Reserve

A Block Buster Pair of New Release Reserve 2021 Wines from Acclaimed Franschhoek Cellar Holden Manz…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The premium boutique estate of Holden Manz is nestled in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley and stands as one of the most impressive winery visits available to tourists. The Holden Manz wine range is indeed extensive, with multiple white, Rose and red cuvees produced, but it’s their Reserve wines range that draws more attention than possibly even their super premium Elysium prestige cuvee. 

The Reserve red wine range consist of the Holden Manz Merlot Reserve, the Cabernet Franc Reserve, and their Reserve Syrah, three wines that every year can be counted among the top red fine wines produced in the Franschhoek Valley. The Holden Manz wine style is unashamedly plush, opulent and hedonistic with “plenty of meat on the bone” when it comes to concentration and depth of fruit. What makes their three Reserve reds even more interesting is the way French winemaker Thierry Haberer manages to impart ample elegance, finesse and classical balance to these impressively dense and powerful wines. I recently tasted two of the three long awaited 2021 Reserve expressions to see what Thierry had crafted in this unusually long, cool vintage in the Cape. 

Owner Gerard Holden at the winery.

Holden Manz Merlot Reserve 2021, WO Franschhoek, 14% Abv.

A deep, dark, opaque purple colour, this premium Cuvee boasts rich alluring aromatics of sweet cedar oak, red toffee apples, grilled nuts, nougat and sweet molasses hints before vibrant notes of mulberry, black currant and sweet black plums emerge. The palate is fabulously opulent and plush with a rich luxurious textural density that’s seamlessly creamy, broad and hedonistic. But true to the Reserve’s style, it carries off its richness, power and concentration with an effortless elegance and ease thanks to the vintage’s underlying freshness and suppleness. Lovers of Holden Manz’s premium wines will revel in this delicious wine’s intensity and right bank Pomerol’esque plushness and elegance. 

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

Tasting the 2020 Reserve at the Estate with Gerard Holden in March 2024.
One of the Cape’s stand out Cabernet Franc reds.

Holden Manz Cabernet Franc Reserve 2021, WO Franschhoek, 14% Abv.

This is another highly anticipated wine from the 2021 vintage, and in true form, the Reserve range from Holden Manz delivers again… in spades. Deep, dark and opaque in colour with a delicate ruby rim, the aromatics on this cuvee is wonderfully rich and opulent, with succulent layers of perfumed black currant, black plum compote, cherry cola and sweet sappy cedar spice that is intertwined with vanilla pod and brown breakfast toast nuances. In the mouth, the wine is rich, broad, and luxurious, with an intricate fine grained textured but also luscious layers of black cherry, crème de cassis, pecan pie, and seductive freshly baked blueberry crumble notes on a vanilla pod-tinged finish. Seamless premium oaking together with a cool freshness, impressive complexity, and an all-round harmonious balance leave you gasping for another sip. Bravo Gerard and Thierry! Drink now on release and over the next 8 to 10+ years.

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

 The Holden Manz wines are available retail in the UK from South African Specialist Merchant Museum Wines, and to the wine trade from Vindependents.

Le Riche Wines Releases a Sensational Benchmark Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 That Will Redefine Pure Cabernet Quality in South Africa for Years to Come…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Le Riche Wines represents a veritable masterclass in the art of blending specially selected Stellenbosch terroirs from vines grown on decomposed granitic soils, sandy/loamy duplex gravels and deep clay rich oakleaf soils on the Simonsberg mountain range. Vintage after vintage, the Le Riche family, starting with father Etienne, and now continuing more latterly with Christo, have consistently produced some of the finest and most noteworthy single varietal Cabernet Sauvignons in the Cape… and finally, the world is waking up to this phenomenon.

This year’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a vineyard blend of grapes sourced from around Stellenbosch, including 67% Helderberg, 22% Simonsberg and 11% Jonkershoek Valley, which were matured in 70% new French oak for 24 months. (Helderberg Coastal, three vineyards; Simonsberg-Stellenbosch Single Vineyard; Jonkershoek Valley Single Vineyard).

As Christo reiterates, Reserve status is only endowed if the grapes and the resulting wine measures up to exceptional standards. Hand selected grapes from older, lower yielding vines are generally used and fermentation is done with a selected yeast strain under controlled temperatures. Manual plunging during this period ensures optimal colour extraction. After seven days the tanks are closed and allowed to macerate for a further period, normally 10-14 days. Pressing follows and the wine is transferred to barrel for a natural secondary malolactic fermentation. After a year in barrel, the individual batches are blended to form the final wine and returned to barrel for another year before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wines are matured in bottle for one year before global release.

Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

1.9g/l RS | 5.7g/l TA | 3.79pH

This highly anticipated 2021 release comes hard on the heals of the highly rated 2020 and 2019 from Christo Le Riche, and the impressive 2021 completes the trilogy of block buster vintages from this Cabernet specialist. Unwinding in the glass, the aromatics show delicately musky, perfumed notes of white flowers, crème de cassis, blueberries, black berries and freshly tilled earth hints that mingle with notions of dried herbs, thyme and fresh mint leaf, dried peach skins over graphite, granite dust and delicate dark chocolate cocoa spice nuances. The palate is beautifully silky and creamy, full and broad yet velvety soft and plush, voluminous but delicately elegant, finely detailed and weightlessly concentrated. Tight and compact, seductively seamless in the truest sense with an incredibly integrated acid fruit balance, a lively purity, and supple sweet tannins on the long, piercing finish. If 2019 had the muscle and power and 2020 the seductive elegance, balance, and accessibility, the 2021 is a stand apart expression, as unique as the vintage itself. Simply sublime, awesome even, and most definitely a vintage that will come to define premium quality Cabernet for years to come. A true classic that will richly reward bottle ageing. Drink on release and over the next 20 to 30+ years.

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

The Le Riche wines are available to UK wine trade from Boutinot Wines and to consumers from Museum Wines.

Tasting the New Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2018 Release from Christo Le Riche…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Now established as one of South Africa’s true first growth Cabernet Sauvignons, Christo Le Riche has certainly had a jolly old time of late with an incredible run of form with the Le Riche Reserve 2015, 2016 and 2017 all rated outstanding. This new release 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon combines grapes from vineyards in Firgrove (31%), the Jonkershoek Valley (31%), Raithby (24%) and the Simonsberg (12%) which were aged for 24 months in 76% new French oak barriques to create another notable flagship red worthy of global recognition.

The hand selected grapes from older, lower yielding vines were used and fermentation was done with a selected inoculated yeast strain under controlled temperatures. Manual plunging during this period ensured optimal colour extraction. After five days the tanks were closed and allowed to macerate for a further period of around 10-14 days. Pressing followed and the wine was transferred into barrel for the secondary malolactic fermentation. On completion, a final quality check and analysis was performed and then the Reserve cuvee was prepared for barrel ageing. Bottling was followed by hand labelling and further bottle maturation before release.

Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.87% Abv.

1.4 g/l RS | 5.6 g/l TA | 3.77 pH

Another very impressive Cabernet Sauvignon, the aromatics are pure and classy, dominated by cool dark maritime saline notes of salty crème de cassis, kelp, picante black cherry and vibrant scents of crushed blackberries, star anise, cardamom, salty black liquorice and hints of creamy vanilla oak spice. The palate is super sleek, supple and lithe with a fabulously elegant texture, silky soft mineral graphite tannins, a loose knit mid-palate fleshy black fruit generosity and tons of vibrant acid freshness on the finish. This is a classical Le Riche Reserve Cabernet at its most seductive, although it is, rather amazingly, so approachable, expressive and absolutely delicious right now on release but undoubtedly capable of another good 15+ years of prime cellaring.

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