Bordeaux

Glenelly Estate’s Head Winemaker Dirk van Zyl Presents a Lady May Mini-Vertical Ahead of the 2020 Vintage Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.

Other Glenelly Estate Wines tasted:

Glenelly Estate Glass Collection Unoaked Chardonnay 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.

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

Luke O’Cuinneagain On a Mission to Make Vergelegen Great Again – Tasting a Selection of New and Current Releases from this Historical Cape Icon Estate…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Vergelegen Estate has to rank as one of the most beautiful and historical wine estates in the fairest Cape. Established in 1700, it once stood as an iconic 3,200-hectare property just a stone’s throw away from the icy False Bay and the beach side hamlet of Somerset West. It was Willem Adriaan, the son of the famous Simon van der Stel, who first settled at Vergelegen. Over the centuries, the property has seen various ownership before the estate was sold to the famous industrialist Barlow family in 1941. Roll forward to 1987 when the estate was sold to mining giant, Anglo-American Corporation, being incorporated under their Amfarms division.

Anglo American initially hired Martin Meinert as their winemaker and planted 100 hectares of vines on the property, opening their impressive winery in 1992. Martin Meinert left Vergelegen in 1997 and was replaced by the legendary André van Rensburg in 1998. Andre helped re-establish Vergelegen as one of the great wineries of the Cape, becoming famous for championing Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, singularly and in blends, as well as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cape Bordeaux blends.

On Andre’s retirement in 2021, Luke O’Cuinneagain was hired from Glenelly Estate to fill the fairly sizable shoes and reputation left behind by André. I have caught up with Luke in London several times in the past months, most recently at Tim Atkin MW’s Best of South Africa Tasting in May 2025. The below notes act as merely a snapshot of the ongoing progress currently being made at the estate.

Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

Bright and perfumed, full of white blossom, gooseberries, green apple and white citrus with a gentle savoury, leesy core. Plush, elegant, and seamlessly textural with creamy crystalline flavours of white peach, green apple and spicy mint leaf and dried herbs on the long finish.

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

Vergelegen Estate White 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

A delicious blend of 56% Semillon and 44% Sauvignon Blanc displays a delicately savoury earthy aromatics with hints of apple puree, fresh fennel root, smoky dried herbs, butter and lanolin. Wonderfully taut, pure, chiselled and precise on the palate with a liquid minerality, a tight fresh frame, beautiful clarity and a spicy white peach and pithy yellow citrus finish. Lovely focus and intensity. Very serious indeed.

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

Vergelegen Chardonnay Reserve 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Partial malolactic fermentation employed using 19% new French oak for circa 10 months. 7% portion aged in stainless steel that is then back blended. Natural and inoculated yeasts used. Aromatic nose with hints of creme brûlée, custard cream, and caramelised citrus with hints of apple puree, dried herbs, grilled nuts and salted pistachios. Seamless and elegant, very fine and textural, this is showing great potential already.

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

Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Rich plummy aromatics are packed with black currant, chocolate praline, and a delicately sappy, leafy spice kissed by vanilla pod. The texture is wonderfully plush and creamy, deliciously approachable and generous boasting sweet fleshy tannins and a long, long plush finish.

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

Vergelegen Merlot Reserve 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Quite a classical restrained broody aromatics with subtle hints of red and black currant, dried herbs, and a wet stone minerality. The palate is plush and broad with supple creamy silky tannins revealing a fine accessible freshness and vibrant fruit intensity from a reduced time of 8 months in French oak barrel. Impressive for a single cultivar Merlot.

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

Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

This warm dry vintage shows attractive aromatics of intense sweet black currant, sappy cedar, graphite and sweet cherry pipe tobacco. Fabulously attractive expression with an earthy savoury palate with some notes of molasses, damson plum, graphite and black currant compote on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Generally more classical and restrained with an altogether broodier mineral expression, showing black currants, stewed plum, and a saline oyster shell maritime precision. The palate follows with a deliciously vibrant acidity beautifully integrated into a soft textured black cherry fruited intensity. True to the vintage, a wine with plenty focus and class.

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

Vergelegen Estate Red 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

This blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot shows a fine complex melange of rich black and earthy red berry fruit flavours, freshly tilled earth, plum compote, and accessible saline cassis and stony graphite intensity. Texturally generous, creamy and soft textured, this is a powerful expression that finishes with a long, stony, restrained minerality. Very impressive.

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

Vergelegen Estate Red 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Delightfully dense and dark fruited, there is a broody depth to the wine revealed through black fruited mineral aromatics, crushed granite, graphite, with an underlying teasing hint of sweet cedar and sappy sandalwood. Impressively cool, elegant and weightlessly concentrated, the balance is exceptional with a very fine integrated acidity but an incredibly understated complexity. Beautiful.

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

Vergelegen V 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 13% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc. Cool, dark, and broody with aromatics showing subtle hints of blueberry, black currant, wet earth and damson plum. Sleek and silky, the palate is very fine and pin point pure with satin-like chalky tannins and a powdery, salty cassis finish. A very classy and understated wine with true pedigree.

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

Vergelegen V 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Cool sleek and restrained with a dusty granitic elegance over some delicate aromatics of blueberry, purple fruits, earthy cassis and a notable iodine intensity. The palate texture is taut and mineral, tightly strung with a spicy mineral intensity, cool stony graphite hints, and a subtle smoky finish. Beautiful balance, purity, and poise.

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

Vergelegen V 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

A fine, dark, sumptuous earthy black fruited wine with hints of brûléed coffee beans, earthy black currant, tannery leather, black cherry and cedar spice. The power, depth and muscle of the 2019 vintage are laid bare for all to experience. Another very serious offering from the estate.

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

The Vergelegen Estate wines are imported into the UK and distributed by Seckford Agencies.

Tasting the Soul of a Lion Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – The Jewel in the Crown of the Daou Estate…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 4 Comments

The Daou portfolio of wines boasts several world-class Bordeaux-styled blends made from Paso Robles fruit in California. With the Daou Estate in the Adelaida AVA, the wines are an accurate reflection of their terroir of Paso Robles, crafted with meticulous attention to detail and modern winemaking precision, making them premium expressions that can rival almost anything produced in the more famous Napa Valley and Sonoma County.

As pioneers in Paso Robles, Georges and Daniel Daou thrived in adversity, following a journey that led them to a rugged mountain in Paso Robles. Where others saw an impossible challenge, they saw potential, fuelled by their past and driven by an unrelenting pursuit of excellence, they transformed Daou Mountain into one of the finest wine estates in California. Soul of a Lion is their testament to the power of perseverance. Inspired by the vineyards of Bordeaux, they envisioned producing a wine that would rival the greatest in the world. A wine of power, elegance, and precision – a vision that is perfectly encapsulated with their Soul of a Lion cuvee made from fruit grown in the Adelaida AVA in Paso Robles, which is rich with limestone soils and tempered by cooling coastal breezes.

The 2022 is now their current release and I recently took this premium cuvee for a test drive.

Daou Vineyards Soul of a Lion Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Adelaida District, Paso Robles, 15.2% Abv.

This attractive new release from Daou Estate is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot that was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Fabulously dense, full and intensely concentrated, the aromatics show intricate notes of violets, mulberries, ripe black currants, black cherry compote and subtle salty black liquorice nuances. In the mouth, the wine is incredibly plush, silky textured and fleshy, revealing a deliciously sweet fruited core with layers of black cherry liquor, aniseed, salted liquorice and black plum fruits with a gentle dusting of cocoa and vanilla pod spice. Unapologetically opulent and hedonistic in style, the wine retains a classical composure with power, balance and generosity. Drink now to 2035+.

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

Bordeaux En-primeur 2024 Highlights – Part 3: Tasting the Wines of Chateau Tour Baladoz Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It is certainly no secret that 2024 was yet another very complicated viticultural vintage. A very wet year, especially during the autumn and winter months, this wasn’t however the whole story as appellations like Pauillac, for example, actually experienced less rain than its 10-year average. After the drought affected vintages of 2018, 2020 and 2022, the 2024 growing season got off to a promising start before the onset of spring brought hail and the early signs of what was to become a season-long battle with mildew disease pressures. 2024 represents the lowest yields across Bordeaux since the forsaken 1991 vintage. 

A grey and gloomy May saw cool temperatures that slowed vine growth and resulted in uneven flowering, especially for the Merlot vines. But as summer finally arrived in late June, the mood shifted. Drier, sunnier conditions settled in through August and into September, bringing with them a welcome window for ripening, particularly beneficial for Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested in improved conditions right up into mid-October.

Speaking to various vignerons about the vintage, many are quick to avoid generalisations, explaining that the conditions in their own vineyards could, in many instances, be vastly different from conditions in their near neighbour’s. Success in 2024 was about timing – timing of spraying, strict fruit selection and of course down to one’s very own terroir and soil types in the vineyards. In general, gravel and certain types of clay were well-equipped to deal with over-saturation – gravel soils naturally having excellent drainage, whilst some types of clay can retain more water, preventing it being returned to, and diluting, the fruit. Limestone soils, like those found on the cote at Chateau La Croizille and neighbouring Chateau Tour Baladoz, also worked well producing wines with freshness, classical restraint, and structure.

It is almost certainly this willingness to talk up the vintage as well as emphasize the individuality of various Chateaux terroirs, that has led to the 2024 vintage being coined a “micro-climate vintage”. As always, quality will be varied and surprises will be plentiful, but there is no denying that the conditions favoured premium Chateaux in the Medoc, Saint Emilion and Pomerol, where strict selection for Merlot was essential, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc often flourished in the drier, later ripening conditions, often yielding wines with great promise.

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

This youthful Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé displays a gracefully classy aromatic profile with a vivid perfumed fragrance of dried violets, rose petals, and sweet white blossom over compact dark black berry fruits, damson plum, blueberry, and black currant confit nuances. There is a pronounced dusty, limestone minerality neatly intertwined with the dark berry fruits before slowly yielding once again to a stern graphite mineral vein. The palate is lip-smackingly bright and vibrant, the acids mouth-wateringly crunchy and crisp, underpinned by sleek tart blue and blackberry fruits, hints of black cherry and drying mineral limestone tannins. A well-managed, thoughtfully extracted expression of Saint Emilion Merlot that is undoubtedly moulded in a cooler, more elegant acid driven style than even the 2021. This juicy mouthful should flesh out further with more time in barrel and offer plenty of accessible medium-term drinking. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Chateau Tour Baladoz wines are available to ship direct from the Chateau to merchant. Please contact Anthony Crameri for current vintage list and prices:

anthony_crameri@orange.fr

Bordeaux En-primeur 2024 Highlights – Part 2: Tasting the Wines of Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine from Martin Krajewski…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Regarded as two of the true rising star Chateaux of Pomerol and Saint Emilion, Charlotte Krajewski, daughter of owner Martin Krajewski, has overseen winemaking at these properties since 2017 as the Technical Director and Chief Winemaker after previously travelling and working extensively in France, Australia, USA and more latterly New Zealand. The small 6-hectare property of Clos Cantenac planted on deep gravels, clay, and sand over broken limestone, yields two wines annually, Clos Cantenac and a second wine, Petit Cantenac, while the prestigious 2.2-hectare Pomerol property of Chateau Seraphine, planted on 40-million-year-old blue smectite clay, produces wines with incredibly opulent, sensual, and hedonistic characteristics yet remains eminently cellar worthy. In Neal Martin’s recent Vinous.com ‘in-bottle’ review of the 2022 Pomerols, Chateau Seraphine featured in the top 8 highest scoring wines alongside the likes of Chateau Petrus, Le Pin and Trotanoy. 

Pomerol and Saint Emilion 2024

The 2024 vintage was yet another rollercoaster ride and a very complicated viticultural year in Bordeaux. A very wet year, especially during the autumn and winter months, this wasn’t however the whole story as appellations like Pauillac, for example, experienced less rain than its 10-year average. After the drought affected vintages of 2018, 2020 and 2022, the 2024 growing season got off to a promising start before the onset of spring brought hail and the early signs of what was to become a season-long battle with mildew disease pressures. A grey and gloomy May saw cool temperatures that slowed vine growth and resulted in uneven flowering, especially for the Merlot vines. But as summer finally arrived in late June, the mood shifted. Drier, sunnier conditions settled in through August and into September, bringing with them a welcome window for ripening, particularly beneficial for Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested in improved conditions right up into mid-October.

Clos Cantenac Petit Cantenac 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 13% Abv.

In 2024 the Petit Cantenac is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc and as with many cooler Bordeaux vintages, the aromatics are packed with delightful crunchy berry fruit notes that definitely err towards the red fruit spectrum. Bright and perfumed, there are layers of raspberries, red cherries and earthy red currants and a delightful sweet ceder spice hint along side dried herbs, graphite and crushed limestone minerality. On the palate, the wine is pure, crunchy, and bright but also incredibly lithe, fresh, and light on its feet, with a mouth-watering succulence of bramble berries, tart red plums, and a medley of red summer berries underpinned by fine grained mineral tannins and an intricate lattice work of tangy lemony acidity. At the heart of the wine is the signature polish and balance that you find on all the Clos Cantenac wines, engendering a real sense of attention to detail. A cooler, more classical expression of Saint Emilion that drinkers will find hard to resist in its youth. (12,000 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 91-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos Cantenac 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 13.25% Abv.

This Saint Emilion Grand Vin from Clos Cantenac is a 100% Merlot that will be aged for 12 months in 40% new oak barriques and 60% in second and third passage barrels. The aromatics on this embryonic wine are lifted and perfumed, indeed quite striking and fresh, painting a picture of a summer garden in bloom with notes of violets, peonies, and white blossoms over a melange of red and black berries, black currants, black cherries and freshly picked blueberries. The florality is further enhanced with delicate hints of briary, dry tobacco leaf, Asian baking spices and hints of cinnamon, clove and cedar oak spice. The palate is cool, fresh, and racy with tart black currant and black cherry notes gently underpinned by crisp linear acids, fine grained limestone mineral tannins and a well delineated, taut finish. A cool climate, energetic vintage full of restrained classicism, this wine will be deliciously mouthwatering and accessible on release but also worthy of beneficial medium-term cellaring. (6,000 bottled produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 92-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

L’Innocence de Seraphine 2024, Pomerol, 13.25% Abv.

In 2024, the L’Innocence de Seraphine second wine is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc and offers up a complex aromatics of potpourri, pressed violets, sweet cedar, pithy black cherry, macerated black berries, herbaceous dried tobacco leaf, graphite and exotic hints of Asian spices and Sichuan pepper. The palate shows a well-balanced textural tight knit elegance but also an overt mineral restraint together with notes of spicy black berries, salty liquorice, vanilla pod spice and dry powdery graphite tannins. Medium bodied, cool, and classically mineral, the finish is leaner than more recent solar vintages but equally charming and seductive. (4,500 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 90-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Seraphine 2024, Pomerol, 13.5% Abv.

The flagship Grand Vin from the estate is a 100% Merlot that will be aged for 12 to 14 months in 45% new French oak barriques with 55% in second and third passage barrels. From the very first nosing, it becomes very clear that this vintage is yet another majestic boutique offering with dense, layered, alluring aromatics packed full of violets, acacia, and white blossoms before notes of salty black currant, crème de cassis, liquorice, black cherries, and macerated blueberries with a kiss of graphite and iron filings. True to this cooler vintage, there is a more accentuated classical mineral component to the palate that’s simultaneously concentrated, finely polished and hedonistic. With a fine veil of mineral tannins and complex layers of mocha infused blue and black berry fruits, this wine shines, proudly displaying its textural complexity and pedigree, revealing the results of incredibly strict grape selection. This is undoubtedly a triumph over adversity for the Chateau and the appellation. (4,000 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Back vintages of the Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine wines are available retail in the UK from specialist fine wine merchant Museum Wines as well as En-primeur on release. Prices available on request.

Exploring Bordeaux Second Wines – Part 16: L’Innocence de Seraphine Pomerol 2022… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

“Is 2022 the acme of Bordeaux? Will it be uttered in the same breath as 1945, 1961, 1982, 2016 and so forth? The 2022 vintage is one of the modern-day greats. The best will stand the test of time.” ~ Neal Martin, Vinous.com

Few wine critics can challenge the supremacy of Neal Martin when it comes to the region of Pomerol and its wines. Indeed, his epic tome is now regarded as the ultimate authority on the region, recently prompting Neal to agree to start work on an updated second edition. Reading the above comments from Neal in his recent Pomerol “in bottle” report, it is very clear that 2022 is already being compared to some of the region’s other hallowed vintages, a sign that bodes exceptionally well for producers who produced second wines.

Chateau Séraphine 2022 recently placed 8th in Neal Martin’s overall review of Pomerol 2022 wines, only coming in behind the great names of Petrus, Le Pin, VCC, La Conseillante, L’Eglise Clinet, Lafleur and Trotanoy. So the Seraphine Grand Vin is certainly rubbing shoulders with the heady, elite big boys of Pomerol. So, what better time then to take another closer look at the second wine from owner Martin Krajewski, namely the L’Innocence de Seraphine 2022, a wine that normally offers exceptional bang for your buck. The new release 2022 will be available in bottle soon but the 2019 is currently offered for £65 inc. per bottle in the UK (and which also rated a solid 93/100 on A Fine Wine Safari).

The 2022 Vintage:

The word was out early that the Bordelais felt they had something special in 2022, long before the world’s wine merchants arrived to make their own assessments at En-primeur. Heatwaves and drought are not usually parents to high-quality wines. However, the wines in barrel confounded merchants’ expectations, with most agreeing that the 2022 vintage was indeed a special one across Bordeaux. Despite the lack of water, the vines did not seem to suffer terribly, remaining in leaf and in good health right up to the harvest. The berries were small and so yields were restricted.

Chateau Seraphine vineyards in Pomerol in September.

All varieties were beautifully ripe, so much so that some properties felt no need to produce any second wines, many opting rather to increase the proportion of press wine in the final blend, such was its quality. Predictably, release prices were, on the whole, very high. But, due to the across-the-board high quality, those producers that did decide to make second wines, like Chateau Seraphine, produced exceptional examples that will undoubtedly thrill Bordeaux lovers.

L’Innocence de Seraphine 2022, Pomerol, 14% Abv.

Pomerol’s consumer popularity is undoubtedly reinforced by the elegance, succulence and fleshy accessibility of the appellation’s Merlot based wines.  This beautiful 2022 is the second wine of the iconic boutique Chateau Seraphine and shows all the regal elegance, pedigree and sophistication you’d expect from this prime right bank terroir. Dark and inky in the glass, the aromatics display a majestic melange of black berries, cassis, damson plum, milk chocolate, and cocoa powder with delicate Chinese five spice nuances. In the mouth, the texture is liquid silk, creamy, plush, and expansive with a weightless concentration and incredibly powdery soft tannins that are enlivened by well integrated tangy acids and a lush cola-tinged finish. Seamless, creamy, and undeniably seductive with a wonderful approachability already, this is exactly what sophisticated Pomerol drinkers want in an earlier drinking expression. Drink now to 2035+.

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

The wines of Chateau Seraphine and Clos Cantenac are imported into the UK by fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Holding Up a Spotlight to the Raats Jasper Red Blend in a Vintage 2021-2022 Taste Off….

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

As probably the most consistently highly scored Cape Bordeaux red blends from South Africa, Bruwer Raats has earned a global reputation for excellence with his MR de Compostella Cuvee. A wine that has never scored less than 93/100 points from any global critic since its maiden release in 2004, the more recent vintages have all graduated to a 95+ point spectrum of grandeur as the wines push the boundaries of quality and precision with every new release. 

However, on the odd occasion the MR de Compostella is declassified and not released, most of the component parts are normally blended into Bruwer’s unofficial second wine, the Jasper Red Blend. First created in 2010 when the MR was not produced, the wine proved so popular that it developed a life of its own in the market as a mini-MR for shoppers on a slightly tighter budget. The MR was only declassified a second time in 2019 and the Jasper Red Blend sold out in quick time again as you’d expect. The Jasper has however been produced every year since 2010.

So, with the 2021 vintage now being rated as one of the best quality red wine harvests in a decade or more, I decided to indulge in a little second wine taste-off between the Raats Jasper 2021 and the new current release 2022, both very accomplished wines. With a retail price well under £30 per bottle, this is a wine that over delivers vintage after vintage… which certainly makes it worth seeking out! 

Raats Jasper Red Blend 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

I had the opportunity to taste the impressive Raats Jasper Red Blend several times during Bruwer Raats November tour of the UK to launch the Jasper Big Brother, MR de Compostella 2022. This impressive wine is a blend of 53% Cabernet Franc, 20% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, all arrange in a most tight knit, harmonious assemblage. With the 2021 vintage reputation preceding the wine, this expression of Jasper has got to be one of the most eye-catching Cape Bordeaux Blends produced in SA. The fragrant lift from the 53% Cabernet Franc sets the tone for the wine, layered with black currant, sweet cedar, earthy red currant and lead pencil mineral spice. But it’s on the palate that the fireworks really kick off, tight grained and fabulously fresh, with silky sleek tannins, a weightless concentration of red and black berry fruits and a finish so electrically charge with tart bright acids that the sensors blow a fuse. The harmony and balance are simply astounding, combining with approachability, accessibility and a silky, finessed finish. If I was going to introduce a keen novice to the potential of affordable South African red wine classics, this Jasper Red Blend 2021 would be close to the top of my list. Drink now and over the next 10 to 15 years. (17,000 bottles produced.)

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

Raats Jasper Red Blend 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

As always, the follow up act to a vintage like 2021 is a pretty daunting affair. But then I realise that Bruwer Raats is the king of pulling rabbits out of the hat, happy to declare high quality wines from off vintages and equally declassify wines from vintages like 2010 and 2019 that were fairly lauded in the Cape winelands. With the 2022 Jasper, a blend of 49% Cabernet Franc, 35% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot and 3.5% Petit Verdot, we encounter an incredibly plush, luscious, approachable red blend brimming with earthy red berry fruits, aromatics of violets and sweet lavender, dried baking herbs and subtle notes of graphite and lead pencil. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied and plush, soft textured but also fleshy, creamy and deliciously accessible boasting toasty notes of black currant, damson plum and sour black cherries. A very compact and complete wine on release, this cuvee might not rise to the heights of the 2021, but in a funny kind of way, consumers desiring instant enjoyment now may actually love the 2022’s creamy opulence more than the bracing acid structure of the 2021. This wine simply gets better and better every vintage. Well done Bruwer!

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

The Raats Family Wines and MR de Compostella Wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

The Vilafonte Winery Releases An Accomplished Trio of New Premium Vintage 2022 Expressions… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Regardless of who you speak to, the general consensus is that the 2022 vintage conditions in the Cape reverted back to more “normal” conditions after the unusually cool and extended harvest of 2021. But like many good vintages that follow great vintages, the resulting wines have to work that much harder to capture the imagination of fine wine consumers. At Vilafonte, the team have delivered another exceptionally fine trio of wines that has something for everyone. 

A cool wet October and November 2021 saw above average rainfall leading to vigorous growth in the vineyards which required extra work to manage canopies. January and February 2022 saw multiple heat spikes in keeping with more ‘normal’ vintage conditions in the Cape. There was some variable ripening across cultivars and plots ultimately leading to a fairly late, drawn-out harvest season which began nine days later than predicted and which lasted for over four weeks from February 19th until March 17th. The resulting wines show density and concentration rather than heaviness with well integrated harmonious acids.

The approachability of the Seriously Old Dirt blend makes this wine a perennial favourite with fine wine lovers looking for exceptional quality and value without compromising fruit, structure or power. The Series C is also another stand out Cape Bordeaux Blend that celebrates the incredible quality of Cape Cabernet Sauvignon. But if it’s sheer hedonism you are after, the Series M is once again a dead ringer for an opulent, showy, Right Bank Merlot dominated Bordeaux blend. With a 1st of November release date for all three wines, these are definitely wines you’re going to want to make space for in your cellar. 

Seriously Old Dirt by Vilafonte 2022, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.

After the rich, fresh, characterful wine of 2021, the Seriously Old Dirt 2022 blend has certainly turned out to be another impressive creation from the dedicated Vilafonte team. A dark opaque purple black plum colour in the glass, the wine offers up bold notes of mint leaf, violets, crème de cassis, black cherries, dried thyme herbs, cigar wrapper, and hints of chocolate peppermint crisp. Medium bodied with a rich, spicy, fleshy palate, this wine has certainly carved out a name for itself based not so much on branding but more on innate quality and true value for money. The mouthfeel is delicately spicy, alluring, and supple with notes of dark blackberries, fresh peppermint tea, vanilla pod, and sweet Christmas spices that linger long on the palate, framed by picante, mineral spicy graphite tannins. This is undoubtedly an impressive second wine fashioned after the famous left bank Bordeaux expressions, and also shares the similar trait of often putting bigger Grand Vin expressions to shame. Always seamless, and nearly always the complete deal, this is THE go to wine for so many Bordeaux lovers around the world! Drink on release and over 8 to 10 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vilafonte Series C 2022, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.

Vintage variation at wineries like Vilafonte often means little, but for the market, 2021 was the vintage of the decade to buy and covet. Like 1996 followed and surpassed 1995 in Bordeaux, could this plush and opulent 2022 excel in the shadow of the iconic 2021 Series C cuvee? In the recent months, all the 2022s I have tasted are every bit the equal of many of the 2021 wines, showing concentration, balance and freshness. Always the benchmark cuvee of the Vilafonte winery, the Series C 2022, a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc, presents itself as a rich, opulent expression packed full of salted black liquorice, sweet black berries, warm blueberry crumble and subtle aromatics of vanilla pod and cedar wood spice. The initial approach on the palate is classical and restrained, showing drying tannins and classical granitic mineral undertones but the texture is like silk, seamless, sultry and beautifully balanced with a big punchy concentration on the finish.This is high pedigree Cabernet Sauvignon done extremely well in a global context. Drink on release to 2040+.

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

Vilafonte Series M 2022, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.

The Series M 2022 is a blend of 40% Merlot, 39% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Fabulously dark, rich, and opaque, this inky Merlot based blend once again boasts a sold Right Bank Bordeaux styling, with aromatics packed full of dried herbs, potpourri, spiced black plums, mulberries, and blueberry hints with a top note of graphite and gunpowder smoke. But it’s on the palate that the fireworks really light up the sky, with a cool, creamy, super fine-grained tannin texture, a picante spicy granitic minerality over plush black berry fruits and a pithy black cherry complexity. The top 2022 reds show softer, more integrated acids than the 2021 vintage but also a creamier, fleshier, more sumptuous mouthfeel with impressive generosity and an accessibility. This is another beautiful Series M expression that bridges the stylistic paradigm of Right Bank Bordeaux and New World fruit-driven opulence. Drink on release until 2038+.

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

The Vilafonte Wines are imported into the UK by wine merchant John E. Fells.

http://www.fells.co.uk

Grand Cercle Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 – The Tasting Highlights from the Famille de Schepper Portfolio…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux gathers in London annually to profile 124 talented Chateaux, selected for their quality and value for money. Covering 27 different appellation areas, the tasting always represents a unique snapshot into currently available vintages, but more importantly, offers a valuable preview of the next En-primeur offering from these producers, in this case, the 2023 vintage.

Whilst 2023 vintage might be remembered as a year of extremes, it also produced some very favourable conditions at crucial times throughout the growing season including a warm dry spring that led to an early growth spurt and gave the vines time to establish themselves before the summer heatwaves arrived. With any serious damaged avoided during the frosts on the 4th and 5th of April, weather improved steadily in May with a very successful flowering and fruit set before a prolonged period of wet and humid conditions followed in late June, bringing with it a serious threat of mildew damage. From mid-July onwards temperatures were generally cooler than 2022, although they did regularly hit 30c in August and overall conditions remained favourable with red grape harvesting commencing for many in mid-September. The overall quality of the 2023 harvest is considered outstanding.

Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere 2023, Margaux

Taut, broody and embryonic, the aromatics are spicy and cool, packed full of dark black berries, bramble berries and juniper spice. The palate is medium bodied, spicy and tightly wound with dry grippy mineral tannins, sleek purple and black berry fruits with gentle oak spice on the finish. The acids are fresh but not tart, tangy and well integrated, but should soften to allow the fruits to flesh out after several years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

A attractively fragrant, perfumed aromatics filled with Parma violets, purple flowers and white blossom. The entry is sleek, silky and soft textured showing lovely balance and harmony already, underpinned by spicy black berry, limestone minerality and a hint of graphite on the finish. An impressively polished, tangy, juicy effort from the vintage. 

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (B)

Rich, dark and broody with aromatics of purple rock candy, violets, creme de cassis and black cherry confit. The palate is bold and dense, packed full of fleshy, textured fruit extract, dry velvety tannins and tangy acids, all intelligently coaxed and caressed into a seriously powerful right bank expression that immediately shows its terroir pedigree. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Contact Anthony Crameri for ex-cellar trade prices, EU stockists and current vintage availability.

anthony _crameri@orange.fr

Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 – Tasting the Wines of Martin Krajewski of Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

With Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 about to get into full swing, 2023 is indeed one of the most interesting and intriguing vintages in recent years. I visited Bordeaux from the 13th to the 20th September and visited a number of top Chateaux to walk the vineyards and inspect the quality of the grapes. After visits to left bank chateaux including Pedesclaux, Cap Leon Veyrin, and Pichon Baron as well as visits to right bank properties Figeac, Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine, I concluded that the grape quality was indeed excellent.

The original doubts surrounding the vintage were cast after a prolonged spell of wet and humid conditions that struck vineyards at the end of June and early July, leading to intense mildew pressures. With the correct treatments, yields would have been slightly reduced but quality certainly does not seem to have been compromised at the top properties.

Walking through the Chateau Seraphine vineyard in mid-September 2023.

Whilst 2023 might be remembered as a year of extremes, it also produced some very favourable conditions at crucial times throughout the growing season including a warm dry spring that led to an early growth spurt and gave the vines time to establish themselves before the summer heatwaves arrived. With any serious damaged avoided during the frosts on the 4th and 5th of April, weather improved steadily in May with a very successful flowering and fruit set before a prolonged period of wet and humid conditions followed in late June, bringing with it a serious threat of mildew damage.

With Martin Krajewski in his Pomerol vineyards in September 2023.

From mid-July onwards temperatures were generally cooler than 2022, although they did regularly hit 30c in August and overall conditions remained favourable with red grape harvesting commencing on the 13th of September. The overall quality of the 2023 harvest is considered outstanding.

Petit Cantenac 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 14% Abv.

The 2023 Petit Cantenac is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that seduces from the very first waft of perfume and macerated black berry fruits in the glass. A little darker and broodier than the Clos Cantenac, the aromatics are once again dense and compact revealing rich notes of macerated black plums, black cherries, hoisin plum sauce, tannery leather and delicate hints of graphite spice. The palate shows impressive balance and symmetry all built around sensual, creamy, fine-grained tannins, supple black berry and black cherry fruits and a limestone mineral spice enlivened on the finish with a bright, seamlessly integrated seam of acidity. Showing attractively bold Cabernet characters in its youth, this is another very finely honed and constructed Petit Cantenac that offers a glimpse of the vintage’s warmth and ripeness while simultaneously retaining a certain amount of classical restraint. Really very classy indeed and undoubtedly… excellent value for money.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos Cantenac 2023, St Emilion Grand Cru, 14% Abv.

This attractive 2023 Clos Cantenac is an exotic 100% Merlot Saint Emilion Grand Cru and displays the luxurious opulence and ripeness of this warm sunny vintage. Vibrant, plush, and deep, the aromatics show intricate notes of macerated black cherries, black berries, raspberries and damson plums together with hints of pressed violets, fresh tobacco leaf, tilled earth, incense, mocha and vanilla pod spice. The palate is fabulously full and textured, dense and mouth-filling with very sweet fine-grained ripe tannins, layers of salty black currant and black cherry fruits, all punctuated by a lingering vein of acid freshness. Perfectly weighted, rich and harmonious but also elegantly accessible and polished, this could be one of the finest young Clos Cantenac vintages I have tasted to date. A real beauty of the vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 95-97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

L’Innocence de Seraphine 2023, Pomerol, 14% Abv.

The 2023 L’Innocence de Seraphine is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc and displays seductively opulent aromatics of perfumed violets and lilies, sweet damson plums, black cherries, blueberries, vanilla essence, freshly cut cedar and sweet exotic Asian spices. The palate is beautifully pinpoint and precise with a sleek, polished texture of saline black berry fruits, crème de cassis, picante dark chocolate and fresh cigars with subtle mineral limestone nuances. The palate shows impressive power and focus with supple, pliant tannins enrobed by ripe black berry fruits, mellow acids, hints of cola and salted caramel, finishing with notes of vanilla pod, mocha and savoury macerated berries. A delightful wine with striking mid-palate weight, power, and balance sufficient to rival most producers’ Grand Vins.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Seraphine 2023, Pomerol, 14.5% Abv.

The 2023 Seraphine Pomerol is another incredibly dense, intense, hedonistic 100% Merlot creation boasting an almost impenetrable black opaque colour, massive extract, and exotic aromatics of white flowers, macerated black cherries, black currants, cola, freshly tilled earth, graphite, cloves and subtle hoisin plum sauce nuances. The palate is plush, full bodied and incredible concentrated, bursting with mouthwatering layers of blueberries, black currant pastille, black cherries and milk chocolate before subtle hints of salty black liquorice and brown toast on the long, persistent finish. This is an incredibly compelling wine with a spellbinding appeal, mouth coating sweet ripe tannins, and a distinctive seam of fresh, bristling acidity that adds requisite tension and delineation to the velvety Merlot fruit. This is up there with some of the finest vintages of Seraphine produced to date. (Only 4,400 bottle production.)

(Wine Safari Score: 97-98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)