Taaibosch Highly Anticipated Crescendo 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend

Vieux Chateau Certan 2023

Last week, James Suckling released his Bordeaux 2023 in-bottle scores, and one Right Bank wine really stood out.

100 Points - James Suckling
“Perfect aromas of ripe, pristine blueberries, subtle black olives, raspberries, violets, minerals, lavender and sandalwood. The finesse, depth and grace are mesmerizing. It's medium-bodied with incredible energy and length. A masterpiece in subtly. Can't get better than this"

 

“The 2023 Vieux Château Certan is like a drug. Its exotic aromatics, deeply layered fruit and sublime textures are just captivating” - Antonio Galloni

 

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Vieux Chateau Certan sits among Bordeaux’s true elite, a Pomerol estate defined by quiet authority rather than noise. Owned by the Thienpont family, it draws extraordinary depth from its gravel and clay soils on the plateau. Old vines of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, meticulous farming and restrained winemaking combine to deliver wines of texture, perfume and longevity that rank among the region’s most consistent benchmarks year after year globally today.

The 2023 Bordeaux vintage rewards attention, offering classical balance after the power of 2022. Higher yields and later season rain preserved freshness, lower alcohols and terroir clarity. The best wines show ripe fruit framed by tension, saline detail and finesse, delivering charm now with the structure to age gracefully long-term.

Vieux Chateau Certan 2023 is a masterclass in Pomerol refinement, blending 82 percent Merlot with 18 percent Cabernet Franc. Aromatically, it is vivid and floral, with blueberries, violets, sandalwood and subtle savoury notes. The palate is medium-bodied yet deeply layered, combining energy, salinity and polished tannins. Harvested after the September rains, it shows calm power, precision and balance, delivering hidden depth now and remarkable ageing potential from 2030 onwards for decades to come.

Awarded a perfect 100 points by James Suckling in his in-bottle scores, it was one of only a handful of wines to achieve the top rating. We have collated a selection of the leading scorers in a comparative table of Right Bank releases, where Vieux Chateau Certan 2023 clearly stands out, offering markedly stronger value relative to its peers.

We have a parcel available at the release price of €220* In Bond per bottle, for cases of 6x75l OWC.

We’ve long adored this estate, and it comes strongly recommended if you missed this during the En Primeur releases.

 

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Vieux Chateau Certan 2023

€220* In Bond per bottle

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100 Points | James Suckling

Perfect aromas of ripe, pristine blueberries, subtle black olives, raspberries, violets, minerals, lavender and sandalwood. The finesse, depth and grace are mesmerizing. It's medium-bodied with incredible energy and length. A masterpiece in subtly. Can't get better than this. 82% merlot and 18% cabernet franc. Lovely to drink now, but it will age beautifully. Wait until 2030.

96-98 Points | Jeb Dunnuck

Not harvested until after the rains in the middle of September, the 2023 Vieux Château Certan is based on 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in roughly 60% new oak. It's another ripe, medium to full-bodied, aristocratic, beautifully textured Pomerol that has ample black cherry, mulberry, chocolate, and tobacco-like aromatics, medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, and ripe tannins, as well as a certain salinity on the finish. Checking in at 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.74, it should surpass the 2014 and is a beautiful, elegant, classic wine that every reader would love to have in their cellar.

96-98 Points | Vinous - Antonio Galloni

The 2023 Vieux Château Certan is like a drug. Its exotic aromatics, deeply layered fruit and sublime textures are just captivating. I tasted the 2023 from an assembled base blend and four core components. Every wine was nothing short of breathtaking. When I think of the archetypes of greatness in Bordeaux, VCC is one of them. The 2023 is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Like all producers, Alexandre and Guillaume were forced to decide whether to pick their Cabernets before or after the September rains. As it turned out, none of the lots picked before the rain made it into the Grand Vin. Only those picked later were deemed of high enough quality.

96 Points | Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux

Fresh floral heights to the aromatics, then dark berry fruits and a core of muscles of the palate, classically-weighted with grip and texture, white pepper spice and salted cracker salinity on the finish. Stretches out through the palate, feels gloriously old school, full of hidden depths and pleasures. 43hl/h yield, harvest September 18 through to 29. Youngest vines here are 1988, which helps give the complexity that is so celebrated at VCC.

94-96 Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley

The 2023 Vieux Château Certan bursts from the glass with demonstrative aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, violets mingled with notions of burning embers, iris, crushed mint and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and sensual, with a gourmand attack that segues into a layered, enveloping mid-palate, it's polished and perfumed, with a sweet core of fruit and a long, gently oak-inflected finish. This year's blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc checks in at 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.74.

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

 

View all wines from Vieux Chateau Certan

Robert Weil Monte Nostrum Riesling 2024

“Wilhelm Weil presented another flawless collection of spine-tingling and pure Rieslings that vividly embody the precise house style and the character of the vintage. Clarity, coolness and crystalline poise are the hallmarks of the 2024 Robert Weil wines, which reflect all the briskness, rigor and bracing freshness of their elevated sites” - Vinous, Anne Krebiehl MW

Robert Weil is one of the most revered names in German wine, a benchmark for what Riesling can achieve in the Rheingau. Founded in 1875 and still family-run, the estate’s vineyards rise steeply above the town of Kiedrich, planted exclusively to Riesling on phyllite soils that lend a distinct mineral clarity to the wines. Wilhelm Weil has spent decades perfecting a house style that combines richness and precision, producing wines of exceptional purity, elegance, and age-worthiness.

The Monte Nostrum cuvée, a relatively new addition to the estate’s portfolio, comes from the highest-elevation parcels of the famed Turmberg and Gräfenberg vineyards, sites that enjoy optimal drainage and cooling forest breezes.

The 2024 Monte Nostrum captures Robert Weil at its most precise, shaped by altitude, airflow and mica schist soils above Kiedrich. Heavy rainfall defined the season, yet slow, even ripening preserved tension and clarity. Sugar never outpaced physiological maturity, allowing modest alcohols and vivid acidity. Certified organic for the first time, the estate met the challenge with rigorous selection, patient harvesting and calm confidence in a demanding, cool climate year.

From the highest parcels of Turmberg and Gräfenberg, Monte Nostrum 2024 is taut, saline and uncompromisingly dry. Citrus, nettle and iodine notes lead into a focused, stony palate with grip and energy. Spontaneously fermented in wood and raised on lees, it delivers crystalline precision, mouthwatering length and quiet power. A Riesling of rigour and longevity, built for patient cellaring from organically farmed, elevated Rheingau vineyards with clarity, poise and precision.

For lovers of precision Riesling, this is a rare chance to secure one of the Rheingau’s most thrilling new cuvées: pure, crystalline, and unlike anything else in the region. Don’t miss it.

 

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Robert Weil Monte Nostrum Riesling 2024

€69.90* IB per bottle

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97 Points | James Suckling, Stuart Pigott

There’s just a hint of wood, but it is beautifully integrated with the Amalfi-lemon, white-currant and gooseberry fruit. Very pure and crystalline on the sleek and compact, medium-bodied palate. Beautiful as it already is, this will develop extremely well with a bit more time in the bottle. From organically grown grapes. Wild-fermented and matured sur lie in large neutral-oak casks. Vegan. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

96 Points | Wine Advocate, Stephan Reinhardt

From the highest plots above (not of) Turmberg and Gräfenberg and from the poorest soils, the 2024 Rheingau Riesling Trocken Monte Nostrum is a super focused, rigorous wine that opens with a deep, pure and stony, rather coolish and leafy bouquet of citrus fruits intermingled with notes of nettles, tomato leaves and iodine or sea breeze. Bone dry on the palate, this is a rich but pure and saline, very savory but elegant and straightforward, nicely grippy and energetic Riesling from the Kiedrich Wasseros. The finish is mouthwatering, still pure and vital. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in August 2025.

96 Points | Vinous, Anne Krebiehl MW

The 2024 Riesling Monte Nostrum is from the most elevated parcels of the estate, all along the forest edge across Graefenberg and Turmberg. This bears the original estate label from 1875. It fermented spontaneously in wood and the very slightest note of yeast still swings youthfully. This is followed by tangy citrus notes of lime, green tangerine and a touch of white grapefruit-tinged spiciness. The palate is a pure, clear soprano tone of Meyer lemon. The body is elongated, precise and wonderfully strait-laced, with a bracing but ripe freshness. This has crystalline poise and purity. It will be auctioned in March 2025 at the VDP Rheingau auction. (Bone-dry)

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

 

View all wines from Robert Weil. 

2023 Montrose

The first Bordeaux 2023 in-bottle scores are starting to land, and Montrose has opened with a perfect 100-point rating. If we were betting men, we’d expect other critics to follow with high scores. Speaking with the Bordelaise this morning, many simply replied “sold out yesterday” once the score was published.

We do still have a small parcel available, so if you missed Montrose during En Primeur, this is a rare chance to secure a case while it’s still possible.

 

100 Points - James Suckling
“A new benchmark for Montrose. Extremely aromatic and beautiful, with lavender, violets, pencil shavings and black currants on the nose. Complex and medium-bodied. The muscular structure and intensity are something else. The purity of fruit is dreamy. Marks a new era for Montrose. ”

 

97-100 Points - Wine Advocate, William Kelley
“The 2023 Montrose is another brilliant wine from an estate that's now routinely among Bordeaux's very best, year in, year out. It will be worth a special effort to seek out”

 

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James Suckling has now released his full 2023 Bordeaux report, and among a very small group of wines awarded a perfect 100 points sits Montrose, alongside names like Yquem, Petrus and Le Pin. It’s a clear signal that 2023 should not be overlooked, and that Montrose continues to operate firmly at the very top of Bordeaux.

The 2023 vintage is a return to classic Bordeaux proportions. Compared to the power and opulence of 2022, the best wines show greater restraint, freshness and definition. At Montrose, this plays perfectly to the estate’s strengths. The wine combines ripe, dark fruit with a dense, compact core, framed by firm yet refined tannins and a vivid line of natural acidity. Alcohol levels are lower than in 2022, lending poise, energy and a distinctly timeless feel.

Montrose has been on an extraordinary run over the past decade, and many would argue the estate is producing the finest wines in its history. The 2023 captures that confidence beautifully, delivering Saint-Estephe authority with precision and finesse rather than brute force. It is a wine built for long ageing, but one that already shows harmony and clarity.

We have a small parcel available at the release price of €140 In Bond per bottle. We tried to source more stock this morning, but many Bordeaux negociants replied with “sold out yesterday" when the score was published.

For collectors seeking classic structure, longevity and one of the benchmark wines of the 2023 vintage, Montrose 2023 is an unmissable addition to the cellar.

 

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Montrose 2023

€140* In Bond per bottle

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100 Points | James Suckling

A new benchmark for Montrose. Extremely aromatic and beautiful, with lavender, violets, pencil shavings and black currants on the nose. Complex and medium-bodied. The muscular structure and intensity are something else. The purity of fruit is dreamy. Marks a new era for Montrose. It is now made from only 45 hectares of vineyards right in front of the chateau instead of about 60 hectares before. From organically grown grapes. 75% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. Best after 2030.

97-100 Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley

The 2023 Montrose is another brilliant wine from an estate that's now routinely among Bordeaux's very best, year in, year out. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, derived exclusively from the estate's historic core on the fourth terrace situated just in front of the château itself, it unwinds in the glass with aromas of cassis and wild berries mingled with notions of lilac, violet and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, deep and layered, with a textural attack that segues into a dense, multidimensional mid-palate framed by beautifully ripe tannins and lively acids, it concludes with a long, resonant finish. It will be worth a special effort to seek out.

97-100 Points | Jeb Dunnuck

Made from a strict selection of only the best terroirs (terrace 4) around the estate and the oldest vines, the 2023 Château Montrose is a more Cabernet Sauvignon-driven wine than normal and is based on 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc that will see 18 months in 60% new French oak. The result is a more plush, deep, opulent wine that has classic Montrose darker, almost blue fruits, violets, chocolate, and damp earth-like aromas and flavors. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and expansive on the palate, it has more richness, breadth, and concentration than just about every other wine in the vintage. The 2023 hit 13.5% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.7. It has some similarities to the 2010 (or 2016?) and might end up being the wine of the vintage.

98 Points | Decanter, Georgina Hindle

So floral and aromatic, really inviting and welcoming on the nose, more aromatic than some. Smooth and intense, clearly concentrated but supple and bouncy, there’s movement to this, it’s not strict. So precise, and finessed, you can feel the edges of the fine tannins - well executed with a mineral grip underneath. You can tell there’s power here, it has muscles but sinew also. Quite demonstrative really - it’s flexing but keeps such a clear line of focus and cool blue fruit with graphite and liquorice too. Round and penetrating with an excellent weight and balance of acidity in the mouth while keeping harmony alongside a hint of sweet and just-ripe strawberries mostly with crunchy cranberry too. A lot to like here. Great effort, classy and comfortable - multi-faceted while still being so juicy and approachable. 60% new oak, ageing in barrels only for 18 months. 3.7pH. 13.6% press wine (300 barrels of press split into seven qualities). 35% grand vin in total, mainly from the old vines which is 45% of the vineyard but 35% of the crop. 48hl/ha yield.

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

 

View all wines and vintages of Montrose.

2022 Meerlust Rubicon - a valiat follow-up to the 2021

“The quality of the 2021 vintage will be remembered for a long time in the Cape but winemaker and cellar master Wim Truter certainly stepped up to the plate to craft an incredibly impressive 2022 Rubicon Cape Bordeaux Blend. There are few wine brands in the Cape more iconic than Meerlust Rubicon, thus magnifying the expectations and pressures on the estate to release a benchmark expression year after year”
- Greg Sherwood MW

 

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Meerlust, one of South Africa’s most historic estates, has been in the Myburgh family since 1756. Situated near Stellenbosch, just five kilometres from False Bay, its vineyards benefit from cooling maritime influences that shape its elegant, age-worthy wines. Meerlust pioneered Bordeaux-style blends in South Africa, with its flagship Rubicon first released in 1980. Crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, Rubicon reflects the estate’s balance of tradition and innovation, offering depth, complexity, and remarkable longevity.

Since taking the reins in 2020, Wim Truter has refined Meerlust with a forensic focus on site and soil, isolating each cultivar and parcel to understand exactly where it performs best, replanting where needed. Rubicon draws on four distinct estate terroirs, from granitic Compagniesdrift and diurnal river terraces to the rocky Quarry and clay-rich Lowlands, each contributing structure, freshness, precision and depth to the final blend.

Meerlust Rubicon 2022 is a confident, estate-driven expression shaped by a warm, dry Stellenbosch season. Drawn from the property’s four distinct terroirs, it blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot into a wine of depth and poise. Aromas of cedar, coffee bean, herbs and dark berries lead into a concentrated, structured palate.

In the glass, 2022 shows generous mid-palate richness balanced by fine, chalky tannins and graphite-laced freshness. The heat of the year brings breadth and ripe fruit, yet careful parcel selection preserves precision and elegance. Plush, savoury and composed, this is a serious Rubicon that will evolve gracefully, rewarding patient cellaring from 2026 onwards.

Coming in at €25.75* IB per bottle, this wine offers incredible value. If you’ve not tried it, we recommend giving it a go.

 

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Meerlust Rubicon 2022

€25.75* In Bond per bottle

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96 Points | Tim Atkin MW

Could Meerlust follow up on its spectacular 2021 Rubicon? The answer is not quite, but that's mostly a reflection of the hotter vintage. Sourced from the estate's four distinct terroirs, this is a very classy cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Coffee bean, cedarwood and fresh herb aromas segue into a palate that has good density and concentration, bramble, plum and dark berry fruit, a top note of graphite and nuanced tannins. 2026-35

95+ Points | Greg Sherwood MW

The 2022 Rubicon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (44%), Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc (12%) and Petit Verdot (4%). The deep broody blue black fruit aromatics retain an enticing brambly, savoury, mellow aromatic elegance showing violets, lavender and a freshly tilled earth complexity. The warmth and dryness of the 2022 vintage shows in the wine’s rich generous mid-palate, with a plush accessible breadth but also a supple, creamy, attractively sweet fruited glycerol palate weight. This 2022 has the sweet fruit concentration of 2020 combined with the structural precision and elegance of 2017 but with perhaps an extra intensity of minerality, chalky granitic spice and pure black fruit persistence. A delicious Rubicon expression. Drink from 2026 to 2045+.

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

 

View all wines from Meerlust

2023 Standish Wine: Lamella, Shubert Theorem & 'The Standish'

If there is one Australian winemaker worth your attention right now, it is Dan Standish. His wines are pure, layered and beautifully expressive, evolving steadily in the glass and rewarding patience. They are the kind of bottles that define an evening rather than accompany it. Let us introduce you to Standish and the remarkable character of the 2023 vintage.

 

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Standish Wine is one of Barossa’s most compelling modern stories, proving that site, restraint and absolute focus can elevate Shiraz to world-class status.

Founded by fifth-generation Barossan Dan Standish, the estate crafts tiny volumes from ancient vineyards, vinified with a consistent hand to reveal soil, elevation and season rather than excess. The result is Shiraz of purity, texture and quiet authority built for longevity and nuance above simple power and hype globally.

The 2023 growing season in Barossa was defined by cold, wet conditions and a notably late harvest, testing even the region’s most experienced hands. Winter and spring rainfall built healthy canopies and balanced yields, while a cooler, drier summer slowed ripening and extended hang time. Picking stretched into May for later sites, preserving natural acidity and aromatic lift, and imprinting the wines with freshness, detail, and a distinctly cool year signature.

The resulting 2023 wines are quietly brilliant, combining Barossa depth with finesse, clarity, and tension. Whole bunch use was carefully moderated, fermentations handled in smaller batches, and time in oak was reduced to maintain energy and precision. Across The Standish, Schubert’s Theorem, and Lamella, the wines feel layered yet restrained, offering perfume, saline drive, and finely etched tannins. They confirm Standish’s ability to translate challenging seasons into wines of poise and longevity.

The critics have been emphatic in their praise, with scores brushing perfection. The 2023 releases have received outstanding recognition, including 98 points from Wine Advocate and up to 99 points from James Suckling, underlining the precision, depth and consistency achieved in a challenging year. These are benchmark wines not just for the vintage, but for modern Barossa Shiraz more broadly.

Each wine expresses a distinct personality, which we explore below on an individual basis. To allow you to experience the full breadth of Standish’s sites and styles, the wines are available as single bottles, and we strongly recommend taking at least one of each. Full tasting notes and critic scores are included below for closer study and comparison.

 

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Erin Larkin of the Wine Advocate has released a video explaining the wines and vintage:

 

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Standish The Standish 2023

€97.50* In Bond per bottle

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One of the crown jewels within the Standish portfolio is the self-titled "The Standish" Shiraz. Sourced from the esteemed Greenock vineyard, this wine captivates with its opulence and concentration. Balanced with precision and a purity of fruit, it boasts an aromatic nose. It’s savoury, full-bodied, spicy, full-bodied and powerful but incredibly balanced. 

 

99 Points | James Suckling

This is all about perfume, with integrated blue and black fruit that shows polish and refinement, plus undertones of mulberry bush, cocoa, crushed stones, fresh herbs and violets. The palate is plush and rounded with no hard edges, showing a silken, creamy texture that flows across the palate for minutes, supported by almost melting tannins. In near perfect balance, with all the hallmarks of a cool-vintage syrah. Pretty, textural and aromatic. Excellent. Drink or hold.

97 Points | Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin

The 2023 The Standish Shiraz is the most "Barossan" of all the Standish cuvées. It exudes earthy brick dust tannins and layers sumac and exotic spices with roasted game and sweet marrow. There are notes of black cherry, dried rose petals, sandalwood, hung deli meat and licorice, all of it strapped to rails of grounded tannin. It's chewy, substantial and of the earth, in its way. The fruit is sourced from the Laycock family vineyard in Greenock, as always, and it expresses the red clay and loam soils there in its splay of tannic fortitude and density. This is very impressive. It is fresh yet meaty/rocky—both attractive qualities in Shiraz/Syrah. 14.9% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.

 

Standish Schubert Theorem 2023

€97.50* In Bond per bottle

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The Schubert Shiraz is sourced from the famed Roennfeldt Road vineyard. In the range, the Schubert is the darkest wine. The fruit is dark fruit such a black cherries and blackberries and the nose has plenty of mocha and dark chocolate. Overall, it’s very concentrated, and tannic but with a sophistication that is incredibly impressive. 

 

99 Points | James Suckling

Deeply scented and perfumed, with layered aromas of wild red berries, blueberries, blackberries, bitter chocolate, coffee, black cherries, graphite and licorice. The palate is textural and silken, in near perfect harmony with fine tannins and a rounded mouthfeel cut through by a fine line of acidity. The complexity and integration have built this wine to last for decades, while already offering immediate drinking pleasure from the cool vintage. Excellent. Drink or hold.

98 Points | Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin

The 2023 The Schubert Theorem Shiraz is a gorgeous wine. It is silky, inky, pure, black as the ace of spades and long through the finish. The use of concrete egg in the fermentation/maturation stages lends the wine a sense of purity and finesse. It supports a core of crystalline fruit that is wrapped in earthy, grainy tannin and woven together with threads of saline acidity. It has rose petals, detail and delicacy, power and precision. Standish performs somewhat like a Burgundian producer—he works with one grape (I suppose two, if you count the small inclusion of Viognier in the Relic) to express different vineyard sites, soil types and elevations. There's no "declassified" fruit in these wines, no flow-on opportunities to other cuvées, just "make or break" viticulture and winemaking. The ancient terroir of the Barossa is writ large in these wines. It is striking. This 2023 Schubert, despite the cool and wet conditions, is a testament to Standish's clarity of vision. 14.9% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.

 

Standish Lamella Shiraz 2023

€97.50* In Bond per bottle

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The Lamella Shiraz is sourced from the Eden Valley. This cool-climate region imparts distinctive characteristics to the wine, resulting in a captivating expression of Shiraz that is elegant, refined, and beautifully structured. The Lamella often has a savoury, bacon fatness that you often find in Cornas in the Rhone. Crushed rocks and Asian spice usually follow suit to round of this pure expression of Shiraz.

 

99 Points | James Suckling

There’s great balance of blue and black fruit, with undertones of licorice, minerals, potpourri, bresaola, bitter chocolate and cherry confit. The palate is firmly framed yet silken in texture, with length and body that carry the finish for minutes. Made from 100% whole-cluster fermentation, from vines planted in 1858. Spiced, perfumed and textural, with a firmly built structure that will live for decades yet is delicious now, showing all the hallmarks of a world-class syrah. Excellent. Drink or hold.

98+ Points | Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin

Following on from the perfect 2022 release, I find myself opening this wine with a fair bit of excitement. I called Dan Standish one day in early May 2023 (I think to ask my questions about the wines I was tasting), and he was in the vineyard up in Eden Valley, picking the Lamella fruit for this wine. 2023 was a wet, cool season, so much so that the fruit for this cuvée was picked in May. Still, aromatically, the 2023 Lamella Shiraz leads with sumac and orange peel, fresh raspberry, black cherry, licorice, petrichor, wet asphalt and river stones. Sandalwood and rose petals follow through the finish. This is velvety and grainy, supple and pliable. The tannins are dry and silky, and they perfectly balance the intensity of sweet/spicy fruit in the mouth. This wine is a clear example of why you must back a producer over a vintage, because a good producer will triumph no matter the conditions. 14.9% alcohol, sealed under natural cork and wax.

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

 

View all wines from Standish Wine.

Something very special from Napa to offer today. The Dalla Valle Maya is located at one of the top sites in Napa which overlooks one of the most expensive in the region, Screaming Eagle. 

Maya Dalla Valle was awarded Vinous's Winemaker of the Year 2025 and we're happy to be able to offer some beautiful wines from them, in 3x75cl OWC.

 

One thing to get clear first....

Winery name: Dalla Valle (surname of the family)
The top wine: is called Maya named after their daughter (pictured) 
Winemakers since the 2021 vintage and winner of Galloni's winemaker of the year is: Maya Dalla Valle

The previous vintages like 2018, 2019 & 2020 were made by Andy Erickson as consulting winemaker and Michel Rolland as consulting enologist. 

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100 Points - Wine Advocate

Simply a wonderful wine, the 2021 Maya oozes class, with deep, complex aromas of violets and cassis, earthy loam and hints of tobacco and mint. I[...]  Supremely elegant but concentrated, just reined in, restrained. She's the "perfect" girl, the one so special a younger me would be afraid to ask out. The current me is married, so... I'll just sit here and drink it in"

 

100 Points - Wine Advocate

As fans know, Maya comes from a very special section of the estate vineyard, situated in the valley's eastern foothills, below Pritchard Hill and in the above the Oakville floor, overlooking Screaming Eagle."

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Few Napa wines carry the mystique of Maya. Crafted at Dalla Valle Vineyards in Oakville, this iconic Cabernet blend is sourced from steep, iron-rich hillside vineyards overlooking the valley floor. Founded by Naoko Dalla Valle, the estate champions meticulous farming and precision winemaking. Maya marries power with finesse, delivering layered fruit, sculpted tannins and remarkable longevity, standing among Napa’s true benchmarks for collectors worldwide today.

Perched on the eastern hills of Oakville, Dalla Valle Vineyards sits just above and beside Screaming Eagle, sharing the same prized corridor of terroir. Steep, south-facing slopes, iron-rich volcanic soils and fractured rock give natural drainage and low vigour. Cooling afternoon breezes preserve freshness, while elevation delivers structure, intensity and unmistakable Napa power with precision.

Gustav and Naoko Dalla Valle acquired their Oakville hillside site in the early 1980s, a superb benchland vineyard at 400–500 feet in the Vaca Mountains’ foothills. The first Cabernet Sauvignon was released in 1986. In 1987, with the birth of their daughter Maya, they planted a new parcel that became the Maya vineyard, blending Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc. After Gustav’s death in 1995, Naoko carried the estate forward. The top vintages including 2018-2021 were made by Andy Erickson as consulting winemaker and Michel Rolland as consulting enologist.

Maya Dalla Valle’s (the daughter) path to the family estate was shaped by serious academic and practical grounding. She trained in viticulture and enology at Cornell, before completing advanced vineyard and winery management studies in Bordeaux. Harvest experience followed at Ornellaia and Masseto, Petrus, Château Latour and Bodegas Rolland. She returned to Dalla Valle in 2017, stepping into the role of winemaker in 2021.

In her first vintage (2021) Maya's wine earned a perfect 100-Point rating showing that the transition was in good hands. Galloni naming her as winemaker of the year, is an incredible achievement in such a short amount of time. 

These are not on the website as we have a sharp price, so hit reply if you'd like a case. Missing a vintage from your collection? I can also offer all vintages between 2018-2022 but figured you'd be after the double 100-Painted vintages of 2018, 2019 and 2021.

If you love Napa, these are wines to get on board with and you won't regret having in your collection.

 

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Interested in an allocation? Send us an email to [email protected]

 

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Dalla Valle Maya 2021 (3x75cl)

100 Points | Wine Advocate, Joe Czerwinski
Simply a wonderful wine, the 2021 Maya oozes class, with deep, complex aromas of violets and cassis, earthy loam and hints of tobacco and mint. It's just medium to full-bodied, cool, silky and finessed. Supremely elegant but concentrated, just reined in, restrained. She's the "perfect" girl, the one so special a younger me would be afraid to ask out. The current me is married, so... I'll just sit here and drink it in. Readers should drink it in too. All of it, from the upfront fruit to the lingering, savory finish. While approachable now, this wine should continue to drink well for two decades or more.

100 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Maya Proprietary Red Wine is a classic 60/40 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that spent 24 months in 80% new French oak. Ripe red, blue, and black fruit, graphite, liquid flowers, and a liquid rock-like minerality all shine in this quintessential, layered, regal, majestic 2021. It has awesome purity, full-bodied richness, flawlessly polished tannins, and a great finish. This is a legend in the making, and Napa Valley simply doesn’t get any better. It will take a solid decade for this to hit maturity, and it should have 30+ years of prime drinking thereafter.

98+ Points | Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Maya is young, but so promising. A wine of density and stature, the 2021 offers striking vertical depth, with bright acids and plenty of tannin. All the elements are so well balanced. Intense red fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, new leather and cedar all meld together, but it is the whole rather than the sum of parts that is most impressive here. A blast of vibrant fruit explodes through to the finish. Unforgettable.

 

Dalla Valle Maya 2019 (3x75cl)

100 Points | Wine Advocate, Lisa Perrotti-Brown
As fans know, Maya comes from a very special section of the estate vineyard, situated in the valley's eastern foothills, below Pritchard Hill and in the above the Oakville floor, overlooking Screaming Eagle. The blend is two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Maya slowly unfurls to reveal a firework display of redcurrant preserves, kirsch, boysenberries and wild blueberries, followed by iron ore, red roses, cardamom, fallen leaves and crushed rocks, with a waft of pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is stunningly graceful and refined, featuring exhilarating mineral sparks among the red and black fruits, finishing with so much brightness and energy. Breathtaking!

100 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
One of the finest wines in the vintage is the 2019 Maya Proprietary Red Wine, and red wine doesn’t get any better. The usual blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of blackcurrants, tobacco, dark chocolate, and crushed stone, which turns more floral, pretty, and complex with time in the glass. Full-bodied on the palate, it marries a rare sense of elegance and finesse with incredible intensity. It’s impossible to resist today yet merits at least 5-7 years of bottle age, and I have no doubt this beauty will still be enjoyable at age 50. Bravo!

98 Points | Antonio Galloni
The 2019 Maya is fabulous. I can't remember a young Maya with this much sheer immediacy and allure at this stage. The purity of the flavors is just remarkable. Bright red/purplish fruit, spice, blood orange, mocha and mint are some of notes that open over time. There is plenty of tannin, but it is nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. I would not be in any rush to open a bottle soon. In 2019, Maya is more finesse than power.

 

Dalla Valle Maya 2018 (3x75cl)

100 Points | Wine Advocate, Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The very deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Maya is shy and restrained to begin. With swirling, it begins to reveal beguiling notes of fragrant earth, lavender, garrigue and Sichuan pepper, giving way to a core of wild blueberries, boysenberries, black raspberries and black currants plus a hint of iron ore. The palate is full-bodied, revealing itself in slow-releasing layers of black and blue fruits with exhilarating earth and mineral sparks, framed by firm, beautifully ripe tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a persistent ferrous note. As cerebral as it is downright hedonic, this Maya is simply jaw-dropping.

100 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
A smaller production cuvée from a single parcel of the estate vineyard, the 2018 Maya Proprietary Red Wine is the normal 60/40 split of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. Incredibly perfumed with complex notes of blue fruits, flowers, loamy earth, graphite, and tobacco, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, polished, silky tannins, no hard edges, and a finish that won’t quit. While this is a rich, concentrated wine, it’s the complexity, elegance, and finesse that define this cuvée, which is going to benefit from just short-term cellaring and cruise for 2-3 decades.

98 Points | Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Maya is stratospheric. Inky, deep and wonderfully layered, Maya is off the charts. Inky red/purplish fruit, cedar, licorice, spice, tobacco and mocha are some of the many notes that grace the 2018. The wine is young, but exceptional and vivid. Maya is usually much more forbidding at this stage, this is an incredibly refined vintage. The purity and delineation of the flavors is unreal. Moreover, the 2018 is a wine of extreme pleasure.

 

2018 Pichon Baron - A Super Second of Bordeaux First Growth quality

There is real value to be found in Bordeaux right now, and opportunities like this do not come around often. We have secured a well-priced parcel of the Super Second Château Pichon Baron, a long-standing favourite of ours, sourced directly from Bordeaux and offered at a level that demands attention.

 

100 points - Wine Enthusiast
“This great estate in southern Pauillac, facing the Latour vineyard, is at the top of its game”

 

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Chateau Pichon Baron stands as one of Pauillac’s great benchmarks, a Super Second that increasingly brushes First Growth territory. Sitting opposite Latour and bordering Pichon Lalande on the Pauillac plateau, the estate’s deep gravel soils are ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon of real authority, delivering structure, depth and longevity with unmistakable Left Bank precision. Under AXA Millesimes and long-time technical director Jean-Rene Matignon, quality has risen relentlessly, cementing Pichon Baron’s elite status.

The 2018 vintage captures the estate at full stride. This is Pauillac turned up to volume, yet delivered with control and finesse. Dense Cabernet fruit, graphite, cigar box and dark cherry sit at the core, framed by ripe, polished tannins and lifted by freshness and subtle floral notes. The warmth of the year brings scale and richness, but balance and restraint keep everything finely judged. Powerful, confident and unapologetically ageworthy, this is a monumental Pichon Baron that will reward patience.

Critics agree. Wine Enthusiast awarded a perfect 100 points, with Decanter close behind at 99 points, while Galloni and Dunnuck both highlight its sophistication and long-term promise. It also ranks among Jean-Rene Matignon’s finest achievements before his retirement, marking the peak of a hugely successful era at the estate.

Opportunities like this are becoming rarer. We have secured a well-priced parcel direct from Bordeaux, now offered below original release levels, making this one of the most compelling Pauillac buys currently available.

For collectors seeking serious Cabernet, top-tier terroir and genuine long-term value, Pichon Baron 2018 is an easy decision for the cellar.

 

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Pichon Baron 2018

€129* In Bond per bottle

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100 Points | Wine Enthusiast, Roger Voss

This great estate in southern Pauillac, facing the Latour vineyard, is at the top of its game. In this release, the tannins are as impressive and dense as the black fruits. Together they form a harmonious ensemble, richly structured, concentrated from the many old vines in the blend, and very ageworthy. Drink from 2027

99 Points | Decanter, Yohan Castaing

Generous aromatics of dark berry fruit, caramel, and spice are clear indicators of a warm vintage, but there are also floral notes and no heaviness whatsoever. There is juicy, savoury substance on the palate, sustained by gossamer tannins of surprising delicacy, but lurking underneath is the power so characteristic of this vintage. A few years of cellaring will be needed for the terroir expression to hit its stride.

98 Points | The Wine Cellar Insider, Jeff Leve

Incredibly dark in color, the wine pops with Cuban cigar, cedar, herbs, tobacco leaf, red and black currants, forest floor and peppery spice box aromas. This could be the most concentrated, powerful vintage of Pichon Baron ever produced. The wine is very concentrated, full and deep. Yet, with all this depth of flavor, everything remains perfectly balanced. The tannins are ripe. Full-bodied and lush on the palate, with layers of sweet, ripe, dark red fruits in the finish, the wine really sticks with you. Jean-Rene Matignon feels this is his best vintage. I am not sure I agree. But if it is not, it is damn close to it! The wine blends 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot. Due to its immense power, this is the only vintage of Pichon Baron aged in 100% new oak, however, the oak is already fully integrated into the wine.

97+ Points | Jeb Dunnuck

A beautiful, majestic Pauillac that reminds me a little of the 2000, the 2018 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron checks in as 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot that was brought up in 80% new French oak. It shows the estate's more pure Cabernet, focused, elegant style yet offers full-bodied richness and serious depth of fruit as well as awesome notes of crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, and wet stone-like minerality. With building tannins, a fresh, focused texture, and a great finish, it's not for those looking for instant gratification, and I suspect it will need a solid decade or more of cellaring, but it will evolve for 50 years or more. It's a profound 2018.

97 points | Vinous - Antonio Galloni

Suave and sophisticated, the 2018 Pichon Baron is a real head-turner. Silky, polished tannins wrap around a core of inky dark red/purplish berry fruit. More than anything else, the 2018 impresses for its exceptional balance. All the elements are so impeccably balanced. That will make the 2018 easy to drink relatively early, although my preference would be to leave it in the cellar for the better part of the next decade. Rose petal, spice, blood orange and mint add brightness and perfume on the long, finely-knit finish.

96+ Points | Wine Advocate

The 2018 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot, aged for 18 months in barriques, 80% new and 20% one year old. Production of the grand vin represents 50% of the harvest this year. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose bursts from the glass with flamboyant scents of stewed black plums, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake, plus suggestions of Indian spices, unsmoked cigars, pencil shavings and espresso. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers impactful black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and spicy.

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

 

View all wines from Pichon Baron

2022 Sassicaia - Italy's most iconic wine

97+ Points - Wine Advocate
“The Tenuta San Guido 2022 Bolgheri Sassicaia reveals a beautiful fruit profile with fresh blackberry, tart cherry and Mediterranean tones of blue rosemary blooms and lavender sachet. I tasted this wine several times over the course of a few months, and it has already shown a happy evolution coming into slow focus like the faint colors that emerge from a Polaroid photograph."

97 Points – Decanter

“The wine is tightly coiled and concentrated. It feels almost cinched at the waist, with a fascinating tension between the weight of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry coulis fruit and the wine's verticality, as if it's trying to burst out”

 

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Sassicaia is one of the world’s most iconic wines, a Cabernet-based Super Tuscan with a proven track record for quality, longevity and elegance. The 2022 release follows the exceptional 2021 and had big shoes to fill, but it does so with remarkable poise.

Despite the hot, dry conditions of the vintage, the 2022 Sassicaia is anything but heavy. Sourced from hillside vineyards in Bolgheri and benefiting from the region’s cooling sea breezes and surrounding woodland, the wine retains exceptional freshness and balance. Clocking in at just 13.5% alcohol, it’s a chiselled, structured release defined by aromatic lift, energy and restraint.

Critics have praised the wine’s vibrant redcurrant fruit, wild herbs, sandalwood and Mediterranean florals, all wrapped in fine, savoury tannins. Tightly coiled for now but built for the long haul, the 2022 will require patience, but those who wait will be handsomely rewarded.

With 98 points from James Suckling and very respectable 97+ Points from Monica Larner, Audrey Frick and others, this vintage stands as a testament to Sassicaia’s resilience, refinement and continued mastery in Bolgheri.

The 2022 Sassicaia is a refined, structured release, praised for its aromatic lift and impressive tension. Despite a hot, dry year, the wine retains freshness and precision, with notes of redcurrant, herbs, sandalwood, and Mediterranean flora. Tightly wound but with immense promise, critics agree it will reward patience. With 97-98 points from leading voices, including James Suckling and Monica Larner, this vintage is a testament to Sassicaia’s resilience, elegance, and continued mastery in Bolgheri.

Stocks are extremely limited, and demand is usually high, especially without any tie-in requirements. A rare chance to secure Sassicaia at a sharp price. Don’t miss it.

The wine is available on the website – first-come, first-served.

 

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San Guido Sassicaia 2022

€220* In Bond per bottle

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98 Points | James Suckling

Plenty of red currant, cedar, iron and terra cotta aromas follow through to a medium to full body with graphite, sandalwood, red currants and fresh Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary. The tannins are chewy but polished in texture. This is a Sassicaia that needs three or four years of bottle age to come together and soften. A structured wine for the cellar. Try after 2029.

97+ Points | Wine Advocate, Monica Larner

The Tenuta San Guido 2022 Bolgheri Sassicaia reveals a beautiful fruit profile with fresh blackberry, tart cherry and Mediterranean tones of blue rosemary blooms and lavender sachet. I tasted this wine several times over the course of a few months, and it has already shown a happy evolution coming into slow focus like the faint colors that emerge from a Polaroid photograph. Indeed, the bouquet appeared more closed just a short while ago. The wine's strongest suit is its elegantly streamlined mouthfeel and its contained 13.5% alcohol content. These qualities add to the silky cleanness of the mouthfeel and the accessible freshness of this vintage. I am confident that this bottle will improve with time. It requires patience.

97+ Points | Jeb Dunnuck, Audrey Frick

The 2022 Sassicaia is a deeper, youthful magenta/red color with a slightly deeper aromatic profile of rosemary, gravelly earth, sage, mossy earth, and fresh black cherries. The palate has slightly broader shoulders but remains elegant. It has more plushness on the mid-palate, while its acidity shines through with the finish. It will need several years to shed its baby fat and show its full potential. Drink 2028-2058.

97 Points | Decanter, James Button

The wine is tightly coiled and concentrated. It feels almost cinched at the waist, with a fascinating tension between the weight of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry coulis fruit and the wine's verticality, as if it's trying to burst out. Lovely mid-palate sapidity is allied to fresh acidity and fine but dense tannins, making for a dark horse of a Sassicaia that isn't giving much away today but will greatly reward those who can cellar it for 12 years and more. ‘What is sure is that 2022 will need a lot of time, but will also have a long life,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta. A hot vintage, 2022 caused the team to work in the newly completed refrigerated warehouses in San Guido, even moving the sorting table inside. Shorter macerations and 23 rather than the more typical 24 or 25 months of ageing in wood helped to maximise the freshness.

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

 

View all wines from San Guido / Sassicaia

2023 Damascene Syrah 2023 - a hot vintage release:

98 Points - Tim Atkin MW
“This amazing Syrah used to have a 10% component from the Bottelary Hills, but is now a pure expression of the Karibib farm in the Polkadraai Hills, already the source of some of the Cape's best reds. Matured in large foudres to give the site maximum expression, it has aromas of lavender, rosemary and incense, effortless concentration, blackberry, liquorice and tapenade flavours and remarkable energy, vibrancy and focus.”

 

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We sat down for lunch with Jean Smit of Damascene last October to taste the 2023s and have been eagerly awaiting this allocation ever since. Damascene may feel like a recent arrival, but the confidence and clarity of the wines suggest a project already hitting its stride. These are serious, terroir-driven Cape wines that remain, for now, very sensibly priced. We strongly encourage South African wine fans to take note and get ahead of the curve.

Founded in 2017 by winemaker Jean Smit and David Curl, Damascene has quickly established itself as one of South Africa’s most exciting modern estates. The focus is firmly on cool-climate Syrah, Cabernet Franc and site-expressive Chenin Blanc, drawn from some of the Cape’s best vineyards. The style is one of precision and restraint, prioritising freshness, texture and transparency over sheer power. International attention has followed swiftly, culminating in Tim Atkin placing Damascene in his coveted ‘First Growth’ category in the 2023 South Africa report.

Jean Smit’s pedigree runs deep. His experience spans DuMOL in California, Stephane Ogier in Côte Rôtie, Larkmead and Rustenberg, before nearly a decade leading the winemaking at Boekenhoutskloof. That background shows clearly in the cellar.

Fermentations are natural, whole clusters are often used, and élevage takes place in large Austrian oak foudres and concrete tulip vats, followed by rest in concrete to harmonise the wines. A submerged cap approach, inspired by Jamet and also adopted at Porseleinberg, enhances purity, finesse and vineyard expression. Jean Smit highlights that his submerged cap is about as deep as his arm length.

When Tim Atkin MW released his South Africa 2025 report, one of the top wines of the report was Damascene Stellenbosch Syrah 2023, awarded 98 points, the same score as Eben Sadie’s Columella. When we tasted it last October, the wine showed striking purity, finely etched tannins and lifted floral aromas layered with oriental spice. Freshness and energy run through the core, a clear Damascene signature. It’s 75% whole cluster.

Damascene is sure to be a future icon in the making, so get in on allocations whilst they are available and reasonably priced!

Neal Martin summarised it nicely for us: “this is one of the best Syrahs you will find from Stellenbosch”

 

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Damascene Stellenbosch Syrah 2023

€41.50* inc NL VAT per bottle

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“If South Africa has a Grand Cru Syrah site, it is arguably Karibib, the main source of this superb red from Jean Smit”, wrote Tim Aktin on the 2021 vintage

 

98 Points | Tim Atkin MW

This amazing Syrah used to have a 10% component from the Bottelary Hills, but is now a pure expression of the Karibib farm in the Polkadraai Hills, already the source of some of the Cape's best reds. Matured in large foudres to give the site maximum expression, it has aromas of lavender, rosemary and incense, effortless concentration, blackberry, liquorice and tapenade flavours and remarkable energy, vibrancy and focus. 2027-35

95 Ponts | Vinous, Neal Martin

The 2023 Syrah Stellenbosch comes from the Karibib Vineyard. It was vinified with 75% whole clusters, with light pump-overs conducted twice a year without breaking the berries. This has a sophisticated, garrigue-scented bouquet that is very seductive, complex and beautifully defined, just like the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, allowing that garrigue note to blossom with aeration. Very poised and persistent through the finish, this is one of the best Syrahs you will find from Stellenbosch.

 

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“Damascene is a protagonist in South Africa's New Wave. The estate was founded in 2017 by winemaker Jean Smit and entrepreneur David Curl and is based in Elgin. It sources fruit from various sites in Stellenbosch, the Swartland, Cederberg and Franschhoek. The Syrahs and the Chenin Blancs are of special interest. Jean Smit runs a tight ship in a state-of-the art winery. He employs natural fermentation, whole-cluster fruit and aging in large oak foudre and concrete vats. The goal is to preserve varietal character and the identity of each vineyard site. These are extremely exciting wines. Watch this space.” 

- Wine Advocate, Monica Larner

 

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The lineup of Damascene we tasted last October.

 

 

*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.

View all wines from Damascene.