Inviting melange of plush and plump black and red berry fruits, blueberries, spice and chocolate on the nose. Those same fruits and flavours glide seamlessly from the nose onto the palate. There’s a subtle note of fennel or anise but with rich black cherry and plum notes adding succulence. Reigning in this abundance is a frame of oak and tannin which provides a gentle, muscular squeeze. Textured, rich and rounded but elegantly robust, there’s a beautiful complexity and breadth to this wine. The cocoa powder nuance is present in the long, tapered finish. One made for cellaring but also for immediate enjoyment.
Ripe black berry fruits, licorice and a trace of florality can be found on the nose. The palate offers up those same plush, ripe black berries, cherry and licorice along with a deeper, dark herb and earthy element. The sensation is one of dryness, almost a perception of being lean and austere but that’s because the wine is still tightly furled and reined in. It’s supple, sinewy, succulent and rewarding with the fruit and oak seamlessly meshed. The grip is firm without being forceful or too bold or muscular. A wine that needs time to show its true beauty.
Genteel, suave and refined, t he nose is complex, layered with cassis, earth, hint of herbs, black cherry and spice. That same elegance is found in the mouth, sleek, supple and velvety on entry. The next element to become apparent is the harmony and balance of the ripe cassis, black cherry and dark berry fruit with succulent acid freshness. Afterwards, the herb, tobacco leaf, cedar and nutty notes make themselves known, along with the appropriately firm angularity of the tannin frame provided by oak maturation. Thrilling, taut and energetic, it’s drinking well now but will comfortably handled a decade or more in bottle.
A subtle trace of violets and graphite underpins the bolder aromas of blue and black fruit. Similarly, on the palate a subtle spice element tempers the ripe, rich, rounded and juicy mouthful. A cocoa powder nuance lends the overall palate a Black Forest gateaux vibe because of the black cherry vibrance. Elegant, cohesive and structured with the oak supporting the fruit beautifully. Lovely leashed power and restraint followed by a long tail.
A subtle floral hint lifts the rich nose of fruitcake, black berries, herb and peppery spice. Ripe, soft-textured and juicy black fruit is the first flavour in the mouth. Vibrant spice – nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon – then make their presence felt, followed by a creamy oak note. The wood, which is harmoniously knit with the fruit and fresh acid, lends both stature, frame and without taking over or dominating. Deeply rewarding with rounded mouthfeel and a long elegant tail. Genteel and refined.
Tendrils of spice add nuance and allure to a nose packed with black berries, hedgerow fruit and some mocha notes. The palate is plush, rounded and pillowy but layered with dark fruitcake flavour, black cherry, baking spice and pencil shavings too. The mouthfeel is complemented by its overall stature and regal refinement. Balanced with seamless integration of oak and ripe, rich fruit with lovely succulence and freshness as well. Complex, supple and silky smooth, the wine is ultimately simply delicious with a superbly long tail.
Tendrils of spice add nuance and allure to a nose packed with black berries, hedgerow fruit and some mocha notes. The palate is plush, rounded and pillowy but layered with dark fruitcake flavour, black cherry, baking spice and pencil shavings too. The mouthfeel is complemented by its overall stature and regal refinement. Balanced with seamless integration of oak and ripe, rich fruit with lovely succulence and freshness as well. Complex, supple and silky smooth, the wine is ultimately simply delicious with a superbly long tail.
The seduction begins with dark fruitcake on the nose, with a wisp, or mere suggestion, of dried lavender florality. Velvety, sleek, supple, polished and glossy entry to the mouth. Confident and poised. An abundance of rich fruitcake, tobacco leaf, plum and cedar spice mingle happily. The palate is nuanced, layered and complex: simultaneously seductive and engaging but not ponderous. Rewardingly succulent with seamlessly integrated oak, it is restrained, refined and elegantly genteel with a lingering farewell. Beautifully harmonious and composed to the end.
Appealing raspberry and plump cherry fruit aromas. The same succulence and rounded juicy dark fruit continues on the palate – with standout plum, cherry and raspberry flavours. A light baking spice nuance adds to the complexity and gentle Christmas cake appeal, along with supportive, seamless oak balance. Smooth textured and long with an enticing, dry yet fruited finish.
Aromas reminiscent of Christmas pudding – spice, dark plum, cherry and berry fruit. Hint of mint too. That lively spice and plum pudding interplay continues in the mouth. The palate is compact and cohesive rather than big, bold and full bodied. The oak counters the ripe fruit, providing backbone and staying power with an impressively long, dry finish.
Gentle nose of blue and black fruit with a brush of spice, dried herb, licorice and a haunting violet floral note. Those same elements can be found in the mouth: the ripe blue and black berry fruits, herb, licorice and spice. It is abundantly fruited but genteel, refined and velvety smooth –but also fresh and succulent. Nothing is overplayed, the palate is structured and integrated with seamless oaking contributing to the soft mouthfeel and texture and framing the fruit well. Rewarding lingering tail and elegant finish.
Cracked black pepper and herb aromas mingle with dark berry fruit compote on the nose. The palate is savoury with a succulence that is both refreshing and moreish. The silky mouthfeel is complemented by the ripe, dark fruit – blackberry and plum – along with a more savoury nuance of olive tapenade, spice and even a charcuterie/meatiness reminiscent of the Northern Rhône. Structured, firm body with integrated tannin demonstrating that the oak is in harmony with the fruit. It’s showing the impact of the prolonged drought in its tautness but will reward patience.
Intriguing blend of black fruit – ripe plum and black cherry – mingled with spice, fynbos, dried herb and olives can be found aromatically. Succulence is the first impression in the mouth – followed swiftly by what the nose promised: the dark, ripe plum flavour, dried herbs, black olive and fynbos along with spice and a creamy, buttery mouthfeel. Gentle hint of earthy cocoa powder too. Superbly balanced, rounded and poised with the fruit in harmony with acid, as well as the oak it has matured in. There’s a sense of leashed power, refinement and elegance to this wine, as if it has yet to reach its best expression. Long, rewarding tail. Will compensate patience if well cellared, as befits the exceptional 2021 vintage.
Delicate raspberry and red cherry aromas with earthy, forest floor and gentle spice notes. That same sprightly lightness is found in the mouth: gentle, juicy and delicately spicy on entry – with cherry, plum and raspberry vibrance. Bright, fresh and vigorous with some more intense earthy, forest floor and leafy nuances which lend dimension and depth. It is seamless, supple and pliable with an ethereality that is enticing – but there is backbone and power too. Effortlessly integrated, it is focussed but impressively long on the finish and delivers heaps of flavour and interest.
Appealing fruitcake aromas and flavours with traces of both spice and gentle floral notes. A warm, rounded, comforting texture marks the first impression of the wine in the mouth. Ripe, fruity and succulent with ample berry and black cherry flavours that are well supported by appropriate, rather than stern or overbearing, dominant oak. Spice and cedar nuances can also be found but it’s the mouthfeel and texture of the wine that really boosts its appeal. It’s approachable and affable but with good backbone and character. Length and poise too. Comfortably a wine that over delivers in many aspects.
