This week’s roundup features some cracker new releases. The latest Sijnn White and Red from Tim Atkin’s Young Winemaker of the Year, Charla Bosman, have set a new standard of excellence, while the 2022 Storm Ridge Pinot Noir has just received Christian Eedes’ highest rating for SA Pinot! We’re offering a sublime small-batch sherry from Emilio Lustau and artisan winemaker José Luis González Obregón, and we only have a few bottles of Mullineux’s stellar 2021 Iron Kasteelsig Syrah left. Finally, start your autumn afternoons right with the Solemme Brut Nature de Solemme 2016 – a Blanc de Blanc beauty from Olivier Langlais.
Sijnn White 2022 & Red 2020
FROM R 370 PER BOTTLE
The Sijnn White 2022 continues to sit amongst the greatest Chenin-based blends in the country. It shows poise, detail and purity, with notes of yellow and white stone fruit, jasmine and crushed stone. The 96-point Sijnn Red 2020 remains as impressive as ever. ‘No one in South Africa makes a wine quite like this,’ says Tim Atkin MW. This four-way blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga and Tinta Amarela offers pure fruit with chewy tannins to end – ‘layered, complex and age-worthy‘, writes Atkin.
Storm Wines Ridge Pinot Noir 2022
R 760 PER BOTTLE
This 97-point banger from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge is ‘wonderfully energetic’, says Christian Eedes. It’s superb and one of the finest Hannes has produced. The fruit is sourced from a cool, elevated eastern slope, with low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale soils. The wine shows shy fruit, violets, dark cherry and brooding structure, promising decades of evolution ahead with ‘plenty of grip, backbone and intensity’, adds Tim Atkin.
Emilio Lustau Almacenista Amontillado del Puerto Obrégon 1/10 NV (500ml)
R 460 PER BOTTLE
José Luis González Obregón started as an almacenista in 1959 as a hobby, after retiring as cellarmaster at Capataz. Part of Lustau’s revolutionary project to highlight these craftsmen and their tiny production, he’s the artisan behind the Amontillado del Puerto Obrégon 1/10 NV (aged for 12 years). Amontillado is an aged Fino or Manzanilla sherry without the flor. It’s rich, complex and dry with notes of ginger, toasted almonds, orange peel and tea-like notes, with a fine acidity and super long-lasting finish. Serve at 13 – 14°C and pair it with artichokes, tapas, mature cheese, nuts, or olives.
Mullineux Iron Kasteelsig Syrah 2021
R 1,420 PER BOTTLE
Mullineux’s exceptional 2021 Iron Kasteelsig Syrah hails from organically farmed Malmesbury vineyards. It’s rich and meaty, showcasing floral complexity over a silky, broad-shouldered tannin structure. If ever you need proof that one can improve on excellence, look no further than the Mullineux team! This release is one of the best from the iron-based soils. ‘Immensely pleasing to drink,’ says Christian Eedes.
Solemme Brut Nature de Solemme 2016
R 999 PER BOTTLE
This 100% Chardonnay Champagne from Olivier Langlais is balanced and layered with notes of apple blossom, lemon and a wet stone minerality. It’s wonderfully creamy and citrussy on the palate, with a delicate, salty finish. Situated on La Petite Montagne, the small mountain of Reims, Olivier tends six hectares of organic vineyards on his family farm, which dates back to 1822. This area has steep slopes, chalky soils, and is home to some of the best 1er Cru vineyards in Champagne.
