Decanter (93)

Smoulders with smoked meat, fennel sausage, smooth dark chocolate and Kahlúa-nuanced blackcurrant, plus sweet, bright, red cherry conserve. Lightly mouth-coating tannins (attractive grip and texture) reinforce the dry, rustic, savoury profile. Sourced predominantly from Boekenhoutskloof’s Porseleinberg and Goldmine farms in Swartland. Syrah and Cinsault are aged in seasoned 2,500-litre French oak foudres and barriques; Grenache in seasoned 600-litre demi-muids and Cabernet Sauvignon (7%) in new French oak barrique. Total production of 2,982 barriques. Satisfying.

Platter's South African Wine Guide (97)

(Cabernet Sauvignon of the Year) Power & precision combine in stellar 2019. Ripe black cherry fruit with lifted perfume notes (dab of cab franc, as Franschhoek sibling), fine integrated tannins & fresh, lithe appeal. 75% new French oak adds to muscular richness completing a very fine wine. 5 parcels in Helderberg, Polkadraai & Faure.

Matthew Jukes (18.5)

Overall a little larger and more imposing than the Franschhoek cuvée, this Helderberg-sourced Cabernet is a glossy, succulent, more expressive wine than its stablemate, and it is also more forward and approachable. Built with unerring precision, the amazing brightness of fruit and 60% new oak embellishment have resulted in a Super-Tuscan-shaped wine with obvious allure and a more approachable temperament. Having said this, it has more than enough stuffing to last a decade with ease and in terms of value for money this is a small price to pay for a wine of this integrity.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

I have never forgotten the 2000 vintage of this wine, which I wrote up in one of my books many moons ago. In the blink of an eye, the perfume on this 2018 vintage took me back to that great wine and while this label has been known to wander off into the forest in certain vintages, it is back with a brooding bang and loaded with Hermitage-like malevolence in 2018. With a melange of both red and black fruit tones and considerable aromatic lift on the nose, this is a Syrah with its feet firmly planted in the earth while its head is in the clouds such is the scale and majesty of its posture. Like the other reds in this vintage, the oak integration is near perfect and this allows the fruit to sing. If there is one wine to drink before the other reds, then this is it, and while it might be a criminal offence to drink this wine so young, I am sure you will break the law for a flavour as enthralling and all-encompassing as this one.

Decanter (94)

Another 2015 with a floral scent of violets and roses along with a blood-like iron element, on a foundation of brisk blackcurrant fruit. The tell-tale minty top-note comes to the fore after aeration, and the juicy palate is both fleshy and fresh, sustained by racy tannins. It has a vibrant finish with a salty tang.

Vinous (94)

Single-vineyard from 120-year-old vines, aged nine months in concrete tank. Deep ruby. Savory and floral nose of violets, pepper and forest floor. There’s a charming earthiness throughout this wine. Flavors of blackberry and black cherry emerge at midpalate, along with a lovely fresh root vegetable note. Cool, stony finish. Fresh and precise.

Decanter (95)

Famous South African golfer Ernie Els retains a share in this winery but it is now predominantly German-owned, with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon set to be a particular focus. This vintage (8% Petit Verdot) combines fruit power with detail. Aromatics of blue and black fruit, some attractive herbal character plus oak spice on a plush and smooth-textured palate.

Immerse yourself in the experience of Guiberteau Saumur Les Arboises 2016, a quintessential Loire gem from renowned organic viticulturist, Romain Guiberteau. An expert in Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, Guiberteau continues to dazzle with his 2016 vintage confirming his status as a prominent producer in Saumur. Crafted from centuries-old vines in pure tuffeau soil, the wine was matured using traditional methods, resulting in an opulent and profound representation of the terroir.

Guiberteau Saumur Les Arboises 2016 reveals deep concentrations of black and red fruit alongside delicate herbal notes. Its velvety texture is invigorated by a fine crystal line of acidity, concluding with a seamlessly extended finish. This bottle's elegant complexity reflects Guiberteau's dedication to organic farming and respect for nature which results in expressive, terroir-driven wines of phenomenal quality and personality. Behold an outstanding wine that has been highly acclaimed by critics globally.

Dive into the elegant world of French wines with the Guiberteau Saumur Les Moulins Blanc 2020. A masterpiece from the Loire Valley, this white wine is a true testament to Romain Guiberteau's exceptional viticulture savoir-faire, hailing from his biodynamic vineyard renowned for its limestone-rich soils. Steadfast attention to traditional wine-making methods, low-intervention approach and strict yield control results in wines of phenomenal depth and exquisite purity.

Guiberteau Saumur Les Moulins Blanc 2020, a Chenin Blanc varietal, exudes a vibrant array of aromas from orchard fruits to minerality, perfectly encompassing the characteristics of Saumur's unique terroir. On the palate, this wine dances with balanced acidity and profound complexity. A pristine expression of Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, this wine is noted for its age-worthiness, and rewards patience with developing finesse over the years.

Relish in the refined pedigree of Guiberteau Saumur Les Moulins Blanc 2020, a wine that radiates charm, luxury and an authentic taste of France.

Christian Eedes (95)

55% Chenin Blanc, 18% Chardonnay, 16% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Viognier and 1% Roussanne. Expressive aromatics of flowers, herbs, citrus and peach plus a slight nuttiness while the palate shows good fruit expression and tangy acidity – plenty of detail, the finish long and dry.

Decanter (98)

An historical wine, Vin de Constance has been re-established in the last few years as one of the world’s finest sweet wines. Dried Muscat grapes are aged for three years before bottling, in French and Hungarian casks with a touch of acacia wood. Citrus, orange zest, rosewater and spice notes leap out of the glass. The palate has a laser-like focus with massive sweetness perfectly balanced by acidity and a mineral finish. As impressive as Château d’Yquem (and considerably better value).

Decanter (97)

Best in Show - Those seeking out reds based on Cabernet Franc beyond their French home are, often enough, looking for a red wine which combines something of the structure and command of Cabernet Sauvignon but with more lift, grace and aromatic refinement. The red wine from this year's brace of South African Best In Show winners fills that role admirably. It's dark in colour, with refined, complex, raspberry and root-spice aromas in subtle and uninsistent style. Look out for bright, pure raspberry fruits on the palate with a further twist of liquorice and gentian. The structure comes more from the wine's quiet, limpid acidity than from any notable tannin presence, further unscoring that accessibility and responsiveness.

Blend:
100% Chenin Blanc
Tasting notes:
Deep nose of verbena and fresh apricot. The fresh and slender mouth stretches with a saline persistence and a slightly brioche finish.

Vinous (93)

Produced from a flint site that needed to be blown up to make the terroir and made from relatively young vines, this is initially a tender and supple style with a whiff of gunsmoke/flint, a taut line of precision that runs through its core, a mere hint of green herbs reminding you that Pouilly is a Sauvignon producer and even a hint of white pepper. It's a powerful style that has an attractive sense of bitterness holding it together. At just 13%, this is wonderfully balanced, aromatic and driven in this vintage. You may even feel this sense of spice that warms the palate, almost like you've had a warming Indian curry - it's not the alcohol but something else - maybe it's the lint. Unique and intriguing.

Vinous (95)

Starting to take on a deep golden hue, the 1997 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon is a sensuous sweet wine (92g/L of residual sugar) that offers ripe and concentrated flavors of apricot jam, cooked oranges botrytis-derived spices (60% of the fruit was affected by botrytis, a high proportion for this wine). It is intense, rich and honeyed, coating the palate with its sucrosity. There's just enough acidity here to keep things going but it does not have the vivacious refreshment of cooler years, providing a weightier, fully charged expression. The finish is lengthy and fragrant.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Has any brand in South Africa achieved quite so much as Porseleinberg in less than a decade? This is the best vintage yet from this steep, brutal, extreme schist-rich site and that's saying a good deal. Big, bold and intense, with incredible, almost feral intensity, incense, tar and black pepper aromas and layers of inky dark fruit. A stunning wine from a stunning site, made by a gem of a winemaker.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

"We've gone more focused" says Nuschka de Vos of this complex, amphora, foudre and old wood-aged Chenin, inspired by the wines of Vouvray. Beeswax, lanolin and fennel aromas lead into a palate with good texture and structure and a pithy, mouth-watering finish.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

This brilliant, barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc comes from the top part of the Willow Spring parcel and is the latest in a line of brilliant releases under this label. Saline, pithy and flinty with hints of nettle and elderflower, fine oak and a finish that goes on for ever. Drink 2019-2027.

Vinous (95)

The 2019 Syrah Biodynamic is drop-dead gorgeous on the nose, offering blackberry, blueberry, crushed violet and light star anise aromas that blossom with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannins and great depth and intensity, equaled by a finesse that leaves you wanting more on the finish. A sublime Syrah from Johan Reyneke.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

This isolated, picturesque 1.6-hectare block at the top of the Jonkershoek Valley was replanted as recently as 2009 after a fire, but has rapidly re-established itself as one of the best vineyards in Stellenbosch. The 2018 Oude Nektar combines Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec and is typically fine, polished and understated, with leafy elegance, fynbos aromas, red berry and black cherry fruit, subtle wood, fine-boned tannins and stunning palate length.

Tim Atkin MW (95)

Every bit as good as the 2017, even though the vintage is less celebrated, this is an equal marriage of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc with an even lower pH. Grapefruit and elderflower flavours combine appealingly with the stylish vanilla oak, embellished by a herbal undertone.

Tim Atkin MW (95)

Proof the remarkable ageing potential of Vergelegen's flagship white wine - and it's only just settling into its stride - this is a gloriously complex blend of Sauvignon Blanc and 36% Semillon, with appealing freshness and zip, good focus, a salty undertone and flavours of grapefruit, gooseberry and fresh toast.

Wine Advocate (93+)

From vines averaging 45 years of age on the slopes of the Coteau and aged in oak barrels for 20 months, the 2018 Bourgueil Les Quartiers opens with a deep, intense and toasty bouquet of ripe, black berries and blackcurrants intermixed with spicy tones, cigar box and graphite. Silky, refined and fresh on the palate, this is an elegant, tight but vivacious, silky-textured Cabernet Franc with crystalline tannins and a long finish that is still oak-influenced in its flavors, but the structure, finesse and intensity and the very delicate raspberry flavor in the aftertaste indicate excellent aging potential. Personally, I prefer the crus that were partly aged in stoneware (amphorae) and also for a shorter period, whereas Les Quartiers represents the old Amirault style, before 2014.