Superstars

Black cherries, earthy tones and hints of tanned leather. Soft, supple in texture with a ripe berries and savoury notes, juicy acidity, silky tannins. Dry, minerally, structured and very long finish . Gorgeous. Drinking window: now - 2028

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese

As seen in the movie 'Letters to Juliet' starring Amanda Seyfried, Gael García Bernal and Vanessa Redgrave. The Carpazo vineyard is the real deal!

Eric Guido, October 2022

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino La Casa has a vivid ruby colour. It shows no decline, with a remarkably fresh bouquet of dusty rose, wild strawberries, rosemary and hints of worn leather. There’s a pleasant inner sweetness that blends with its soft contours and ripe wild berry fruits to create a jovial and energetic character within. The tannins are still slightly grippy and drying, yet this maintains wonderful momentum, finishing with hints of liquorice and balsamic spice. There are many years of positive evolution in store here, yet there’s also no harm in enjoying the 2012 today. While not indicated on the label, La Casa is a high-elevation vineyard on the hill of Montosoli.

A very lovely expression of Carignan showing hints of spice and smokiness.  Notes of saline water, cassis and bitter cherry with layers of complex minerality. The palate is fresh, and elegant but intense with characters of black plum, dried cranberry notes and a long structured finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Wellington

ABV: 14.5%

Grape: Carignan

Food Match: Rack of roast lamb with all the trimmings

From Teliani’s more experimental ‘Winery 97’ project, this amber wine is a blend of four varieties that you can’t pronounce – luckily the rich dried fruit and nutty flavours and long dry refreshing finish are much easier to get your mouth around! Don't chill it, you'll just bring the tannins forward at the expense of the lovely flavours - serve cool, not cold!

Beautiful amber, golden coloured wine. Aromas of vanilla,tropical fruit, ripe stone fruit, with hints of orange zest and orange peel. On the palate, lovely dried fruit (apricot) flavours with nutty hints. The finish is fresh with soft, grippy tannins.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Khikhvi and Kisi

ABV: 12.5%

Food Pairing: Kakhuri N8 is a The wine pairs especially well with fish dishes and cheeses. Serve cool, not cold.

A blend of 4 Georgian indigenous grape varieties – Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Khikhvi and Kisi, harvested in Kakheti, east Georgia. Grapes are exclusively hand selected and only the highest quality, fully ripe grapes are used for production. The wine is made using old Kakhetian traditional winemaking method with skin contact. Fermentation on skins takes place for 7-10 days, once the fermentation is finished the grape skin remain with the wine for 6 months.

Read all about Penny's recent trip to the cradle of wine, Georgia in her blog here.

An extra degree of alcohol compared to it's younger sibling, and a bit richer too. Complex and ripe with a hint of carefully judged touch of new oak. Mineral soaked, thoroughly delicious and a properly serious red wine.

Country: Italy

Region: Valtellina, Lombardia

Grape: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13.5%

A wonderful village Chablis, quite fleshy fruit character, but still with the great Chablis saline minerality. Flinty, mineral and herbal notes. Apple peel and lemon.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 12.5%

A blend of several estate-owned plots, 25/30yo, planted to original rootstock, near the village of La Chapelle Vaupelteigne, due west of premier cru ‘Fourchaume.’ Soils are chalky and stony, textbook Chablis terroir. Hand-harvested. Pressed full-cluster and fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks. Aged also in tank (no barrel ageing). Bottled un-fined and unfiltered.

Made only from a selection of the best grapes from organic vineyards. A rich and complex Rioja with a true sense of place; a serious and sophisticated wine that ages fantastically.

Country: Spain 

Region: Rioja Alavesa

Grapes: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Maturana, Graciano andMerlot

ABV: 14%

Special Limited parcel wine from talented young South African winemaker Izele Van Blerk. Drinking window 2024- 2035. Only 1000 bottles made!

Full-bodied, masculine and explosive with aromas of strawberries, red cherries and raspberries with hints of tobacco. The palate is focussed and precise with undertones of cloves, dried fig and leather. The grippy tannin structure and zippy acidity is well integrated and delivers an intense, bold, concentrated and long finish. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Wellington

Grapes: Tempranillo

ABV: 14.5%

Food Match: Enjoy on its own or with rack of lamb, barbecue grilled-meats.

Porseleinberg is the result of Marc Kent’s search for the best Syrah grapes, a journey that inevitably took him to the Swartland. It was here that Kent found an isolated and windswept wine farm perched atop the Porseleinberg mountain. The site is now recognised as one of the greatest Syrah vineyards in the world.

Country: South Africa

Region: Swartland

ABV: 13.9%

Grape: Syrah

Organic

Tim Atkin MW  

Porseleinberg Syrah 2022

99 points

Produced in the teeth of what Callie Louw calls a "crazy year", with lots of winter rain and one of the hottest Januarys ever, this is the latest in a series of world-class Syrahs from the brilliant Callie Louw. Fermented and aged in foudres and 15% concrete, using the submerged cap technique that has transformed the style here, this has 95% whole bunches, fynbos and Mediterranean herb aromas, sculpted, detailed tannins and layers of plum, blackberry and raspberry and impressive freshness for a wine with a pH of 4.1. A refined wine from a brutal site.

Drinking 2025-40

A nose of raspberry, cranberry, black liquorice, and exotic tea notes. The palate has red cherry, plum, and boysenberry, subtle hints of espresso and cocoa nib underpin notes
of spice and toast. Firm yet integrated tannins and bright acidity drives a long finish.

Country: USA

Region: Sonoma County, California

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Intense nose, full of beautiful ripe fruit. Bold, mature and elegant, with excellent tannin structure and length. Very complex.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Grapes: Merlot: 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon: 17%, Cabernet Franc: 16%, Petit Verdot: 7%

ABV: 14.5%

Food match: Game meat and wild mushrooms

Light, delicate and floral with notes of crushed wild strawberries. Delicious! 

Country: Germany

Region: Pfalz

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 12.5%

Intense, long, persistent, floral, fruity, with a warming sensation on the palate. Soft, elegant, and concentrated. Very typical of Timorasso, mineral with notes of chamomile, ripe yellow plums, and toasted almond in the finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmonte, Colli Tortonesi,  Sarezzano

Grapes: Timorasso

ABV: 14% 

Food Match: Poultry, seafood, soft cheeses, and grilled vegetables.

Bright ruby red in colour. The nose is brimming with cranberry and raspberry fruit character, along with hints of game meat and smokiness. On the palate it is balanced, elegant and savoury with a mineral finish. 

Country: Australia

Region: Tarrawarra, Yarra Valley

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Perfect with roast duck

A complex wine with lovely toasty notes and aromas of hazelnuts and savoury buttery characters. The palate has more lovely toasty complexity, hazelnuts and cooking apples. This wine is still fresh balanced with tight, nutty acidic structure and good length.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 14%

Vegan/ Vegetarian

Carema is high on the northern border of the alpine region Aosta in northern Piedmont. It is made of Nebbiolo grown on glacial soil in this high altitude region which creates powerful, perfumed wines with delicate fruit. 

Luigi Ferrando's Carema white label, the Nebbiolo is fermented in steel tanks with a 10 day maceration. The wine then spends 30 months in oak barrels. 

Elegant, spicy, fruity notes with fine  aromas of dried flowers and roses. On the palate it has a round, tannic mouthfeel with warmth and minerals on the finish. 

Country: Italy

Region: Alto Piedmont

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13.5%

Dry, clean and minerally with lemony cream richness. Perfectly balanced and poised.

Country: Germany

Region: Baden

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV:13%

Troken

Wonderful accompaniment to shellfish or Tuna steak.

Concentrated aromas of red berries, sweet liquorice, red berries, tobacco, forest floor and minerality. Rich and textured palate full of almond and smoky flavours. Complex, layered with mulberry and savoury, meaty notes with a long, dry finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Malgas, Swellendam, Western Cape

Grapes: Syrah , Touriga Nacional, Mourvédre, Trincadeira and Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14,5%

Food match: Grilled lamb chops, ratatouille

Sijnn is prounounced 'sen', or 'seine'

Certified IPW sustainable

David and Rita Trafford discovered the Sijnn land in Malgas in 2000. The soil and landscape reminded them of Portugal and they were immediately intrigued. A purchase agreement and 200 soil profiles later, 10 hectares were planted and the name Sijnn Wines was appropriated fittingly so as the word Sijnn; is derived from the Khoisan word meaning riverbank. Sijnn is on a plateau of slate and pebbles, about 15km from the southern oceans of Africa. A new winery was built at Malgas in time for the 2015 harvest. Most vineyards are on alluvial deposits on the Bokkeveld shale base – balancing intensity, structure and aromatic complexity and finesse. These very poor, complex soils encourage a deep root system, and low growth/ low yield giving intense, complex wines of character. “Low Profile” refers to 200+ profile holes dug to
determine the best sites to plant vines, and is a blend of earlier drinking vats.

Offering great enjoyment in its youth, especially once decanted for a couple of hours, but BOREAS has a long future ahead and will develop in complexity over the next 10-15+ years.

Complex aromas of redcurrant, plum and red cherry with cedar  and spice notes with a hint of pencil shaving. The predominance of Cabernet Franc gives a wine an elegance with lifted berry fruit and a supple, finely structured mid palate. Firm yet fine tannins frame the spicy, long finish.

Country : South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grape: Cabernet Franc 51%, Merlot 25%, Petit Verdot 14%

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Beef short rib, roast lamb or t-bone steak

Waterkloof Wine

'A serious, refined and age worthy Cabernet Franc-based South African red that is excellent value' - Jancis Robinson Feb 2024

Super star super Tuscan!

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon

Organic

Deep garnet  colour with flecks of pomegranate. Sweet strawberry, meaty and smokey tar aromas with black cherries and ripe wild berries. Full-bodied and concentrated with round and silky tannins. Juicy, long and savoury finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5 %

Food Match: Braised beef or venison dishes with a rich red wine sauce.

Undicicomuni" refers to the 11 (undici) communes (comuni) that make up the Barolo appellation, the Nebbiolo grapes for this wine come from across all 11 communes. Fermentation and maceration takes place for three weeks in stainless steel at a controlled temperature. Then there is 26 months of aging in large wooden casks followed by a further 6 months in concrete tanks.

Saperavi is often compared to Malbec, Cabernet Franc and even Gamay depending on how it is made. This is dark, juicy and fresh, dee black in colour, rich and full but finishes really freshly with a gentle grip. Delicious.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13%

Food Pairing:  Sausage caserole, a juicy burger and barbecued meats.

Read all about Penny's recent trip to the cradle of wine, Georgia in her blog here.

Double the fun with 1.5 litres of this silky red from Bordeaux! Concentrated cassis with a hint of liquorice. Bright and elegant Bordeaux red.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Haut Medoc

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

ABV: 12.5%

The nose is fragrant and full of ripe black fruit along with hints of cocoa, leather and liquorice. On the palate it is generous and full bodied, smooth yet firm tannin and a very long finish seasoned with sweet spice and toasty oak. This Cabernet expresses the distinct regional profile of Margaret River. 

Country: Australia

Region: Margaret River, Western Australia

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Food Match: Rump steak

Deliciously layered aromas of black cherry and raspberry lift out of the glass, followed by exotic spice notes and a dark, rich loamy quality. This wine is like satin in the mouth—so supple. It toes the line between ethereal and ponderous in the most delightful way.

Country: USA

Region: Chehalem Mountains, Oregon

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13%

This property has historical importance, being farmed by a pioneering family of the wine industry in the Uco Valley. The Italian José Zingaretti immigrated to Argentina at the beginning of the 20 th century, bringing along his knowledge of vine growing and winemaking from his homeland. He was one of the first settlers of Tupungato, which at the time was a remote and nearly inaccessible area. This wine comes from vines of more than 80 years old. Aged for 18 months in a combination of new, second and third use French oak barrels. 50% of the wine underwent full malolactic and 50% partial. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 400 cases made. Drinking beautifully now or hold for up to 6 years.

Stunning old-vine chardonnay shows beautiful density and concentration Precise with a round, creamy texture. It’s full- bodied, refined, soft and fluffy. Fresh and bright. Intense, yet subtle with notes of pear and cherry blossom. Wonderful white with unique character.

Country: Argentina

Region: Mendoza

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Chardonnay

After visiting Argentina in 1989, Californian trail-blazer Paul Hobbs became deeply interested in both the terroir and Argentine culture, noticing the unique potential for Malbec and other varietals in the region. After meeting two kindred spirits, Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud, they founded Viña Cobos in 1997 and since then there has been no looking back. Utilising gnarly old vines, careful vineyard selection, very low yields and an unerring empathy for the raw materials, Viña Cobos craft intense yet balanced wines that showcase the elegance and beauty of this region. The wines from Cobos have branched into four different brands – Felino, Bramare appellation, Bramare Single Vineyard and the super premium Cobos. Binding all of the wines from Viña Cobos is the true identity of each variety and the unique terroir of Mendoza, truly world class wines from a world class producer.