Bordeaux Blend

Stark Conde Release Another Impressive Single Vineyard Oude Nektar 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Produced from one of the most spectacular single vineyards in the Cape winelands, I was fortunate enough to visit this special site in March 2023 just as winemaker Rudger van Wyk was preparing the Oude Nektar 2019 for release in the local South African market. I am of course a big fan of the Oude Nektar 2015 and 2017, and now in its sixth vintage post replanting after the vineyard was destroyed by fire in 2009, the 2019 is beginning to show the true potential of this high-altitude Jonkershoek Valley vineyard. Having tasted the phenomenal 2017 again recently, this 2019 is certainly a vintage that will rival the great 2017 bottling which is starting to close down for a few years of slumber.

The 2019 is an expressive blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot (a small barrel selection of non-Oude Nektar estate grown Petit Verdot was blended into the wine) from clones 169 and 23, planted on 101-14 rootstock, yielding 5.5 tons of fruit per hectare.

Rudger van Wyk with the Oude Nektar vineyard behind his right shoulder.

Based around the highest elevation vineyard on the estate, which at 550m is arguably one of Stellenbosch’s highest Cabernet vineyards, the Oude Nektar site has very stoney decomposed granitic soils, and an ideal aspect toward the afternoon sun. Although this vineyard gets a cooling breeze, it averages 45 minutes more sunlight each day which allows for a slower ripening period. This 2019 blend was matured for 20 months in French oak barrels (70% new) before being bottled with no fining and no filtration.

Stark Conde Oude Nektar Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Jonkershoek Valley, 13.5% Abv.

There is no doubting that the Oude Nektar 2015 and 2017 were soaring creations of note. But when you taste the 2019 block buster from Rudger van Wyk, you realise that this is yet another epic wine where the vintage and vineyard held hands to give the winemaker something really very special to work with. The aromatics are classical and beautifully straight laced with notes of rose petals, violets, pencil shavings, grilled herbs, black berries and raspberries bursting to the fore before hints of smoky fireplace embers, sweet tobacco leaf, iodine and graphite nuances. An intense full-bodied palate is simultaneously lithe and light on its feet with a striking elegance and a vibrant core of earthy black currant and black cherry fruits embraced by silky soft powdery tannins. An impressively regal Cabernet Sauvignon with a sensual core of fruit, bright integrated acids and a supple, harmonious saline finish. A beautiful wine with class written all over it. Drink from 2025 to 2045+. (Only 3,275 bottles produced.)

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

The Stark Conde wines are exclusively imported into the UK by Museum Wines. The Oude Nektar 2019 is available on limited allocation by special request. Contact Daniel@museumwines.co.uk for further information. Retail price is circa £60pb.

Bodegas Noemia Reaching New Quality Heights in Patagonia – Tasting the New J Alberto 2021 and Noemia 2019…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The J Alberto from Bodegas Noemia’s owner Hans Vinding-Diers, comes from four hectares of vines planted in 1955 with an ungrafted massale field blend selection, of mostly Malbec but with some 5% Merlot, that was planted at the time in Mainqué, Río Negro. The vineyard has five separate plots that are managed and harvested individually, as they have different soil characteristics, but are all organically and biodynamically-farmed.

For much of Argentina, 2021 was a cooler vintage which brought its own challenges but also offered the potential for fresher styles of wine. Covid restrictions were still in place for the 2021 vintage in Argentina although, after their experience of 2020, wine producers were much better equipped to deal with the extra challenges. In southern Argentina, in Patagonia’s Rio Negro and Neuquén regions, winemakers reported a relatively dry, windy summer with warm daytime temperatures and cooler nights. This combination of conditions for the harvest 2021 led to wines with piercing concentration but also wonderfully fresh acidities with lower pHs.

Bodega Noemia J Alberto Malbec 2021, Patagonia, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully fresh fragrant vintage showing an attractive aromatics of sweet violets, black cherry, saline creme de cassis, smoky graphite minerality with hints of caramelised blueberries, vanilla pod spice and cherry kirsch liquor nuances. The palate is all about freshness and vibrant energy in perfect symmetry with pure intense saline black berry fruits and seamlessly sweet tannins. While this wine always boasts a powerful depth of fruit and profound textural balance, the 2021 shows an extra special vivacity and invigorating personality making this undoubtedly one of the best J Alberto vintages produced to date. A class act through and through. Drink now to 2040.

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

Noemia’s flagship wine which combines concentration with tremendous elegance and refinement is made from 100% Malbec from 74 year old vines. A Malbec from Mainqué, planted in 1932, aged in 600-litre barrels for 18 months, it boasts a combination of elegance and liveliness that Hans says marks the beginning of a new path in which this old vine vineyard is managed with greater attention to detail and precision. The results in the 2019 Noemia are certainly clear to see.

Bodega Noemia Malbec 2019, Patagonia, 13.5% Abv.

Always one of my highlights of the year, tasting the new vintage of Bodega Noemia from Hans Vinding Diers, who’s knocking it out of the park with his beautiful Patagonian expressions of Malbec. This 2019 is another highly accomplished expression showing impressive elegance, luxurious precision, and a harmonious equilibrium. The aromatics are deep and broody with complex notes of earthy black currant fruits, purple flowers, pithy black cherry and subtle balsamic hints. On the palate the oak is seamlessly integrated allowing a real purity and textural symmetry to prevail. Silky soft with creamy fine powdery tannins, soft fleshy black berry fruits, Parma violets and pink musk rock candy nuances, finishing with a deliciously plummy, saline black fruited persistence. Never short of freshness and energetic vibrancy, this wine is remarkably well made and characterful, becoming a great flag bearer for premium non-Mendoza Malbec. Drink this now or over the next 15 to 20+ years.

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

The Bodegas Noemia wines are imported into the UK by The Wine Treasury. Retail price is circa £45pb for the J Alberto and £120pb for the Noemia flagship red.

Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin Previews Their New 2022 Listrac-Medoc Offering at Bordeaux En-primeur…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Bordeaux En-primeur scores and prices are hitting the airwaves thick and fast at the moment with the buzz around the 2022 vintage certainly drawing the most attention to the region since the famed 2016 vintage releases. The key words summing up the new releases are “surprisingly good” and “variable quality” … so certainly not a homogeneous vintage across appellations by any means.

I recently caught up with owner Natalie Meyre from Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin and was suitably impressed by their new 2022 En-primeur offering, that is without doubt their most impressive vintage since their seriously good 2016 red. Bordeaux is not just about the high profile top 50 Cru Classe Chateaux, and tasting the Cap Leon Veyrin 2022 is a stark reminder of the exceptional quality and value still to be found in this wonderful region.

Tasting with Nathalie Meyre from Vignoble Meyre.

Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin 2022, Cru Bourgeois Superieur, Listrac-Medoc, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully deep purple-black colour draws you in to reveal expressive aromatics of pressed violets, sweet black currants, stewed black cherries, baked black plums and an attractive top note of sweet grilled herbs that mixes with hints of sweet black tea, cherry tobacco and dusty graphite spice. There is wonderful energy and power in the mouth with all the fruit concentration concertinaed by bright crunchy fresh acids and suave dry gravelly tannins. The oaking smells and tastes suitably expensive but is all in perfect balance for what is a very impressive young wine. Probably my favourite release from this Chateau since their stellar 2016. Chapeau Julien Meyre!!

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vilafonte Release an Exceptional Series M 2020 Bordeaux Blend with All the Hallmarks of Concentration and Restrained Classicism…

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After a highly successful 2020 Series C launch earlier this year, April sees this premium boutique winery release their latest right bank’esque expression in the form of the Series M 2020, a wine that is always built around dominant components of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, although not necessarily in that order. Tasting the new releases from Vilafonte every year is probably the event most akin to tasting in Napa Valley itself, as the wines possess an underlying aesthetic that is very similar to the greatest estates of California. Of course, that phenomenon has not occurred by luck or chance as the foundations of the whole Vilafonte project were fashioned by owner Mike Ratcliffe along with the expert guidance of American viticulturalist Dr Phil Freese and his eminent wife Zelma Long, both long time Napa Valley industry power players.

But where this new release departs from previous expressions, though not necessarily in terms of scoring, is how the styling has seen a subtle but noticeable shift towards a more Bordeaux’esque vision of power with overt classicism and restrained potency. There is definitely something very St Emilion Grand Cru about this wine which I could not get out of my mind when tasting and reviewing this new release. Whether based on winemaking, a changing winery aesthetic or purely vintage variation, I couldn’t tell you. But all I know is that what winemaker Chris de Vries has managed to put in bottle is very, very smart indeed. Trust Mike Ratcliffe to keep consumers on their toes!

The 2019/2020 growing season brought fair and favourable conditions with a return to a more traditional cold and wet winter int the Cape. With Spring came warm, fair-weather conditions resulting in an even, two-week early bud-break. As is often the case in the Cape vineyards, windy conditions during flowering resulted in a variable berry set and looser clusters with small intense berries. Thankfully, temperatures during ripening remained modest without any heatwaves, leading to an even, measured pace of ripening and picking. By the time the national Covid-19 lockdown was announced by the national government on the 26th March 2020, Vilafonte had already processed all wines safely to barrel.

Vilafonte Series M 2020, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.

The 2020 Series M from Vilafonte reverts back to a right bank Merlot dominated blend with a 43% Merlot, 37% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc assemblage and stands out as being particularly old world and classical in style showing pronounced notes of dusty limestone, sweet violets, lilac, dried herbs, sweet cedar, piquant black currants, black cherry and an intense black chocolate cocoa spice. But it’s the palate structure that departs from many more recent vintage releases of Series M revealing a notable St Emilion / Pomerol style elegance, richly illustrated by a fine-grained mineral restraint and a classically pithy black berry complexity that delivers a compelling tension combined with subtle hedonistic nuances. This Series M seems so very grown up, multi-dimensional and mineral-laden, finishing with mouth coating powdery tannins and a soft, plush, understated mocha-laden persistence. Another wonderful expression with incredible energy, intricate earthy accents and a seamless mineral patina. Drink from 2024 to 2040+.

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

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 3 Comments

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

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

Winemaker Nic van Aarde and owner Adrian Vanderspuy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

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

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

Tasting Lady May 2017 with Dirk van Zyl.

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

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

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

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

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also tasted…

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

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

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

An Impressive Benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Released by Premium Jonkershoek Valley Estate Stark Conde…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Cabernet Sauvignon is the bedrock of the Stark Conde winery in the Jonkershoek Valley ward of Stellenbosch and at 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 new release also includes a small percentage of 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. This super concentrated vintage sees a pronounced intensity and flavour focus as a result of the reduced peaberry-sized crop that yielded high colour, very good phenolics and a lower-than-average alcohol level.

Stark Conde also produce two more premium Cabernet Sauvignon based blends in the Three Pines and the Oude Nektar cuvées, both of which have much higher price tags than this beautiful benchmark “estate” Cabernet blend. Quite simply, very few wine producing countries can hit this level of age-worthy, classical quality for such an incredibly affordable price. Seek it out and make some space in your cellar! (Recommended retail price at £24.99 per bottle in the UK)

Stark Conde Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

This 2019 is certainly deep, dark and opaque with a broody blackberry and black plum core from 18- to 30-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines. On the nose, the wine really impresses with alluring aromatics of violets, raspberry herbal tea, sweet tannery leather, freshly tilled earth and mocha spice before opulent notes of earthy blackberry, blueberry and graphite. With such incredible power and intensity of fruit on display here, the subtle cedar wood and black chai tea spice nuances are absorbed by the black fruit and mineral depth. Despite the vintage’s slightly lower-than-average alcohol level, the palate is wonderfully plush and dense with a classically fresh sweet and sour vein of crème de cassis, black cherry and leafy mulberry over sweet expansive fleshy tannins. When the perfect terroir meets the perfect variety and the finest winemaking know-how is utilised to capture that in a bottle, this is what you get – mesmerising quality at such an affordable price. Drink this classically configured Cabernet powerhouse over the next 10 to 15+ years. What an absolute steal… only possible from South Africa!

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

Available in the UK from their exclusive importer, the South African Fine Wine Specialist, Museum Wines.

https://www.museumwines.co.uk/shop/stark-conde/2019/cabernet-sauvignon-7/