Halliday Wine Companion (97)

The price of this wine reflects the piercing brilliance of the bouquet and, in particular, the palate. There is some residual sugar, but the acidity totally obscures it. If you buy it, keep some bottles for a minimum of 10 years, allowing the treasure trove of secondary flavours to be liberated.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2015 Pouilly Fuisse en Bulands Vieilles Vignes comes from vines with similar terroir as the Les Crays but with a westerly orientation and older vines, around 83 years in age. It has a very harmonious bouquet, tender at first with white flower, honeysuckle and apricot blossom aromas that reveal their more mineral side with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, lively and tensile with a captivating sense of salinity on the long finish. This is one of the best 2015s from Barraud and comes highly recommended.

Wine Advocate (92)

Bottled in February 2021 (no, that isn't a typo), Defaix's 2009 Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet wafts from the glass with aromas of honeycomb, golden orchard fruit, apricot, spices and dried white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, broad and satiny, it's a lively, saline wine that concludes with a delicately nutty finish.

The Daniel Rion Chambolle Musigny Charmes 2015 is a distinguished fine wine crafted in the prestigious vineyards of Chambolle-Musigny, Bourgogne. Renowned producer Daniel Rion and his sons meticulously approached the vine-growing and wine-making process with deep-rooted respect for tradition and nature. Harvested in mid-September 2015, the grapes experienced ideal weather conditions, fostering the wine's finesse and charming characteristics.

The essence of handpicked Pinot Noir grapes, coupled with rigorous selection, meticulous vinification and maturation in French oak barrels for 18 months, contribute to its elegant bouquet. Evoking vibrant notes of blackberries, wild cherries, and a hint of rich chocolate underlined by soft tannins and balanced acidity, this wine is expressive of its terroir's unique charm. With a guarantee to age beautifully, Daniel Rion Chambolle Musigny Charmes 2015 is indeed a testament to the artistry of the Rion family and a timeless éclat of its vintage.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2019 Kröver Steffensberg Riesling Auslese (Gold Capsule) is clear, piquant and spicy on the coolish, earthy and darker-toned nose compared to both Goldgrube Auslesen. Cumquat and orange notes emerge after a while in the glass, indicating a certain percentage of perfect botrytis. The palate is round and intense yet weightless and very elegant, with a crystalline, beautifully seamless texture and salty-piquant and nervy mineral acidity. In fact, this is a great synthesis between the two sweet Goldgrube selections since it paints the finesse of the regular Wolfgrube with the intensity and richness of the gold-capsuled Auslese. 8.5% alcohol. Tasted from AP 06/20 in June 2020.

Matthew Jukes (18+)

The Fifty Finest Wines 2020 I tasted a large number of Californian wines this autumn and I found many of the wines (whites and reds) over-oaked, sweet, far too high in alcohol and generally out of balance. So, when successful wines put their hands up it was very encouraging. This amazing Cabernet had the very traits I associate with exceptionally expensive Californian red wines and yet, when I discovered its price, I couldn’t believe it. I far prefer this cuvée to the ‘Reserve’, which is £55. The key to this wine’s success is its balance. Every element is in perfect harmony. The fruit is pure and resonant, the tannins are classy and there is no weird-tasting oak whatsoever. Profound balance + a delicious flavour = a mention in the Finest Fifty

Matthew Jukes (18+)

The Fifty Finest Wines 2020 I tasted a large number of Californian wines this autumn and I found many of the wines (whites and reds) over-oaked, sweet, far too high in alcohol and generally out of balance. So, when successful wines put their hands up it was very encouraging. This amazing Cabernet had the very traits I associate with exceptionally expensive Californian red wines and yet, when I discovered its price, I couldn’t believe it. I far prefer this cuvée to the ‘Reserve’, which is £55. The key to this wine’s success is its balance. Every element is in perfect harmony. The fruit is pure and resonant, the tannins are classy and there is no weird-tasting oak whatsoever. Profound balance + a delicious flavour = a mention in the Finest Fifty

Wine Advocate (92)

The 2018 Pessimist is a barrel sample blend of 62% Petite Sirah, 19% Zinfandel, 17% Syrah and 2% Lagrein. It is expected to age for 11 months in 50% new French oak. Opaque ruby-purple, it offers up tar, chargrill, turned black earth and blackcurrants with wafts of blackcurrant bud, dark chocolate, smoked meats and crushed red cherries. The medium to full-bodied palate has lifted flavor layers, a firm, grainy frame and long, spicy, fresh finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

Also bottled the week before this tasting, the 2016 Soul of a Lion includes more Cabernet Sauvignon than the 2014 and 2015 and is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot. It’s an incredible achievement and has sensational notes of crème de cassis, graphite, violets, and lead pencil shavings. Made in a pure California, pedal-to-the-metal style, with full body and loads of fruit, it stays balanced, has ultra-fine tannins, and a layered, seamless style that just glides over the palate. Don’t think Paso Robles can make world-class Cabernet Sauvignon? Try this wine.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2017 Soul Of A Lion is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. It has a deep ruby-purple color and wonderfully unique expression, with scents of forest floor, underbrush, English breakfast tea, espresso, blackcurrant bud, dark chocolate and exotic flowers mingling over a core of perfectly ripe wild blackberries and Morello cherries, all complemented by a classy framing of new oak spices. The medium to full-bodied palate is slow to unfurl, with a frame like liquid silk and a very long finish that gives up layer after layer of nuanced flavors. Wow!

Wine Advocate (97+)

The 2018 Soul Of A Lion is an incredible Cabernet Sauvignon, made exclusively from free-run juice, blended with 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot and aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque ruby-purple in color, the nose opens slowly, segueing from graphite and tobacco leaves, to violets and blue fruit preserves, to cinnamon, potpourri and dark spices. The palate is seamless and cashmere-like, with expansive, pure, mineral-laced fruits enlivened by a burst of freshness that highlights the perfectly ripe fruit character this vintage. The finish is very long, offering violet perfume and iron tones that linger in the mouth. This is a gorgeous wine that combines unique personality with expert craftsmanship. It drinks well now but has all it needs for a long life in the cellar.

Wine Advocate (97+)

The 2019 Soul Of A Lion is a blend of free-run Cabernet Sauvignon (77%), Cabernet Franc (14%), and Petit Verdot (9%), aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque ruby in color, it offers aromatic contrast between dark, savory cherry fruit, chargrill and graphite, and top notes of green pepper and rose petals. The palate explodes with detailed flavors and its tannins are already resolved and chocolaty, with seamless acidity and exotic spicy layers emerging on the extended finish. Wow!

Vinous (92)

The 2017 Aristargos is a blend of several white varieties from 14 different vineyards that includes Marsanne for the first time. It is whole-bunch-pressed, with the Sémillon kept on its skins for a few days and then matured in 300-liter used barrels for 12 months. It has a vivacious bouquet of yellow plum, mirabelle and jasmine aromas, all wonderfully defined. The palate is well balanced with a waxy texture and notes of stone fruit, sesame, walnut and orange peel . A very subtle flor-like element lends tension on finish. Superb.

Vinous (91)

The 2018 Aristargos is a blend of 53% Chenin Blanc, 13% Clairette, 13% Sémillon with some skin contact, 10% Roussanne, 2% Marsanne and 9% Viognier, from a mixture of old and younger vines from across 14 vineyards, matured in neutral oak for 11 months. It has a complex bouquet of nectarine, desiccated orange peel, grilled hazelnuts and a touch of almond. The palate is fresh on the entry with a fine bead of acidity and quite neutral in style, offering subtle, fleeting glimpses of orange zest and a tang of sea salt, though I would like just a little more weight on the finish. Give this a couple of years in bottle.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

I did a double take when I realised this was the tenth vintage of Aristargos - 2010 seems like yesterday - but what a great and reliable wine it has become. Chenin-based with 50% Clairette, Semillon, Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Verdelho, it's wonderfully complex and layered, with pear, citrus and herbal notes, a hint of peach and a long, stony finish. 2021-27

Tim Atkin MW (93)

Seventeen vineyards, 25 pickings and no co-fermentation" says David Sadie of this tasty, complex cuvée of Chenin Blanc with 51% Roussanne, Semillon, Marsanne, Clairette, Viognier, Verdelho, Grenache Blanc and Colombard. Perfumed, focused and textured for a white with just 12.5% alcohol, it's waxy, subtle and nuanced, with citrus, apple and nectarine flavours and very little oak. 2021-26

Vinous (92+)

The 2016 Elpidios is a blend of red Rhône varieties, although with new vineyard plantings there is more Carignan. It includes 30% to 50% whole bunches and was matured in used French oak for 12 months, and another 12 months in bottle. It has a backward bouquet at first that opens with time, but it is very well defined, featuring blackberry, clove, bay leaf and white pepper, very understated in style but gaining clarity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, quite insistent in terms of grip, and possesses fine backbone courtesy of the Carignan on the slightly ferrous finish. Excellent.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

One of a trio of world-class single site Chenin Blancs from David and Nadie Sadie (no relation to Eben, by the way), this hails from a two-hectare vineyard that was planted in 1968 and is often picked late. Completing full malolactic - such is the acidity in the grapes - this is leesy, focused and taut, with some ferrous grip and a textured palate. 2021-29

Vinous (94)

The name of the maiden 2018 Plat’bos (“low bush”) indicates the kind of vines it comes from, lying in a vineyard adjacent to the Skaliekop on pure granite soils. It has a unapologetically silty, stony bouquet, very reserved and austere yet with an enthralling intensity that seems almost paradoxical. The palate is very well balanced. Perhaps one of the most concentrated of David and Nadia Sadie’s wines, it reveals a crescendo of flavors, with tangerine, citrus peel, stem ginger and a touch of rhubarb toward the persistent finish. This is another impressive Chenin from this producer.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

David & Nadia Sadie are now part of an elite group of South African Chenin Blanc producers, making world-class wines on a consistent basis. This is my favourite of their trio of single vineyard wines in 2019, sourced from a 3.9-hectare site on granite soils on the Paardeberg. Tight, taut and floral, with comparatively low alcohol, mouth-watering freshness, precision and acidity, notes of fennel, apple and gunflint and a lingering finish. A Cape Grand Cru. 2021-32

Tim Atkin MW (98)

One of the great whites of the southern hemisphere, not just of South Africa, this is the Montrachet of Chenin Blanc. Made with three different pickings from the top part of the Paardebosch farm, it has the concentration of its 40-year-old vines, mouth-watering acidity and pH, chiselled freshness and layers of rock salt, aromatic spices, pear and lemongrass.

Christian Eedes (96)

Grapes from a 1984 vineyard on iron-rich gravel situated in one of the more arid parts of the Swartland. 40% matured in concrete egg. A hint of reduction precedes dried herbs, white peach, citrus and melon while the palate has great purity, bright acidity and a pithy finish. Not without weight and texture despite an alcohol of just 12.5%.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Skaliekop is a shallow shale site on the Paardebosch farm that benefited from the addition of moisture-retaining mulch in 2019. Yeasty, leesy and broader than the other two single vineyard Sadie Chenins, this has notes of citrus peel and beeswax, plenty of weight and a stony finish. 2021-29

Christian Eedes (96)

This vineyard, on decomposed granite, is adjacent to Skaliekop but is slightly older having been in planted in 1981. Bewitching aromatics of flowers and herbs before pear, peach and citrus while the palate shows great focus and tension, electric acidity playing off against perfectly delineated fruit, the finish long and dry.

Vinous (92)

The 2018 Chenin Blanc comes from seven vineyards, the vines planted between 1962 and 1982 (and therefore eligible for the “Old Vine Project”). It has a lovely bouquet of apricot blossom, white peach, pine nuts and orange pith, the latter becoming more pronounced with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a smooth, rounded texture. This is a slightly richer Chenin Blanc from Sadie, yet still very well balanced. Nashi pear and clementine notes appear toward the elegant, almost understated finish. Top-class. Just 5,000 bottles.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

This is "just" the basic Chenin Blanc from David and Nadia Sadie, but it's better than most wineries' single vineyard releases. Made with fruit from seven sites, all of them old vines, it's a focused, linear, Paardeberg-dominated style with mealy, citrus flavours, some lanolin and piercing freshness. 2021-27

Tim Atkin MW (94)

This is "just" the basic Chenin Blanc from David and Nadia Sadie, but it's better than many people's top wine. Made with fruit from seven vineyards, four of them on decomposed granite, this is a classy, understated white with negligible oak, layered citrus and beeswax flavours, a hint of aniseed and stony grip. 2022-28

Vinous (92)

The 2018 Grenache includes 60% whole bunches and comes from two main sites, on iron and granite soils. It has a lovely, very pure bouquet of red cherries, crushed strawberry, pressed flowers and wild hedgerow, all extremely natural and well defined. The palate is fresh on the entry, offering plenty of crunchy fruit and oddly reminiscent of an artisan Beaujolais. The light but energetic, tensile finish has just enough dryness to encourage another sip. Very fine.