AUGUST - FAMILY OWNED NEW WORLD WINES

Good day Wine Lover

Yalumba is Australia's oldest family owned winery, run today by 5th generation Robert Hill Smith. An elegant and revered man who's character matches his wonderful wines. Asking him recently how his wineries have become so successful, he motivated how each maintains its focus on what they do best. Slowly but surely each winery in his portfolio has built its own sterling reputation; Pewsey Vale is renowned for its long-aging Germanic-styled Riesling whilst Nautilus is one of New Zealand's most consistent, high quality Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc producers.

Also on offer is another proud family-owned winery, Domaine Drouhin. Recognised as one of the top negociant/ producers in Beaune, with centuries of tradition have branched out to Oregon to make similarly styled elegant wines.

Orders of 6 bottles or more on this offer receive 5% discount.

YALUMBA - BAROSSA

The Y series offers terrific value for money; typically Barossan but not overdone and with ample elegance and freshness. The Tempranillo and Grenache are quirky yet delicious with wonderful varietal character and personality. The 2008 Bushvine Grenache: 'Bright and juicy, with appealing focus to the raspberry, red cherry and rhubarb fruit, sailing serenely over the polished texture of the open finish. Drink now through 2012 - WS. Finally the legendary Signature is a serious Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz blend'..it emits an alluring perfume of cedar, leather, spice box, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. On the palate it shows off an elegant personality, incipient complexity, succulent fruit, ripe tannin, and a pure finish. It will continue to unfold for several years and offer prime drinking from 2011 to 2020.' WA.

PEWSEYVALE - EDEN VALLEY

'The bouquet has a very aromatic display of citrus blossom, the palate with delicious lime juice flavours backed by fine acidity; has considerable length. Rating 94 Drink to 2020' - James Haliday

      

NAUTILUS - MARLBOROUGH

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 R 259   Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008 R 315 WS 91/100

Wine Spectator - 'Polished and refined, brimming with raspberry, cherry and sassafras aromas and flavors, lingering easily on the bright finish. Drink now through 2013'

 

DOMAIN DROUHIN - OREGON

Chardonnay Arthur 2007 R 405   Pinot D'Oregon 2006  R 485 WA 90/100

The fourth generation Drouhins have been producing classic wines in the Willamette Valley since 1988. Recently drinking a delicious 2004 Pinot, it showed just how much closer these wines tend to Burgundy, but still offer sappy new world fruit. These both have 5-8 years of maturation ahead. 'All of the current releases are first-class in a Cotes de Beaune style and should not be overlooked.' Jay Millar - Wine Advocate

 

See a full list of the Antipodean wines here, including Kalleske, Hoddles Creek, Spinifex, Craggy Range, Felton Road and Lawsons Dry Hills.

 

 

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August - SA's best Pinot Noir

Good day Wine Lover

I am going out on a limb today; these three new releases are the best young SA pinot noirs that I have ever tasted.  Combine the brilliant vintage of 2009 with two pinot-freaks, Peter-Allan Finlayson and Alex Dale, and discover the Crystallum Peter Max and Cuvee Cinema as well as the Winery of Good Hope Pinot Noir Reserve 2009s. Great Pinot noir derives its pleasure from delicate, fragrant and fresh fruit combined with an elusive minerality and a savoury finish. Complexity of forest floor and farmyard aromas should build with age. These pinot noirs are all that and more.

2009 was not only a magnificent white wine vintage across the Cape; generally cool temperatures, especially at night, gave a long ripening season producing reds with good natural acidity, bright fruit and moderate alcohols. First samplings of the 2009 vintage lead us to believe it could become the benchmark Cape vintage.

The first release Crystallum's were brilliant (even from the mediocre 2008 vintage) and sold out quickly. They  topped WINE magazine's pinot noir taste-off in May this year with 5 and 4.5 stars between them. But the 2009s are even better, showing the brightness of the vintage with amazingly confident red fruits and a mineral core that dances toward a savoury finish. Certainly closer to the Cote d'Or than Central Otago.

What makes these and the Winery of Good Hope so good? Time spent in Burgundy by the proprietors, understanding the vineyard, part whole bunch fermentation and minimalistic winemaking  all contribute to elegant and sophisticated wines. 

There are only 50 cases of the Winery of Good Hope available for the entire country and the total production of the two Crystallums is a mere 360 cases.   

THE WINERY OF GOOD HOPE

CRYSTALLUM 2009

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September - New Mullineux Releases and SA's best Sangiovese

Good day Wine Lover

Neal Martin, Robert Parker's new sidekick, recently commented “…hell, that’s good… Certainly Mullineux is a name to look out for in the future" when he awarded the 2008 Straw wine 96/100, the highest ever by the critic for an SA Wine. Jancis Robinson further lamented “A very special wine. … Exceptional. New South African producer to watch.”

Well we are certainly watching and extremely excited to offer the follow up releases of the Straw wine and White as well as small stocks of the 2008 Syrah. To add further excitement, we are exclusively offering what has to be SA's finest Sangiovese - The Three Foxes 2008.  

We have a few seats still available at our upcoming tastings, Bordeaux Left & Right Bank, Benchmark Burgundy and New World Wines. See here 

MULLINEUX FAMILY WINES - Swartland

THE THREE FOXES - Darling

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September - The New Cape Charme

Good day Wine Lover

Take two of the world's most eccentric yet brilliant winemakers, one with centuries of tradition in the old world and the other a passion for the Swartland, and what do you get? The Niepoort and Sadie Cape Charme is a revolutionary new South African wine made with traditional Douro winemaking techniques that are kept secret to the Niepoort family. This is nothing like you have tasted from the Cape before; we believe its South Africa's first super-premium red wine where freshness and elegance are the driving factors. Neither oak nor varietal character play a pivotal role. 

Dirk Niepoort has long since promoted the notion of a field blend in his Douro wines where 40-80 (the exact number is unknown) different varieties within his vineyards are vinified all together. With South Africa's more Mediterranean climate, this concept has been replicated here. The Cape Charme is made from a cluster of varieties displaying Swartland terroir over varietal definition. It is a belief to which Sadie prescribes when making some of SA's greatest wines -  Columella  (2007 -R580) and Palladius (2008 -R420).

Tinta Barocca, Grenache, Carignan and Pinotage make up the blend, but the Cape Charme is more Pinot-like in colour and even aroma. Dirk Niepoort ensured the grapes were picked early, even before the white varieties, which astonished Eben Sadie and his rather extreme winemaking philosophy. It shows red fruits and fragrance and  finishes with dry European-like tannins. With a low pH of just  3.48 and classic styling, expect it to age for a number of years. There are only 600 bottles of the Cape Charme available.

The other wine produced by this special partnership is a Cape Fortified, which is of course made in the port-style. It was made under of the guidance of Dirk and aging took place in cigar-shaped barrels, or pipes, that were especially imported from Portugal. This is the most impressive South African fortified we have tasted; fiery depth and black fruits lead to rasping but refined tannins finishing with impeccable balance. 'I can't let them taste this back in Portugal, I will be shot!' says Dirk after realizing just how good his Cape Fortified is, 'It's one of the best wines I have ever made, anywhere!' The varieties are similar to that of the Cape Charme, but again this is not very important.

NIEPOORT & SADIE

Together with the Niepoort & Sadie, we offer the new vintage of the Niepoort Douro wines. Dirk regards 2007 as an excellent vintage which produced rich but elegant vintage. Here one can start to understand where the Cape Charme gets its styling; the Niepoort wines are driven by freshness and character rather than uber-ripe fruit and weight. The Niepoort Charme is the most sought-after of the range, made in tiny quantities with the most fragrant elegant styling.

NIEPOORT 2007 - Douro, Portugal

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September - The best vintage ever for less than R200 per bottle

Good day Wine Lover

The supposedly best ever vintage from perfect weather conditions has given rise to many extraordinary wines,  garnered extraordinary prices (see here) and 22 possible 100/100 from Robert Parker, the world’s most influential wine critic. But below these top wines there are hundreds of wines that offer outstanding quality at very ordinary prices; wines that don’t have fancy addresses and a big international following and yet are imbued with the virtues of the vintage. Robert Parker summarises the paradox of why there are such great wines from 2009 ‘while the overall style of this vintage is one of opulent, voluptuous textures with abundant fatness and succulence (reminiscent of 1982, 1990 & northern Medoc 2003’s), the wines reveal an extraordinary freshness, vibrancy, and precision (of cooler years like 1996 & 2000)’. Not only red wines; glorious dry and sweet white wines have also been produced from this vintage.

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June - Winter Specials

Good day wine lover

As winter tightens its grip and the recession doesn't want to loosen its grip, here are our favourite imported reds under R100 per bottle. With the current Rand strength never before have we sold such volume of these 'entry level' wines that offer a great alternative to local offerings. These are available by the bottle or case at the special prices until end June.

La Bascula Turret Fields Jumilla Spain 2005

Was R75 now R50 per bottle

Decanter magazine named the Turret Fields 2005 as one of the '50 Best value-reds' in the world in their February 2009 edition. It was made by Bruce Jack (Flagstone) in partnership with Ed Adams MW in Jumilla (Spain). It's a Shiraz Monastrell (Mourvedre) blend showing the bright fruit and warmth of Spain underpinned by old our world savouriness. Perfect for this winter.

Chapoutier Le Vignes de Bila Haut, Cotes du Roussillon 2008

Was R75 now R67 per bottle

"I was absolutely blown away by the quality" raves one of our clients who admittedly was at first a little skeptical of the price. This exceptional Syrah, Carignan, Grenache blend from Chapoutier's Roussillon domain is undoubtedly the best value wine we have ever imported. Wine Spectator gives it 90 points; "A muscular red, with concentrated flavors of dark cherry, plum, raspberry tart and grilled fig. The dense finish of dark chocolate is firm and focused, with smoky notes".  We are almost sold out of our current batch, but the last 4 pallets of the 2008 arrives on the 14th June.

Niepoort Unbuntu, Douro Portugal

Was R105 now R80 per bottle

'Ubuntu is an old world style red wine swimming somehow against the modern current. It is typical of the Douro with good acidity and lots of freshness. Not too dark in colour, not too fruity, not sweet and not too alcoholic. It’s a great drinking wine that is food friendly. And as my father says - the more you drink the better it tastes!' Dirk Niepoort. See Dirk's new special World Cup label below!

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May - New Releases

Good day wine lover

MRS KIRSTEN'S 2008 R815 per bottle

Packed in individual wooden cases, yes Mrs Kirsten's old vine chenin blanc is by far South Africa's most expensive white wine. There are however only 250 bottles of this rarity available, made by Eben Sadie from 70 year old bushvines at the entrance of Jonkershoek. The wine has changed somewhat since the more textured and oxidative 2006 to this fresher, more stone fruit-style in 2008. It also has a larger sense of minerality with a higher acidity which will provide the backbone for ample aging potential. This is seriously limited, so please let us know of your interest.

EAGLES NEST SHIRAZ 2008  R190 per bottle

"Typical cool climate Shiraz with a rich, fresh, dark- plum colour. On the nose the prominent white pepper tones, a hall mark of the Eagles’ Nest Shiraz, are complemented with dark red berry fruit and hints of violets. These primary aromas are lovingly enveloped by hints of leather and smokiness which derive from the wine’s maturation in barrel. On the palate one realises the integration of all flavours and aromas, with white pepper and red berry fruits remaining the driving force. Soft, integrated tannins and a structured mid palate hold true and follow through to an extended mouth coating after taste. Finely balanced acidity focuses the flavours and ensures that this wine will mature well up to 2020" Eagles Nest

FRANCOIS COTAT SANCERRE LES MONT DAMNES 2008 R330 per bottle

We have managed a small allocation of one of the most sought after vineyards in the Loire Valley on the steep slopes of the 'damned mountain' in Chavignol. Mont Damnes is known for long-lived steely sancerre and Francois Cotat leads the way. Like most old-world viticultural areas, their is a tremendous divergence in style between ripe, thick new-world styled wines and traditional long-aging wines. The Cotat is certainly more traditional and 2008 was a wonderful classic vintage with high malic acid levels.

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May - Long ageing whites

Good day Wine Lover

The strength of the Rand over the last 6 months has played heavily in our favour and our latest imports offer stupendous value. Besides the new Spanish, Rhône 2007s and Bordeaux 2007s, today we highlight new vintages of long-aging whites from the Loire, Mosel and Champagne. Who said white wines can't age?  

WEINGUT WILLI SCHAEFER - MOSEL

"This is a classic Mosel year marked by its snappy (knackige) acids and high extract,” comments Willi Schaefer, adding that he “would rank it midway between 2007 and 2004."  This translates into long-lived, mineral wines with ample elegance and texture. The two Qba's offer brilliant value and will provide excellent drinking for a decade whilst the Auslese (which was botrytis infected) will age half a century.

"Willi Schaefer has been one of the greatest exponents of Mosel Riesling over four decades, a man whose arteries pump Riesling (not his winery, for that uses gravity.)" says Neal Martin Wine Advocate.

DOMAINE GASTON HUET - VOUVRAY

We offer the new 2007s as well as vintage Vouvrays from the benchmark Loire producer straight from their underground cellars. The Le Mont vineyard with more stony soils,  silica and less clay is known for its tremendous ageing potential and steely minerality. This has been proven with a vertical Huet tasting at Wine Cellar tasting in 2008 of vouvarys back to 1924! All are biodynamically produced with classical styling and usually require a decade of maturation to show their best. The 1995 is still taught and mineral but offers mushroom complexity and fragrance.

LE MESNIL - CHAMPAGNE

Founded in 1937, the Le Mesnil cooperative sells most of its production to Salon and Laurent Perrier. The remaining is bottled under an elegant Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc NV and rich vintage cuvee. Both minerally chardonnays offer exceptional ageing potential for up to 2 decades; especially from the classic vintages of 2002 and 2004. These are gaining much interest both locally and worldwide in contrast with over-priced brand Champagne. 

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April - Cape Point Vineyards and new imports

Good day Wine Lover

CAPE POINT VINEYARDS NEW RELEASES

The new releases from CPV continue to highlight the great white vintage of 2009; Stonehaven Sauvignon Blanc is certainly the finest made to date and contrasts the CPV with richer, more exotic and vibrant fruit. The 2009 CPV is now labeled 'Reserve', stylistically more subtle and long-lived and yet still amazingly opulent.

Finally, the new Splattered Toad delivers a cool-charactered sauvignon blanc with a bit more interest than every-day drinking.

NEW SPANISH

We tasted the latest vintages from our Spanish producers at the cellar last week. Our range from Sierra Cantabria offers stupendous value reds from Epico (R68!) through to the Rioja Cosecha and Rioja Reserva.

The Toro wines finally stole the show with their utter intensity, made from a local tempranillo clone planted in the mid 19th century. Numanthia and Termanthia were once again mind blowing; a sheer explosion of power coupled with the finest tannins imaginable. The Teso la Monja wines, the new project of Marcus Eguren, offer slightly more elegant styling with similar power and presence. Enjoy these now with a seared steak or cellar them for your grandchildren.

Most of these are yet to be rated by the important critics, but expect as impressive ratings as those in the past. See here for information.

PORT 2007

Whilst the First Growth Bordeaux use the finest 30-40% of their crop for their Grand Vin, a port house selects a mere 10% for their vintage port. This makes vintage port probably the highest quality wine on the planet. 2007 is being compared to the legends of '94 and '77 and we have limited quantities of four famous houses available.

JR - Jancis Robinson, WS - Wine Spectator, WA - Wine Advocate

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March - Smith Haut lafitte

Good day Wine lover

Q : What's the difference between Lafite 2005 and Smith Haut Lafitte 2005?

A : Lafite has 1 more Parker point (96 v 95), only one "t" in Lafite and is about R10,000/bottle more expensive!

Q : What's the difference between Carruades de Lafite 2005 and Hauts de Smith 2005?

* Minimum order 1 x 6 of each

Les Hauts de Smith 2005 is the second wine of of Pessac-Leognan (Graves) estate Smith Haut Lafitte  is a serious wine in its own right, made from low yields of 33 hl/ha - 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged entirely in wooden barrels for 14 months. It has a deep red colour with a nose of ripe red fruits, graphite, Asian spices and a whiff of vanilla from the new oak. There is impressive density and concentration on the palate with the tannins in fine balance with the fruit. This is certainly not a simple second wine, there is plenty of body here and, at 5 years of age it is only just ready for drinking. Full and complex, it is also round, creamy and voluptuous with a glossy veneer on top of the classic structure. This is a really fine 2005 Red Bordeaux that can be enjoyed as it matures over the next 10 years.

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March - New Chapoutier

Good day Wine lover

Our late December offer was the most successful ever and we sold out the first shipment of Le Vignes de Bila-Haut in the first day. The good news is that we have landed 3 more pallets of this exceptional Syrah, Carignan, Grenache blend from Chapoutier's Roussillon domain. It is undoubtedly the best value wine we have ever imported. Wine Spectator gives it 90 points; "A muscular red, with concentrated flavors of dark cherry, plum, raspberry tart and grilled fig. The dense finish of dark chocolate is firm and focused, with smoky notes".  If you don't believe how good it is, please come into Wine Cellar and sample it! Order 12 bottles and receive a 10% discount - R810/12.

Michel Chapoutier believes 2008 was the best vintage yet for the Roussillon domain and we also have the new vintage of the Latour de France Occultum Lapidem (R145) that has been so popular in the past. 

The 2007 Selection Parcelieres from the Chapoutier which Parker touts as 'among the world’s greatest wines, many of which will last 50 or more years....' are also available. 2007 shines in the north with pure-fruited, classical wines after the riper 2005 and 2006s.  Besides the luxury Hermitages and Côte Roties, Chapoutier is undoubtedly king of St Joseph; Les Granits Rouge 2007 (R335) offers phenomenal value in a full bodied Syrah for the long term - RP 92-95 points.  

We have small quantities of the Rostaing Cote Roties which contrast the Chapoutier with more traditional styling.

More great value is to be found in the southern Rhône from the rich 2007 and more classic 2008 vintages. With the strength of the Rand, we see the Belleruche dip back under R100. Our pick however is the Tricastin Estubiers 2007 (R125) - a biodynamically certified pure Syrah Grenache blend more reminiscent of the northern Rhône. It is lush and rich but will ample elegance and length. Finally the Barbe Rac 2007 has to be the best Chateauneuf from Chapoutier yet, fashioned sans oak from 100 year old vines. There are small quantities of the Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf's still available.

Taste the 2007s and new Chapoutiers in JHB on the 20th May and CT on the 21st April

*10% discount on a 12-bottle order of the Vignes de Bila-Haut

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February - Bordeaux Offer

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