A shy floral perfume lifts from the glass, layered ripe yet restrained notes of blueberry, plum, and spice. This interplay carries through onto the palate, where rich fruit compote flavours of black cherry, prune, and dark berries are balanced by a frame of creamy, gently spiced oak, seamlessly integrated. The texture is sleek and supple, with a smooth, silky mouthfeel that gives a sense of generosity without excess. Beneath this lies a quiet power and structure, lending shape and depth while remaining composed. Poised and harmonious, the wine shows both precision and depth, with the balance and structure to evolve over time.
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.
Gentle aromas of fruitcake, dark berries and warm spice rise from the glass, with subtle floral notes and a hint of cracked pepper adding complexity. The palate is supple and textured, echoing the nose with layers of rich berry fruit and gentle fruitcake spice. A lively thread of spice brings freshness and energy, while the velvety mouthfeel adds depth and generosity. Well-integrated oak quietly supports the fruit, creating balance and harmony without dominating. The wine finishes long and poised, with lingering notes of spice and dark fruit. Equally rewarding to enjoy now or to cellar for added complexity.
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.
Appealing aromas of cherry and raspberry fruit with a trace of bonfire and floral perfume. A wine that whispers seductively rather than shouts. The red fruits promised by the nose are delivered on the palate: maraschino cherry, ripe raspberry and rich fruitcake – all sprinkled with bold spice. A light peppery nuance can be found too, lending the mouthful a vibrance and appealing energy. The buoyant fruit is countered by a deeper, loamy, forest floor element that demonstrates the balance of opposites. The cohesion of light and dark, delicacy and elegance with sinewy power lends agility and wonderful texture and tension of opposites. The oak is so well-knit it’s almost unobtrusive, lending structure and texture. Overall, a complex, rewarding and deliciously persistent mouthful.
