Showing all 9 results

• White Wine

  2020 Chardonnay, Lismore

  £3200

  Lismore Estate is based in Greyton within the Overberg region of the Western Cape of South Africa.  It’s here with the Sonderend mountains as a backdrop that winemaker & proprietor Samantha O’Keefe makes her fabulous wines.   ‘ I had a farm in Africa….’  The opening line of Karen Blixen’s classic memoir Out Of Africa comes to mind when you hear Samantha’s amazing story.  A native Californian, Berkeley educated, Sam realised her dream and bought a mountain in Africa.

  In December 2019 Samantha’s farm, home, cellar and just-opened wine cellar was all lost in a bush-fire. Samantha has proven herself to be one of the winemaking stars of South Africa and gaining respect from all around the world. The day this tragedy took place Samantha was receiving calls from winemakers all around the Cape, giving her some of their top grapes and asking her to make the wine in their cellars in order for her to continue making wine and not miss a harvest. A remarkable woman making remarkable wines.

  The 2020 Lismore Chardonnay is delicious in the glass.  The nose is a complex, expressive bouquet of citrus and tropical fruits layered with brioche, honey and walnut. The palate is carried through by a distinct minerality and crisp acidity through to a lingering citrus finish.

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• White Wine

  2020 ‘Church’ Chenin Blanc, Harry Hartman

  £3300

  Harry Hartman wines are new to these shores and we are delighted to be among the first to list these fabulous wines in the UK.  Made in tiny quantities these wines are going to be highly sought after very quickly!

  This 2020 Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc is magnificently textured and one of our favourite Chenins tried this year.

  In the glass, it has an inviting luminosity, somewhat steely and mineral, with a lemongrass pungency. Mellow notes of baked lemon, citrus blossom, and fresh thyme reins you in. A few moments of swirling in the glass give up a display of aromas: granny smith apples, apricots and greengage.  The palate is perky with a note of old-fashioned lemon drop candy. Ripe lemon and greengage indicate youth with a crackling acidity that suits its ebullient nature, trailed with hints of thyme and oregano. The salty acidity really gives this wine something rather special.

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• White Wine

  2023 Chardonnay, Ataraxia

  £3300

  This is a fabulous Chardonnay from South African winemaking star, Kevin Grant.  His wines are highly regarded for their minimalist, non-interventionist winemaking style.  This 2022 Chardonnay is a world-class South African barrel-fermented Chardonnay.

  In the glass, it is subtle yet intense, with hints of sun-warmed tropical fruits, gentle peach and vanilla. Fresh on entry with crisp acidity, subtle tropical notes and neatly integrated toasty oakiness.   A New World wine in provenance but Old World in stylistic leaning.

  Spontaneous and complete barrel fermentation and subsequent ageing in specially selected French oak barrels sourced exclusively from Burgundian coopers, comprised part of a gentle, minimalist, non-interventionist winemaking approach employed after the “bludgeoning” that occurred at the press. In this way, Ataraxia have crafted an astonishing and arrestingly authentic wine interpretation of a terroir ideally suited to Chardonnay.

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• White Wine

  2017 Chenin Blanc, Illimis

  £3500

  This is a worthy successor to the heralded 2016 vintage of this wine. Vibrant, textured with notes of spice and crunchy apple. Oatmeal and citrus flavours come to the fore leading to a poised and pure finish.

  Interesting fact:- The vineyard in cool-climate Elgin region of the Western Cape is 300m above sea level on bokkeveld shale soils. We say soil – more just vines growing out of huge chunks of rock!

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• White Wine

  2017 Riesling, Illimis

  £3500

  Typical Riesling character with delicate terpene and dried apricot aromas. Unconventional texture and breadth on the palate that is balanced by lively acidity.

  The vineyard for this young, bushvine Riesling is nestled on a south-facing slope next to a wetland in Darling. The cooler slope contributes to the lively acidity of this unconventional Riesling with distinctive floral aromas.

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• 

  DWWA

  White Wine

  2022 Chardonnay Banghoek Reserve, Delaire Graff

  £3600

  Delaire Graff is one of the leading wine estates in South Africa and is situated on the top of the Helshoogte Pass in the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation. It looks down on the Banghoek Valley, and the West and East facing sides of the majestic Simonsberg.

  Morné Vrey, the Estate’s Award-Winning Winemaker, has produced a seriously good wine with this 2020 Delaire Graff Chardonnay Banghoek Reserve.  In the glass it is buttery yellow with aromas of citrus, white fleshed peaches and smoked lime. The palate is rich and generous with flavours of sweet lemon, and stone fruit adding complexity.   Lots of intensity and appetising qualities.

  The grapes for this wine come from the high-altitude terraces located on the steep slopes of Botmaskop Mountain. These terraces are frequently cooled by Atlantic breezes thus the estate can count on impeccable grapes that carry the intensityof fruit that is the hallmark of Delaire Graff wines.

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• White Wine

  2018 Chardonnay ‘Clonal Selection’, Kershaw

  Rated 5.00 out of 5

  £4750

  An exceptional Chardonnay from the amazing cool-climate region of Elgin.  Restrained, mineral style focussed on elegance with a white fruit character, some oatmeal and some complexity gained from percipient applied wood.  Only 15982 bottles and 70 Magnums.

  The grapes come from eight to 10 small parcels of vineyards in several locations in the Elgin Valley. Elgin is the coolest wine region in South Africa and is situated on an inland, hexagonal-shaped plateau, at an altitude of 300 metres. The region is surrounded by mountains and lies just over six miles from the Atlantic Ocean, which brings occasional sea-borne mists. February is the hottest month of the year, with daytime temperatures peaking at 23°C and night-time temperatures dipping to 14°C. The benefit of this cooler climate is that the grape cluster stays connected to its roots for longer, so it develops complex characteristics and achieves physiological ripeness more gradually, resulting in lower sugar levels and consequently lower alcohol levels.

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• White Wine

  2018 Chardonnay ‘G.P.S Series’, Kershaw

  £4750

  Restraint, minerality, freshness of fruit and a chiselled edge reflect limestone’s soil properties. This 2018 reveals clean, bright aromas of lemon blossom, wet chalk and powdered stones. Penetrating intensity, animated acidity with a rich mid-palate weight; this wine has purity of fruit – orange peel, yellow cling peaches and grapefruit peel – with complexing oatmeal and lemon cream biscuits to crème fraiche textures and a long finish.   Only 2128 bottles were produced.

  The G.P.S. (Grape Positioning System) series is made from exciting small parcels of fruit selected from carefully chosen vineyards outside the Elgin Valley. The Chardonnay grapes come from a small parcel of vines which are grown as a single vineyard block in Lower Duivenhoks River district, in the Western Cape. The pure limestone soil is something of a rarity in the Western Cape; it is a soil in which Chardonnay flourishes and produces elegant, fresh wines. The Dijon clone CY95 vines thrive in this warm Mediterranean climate, which is tempered by the Atlantic Ocean and the nearby Duivenhoks River. The wide diurnal temperature ranges create a long hang time during which the grape cluster stays connected to its roots for longer, developing complex characteristics and achieving physiological ripeness more gradually, balanced by natural acidity.

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• White Wine

  2017 Syrah ‘G.P.S Series’, Kershaw

  £4750

  An outstanding Syrah and easily one of South Africas best examples.

  It is restrained, yet with intent and subtle power, wines from this vineyard are characterised by piercing black pepper flavours and powdery tannins complete with rich textures and a prodigious breadth of black-orientated fruit.  The 2017 shows a mid-ruby colour, a nose heady with aromas of black pepper, cinnamon stick, star anise and black cherry panna cotta.  Succulent in texture, this medium-bodied Syrah is voluminous with a core of juicy Morello cherries, liquorice and molasses complexed with gorse bush, baked plums, bay leaf and angostura bitters underpinned with fine grippy tannins and a long lush finish.  Only 1765 bottles were produced.

  The G.P.S. (Grape Positioning System) series is made from exciting small parcels of fruit selected from carefully chosen vineyards outside the Elgin Valley. The grapes for this wine come from the Klein River ward, which is one of the smallest wine wards in South Africa. Almost 20 years ago, the first Syrah vines were planted in an area that has traditionally been used for sheep and wheat farming. Three hectares were set aside for Syrah, on shale-derived Glenrosa soil. These soils are normally the hallmark of warmer areas, but these vines nestle against the Klein River Mountain range, which combined with the nearby Akkedis Valley, provide a portal through which the cool sea breezes from the Walker Bay penetrate, creating a mild meso-climate in summer.

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