Raats MR de Compostella 2020
Never made with exactly the same blend in any two vintages, the 2020 is a classic Cape Bordeaux assemblage of 30% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 16% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot with a total production of only 1,000 x 6. The wine displays a real intensity in the glass with a ruby red rim and a red / black plum heart. The aromatics are vibrant and fabulously perfumed, bursting from the glass with expressive notes of red and black berry fruits, black currant, raspberry, red and black cherry, before notes of earthy blueberry emerge with suggestions of pressed violets, lavender, sweet sandalwood, star anise and graphite spice. On the palate, the vintage’s regal elegance emerges with exhilarating acids framing the plush opulent red and back berry fruits, saline cassis, tart red cherry and a blueberry confectionary generosity.
98/100 Greg Sherwood MW
Château Montaiguillon, Montagne Saint-Emilion 2020
Montaiguillon’s 2020 is another resounding success, continuing a string of excellent vintages at the estate. It is a deep ruby colour with notes of spiced plums, cassis and blackberries on the nose. There’s a savoury, graphite note woven through the juicy, sumptuous palate. Its rounded tannins are already integrated with the plump fruit, and the finish has a fresh, balanced length, the likes of which you’d expect from wines with much bigger price tags.
Meerlust Merlot 2022
Deep ruby red. Typical Merlot notes of black plum, dark cherry, dried herbs underpinned by mocha and tobacco. The palate is generous with juicy dark fruit, while still delicate on the finish, showing complex cherry tobacco flavours coupled with a fine acidity. This wine shows will age gracefully and will gain in complexity and suppleness of tannin for many years to come.
100% Merlot
Ageing potential
10 - 15 years, provided wine is stored in ideal cellar conditions.
In the cellar
This vintage is 100% Merlot. It is made up of a few individual parcels that are all fermented separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300 L barrels. After 6 months in barrel, the final components were selected and blended and put back to barrel for 12
months in 40% new French oak for further maturation before bottling.
Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2021
The Paul Sauer 2021 is the flagship Bordeaux Blend style red wine from Kanonkop.
The Blend - 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc and 14% Merlot
Deep ruby colour. On the nose, a classic, perfumed packed with cherries, cassis, cedar, cigar box, tea leaves and tomato paste, followed by a palate of cassis, cranberries, savoury plum and sweet vanilla. In the glass, a complex multi-layered, refined wine with a beautiful structure, balanced acidity, elegant, fine grained tannins and a long, persistent finish.
99/100 Greg Sherwood
Kanonkop Estate Prepare to Release Possibly One of Their Most Iconic Vintages Ever – Tasting the New Paul Sauer 2021…
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Paul Sauer is beautifully intense and utterly seductive, the aromatics pulling you in with their perfumed notes of incense, violets, black currant, saline oyster shell, black cherry, sweet cherry tobacco and graphite with subtle blueberry notes and a subtle kiss of sweet cedar and vanilla pod spice. The palate shows sprawling breadth and depth with a gentle picante spice together with a noticeably intense salinity and maritime, nori seaweed nuance before more bold flavours of black currant, mulberry, black cherry and blueberry coat the mouth. The fine silky tannins are deceptively taut and crisp with the fresh glassy acids adding to the wine’s obvious power, focus and superb intensity. So much wine in the glass, so much to assimilate! The 2021 Paul Sauer represents a true Cape Bordeaux blend masterclass once again from Abrie Beeslaar! Drink from 2025 to 2050+.
97/100 Tim Atkin
This is the last release that will be presented to the market by departing winemaker Abrie Beeslaar and he's going out on a high. Partnering Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, with ageing in new French oak, it's leafy, floral and refined, showing plenty of underlying structure, cassis and red berry fruit and sculpted tannins. Classy stuff. Drink from 2026-40
Glenelly Estate Reserve 2016 Jeroboam (3L)
Glenelly Estate Reserve 2015 is the signature red blend of Glenelly. It combines the rich and savoury character of the Syrah (pepper and spices) with Cabernet Sauvignon (blackberries, cherries and floral spices) and with touches of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The blend is different with every vintage.
Glenelly Estate Reserve 2015 is a Jeroboam, which is also known as a double Magnum, basically 4 standard bottles, 3 Litres in total.
Balnaves Cabernet – Merlot 2020
Meerlust Rubicon 2016 Magnum Gift Tin
The Meerlust Rubicon 2016 (Magnum) shows great charm and drinkability even at this early stage, no doubt a result of the high Merlot and Cabernet Franc composition. We were very cautious with regards to tannic structure as some of the later Cabs exhibited astringency which we wanted to minimise in the final blend. Wonderful exotic aromas of plum, sandalwood and perfume, still with a touch of creamy vanilla. The palate is medium bodied with a forward dark fruit flavour of cassis and mulberry followed by a lithe tannic structure fleshed out with juicy fruit. The impression is one of litheness and grace rather than over-arching power.
Blend Information
49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Constantia Glen THREE 2022
Constantia Glen THREE 2022 is youthful in appearance, this wine has a deep ruby hue. Beautiful concentration of dark fruit aromas on the nose with pronounced blackcurrant and ripe plum is complemented by a subtle touch of dried herbs and a hint of spice. There is a lovely savory complexity beyond the initial ripe fruit with lingering notes of white pepper, graphite, and cedar. The wine is rich and textured, with elegant, velvety, fine-grain tannins that grip the palate in a vibrant intensity of flavour. This wine is poised, elegant and with it’s inherent freshness, brings about a long, well-defined finish. While this wine comes across as tightly wound in its youth, it holds significant ageing potential
Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2022
Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2022
Clear ruby red. Compact nose, lots of ripe fruit, cherry and plum, behind some vanilla and dark chocolate. The palate is balanced and full, nice interplay between fruit and spice, ripe tannins and well-integrated acidity, a little black pepper on the finish.
92/100 - Falstaff
Genuine and decidedly vibrant, it shows notes of raspberries, currants, cherries, lime, mandarin peel, camphor, black cherries and chopped almonds. Full body, soft and enveloping in the sip, it closes harmonious and balanced with excellent progression. Drink now.
92/100 - Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com
DeMorgenzon Maestro Red 2017
DeMorgenzon Maestro Red 2017
TASTING NOTES
This wine has notes of cassis with rich, red fruit, dried herbs, perfume and plums
on the nose. The palate is soft and silky with integrated flavours of cigar box and
black fruit.
Decanter World Wine Awards 2020: Silver Medal
International Wine Challenge 2020: Silver Medal
Tim Atkin MW Special South Africa Report 2019: 92 points
Antinori Cont’Ugo Bolgheri 2022
The Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tasso Cont’Ugo 2022 is a 100% Merlot from Bolgheri, Tuscany, characterized by an intense ruby red color, vibrant red fruit aromas (cherry, raspberry), and notes of Mediterranean herbs. It offers a structured yet elegant,, and creamy palate with fine tannins and a long,, persistent finish.
Key Tasting Notes & Characteristics:
Appearance: Deep, intense ruby red, often with a violet center.
Nose: Intense, ripe red fruit, notably cherries, raspberries, and blackcurrant, complemented by
Mediterranean scrub, undergrowth, and subtle tobacco or chocolate hints.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied with a velvety texture. It combines polished fruitiness (black cherry, plum) with firm, "grippy" tannins resulting from the challenging 2022 growing season.
Finish: Long and persistent with a mix of fresh fruit and, in some notes,, toasty oak.
