Western Cape
Moya Meaker W.O. Elgin Pinot noir 2022
First impressions deliver a delightfully visceral bouquet of candied cherry and rose petals, contrasted with moodier elements of Shiitake mushrooms, dried leaves, cedar, and fresh potting soil. The palate offers vibrant sour cherry alongside sweeter pomegranate, wrapped up in fine, red plum skin tannins. Given time to warm in the glass, the wine reveals deeper elements of roasted plum, white pepper, and a hint of baking spice.
Alheit Vineyards Fire by Night 2023
"2023 This vintage really captures the beauty of the Paardeberg: clean air, mountain herbs,tight and pithy, sprung with coiled up energy, spring water purity, an impression finely etched in granite. The nose shows some lovely flinty reduction, green citrus, and thatch. The palate is high energy, high fidelity, pure and racy. The finish is bracing and long." - Winemaker's notes
Alheit Vineyards Hemelrand Vine Garden 2023.
"We had lovely moderate temperatures during the ripening season, punctuated by regular rain. The Chenin blanc in particular starting developing beautiful dry noblerot (botrytis) several days before picking. We always have some noble rot in Hemelrand, but the amount and the quality thereof in 2023 separates this vintage from all previous. The nose shows the classic stone fruit and exotic flavours that we expect from Vine Garden, but then there’s dried orange peel and apricot from the noble berries. The palate is full and quite powerful. The usual high acidity carries the whole wine to along, tapered finish." - The Winemaker's notes
Alheit Vineyards Hereafter Here 2023
"As with the 2022 wine, reasonably good yields meant that we had some old vineyard wine available to bolster the young vine fruit that this wine was created for. The wine is more subtle and more mellow in personality that previous vintages. It shows some yellow fruit and sweet herbs on the nose, quite pretty but not loud. The palate is savoury for a Chenin. It seems like a slow-moving deep-water swell of flavour that builds and falls in its own time. This wine will be a great companion at the dinner table." - Winemaker's notes
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Falkirk Grenache 2021
South African Mixed Case
BLANKbottle Engelesig 2021
BLANKbottle Pierre Le Cois 2021
"The X-factor - The PIERRE-LE-COIS-EFFECT as I call it. The guy and nowadays often, the girl in the bakkie. The eyes who look holistically at the big picture and apply knowledge and experience within the comfort of like minded wise minds - enabling the application of practices to guide these vines to the ultimate expression of themselves. Season upon season. " - Winemaker's notes
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
Alheit Vineyards Hereafter Here 2022
"Hereafter Here is Chris Alheit's biggest-production Chenin Blanc, made from five different sources in Stellenbosch and the Swartland. The vines are mostly younger, producing a wine that's comparatively immediate, with a nice interplay between peach an green apple fruit and impressive brightness for a 2022 release." - 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 “Retirement @ 65” 2022
"Retirement @ 65? Let's hope that's not in Pieter Walser's plans, so that he can go on making wines like this Darling assemblage of Cinsault with 44% Syrah. Fermented with around 50% whole bunches, this is "almost a field blend", with plum, bramble and red berry fruit, lots of zip and minerality and sinewy tannins." - 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
BLANKbottle Hinterhofkabuff 2022
"Sourced from the same grower as the Jan Niemand Riesling - this vineyard uses vertical shoot positioning - this has a little more weight, presence and concentration. Showing lots of extract and depth, it combines apple and lime flavours with a hint of peach and 5.27 grams of residual sugar." - Tim Atkin MW
BLANKbottle Empire 2021
