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Champagne Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015 Magnum
"The 2015 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill shows off the savory side of the vintage to great effect. Hints of dried pear, sage, mint, dried flowers, lemon oil and chamomile open gradually in this mid-weight, lithe edition of Pol Roger's tête de cuvée. The 2015 unfolds nicely with time in the glass, but I wouldn't think of opening a bottle anytime soon. Readers will find a nervy Winston Churchill marked by notable freshness and vigor more than size. This is a fine effort in a vintage that has proven to be far trickier than most observers originally envisioned. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged September 2022." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Champagne Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015
"The 2015 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill shows off the savory side of the vintage to great effect. Hints of dried pear, sage, mint, dried flowers, lemon oil and chamomile open gradually in this mid-weight, lithe edition of Pol Roger's tête de cuvée. The 2015 unfolds nicely with time in the glass, but I wouldn't think of opening a bottle anytime soon. Readers will find a nervy Winston Churchill marked by notable freshness and vigor more than size. This is a fine effort in a vintage that has proven to be far trickier than most observers originally envisioned. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged September 2022." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Pinot Noir 2022
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Pinot Noir 2022, "Family Vineyards is an equal combination of north and south-facing sites and is correspondingly self-assured and well balanced. Fermented with 20% whole bunches and aged in 29% new oak, it has lovely weight and freshness, goji berry, pomegranate and wild strawberry flavours and precise, granular tannins." - Tim Atkin MW
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2018 Magnum
"Impressing from the first tilt of the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known, with a heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs. This combines the energy of the vintage with the dark balsamic-tinged fruits of Montalcino’s southern reaches, as zesty acidity maintains balance throughout, and flinty minerals saturate toward the close. It finishes long, savory and structured, yet its tannins are more rounded than anticipated, creating both a classic feel, but also leaving a mouthwatering sensation that tricks the taster back to the glass for more. Easily one of the top wines of the vintage, the 2018 is not to be missed." - Eric Guido
Damascene W.O. Stellenbosch Syrah 2022
"The 2022 Syrah from Karabib is 75% whole clusters matured for 11 months in 2,000-liter Austrian oak. This elegant nose of incense and pressed violets infuses the vivacious melange of black and blue fruit. The medium-bodied palate has fine structure, slightly chalky in texture, with real backbone and density, yet the elegance floods through on the black pepper and clove-infused finish. Very persistent in the mouth. Tuck bottles away for several years as this is a serious Syrah sculpted by its cooler microclimate." - Neal Martin, Vinous
Damascene W.O. Swartland Syrah 2022
"The 2022 Syrah from Swartland comes from mostly shale and schist soils, 25% on granite soils, using 75% whole cluster fruit (the shale using submerged cap during fermentation). Aged in 2,000-liter Austrian oak, this leans more towards red berries, with touches of flint and white pepper with a hint of garrigues coming through with aeration. The medium-bodied palate has finely sculpted tannins. There’s a lovely symmetry and focus here, a gentle but insistent grip with the whole bunches imparting irresistible peppery notes towards the finish. Superb." - Neal Martin, Vinous
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2022
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2022, "Blending three different components from both sides of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, this is a beautifully judged Chardonnay from a South African master of the variety. Voluptuous and textured, yet focused and energetic at the same time, it has struck match top notes, 22% new oak, citrus and vanilla spice flavours and a pithy, salty finish." - Tim Atkin MW
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2018
“Impressing from the first tilt of the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known, with a heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs. This combines the energy of the vintage with the dark balsamic-tinged fruits of Montalcino’s southern reaches, as zesty acidity maintains balance throughout, and flinty minerals saturate toward the close. It finishes long, savory and structured, yet its tannins are more rounded than anticipated, creating both a classic feel, but also leaving a mouthwatering sensation that tricks the taster back to the glass for more. Easily one of the top wines of the vintage, the 2018 is not to be missed.” – Eric Guido
BLANKbottle Pseudonym 2022
"The kind of wine that would appeal to red Burgundy drinkers looking for a few cheaper alternatives to their favourite tipple, this ethereal, delicate, layered Cinsault comes from a 73-year-old vineyard in Darling. Fermented with 70% whole bunches, it's a refined delight, all red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate flavours underpinned by the grip and slight austerity of decomposed granite soils." - Tim Atkin MW
J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Blanc Blanche 2019
"Another incredible white from this family is the 2019 Hermitage Blanc, a powerful, concentrated, and remarkably pure Hermitage that has laser-like focus as well as textbook Marsanne notes of quince, green almond, powdered rock, licorice, and spice. It’s still tight, focused, and inward at present, yet it reminds me of the 2018 with its purity and rare mix of power and elegance. It’s worth trying a bottle any time over the coming 3-5 years, but after that, I’d recommend waiting until after 2031. 98+" - Jeb Dunnuck
David & Nadia Chenin Blanc 2022
"This is the biggest production Chenin Blanc from David and Nadia Sadie, sourced from eight different old-vine parcels and now amounting to 16,000 bottles. Granite-based with other components on shale, clay and limestone, it's a nuanced, effortlessly balanced white with notes of aniseed, oatmeal, wet stone and pithy citrus and yellow apple fruit." - Tim Atkin MW
David & Nadia “Skaliekop” Chenin Blanc 2022
"Late picked from a parcel on shale and clay soils, Skaliekop is the richest and most exotic of David and Nadia Sadie's brilliant range of single vineyard Chenin Blancs. Showing some of the concentration of the 2022 vintage, it has layers of pear and stone fruit and the underlying freshness and minerality that are typical of the couple's wines." - Tim Atkin MW
David & Nadia Chenin Blanc 2022 Magnum
“This is the biggest production Chenin Blanc from David and Nadia Sadie, sourced from eight different old-vine parcels and now amounting to 16,000 bottles. Granite-based with other components on shale, clay and limestone, it’s a nuanced, effortlessly balanced white with notes of aniseed, oatmeal, wet stone and pithy citrus and yellow apple fruit.” – Tim Atkin MW
Bodegas y Viñedos Alion Ribera del Duero 2018 Magnum
"The 2018 Alión follows the path of the 2016: it is fresh and elegant and from a cooler (more Atlantic) vintage with more rain than the average and a relatively late harvest between September 28th and October 12th. They used 80% new barrels, with up to 10% made of American oak looking to (in their own words) give more sucrosity and sweetness to the wine, as it's a more vertical, tense and elegant expression of Alión. Part of the wine matured in concrete (something they started in 2016), and in 2021 they are experimenting with a 4,000-liter Rousseau foudre, as they want to keep working the texture and freshness. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has a pH of 3.8 and a mellow 4.6 grams of acidity, round and soft. The wine matured until it was bottled in June 2020. The truth is that the wine comes through as subtle, elegant and balanced, with very integrated oak and a nice texture. It's one of the finest vintages for Alión. 257,257 bottles, 7,005 magnums and some larger formats produced." - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
Alheit Vineyards Cartology 2022
"It was a vintage that gave you the chance to show what you were made of," says Chris Alheit of the "middling 2022 growing season". It certainly did. This is a brilliant cuvée of Chenin Blanc with 8% Semillon, sourced from ten different vineyards. Showing lots of energy from early picked grapes on granite soils, it has fennel, fynbos and lanolin aromas, citrus, green herb and wet stone flavours, and good ageing potential, despite the heat of the vintage." - Tim Atkin MW
BLANKbottle Orbitofrontal Cortex 2022
BLANKbottle Orbitofrontal Cortex 2022, "The barrels I like", is how Pieter Walser describes the selection process for this Chenin Blanc and Verdelho based blend with 46% Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and a soupçon of Viognier. Lightly skin fermented, it has top notes of wild flowers and wet stone, citrus, pear and grapefruit flavours and a finish that lingers on the palate. Delicious."- Tim Atkin MW
BLANKbottle My Koffer 2022
"One of two remarkable Cinsaults in the BLANKbottle line up, My Köffer comes from a parcel of river stones in Breedekloof, picked in three stages to maximise complexity. Bolder and broader than Pseudonym, it has impressive concentration and depth, savoury tannins, some clove and pepper spices and layers of plum, strawberry and black cherry. Delicious." Tim Atkin MW
Paolo Scavino Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata Riserva 2016
"This is a stunner. The Paolo Scavino 2016 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell'Annunziata is a beautifully balanced and memorable wine that will continue to delight for years to come. It is compact and silky in texture with abundant and very lively aromas of dark fruit and wild cherry. The Rocche dell'Annunziata vineyard is located in La Morra. This is a gorgeous wine that awards lots of emotion. Production is 6,800 bottles." - Monica Larne, The Wine Advocate
Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero 2018
"The 2018 Alión follows the path of the 2016: it is fresh and elegant and from a cooler (more Atlantic) vintage with more rain than the average and a relatively late harvest between September 28th and October 12th. They used 80% new barrels, with up to 10% made of American oak looking to (in their own words) give more sucrosity and sweetness to the wine, as it's a more vertical, tense and elegant expression of Alión. Part of the wine matured in concrete (something they started in 2016), and in 2021 they are experimenting with a 4,000-liter Rousseau foudre, as they want to keep working the texture and freshness. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has a pH of 3.8 and a mellow 4.6 grams of acidity, round and soft. The wine matured until it was bottled in June 2020. The truth is that the wine comes through as subtle, elegant and balanced, with very integrated oak and a nice texture. It's one of the finest vintages for Alión. 257,257 bottles, 7,005 magnums and some larger formats produced." - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
Domaine du Clos Naudin Foreau Vouvray Demi-Sec 2016
"The 2016 Demi-Sec is absolutely delectable and impeccably balanced. Tender and succulent at first, offering exotic mango-like fruit flavors, the naturally lithe acidity carries this wine through while the tropical fruit coats the mouth, leaving a heady fragrance. This is a wine to enjoy for its suave yet athletic frame." - Rebecca Gibb MW, The Wine Advocate
Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux Réserve 2018
"This cuvée has a residual sugar of 130 g/l, with an acidity of 4.5 g/l, and it was bottled just one month before tasting. Youthful purity on the nose, an aromatic profile which suggests finesse, with notes of white peach, freshly crushed pear and crisp white apple flesh. The palate carries a delicious intensity, showing the same pure and finessed style, as well as wonderful complexities redolent of vanilla, wild red fruits, mango and peach too. This is delicious. A pretty amazing wine with astonishing potential." -Chris Kissack, The Wine Doctor
Domaine du Clos Naudin Foreau Vouvray Moelleux 2017
"This cuvée, built on fruit concentrated by passerillage rather than botrytis, always registers a modest (for a moelleux cuvée) residual sugar, coming in at 60 g/l in this vintage. It feels mildly reticent, with some minerally citrus veins to the fore on the nose. This is countered by a charming and supple substance on the palate, filled with polished citrus fruits, white peach and peach stone, with a touch of quince. It feels so very elegant, tense and bright, with fabulous acidity. So long and correct in the finish." -Chris Kissack, The Wine Doctor
Antinori Solaia 2019
"The 2019 Solaia is fabulous. Deep and exquisitely layered, the 2019 is so expressive right out of the gate. Succulent dark cherry, plum, licorice, incense, pipe tobacco, chocolate and grilled herbs all take shape. Here, too, the aromatics are alluring. Cabernet Franc is bumped up a bit in the blend, and that works so well here. Solaia is often a bombastic, intense wine. The 2019 is incredibly refined and buttoned up. Readers will have to be patient. The 2019 Solaia is the sort of wine I would like to spend a whole evening with. Aging was 18 months in 100% new French oak." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Keermont Fleurfontein 2021
"Consistently among the Cape's sweet wine elite, this is an unusual blend of Sauvignon Blanc and 24% Roussanne. Naturally fermented in French and Hungarian oak, it has layers of passion fruit, pineapple and mango, intense 225 grams of residual sugar and a tangy, tartetatin finish. The volatile acidity is commendably low for the style." - Tim Atkin MW