Fine Wine

Grape growing is in essence a prolonged process of gambling with nature. No matter how good one gets at it, misfortune is sometimes unavoidable. Hamilton Russell estate suffered a devastating fire in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on January 11th, 2019, fanned by winds of up to 94 kilometres per hour. Their most important Pinot noir vineyards were directly in the path of the blaze. Although only around 10% of the crop was last completely to scorching of the canopies and bunches, they were forced to reject the majority of the Pinot Noir made from the remaining 90%, due to levels of smoke taint they were not comfortable with. This is a wine which for the first time ever, reflects the different personalities of the 3 Hemel-en-Aarde appellations in a single blend. Friends came together and the Hamilton Russels were able to purcashe good fruit from elsewhere in the valley. The elegant, softer, more open red fruit profile of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, combines with the lifted, darker blue fruit of the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge to create unusually complex fruit aromas, while the more muscular, structured, dark spice and tension of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley adds an additional layer of complexity to the wine. This is a wine of great personality and interest. 95 pts, Tim Atkin (September 2020) Made with 84% purchased fruit because of the fire in Hamilton Russell's own vineyards, this is a cuvée of the three Hemel-en-Aarde Valley sub-regions, and all the better for it. A one-off it may be, but it's less earthy and backward than the estate's normal style, combining fragrance elegance with racy red berry fruit, some clove spice, supporting tannins and stylish oak. 2021-29 4.5 stars, Platter's 2021 South African Wine Guide - "A first for HRV: as precaution to avoid smoke taint after wildfires, only 16% of estate grapes used in 2019; merger of the 3 Hemel-en-Aarfe appellations (WO Walker Bay) gives softer tannins & fruit weight than usual but a broad appeal & charming personality."

Superb Cornas from the brothers becoming known as masters of the region.

Tim Atkin, September 2019 - 95 pts "Part of the DeMorgenzon range since 2005, this superb Chenin comes from five very different sites on the farm. Rich and complete, it combines citrus, stone and tropical fruit notes with subtle reduction, a hint of orange zest, stony acidity and perfectly judged 22% new wood."

Massive points scorer with 95 points Decanter, 94 from Wine Advocate and 5stars from Livingstone-Learmonth, one of the best wines of the vintage. "Shiny, deep red robe. Beef stock, red meat airs circulate on the nose, with a tight aroma of raspberry and blackberry behind. It’s as tight as a drum. The palate is muscular, bears intense dark berry fruit, mulberry and loganberry, and really hits the line running. Impressive, delightful Cornas here. It has very good heart and profound length, is a winner. The balance and freshness are both on the money."

Mineral, saline aromas. Quite spicy. A little bit tropical, guava, passionfruit. Melon fruit, juicy, vibrant. Totally different. Very juicy. Textural. Plump but not fat. Bigger boned.

Truly ambitious, more like Savennieres. Classic 'Sommelier' wine - aching for food. Intense, complex, saline/mineral, nut & butter, apple & honey. Luxurious dinner wine.

Lebanon's Great Survivor. French heritage, famous for epic longevity. Eccentric and fascinating.

A dense deep red with our characteristic sweet/savoury/spicy blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tastings from the vats in the winter of 2013, revealed elegance and roundness with a spice-dominant palate, liquorice, clove, cinnamon with a warm coulis of red fruits. There are raspberries and blueberries on the palate, this is an elegant vintage, integrated and balanced with fine tannin. No sense of Cabernet Sauvignon here, a more Cinsault dominated vintage with softer red fruits. "Marvellously warm Mediterranean fruits on the nose, would be autumnal but for their vigorous presence, as rich and robust as expected on the palate, almost the essence of Lebanon in the glass with rich spice and cooling breezes, the dry herby fruit flows with energy over the palate before giving way to a finish that confirms the structure, fruit and tannins blending in exuberantly with intriguing hints of much more to come in the next decade." Steven Spurrier January 2020

Honeyed, cedar, orange peel with notes of spiced fruit, lemon marmalade and a lingering sweet finish. Heavenly!

A rare Tokaji from the renowned Disznoko estate. Rich, waxy, honied, buttery. Hugely compex, with layers of flavour that linger for minutes. Delicious on it's own, but also a beautiful match to balanced desserts or rich cheeses.

One of the stars of Coonawarra so famed for Cab, this beaut exemplifies the joy of the classic Merlot blend. Smells like evolved claret, leaf tea and earthy, then opens out with spice and hearty raisiny fruits all meat-friendly tannins. A real treat.

Jancisrobinson.com 17.5 "Judderingly rich and intense and dense. The very essence of Shiraz. Glowing dark fruit, velvet blueberries, black-pepper oil, concentrated ripeness with such a polish to the tannins that they're lustrous. As if he's distilled the soul of Barossa Shiraz and bottled it"

Always a charmer (and award-winner). Has shot to brilliance recently, in an interesting direction: so much 'terroir', smells like posh Chablis with seashell and wet stone, then opens out with Muersault-like punch plus a chalky-saline grip. Faultess.

Jancisrobinson.com 17.5 "The 2013 vintage won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy. Lower yield 40% less than 2013 and picked 17 days later... Very dark crimson. Silky and polished. Racy and really succulent. Treacle top note but overall it's not sweet. Great balance and length. Very bright fruit. Sinewy finish."

Matthew Jukes: "There is a magical detail to its scent to make for a wine of uncommon grandeur. It is not heavy or muscular, but agile, thrilling and devastatingly delicious. I urge you to track down every bottle you can.".

The undisputed apex of Australian family wine growers. Sixth generation, still pushing boundaries and delivering wonderful, characterful, eccentric wines of personality and place.

Parker 91+ "redolent of ripe peaches, pink grapefruit and honeydew melon with hints of allspice and lightly browned toast. Medium-bodied with a satiny texture, the palate provides a great intensity of stone fruit and savory flavors, finishing with plenty of energy"

Stephen George is an expert on Pinot Noir clones. He's been working with 25 different clones for the last 40 years, but it's just fruit from four favoured ones for the Estate wine: 57% from D5V12, 23% from Martini, 13% from 777, and 7% from MV6. This makes for a powerful Pinot Noir, with enticingly aromatic fruit perfectly supported by high quality French oak. A very fine wine indeed.

A blend of both estate fruit and some fruit purchased from their good friends and neighbours, this is designed as a medium bodied, juicy, earlier drinking style, but still with the silky texture and fine tannins typcial of the Ashton Hills estate.

Fresh, juicy Grenache, not overripe, and not too high in tannin either. Perfectly poised and drinking now.

Fresh, juicy Grenache, not overripe, and not too high in tannin either. Perfectly poised and drinking now.

Dom. Wachau is one of the most dynamic wineries in Austria. Behind the classic, crowd pleasing Federspiel and Smargd wines is the 'backstage' range including this delicious amphora Riesling, brain child of fully confessed wine geek Roman Horvath MW. After spontaneous fermentation in 300 litre amphorae, the wine then spends an addititional 5 months ageing on lees. The result is a complex wine with beeswax, tropical fruit, and sweet spice notes accompanied by fresh Riesling acidity.

Top level of Gruner Veltliner from the single vineyard of Achleiten, one of the most renowned terroir driven sites in the Wachau. The nose is vibrant, floral, peachy, and herbal. The wine is dense and concentrated, with a saline mineral streak throughout, and that hallmark white pepper Gruner finish.

Outstanding Santenay Blanc from the growers with the oldest vines in the appellation. "Caramelised citrus, toast, and savoury notes. Rich, but saline. Savoury length." AA, Feb 2021

Muscular, blond, featured in 007 films. Just like Daniel Craig.

60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier. Full bodied and powerful. Toasty, nutty and biscuity with light citrus notes and complex creamy mouthfeel. Excellent with smoked fish dishes.

La Grande Année is the embodiment of the carefully preserved traditional expertise of the Bollinger Champagne House. The wine is therefore exclusively vinified in small aged oak barrels. Champagne Bollinger has never abandoned this traditional craft method, which helps develop aromas of great finesse. After a prolonged ageing on its lees, even today every bottle of La Grande Année is riddled and disgorged by hand. To the eye: The delicate colour and golden hues are a sign of the wine’s maturity and reflective of Bollinger’s wine-making methods. To the nose: full and expressive. Apricot, almond and hazelnut, followed by notes of honey and cereals intertwining in a symphony of aromas. On the palate: exceptional texture and structure. Dense, silky with a long finish. Fresh and full with a delicious refined finish.

The house style at Deutz inclines towards the more elegant end of the spectrum as opposed to the rich and robust. Peach, apricot and lemon zest on the nose; biscuits and honey on the palate. A wine with great balance and poise.

This Brut Rosé is made almost exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes from the Montagne de Reims region, and from Premiers Crus and Grands Crus. Just 10% of Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs rounds out the blend. Seriously fruity.

Disgorged 06/05/2015. This Brut Rosé is made almost exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes from the Montagne de Reims region, and from Premiers Crus and Grands Crus. Just 10% of Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs rounds out the blend. Seriously fruity.