Cabernet Sauvignon

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)

Marchesi Antinori Releases the Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Il Bruciato Bolgheri Rosso 2021 from a 5-Star Rated Vintage…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Il Bruciato was created in the year 2002 during one of the most difficult vintages at Guado al Tasso in order to present the unique terroir of Bolgheri and give it a greater visibility and recognition. The first blend to be used was that of Guado al Tasso only to see, in the years which followed, a modification of the varietal composition and the identification of a series of vineyard plots intended to be used exclusively for this wine.

Until the current DOC regulations were laid down in 1994, Sassicaia and the other top Super Tuscan wines produced were usually sold as Vino da Tavola or Toscana IGT. Today a Bolgheri Rosso like Il Bruciato from Tenuta Guado Al Tasso may be made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or a blend combining one or more of these, and / or up to 50 percent of Syrah or Sangiovese. Other red grapes such as Petit Verdot may account for up to 30 percent. Earlier DOC regulations prevented monovarietal wines from being produced as Bolgheri Rosso, and some examples such as Masseto (pure Merlot) are also still labelled as Toscana IGT.

The Tenuta Guado Al Tasso estate covers an area of 320 hectares and is planted with vines, set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the “Bolgheri Amphitheatre” due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino. The nearby sea provides a mild climate with constant cooling breezes that mitigate the sometimes oppressive summer heat but also act to alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure to the vines.

The world’s weather has become increasingly wild in recent years and looks set to continue as climate change makes its influence felt more and more. Although much of the growing season for 2021 was distinctly odd the world over, much of the vintage was surprisingly good – in some places like Bolgheri, even excellent. Thanks to a winter period full of rains, it had a very regular pattern, with a well-ventilated dry summer with temperatures never above the seasonal average. The good temperature ranges that began in the second half of August favoured the aromatic finesse of the grapes. The wines of the 2021 vintage are certainly convincing with a marked acidity freshness, ripe sweet tannins and a good level of phenolic extraction. It promises to be one of the best vintages for aging potential and it is presumably for this reason that the 2021 vintage was awarded a 5-Star rating.

Bolgheri Vintage Ratings: 1983 to 2021

Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Il Bruciato Bolgheri Rosso 2021, 14% Abv.

The 2021 Il Bruciato is a highly anticipated wine release especially after the broader Bolgheri region’s 5-star vintage rating awarded recently. This new release shows an intense, vibrant ruby red colour with just the faintest hint of youthful purple on the rim. Over the years, while this wine has undoubtedly increased considerably in price, it has also moved up to an undeniably more premium nouveau of fine wine quality and collectability. Within this release, the intricate, expressive aromatics are displayed to full effect with a fabulously crisp, tart, bright crunchy red and black cherry fruited nose punctuated by supremely expensive French oak vanilla pod spices, hints of warm buttered brown toast, sweet cherry tobacco and subtle notes of red salty liquorice. On the palate there is a texture of silk, with each blended component bringing its A game: the Merlot offering up its unique Bolgheri pithy cherry intensity, the Cabernet Sauvignon providing backbone, liquorice, cassis, cedar and spice, and the Cabernet Franc filling in the cracks to form the most unified and elegant of red offerings. As with all 5-star vintages, the paramount differentiating quality factor is the unique combination of fruit intensity combined with weightless concentration, together with bright, seamless acids that create a truly breath-taking wine. For me, this release opens a new door of elevated precision and quality that Italian fine wine aficionados and collectors with an eye for value and age ability will surely find irresistible. Drink on release and comfortably over the next 10 to 12+ years.

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

Wines available retail through Museum Wines.

https://www.museumwines.co.uk/shop/antinori/2021/il-bruciato-2021-ibd-pre-release-offer-for-6-bottles/

Another Classical Rendition of Stellenbosch Merlot – Tasting the Thelema Mountain Vineyards 2019 New Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

I am on record for describing Merlot as a bit of a weed. I mean, when you compare it to even Malbec, Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc let alone the grandeur of Cabernet Sauvignon, it soon becomes apparent that this is a very difficult grape to produced high quality, premium iconic wines from. Which is why for many years I have said there were only three places in the world that should bottle single varietal Merlot: Bordeaux (specifically Pomerol and St Emilion), Tuscany (specifically Bolgheri) and California (more specifically the Napa Valley and Sonoma).

But every time I get comfortable in my mindset, a wine like this delicious Thelema Merlot comes along to challenge my perceptions. Normally a straight Thelema Merlot release will be produced only if the quality of the vintage does not merit the Reserve selection. Whether it is the use of the Clone 102 Merlot grown on Richter 99 rootstocks in Hutton and decomposed granite soils or perhaps the age of the vines, planted in 1988, this is certainly a Stellenbosch wine that often over performs. In 2019, no Merlot Reserve was produced due to severe weather fluctuations during bud break and flowering, followed by cool windy conditions which contributed to less and more uneven bunches with smaller berries and generally lower alcohol levels.

The grapes for this 2019 Merlot were gently de-stemmed, retaining as many whole berries as possible after which the fruit was transferred to its stainless-steel fermentation tank. The grapes were then inoculated with a commercial yeast which the estate feels helps the fermented wine develop a more beneficial flavour profile. Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel where the wines were aged for 18 months with a 25% new French oak portion. The wines were only racked once during this period before being prepared for bottling.

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Merlot 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

2.8g/l RS | 5.4g/l TA | 3.55pH

Displaying an attractive medium deep ruby colour in the glass, the 2019 Thelema Merlot has an open and expressive aromatics with notes of bruleed coffee beans, piquant red berry fruits, red currant, red plum, dried mint leaf, sage and hints of Chinese five spice mixed with sweet cedar. There is a definite generosity of fruit on the palate with a plush, soft textured mouthfeel that boasts spicy, fleshy, chocolatey tannins, yet more red berry fruit characters and a notable balance that really shines the light on the harmonious elegance Merlot can attain. A delightful, characterful Merlot that will offer a lot of drinking pleasure to followers over the next 6 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 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/

The Guado Al Tasso Il Bruciato Rosso 2020 Proves to be Another Blockbuster Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The beautiful Guado al Tasso estate is located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC appellation on the coast of the Upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest of Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history as it was only established in 1994 but has since gained worldwide recognition as featuring one of the most prestigious red wines in the premium Antinori family portfolio – Tenuta Guado Al Tasso.

Il Bruciato, the second wine, was first produced in 2002 in one of the most difficult vintages ever for the famous Guado al Tasso estate. The Il Bruciato wine is now regarded as a modern interpretation of Bolgheri’s unique terroir made from carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes from all around Guado al Tasso’s vineyards.

Guado Al Tasso barrel cellar.

The 2020 vintage in Bolgheri was a rather challenging, warm vintage, especially in the summer, that was however mitigated by good rains in 2019 and some 2020 Spring showers. At neighbouring estate Ornellaia, Director of Winemaking Axel Heinz stated that… “2020 was a great example of the now-unpredictable nature of our (Bolgheri) weather. We had to deal with challenges on various fronts: a spell of high heat and periods of cooler temperatures and rain.” But fortunately the ‘in-bottle’ results from most of the top producers are indeed very impressive, reinforcing how knowledge and expertise can fine tune a challenging vintage.

Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Il Bruciato Rosso, 2020, 13.5% Abv.

In a similar vein to Bordeaux’s second wines, the top Rosso second wines from Bolgheri offer impressive depth, opulence, complexity and sensual drinking pleasure, giving the consumer a brief snapshot into the estate’s ‘first wine’ offerings even if the cepage of grapes is sometimes slightly different. Of the big name estates in coastal Tuscany, Il Bruciato has been one of my perennial favourites coming from the beautiful estate of Guado Al Tasso. The 2020 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah is yet another star performer boasting lush aromatic layers of black cherry, piquant black chocolate, smoky black currant with sweet grilled herbs, roasted caramelised almonds, stewed plums and toasty brûléed brown toast nuances. The palate is luxuriously rich and generous with dense sweet silky tannins, a compact core of black berry fruits and savoury meaty graphite hints on the leafy, sappy finish. Drink this on release and over 8 to 10+ years.

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Releases a Classically Proportioned Cabernet Sauvignon 2019…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Stellenbosch and its nine wards have basically made Cabernet Sauvignon its very own flagship grape over the past thirty or forty years. Indeed, it is when we open some of these older wines from the 1980’s or 1990’s that we see just how well suited the various terroirs of Stellenbosch are to making premium ageable Cabernet Sauvignon. Within the region, there are undoubtedly a handful of top producers who regularly push the boundaries of quality and finesse and Thelema Mountain Vineyards most definitely falls into this category.

Located high on the slopes of the picturesque Simonsberg Mountain in the heart of Stellenbosch, Thelema Mountain Vineyards can be considered an absolute Cape classic. With vineyards grown at elevations of between 370m and 530m above sea level, Thelema is one of the highest and coolest estates in the area with 100 percent of the fruit used coming from their own vineyards. But 2019 was an unusual year with severe weather fluctuations during bud break and flowering, followed by cool windy conditions which contributed to less and more uneven bunches and certainly smaller berries making for wines with intensity and a surprising amount of elegance at lower alcohol levels.

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

1.6g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.66pH

The 2019 vintage Thelema is a plush, dense offering with dramatic fleshy layers of red and black berry fruits and aromatics that show true Cabernet Sauvignon nuances of red currants, earthy cassis, hints of violets, sweet grilled herbs, sweet tobacco, capsicum and black tea. The nervy herbaceous notes are balanced by fleshy red and black fruits, spicy black plum, sweet yellow capsicum, coffee bean spice and a strong undertone of graphite and stony minerality. Medium bodied with a velvety texture, the wine has plenty of freshly tilled earth savoury complexity, a subtle integrated oak spice and powdery dry tannins on the elegant finish. Still showing plenty of youthful restraint and reserve, this is a classically constructed Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon that will reward at least 10+ years ageing in the cellar before drinking.

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

Restless River Releases Two Benchmark Fine Wines – Tasting the New Release Ava Marie 2020 and the Main Road and Dignity Cabernet 2019…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Swig Wines represents one of the most exciting and dynamic set of international wine producers in the UK and recently they held their portfolio tasting in Soho, London. Of course, the South African contingent was well represented as usual with the likes of Duncan Savage, Alex Starey from Keermont and Pieter Walser from Blank Bottle. But there was one glaring omission, Craig Wessels from Restless River.

Unfortunately, Craig experienced a freak accident surfing and had broken his leg and was unable to travel with the SA brat pack and share a warm sleeping bag with Duncan Savage! 😉 So I was extra excited to hook up with him at Cape Wine 2022 in early October for a proper tasting and a good catch up. But you can imagine my surprise and joy to be contacted by Craig only a short time afterwards asking to hook up again in London to taste his new releases one-to-one. Restless River’s new offerings always represent one of the most exciting and high-demand South African fine wine releases of the calendar year and so getting a proper run down from Craig himself was an invaluable experience for me.

Craig bought the Restless River estate with 7ha planted planted in 1998 (one hectare pulled out subsequently). Plantings are now already up to 21 hectares. Craig’s first vintages released were the 2012 for the Ava Marie Chardonnay and the 2008 for the Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon with his Wunderlust label representing an experimentational range allowing him to express his creative juices, producing one-off wines that are never usually repeated.

Restless River Ava Marie Chardonnay 2020, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13% Abv.

The 2020 vintage has a little more apparent acidity than the 2019, combining the fruit and salinity with the fresh acids. The 2020 was all produced in 500 litre barrels followed by blending and ageing in stainless for 3 to 4 months, settling and stabilising on its fine lees before bottling for better integration. The wine already shows lovely Lemon butter and leesy aromatic complexity with hints of white toast, lemon rind, white citrus, melted wax and a mellow kiss of salted caramel. The palate is bright and fresh but also shows a generous mid-palate concentration and textural fleshy character. This is a fabulous terroir driven wine that is harvested over the period of a month allowing for individual parcels to be brought in to the winery to be blended into the perfect assemblage. Incredible balance and mid-palate weight make this a tantalising offering. Simply benchmark in terms of Chardonnay in South Africa. Very similar to the 2019 in many aspects with the same ‘inner profile’ but with a tad more acidity and minerality in the 2020. A true classic that is worthy of a place in any collector’s cellar … if you can get an allocation! (10,901 bottles produced.)

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

Restless River Main Road Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 14.01% Abv. 

Made from 23 year old vines, yielding 2 -2.5 tons per hectare. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon had a very long hang time which gave it super smooth, ripe, dry fine grained tannins on the palate. Harvested from 10th March to 7th May, an almost unheard of length of picking spread for two small 1.59 hectare and 0.71 hectare vineyards, which are vinified separately by parcel within each vineyard, with each parcel matched to a different cooperage. Aged for 23 months in barrel and then almost another 24 months in bottle, the wine certainly hits the ground running in a most spectacular fashion. Such pristine purity and precision with beautiful purple and black berry fruits, creme de cassis, blue berry and an essence of watermelon making for a deliciously exotic, hedonistic wine. So incredibly lithe and fresh in the glass with tangy acids, a sleek but supremely intense concentration of blue and black berry fruits and a pronounced maritime salinity on the finish. But it’s undoubtedly the ‘wagyu-styled’ fine tannins that are massaged to perfection with an imperceptible mineral grip and a sleek velvety texture thanks to the longer hang times. So incredibly delicious. Wow! (8,124 bottles produced.)

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