Aromas of apricot fruit leather, caramel and polished oak with a touch of resin. The palate is rich and spirited with lovely warmth and breadth. Flavours of praline, brûléed sugar or dark caramel are discernible alongside the apricot, dried citrus peel and roasted nuts. Smooth textured and polished, it is refined and cohesive. There’s even a suggestion of ginger preserve. Beautiful integration of oak and spirit which makes the rich flavours linger long.
A gentle trace of herby fynbos overlays a sweet ripe plum and blueberry bouquet, tinged with pepper and spice. Silky smooth entry, simultaneously opulent and spicy but restrained and showing a sense of reserve and decorum. Both red and black fruit – blackberry, cherry and plum – are balanced by a taut dryness that make for a clean, refined and elegant mouthful. It is suave and sleek, rather than flashy or obvious. Poised, delivering succulent generosity but with a notable dry tannic frame that promises good longevity and development. It bids farewell with a gentle, lingering softness and flavour memory.
Gentle floral nuance and subtle herb note on ripe plum and black cherry nose. The entry is textural: warm, rounded, soft and enveloping. Rich black cherry, mature plum and fruitcake flavours mingle with a lighter spice element. Lovely cohesion of those tasty fruit notes, with spice and structured oak that lends form and backbone without allowing the tannins to dominate or dry out the mouth. It remains fresh and succulent with a polished smoothness and rewardingly long finish.
Complex nose which is a heady mix of inky, hedgerow fruit, trace of spice, dusting of cocoa powder and a brooding baked plum. The palate is immediately engaging in its succulent brightness, with abundant blueberry and black fruit notes. They lead to inky depths with good density where the rich cocoa, cinnamon powder and oak spice flavours are apparent. The ripeness is well judged and offset by its time in oak, cohesive, taut and compact with lovely poise and balance. Tannins are fine and dry and counter the lively acid freshness and fruit vibrance. Impressive, sleek and elegant with a persistent tail.
