Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 15th edition of An Informed Opinion.
Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to find something to suit your mood (and pocket). Or even discover something NEW.
#AnInformedOpinionNo15
An Investable Wine
These are showstopper wines worthy of their price tag, and something to invest in.
| “When proprietor Mike Ratcliffe started the Vilafonte Winery project way back in the late 1990s, the vision was always to try and produce the best wines possible given the unique and ancient terroir the vineyards have been blessed with. No compromises, no cutting corners, simply the very best quality that they could put in a bottle. After the 2003 maiden releases, the quality and character of the wines was clear for all to see, and immediately, Mike and then partners Phil Freese and Zelma Long started to hold back large archive parcels of wine for ageing, to be released when the wines were nearing a more ideal drinking window. An incredibly expensive exercise, perhaps, but it was also the final validation of trust in their own quality product. The 2013 Series M was re-released in 2022, and a small allocation finally found its way to the UK’s shores. If you are too impatient to cellar the new 2020 releases yourself, then indulge yourself in the hedonist luxury of a well-cellared bottle of Vilafonte Series M 2013!” – Greg Sherwood MW. |
94+ Points – Greg Sherwood MW | 94 Points – Tim Atkin MW
“I have tasted every vintage of Vilafonte Series C and Series M since the maiden 2003 vintages were released commercially. The wines have always been cutting-edge and extremely impressive, but who could have imagined they would age as well as they have? This beautiful Series M wine is a blend of 45% Malbec, 34% Merlot, and 21% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 20 months in 17% new French oak barriques. This superb archive release is simply on fire, showing a mellow, harmonious texture, incredible freshness, purity of red and black berry fruit flavours, and minimal tertiary evolution. They always say that when in doubt, drink South Africa’s finest reds at 10 years old to enjoy both the wine’s last vestiges of youthful fruit opulence as well as its early tertiary complexity. But this 2013, from a cooler vintage with a wet Mediterranean-style winter and a dry summer, reveals beautifully fresh aromatics of freshly cut cedar, dried violets, and lavender perfume underpinned by earthy red currants, caramelised black plums and hints of sweet cherry tobacco. On the palate, the wine shows a seductively suave, fleshy, mineral-laden underbelly with layers of crushed gravel and graphite before sweet blackberry compote, pithy black cherry, cocoa powder, and an alluring Argentinean sapidity on the finish. This delicious Malbec-dominated wine is maturing with classical poise and has shed the oaky puppy fat of youth while retaining a mellow freshness and deserves to be cracked and enjoyed now, but there is certainly no hurry for multiple bottles in your cellar. Pedigree and precision always shine through in the end.”- Greg Sherwood MW.
A Mid-Week Wine
A wine to elevate any random Tuesday without breaking the bank.
“Was 2019 a good vintage for Burgundy? The best examples are very impressive – a small but brilliant vintage. Reduced yields may have meant limited production, particularly of the top white wines, and with demand as strong as ever, an ever-greater importance has started to weigh on the more modest wines like Bourgogne Aligoté and Bourgogne Chardonnay. The best examples are certainly becoming a lot more difficult to find and buy, but when you come across a stunner like the Domaine Fournillon, the message is unequivocal … stock up for the summer while you can!”- Greg Sherwood MW.
90 Points – Greg Sherwood MW
“This is a very impressive white offering from this domaine with a few years of extra bottle age allowing this wine to really shine. The nose is delectably complex with attractive notes of white flowers, freshly baked baguette, melted butter, waxy lemon rind, and almond paste nuances. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully intense with concentrated layers of white peach, green pear, vanilla pod spice, white citrus, grilled nuts, and a stony liquid minerality on the long leesy finish that is further enlivened by fresh pithy acids. With Burgundy suffering continuously short crops and extremely high prices year after year, this modest Bourgogne Chardonnay punches well above its price weight. It offers a welcome respite for classical Chardonnay lovers. Charming, characterful, and thoroughly delicious. Drink now and over the next 1 to 2+ years.”- Greg Sherwood MW.
An Eclectic Wine
A story wine worthy of its salt, and your cellar.
“Almost everything Ian Naude does seems to be ground-breaking, whether it was championing Old Vine Cinsault, helping with the Cape revival of Old Vine Semillon, or redefining elegance and finesse in Provencal-style Grenache. So many producers follow in Ian’s footsteps that it sometimes becomes hard to even remember where all the excitement started. With Ian Naude’s maiden Old Vine Langpad Colombard 2020, South Africa witnessed the birth of the first boutique production Old Vine Certified heritage wine from this traditional ‘workhorse’ variety. The 2021 is another riveting example that continues in the footsteps of the maiden 2020 release.”– Greg Sherwood MW.
95 Points – Greg Sherwood MW | 90 Points – Decanter | 17 Points – Jancis Robinson MW | 5 Stars – Platter’s
“This second vintage of Naude’s Old Vine Colombard is certainly something very special. The aromatics are lifted and expressive with rich, intense notes of green apple pastille, white peaches, green pear, dried herbs, sea breeze, and a seductive rich seam of crushed stone minerality. On the palate, there is even more concentration and mouth-coating flavour intensity than maiden 2020, with enchanting layers of crunchy white peach, seductive hints of ripe guava, pear, green mango, and an underlying basaltic stony minerality that combines with a pronounced maritime rock salt character and a tangy, bright acid freshness. After over a year in bottle, the wine has shed the subtle rock candy and cream soda puppy fat hints and swopped these for additional layers of salinity, minerality, and mouth-watering fruit purity. Often regaled as reminding drinkers of premium Assyrtiko from Santorini, with time in bottle, the similarities simply become more and more pronounced. But whatever comparisons are made, this wine never loses its crystalline Cape West Coast maritime terroir nuances that help make it so distinct and so utterly delicious. Enjoy its complexity now or over the next 3 to 5+ years.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
