla de Bages, arranging a visit to the Can Serra dels Exibis winery that I firmly believe is producing some of the most exciting wines in the DO at the moment. Quite fortuitously for me, the founder, co-owner and winemaker, Joan Soler, who is a qualified agronomist and oenologist, used to be the president of the Pla de Bages designation of origin. A man with many talents, superb English, and a never-ending energy, Joan somehow also enthusiastically manages to consult to a number of other local wineries and artisanal projects that produce a wide array of unique wines, more often than not, using indigenous local cultivars.
Sumoll vineyard near the Exibis winery with traditional training on a pole.
Exibis is located between Cardona, with its castle and the salt mountain (must be seen to be believed!); Montserrat, the mountain of spiritual and geological reference; and Sant Benet de Bages, which typifies the expansion of the vineyards through the monastic influence in the region. With the Pyrenees lurking ever presently on the horizon in the north and Barcelona just over one hour to the southeast, Exibis is perfectly situated within the DO.
Joan Soler showing me the latest Exibis vintages still in tank.
Located at 500 metres in altitude, the Exibis winery was started in 2009 and has thrived while Joan has attempted to resurrect the historical wine making practices of the past, which inevitably involved rediscovering lost or abandoned vineyards of indigenous varieties that were once cultivated so successfully by his ancestors, but which are now being improved with the use of modern organic and biodynamic agricultural principals.
Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard over 80+ years old that Joan uses for his Blunt Cuvee.
Speaking to Joan while wandering though his high-altitude vineyards, I loved how he expressed his winemaking philosophy so simply… “to make wines that represent our history as well as our future. But above all, they are the present.” With this sympathetic mindset, Exibis focuses on cultivating both local cultivars like indigenous white Picapoll, red Sumoll, Mandó and Garnacha Tinta, as well as accepted international cultivars like Cabernet Sauvignon, to make “wines that express their terroir as well as the variety, balanced and each with its own unique personality.”
One of the 14th century Tines fermentation tanks carved into a boulder that’s still being used today.
After visiting several of their replanted vineyards, we returned to the Can Serra dels Exibis winery, located on one of the oldest farmhouses in the municipality of Castelladral, thought to have been built in the High Middle Ages during the reconquest of central Catalonia in the 10th century. With the modest winemaking facilities housed in a simple but effect neighbouring modern warehouse, we proceeded to taste through a selection of young wines in tank before moving on to a full range tasting of current release bottled wines.
Joan pulling barrel samples from the barrel cellar.
“Sumoll is a bit like Nebbiolo, thin in the mouth but beautifully powerful and intense with a low pH, rustic but then emerges as a very friendly wine on the persistent finish.” ~ Joan Soler
“Our Mandó is fermented in amphorae and our Sumoll in open topped six-year-old 300 litre oak barrels, before being blended in tank. A wonderful marriage.”
Myself with Anthony Crameri, one of the winery’s export agents, alongside Exibis co-owner Joan Soler.
A Rough Guide to Recent DO Pla de Bages Vintages:
2018 – Rainy fresh vintage making wines with goodfinal ripeness.
2019 – Warm vintage but generally a good, regular year of high quality.
2020 – May / June / July moving to a drier harvest time. But a much cooler, wetter year than compared to nearby Bordeaux.
2021 – A cool, fresh, well-balanced year.
2022 – Hot and dry year making ripe, good quality wines.
2023 – A hot and even drier year than 2022 but still produced wines with good freshness thanks to good diurnal temperature fluctuations.
Exibis Valentina d’Exibis 2023, DO Pla de Bages, 13% Abv.
A blend of 80% Macabeo and 20% Picapoll with a 20% portion of the Macabeo barrel fermented, the rest stainless steel tank fermented before blending and bottling after a light bentonite fining. This shows a deep complex aromatics full of earthy root vegetables, children’s plasticine, dried fennel seeds, buttered white toast, and subtle kerosene and waxy nuances. On the palate the wine is delightfully bright and energetic, packed full of tangy acids, dried orange peel, wet straw, white peach and lemony citrus pastille that ties in nicely to the slight kerosene hints on the nose. Really a very characterful expression from its second vintage of production. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Cellers Underground Pura Vida 2023, Costers del Segre, 13% Abv.
A blend of 40% Garnacha Blanca, 40% Macabeo and a 20% barrel fermented Chardonnay portion. Displays deliciously enticing aromatics of lemon and herbs, melted butter on grilled sweetcorn, sweet green herbs, pear puree, lemon pastille and subtle notes of almond skins and marzipan. The entry is fleshy and vibrant, the acids energetic and fresh – a wine that really speaks to you of its terroir. There’s impressive breadth and palate depth, pithy phenolics but also a long finish of picante green apple and crunchy pear fruits. Really quite an accomplished white blend. Drink now and enjoy its evolution over 5 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting the 2024 Les Tines from tank.
Exibis Les Tines 2023, DO Plages de Bages, 13.5% Abv.
All components are unoaked except for a 15% portion of the previous year’s 2022 cuvée that is blended back in after a further 12 months of ageing in used 300 litre French oak barrels. A blend of Mandó, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tinta and Sumoll, with 33% of the whole cuvee aged in sandstone hollowed ‘Tines’ tanks carved by locals in the 13th and 14th century. The blend reveals a deep rich expression of wet stone minerality, black berry fruits, sweet sappy oak, and a lactic blueberry complexity. On the palate, the acids are bright and pithy alongside saline, mineral black currant and pithy bramble berry fruits, kissed with a smoky, dusty mineral wet stone intensity. This is an energetic gourmet-friendly wine that is pithy and superbly bright, offering up an enjoyable energy in its youth. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting the current vintages from bottle with Joan Soler.
Exibis La Rasa 2020, DO Pla de Bages, 15% Abv.
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sumoll and 10% Mandó. The blend is made, and the wine is aged for 12 months in 300 litre French oak barrels with a 10% to 15% new oak portion. The aromatics are wonderfully bold and intense, brazenly sweet fruited, showing raisined black cherry, black plum and opulent notes of mint chocolate pralines. The texture and mouthfeel are vibrant and invigorating, the acids tangy, nervy but deliciously vivacious. This is a beautifully complete wine, full of broody dark fruits, a vital freshness and pithy fine grained grippy tannins. Modern-styled and pure in essence but retains a hint of Pla de Bages mountain wildness to it. Undoubtedly a very fine wine with years of ageing ahead of it. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Vineyards around the Exibis winery.
Exibis La Rasa 2019, DO Pla de Bages, 15% Abv.
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sumoll and 10% Mandó. The blend is made, and the wine is aged for 12 months in 300 litre French oak barrels with a 10% to 15% new oak portion. From a more ‘normal’ vintage, you see that balance in the essence of the wine’s character. Cool, calm and collected. With an extra year of bottle age, the aromatics are similarly youthful to the 2020, tightly packed with stewed black plum, raisined black cherry, burnt brown sugar and hints of creme de cassis and blueberry fruit opulence. Cooler vintages seem more nervous, but this more temperate expression is relaxed, harmonious and superbly elegant, packed with a fruit density that’s very supple and fleshy. Beautifully intense, tangy and focused, this wine is pure class.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Exibus La Baula 2020, DO Pla de Bages, 13% Abv.
A blend of 66% Sumoll (a portion coming from almost 100-year-old vines) and 34% Mandó fermented in amphorae and the Sumoll fermented in open topped six-year-old 300L oak barrels, then blended in tank. This shares many similar traits with the La Rasa cuvée but shows an extra depth of perfumedaromatics, seamless black cherry confit, bramble berry and sweet grilled herbs. This wine is beautifully elegant and bright, revealing a very sophisticated demeanour. But it’s also a very complete wine, not only fresh and energetic but plush, fleshy and deliciously dense and black fruited, yet always fresh, vibrant and weightlessly concentrated. A more harmonious endeavour, this wine will surely be a big hit with collectors and quality minded connoisseurs. Drink now to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Blunt 2018, DO Pla de Bages, 14.5% Abv.
A cuvée Joan started while working in a commercial winery that produced 16 million bottles of wine, realising that there is a deeper meaning to fine wine – a philosophy inspired by a Japanese importer. A 90% Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon cuvée with a 10% Sumoll portion, the wine is dense, black and opaque in the glass. The aromatics are beautifully layered with notes of sweet blackberry, salty black liquorice, tar, and baked plums with a vanilla pod spice dusting. On the palate, you experience a really plush, full-bodied wine that’s also incredibly easy to drink, with expressive hints of sweet damson plum, mulberry and wild strawberry and displaying sleek, fine grained creamy tannins that frame a wonderfully ripe, pure, harmonious mouthfeel. So balanced and complete, this is one of the most exotically seductive and alluring faces of old vine Cabernet Sauvignon I’ve ever experienced! Drink now to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Joan Soler, co-owner and winemaker at Exibis.The 500m altitude highland vineyards around Can Serra dels Exibis.
The Exibis wines are available ex-cellar. For more information on current vintages and pricing contact Anthony Crameri:
Stark Conde Wines was launched in Stellenbosch in 1998 by Hans and Midori Schroder with a focus on producing hand-crafted premium wines. Located in the picturesque and ever so dramatic Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch, it is a site with steep changes in vineyard elevation ranging from 150 to 600 metres making for a range of terroirs with distinct characteristics. At Stark-Conde they stick to traditional winemaking methods using open tank fermentation, meticulous sorting of grapes, hand-punch downs, basket pressing and maturation in small French oak barrels for 20 months. The wines are then bottled without fining or filtration.
While winemaker Rudger van Wyk has now moved on from Stark Conde in 2023, he was certainly instrumental in establishing the Stark Conde Cabernet Sauvignon wines of the Estate Blend, the Three Pines Single Vineyard Cabernet and the Oude Nektar Single Vineyard Cabernet as some of the most respected expressions of premium Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Stellenbosch. The Three Pines retails in the UK for £44.99pb.
Stark Conde Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
The aromatics are dark and broody with piercing notes of violets, saline black currant, piquant black cherries, black breakfast tea and subtle hints of brown toast and sweet cedar before iodine and graphite notions. The palate is dense and compact, offering a medium to full bodied mouthful with plenty of dry extract and juicy black berry fruit concentration on display. The tannins are fleshy and sweet but also finely textured adding real substance to the wine without detracting from its sumptuous elegance and harmonious balance. A very precise wine that will appeal to all avid premium Cabernet Sauvignon collectors. Drink now and over the next 10 to 12+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Stark Conde Wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
The greatest traditional method sparkling wines from around the world have always held a special place close to my heart, and there are simply none better than the incredible method champenoise creations of Champagne. Since 2006, when I wrote my Master of Wine dissertation on sparkling wine, much has changed in the world of Champagne, with the era of premium “grower Champagnes” finally becoming a mainstream category around the world.
Not to be scoffed at, the great Grandes Marques of Champagne have done a wonderful job of building a strong regional brand message around the world over the past 150 years. But the moment for grower Champagnes has well and truly arrived with their intense terroir focus, attention to detail, and all-round unrivalled quality … and all at eminently affordable price points where most of the cost of the bottle is focused on the contents and not branded marketing.
I was first introduced to the exceptional wines of Petit & Bajan by London wine merchant Andrew Pavli several years ago, and in November 2024, I paid my first visit to the winery located in Avize, to explore the magic of their wider Champagne range. These are undoubtedly some of the most characterful and chiselled terroir driven Champagnes I have tasted in a very long time. So forget the Veuve Cliquots and Moet et Chandons, top boutique grower Champagne is where it’s all happening for connoisseurs and collectors alike.
Richard and Véronique Petit’s son Brice leading our tasting.
Champagne Petit & Bajan is the chiselled jewel of Richard and Véronique Petit. Together, they cultivate two of the greatest terroirs of Champagne: Avize and Verzenay, classified Grand Cru vineyards. After many tastings and deep reflection, at the end of 2008, the high potential of their own terroirs was turned into the reality that is now the Petit & Bajan brand. The richness of their heritage has shaped the entire range’s development. Every little detail counts … and that is how Richard and Véronique manage to access the pure, precise, and stylish quality that is to be found in the Champagnes of Petit & Bajan.
Champagne Petit & Bajan Nuit Blanche Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, 12% Abv.
This 100% Chardonnay cuvee was disgorged in October 2024 and is based on the 2019 vintage. The aromatics are intense and lifted full of saline sea breeze, preserved lemons, lime peel zest, lees and savoury biscuit notes. Full and focused with a chalky minerality, a racy freshy lemon and herb complexity and a compact creamy mousse on the finish. This is really quite superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Champagne Petit & Bajan Ambrosie Grand Cru, 12% Abv.
A 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir blend disgorged in September 2024 based on the 2019 vintage. The wine offers up a rich creamy aromatics with notes of crystallised citrus fruits, custard cream, dried herbs on freshly baked ciabatta, and subtle condensed milk nuances. The palate shows a solid core of lemon citrus and savoury yellow orchard fruits, a chalky spicy vinous depth, with a pithy fresh lemon pastille length and power and a long, salted brioche persistence on the finish.
(Wine Safar Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Champagne Petit & Bajan Obsidienne Brut Grand Cru, 12% Abv.
This cuvee with 3g/l RS is 100% Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru vineyards of Verzenay and Verzy, that was disgorged in October 2024. For the Obsidienne, the Pinot Noir is vinified like a Chardonnay, to reveal aromatics that are spicy and savoury, with apple blossom, struck limestone, flint and gunsmoke, before hints of lemon grass and savoury cured meat notions. Medium to full-bodied and generously plush with a beautifully creamy mid-palate mousse, great breadth and depth, tangy lemony acids, and a long red fruited savoury length. A very complete Champagne that is really quite impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Champagne Petit & Bajan Promise Brut Grand Cru, 12% Abv.
The seductive Promise cuvee is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with a 4g/l RS dosage based around the 2019 vintage. Showing a beautifully floral white blossom nose with leafy waxy hints, lemon grass, savoury leesy hints with an earthy brioche undertone. Fabulously vibrant fresh acids on the palate combine with an elegant creamy mousse, notions of sherbet dusted lemon bon bons and an incredibly long, tangy finish. Impressive harmony and finesse.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Champagne Petit & Bajan Nymphea Brut Rose Grand Cru, 12% Abv.
A bold Rosé Brut offering from 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir vinified as a still red wine from the warm 2020 vintage. The complex lifted aromatics show raspberry coulis, pithy wild strawberry, and subtle bramble berry hints. Beautifully full and plush on the palate, there is impressive fruit purity, elegance and incredible drinkability, nothing overblown or forced, making for a delightfully charming Rosé that’s seriously accessible. A real standout cuvee in the Petit & Bajan range.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Petit & Bajan Cueillètte Privée 2022 Grand Cru Pinot Noir, Côteaux Champenois, 12.5% Abv.
An accomplished 100% Pinot Noir Coteaux Champenoise Grand Cru made from Verzenay & Verzy fruit. Wild and savoury on the nose, the aromatics are packed with ripe bramble berries, damson plum, and wild strawberry with subtle hints of freshly tilled loamy soils, Italian mixed herbs, oregano and thyme, with just a faint complimentary wood spice. Plush, full, and opulent on the palate, there are red forest fruits and bramble berry notes dusted with cinnamon, clove and Xmas spices. Silky tannins, a cool creamy texture with lovely purity and length make for another serious offering.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Petit & Bajan wines are imported into the UK by Andrew Pavli at: http://www.Musigny.wine
There are very few moments of the year that are more suited to drinking fine Bordeaux reds than in the chilly winter months and for the past several decades, the big name, big ticket Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux reds from the Medoc have dominated the media column inches with their hundreds of years of history and famous Chateaux names used to seduce consumers. While the wines are often exceptional in quality, their big-ticket pricing when offered En-primeur through negociants have resulted in a large number of consumers being left behind with the wrong messaging. In reality, with the influence of longer and warmer summers in recent years, the true quality of affordable Bordeaux wine has never been better, and that’s before you encounter a winemaking genius like De Mour group winemaker, Jean Michel Garcion.
The De Schepper family now owns five wine estates in Bordeaux as well as the De Mour negociant firm that is tasked with distributing the wines, more often than not, direct to international merchants and retailers. In my experience of tasting and reviewing their wines for the past decade, this is a firm that prides itself on its values, based on human expertise passed down through generations, technical mastery of all stages in the winemaking process, as well as upmarket product ranges developed via exclusive partnerships. All of the family’s estates have obtained ISOO 14001 and HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) certification and Jean Michel’s focus is firmly on maintaining a constantly high quality at all price points.
I recently selected four exciting wines from the De Mour portfolio which are not represented by other Bordeaux negociants, giving De Mour total control over their own pricing, distribution methods, and sales and marketing, offering real tangible benefits to a new generation of Bordeaux consumers. The family purchased their fifth estate in 2004, Chateau Lacombe Cadiot, a handsome Bordeaux Supérieur estate located in Ludon, increasing the total area under vines to 55 hectares. After recently updating the Fine Wine Safari vertical tasting notes on their superb flagship winery, Chateau La Croizille, situated between Chateaux Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf, and bordering on their other Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé property, Chateau Tour Baladoz, I thought I would highlight some of the other exceptional wines in their range.
Chateau Tour Baladoz 2021 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, 13.5% Abv.
I first tasted the 2021 Chateau Tour Baladoz at En-primeur time in 2022 as an unfinished barrel sample, and then again as a finished bottled wine, in September 2023 at the winery with winemaker Jean Michel Garcion. Revisiting the wine in September 2024, after another year in bottle, has benefitted the wine immeasurably. A classical right bank blend of 85% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc but with an exotic 5% sprinkling of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Carménère and Malbec, the aromatics reveal a sophisticated wine with an enticing heady perfume of pressed violets, moist tobacco leaf, blue and black berry fruits, gravel and graphite, and a piercing maritime crème de cassis intensity with a distinctive salted toffee and vanilla pod spice kiss from the 70% new French oak used for 15 months of maturation. On the palate, the wine has fleshed out and gained impressive weight since last tasted, coating the mouth with luxurious creamy fine-grained tannins, sweet black currant, black cherry, and mulberry fruits, finishing with a concentrated, hedonistic Merlot opulence. Once again, this wine shows that superior terroir combined with a striking winemaking prowess, can negate difficult vintage conditions. A very classy wine indeed, to drink on release until 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Lacombe Cadiot
The Chateau Lacombe Cadiot 2020 is another impressive Bordeaux Supérieur made by Jean Michel Garcion and is sourced from a 15-hectare vineyard bringing together a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot from vines that are on average 25 years old and grown on classic loam and clay soils in Ludon-Médoc, just down the road from the famous Chateau Cantemerle Cru Classé Haut Medoc estate. The wine was matured for 12 months after fermentation, 60% in oak barrels including 25% new oak, and the remainder was aged in vats. This is certainly a wine with a pedigree, with the previous 2019 vintage scoring 97/100 in the Decanter World Wine Awards blind tastings as well as an admirable ‘sighted’ 94/100 on A Fine Wine Safari.
This is a striking wine that displays a dense, dark, opaque purple black colour in the glass. On the nose, this succulent Merlot laden blend offers up rich aromatics of perfumed violets, lilac, bay leaf spice, sweet blackberries, salted black liquorice and black cherry before notes of ripe black plums and freshly baked blueberry crumble. Medium to full bodied in the mouth, the palate revels in the creamy plushness and ample ripeness of the 2020 vintage, framed by a lively, accessible core of black currant fruits, black raspberries, and a sappy cinnamon spice on the finish. The tannins are sweet and rounded yet ever present, charming, and generous, adding a delicate frame to the expressive fruit concentration. A delightfully well-proportioned wine that showcases Jean Michel’s masterful winemaking experience that has, for a large part, been fine-tuned over many vintages in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Hence, the right bank similarities with this Médoc expression are no coincidence. Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Nativus 2019, AOC Bordeaux, 15.5% Abv.
This 100% Merlot red boasts a rich, heady aromatics packed with lilac, Parma violets, savoury black currants, tobacco leaf, black breakfast tea, pink musk and hints of warm blueberry crumble. There are overt notions of rich sweet oak which is incredibly well integrated into the fabric of the wine, balanced by the plush, opulent black plum and black cherry fruit concentration. Full, broad, and fleshy, the mouthfeel is comfortingly dense and creamy, revealing sweet ripe tannins and a soft caressing low acid elegance. A powerful Bordeaux red expression that offers a plush, hedonistic fruit gravitas over structured minerality and classicism. Enjoy with a nice chunk of cote de boeuf for the full fireworks! From 2024 to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lady de Mour 2022, AOC Margaux, 12.5% Abv.
The 2022 Lady de Mour is produced from premium grapes grown in Arsac in the Margaux appellation on gravelly sand and gravel clay soils. The vines are on average 22+ years of age and planted to mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. In the 2022 cuvee, the blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot that is aged for between 12 to 18 months in French oak barriques with normally a 30% new oak portion. The high-density plantings at 10,000 vines per hectare yield a wine that that is beautifully intense, floral, and perfumed, revealing notes of Parma violets, rose petals, black cherry pastille and pink musk over blue and black berry fruits, purple rock candy, and subtle notes of cherry cola. Regarded as one of the finest vintages on the left bank in almost a decade, this 2022 speaks confidently of Margaux’s textural complexity, weightless concentration, and supreme elegance, with a palate packed full of sweet crème de cassis, tart blueberries, and black cherries dusted with a salted caramel and vanilla pod spice. Undeniable seductive and fabulously harmonious, boasting an impressive fruit balance with the silkiest of tannins. This is undoubtably another masterclass in precision winemaking from Jean Michel Garcion. Drink now and over the next 6 to 8+ years.
Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines from the De Schepper family are available through their own in-house negociant, De Mour. Contact Anthony Crameri to find out more about all available labels, vintages, and ex-cellar pricing.
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.
Holden Manz, based in Franschhoek have always made bold, opulent, hedonistic wine expressions, and in doing so, have cultivated a very loyal following around the world with wine lovers who like a little more meat on the bone. Winemaker Thierry Haberer may have deep Francafile roots but his wines are anything but lean, mineral and austere expressions, instead he embraces a pleasurable, accessible opulence allowing the wines just enough rein to point their noses towards a riper, bolder, more fruit forward style while simultaneously never losing sight of the terroir and minerality of the wines’ Cape wineland heritage.
Among the rather extensive Holden Manz range, it is probably the Big G Cabernet Sauvignon based red blend that has proved to be one of the estate’s most popular wines. Plush, dense and fruit forward, this is also a very serious wine for the money that certainly would not look out of place in a line-up of premium Napa Valley Meritage red blends.
Holden Manz Big G 2019, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv.
3.2g/l RS | 4.9g/l TA | 3.77 pH
Always one of the estate’s most popular wines, the high anticipated Holden Manz Big G 2019 is finally release and boy what a cracker it is. A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, which were all handpicked and hand sorted to select the very best fruit for this cuvee, before being fermented using natural wild yeasts with a 10% portion in new oak barrels. The aromatics are seductively dark and broody with layers of ripe black berry compote, damson plum, black currant, cedarwood and sweet Christmas spices. In the mouth, the wine is super plush, seductive, and wonderfully round, coating the palate with notes of hoisin plum sauce, sweet cherry tobacco, and exotic black and blueberry fruits, that are enveloped by the supplest of silky ripe tannins. Beautifully balanced and fresh yet delightfully intense and concentrated, this is a very voluptuous Cape Bordeaux Blend with focus, power and poise. I absolutely love it… as I’m sure all devoted Holden Manz fans will too. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Holden Manz wines are available to trade from Vindependents and retail by the bottle from specialist merchant Museum Wines.
