(2021) A blend here of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay, from a relatively young estate whose first vintage of this wine was 2007. It has 8.3g/l of sugar. Pale and peachy in colour, the nose is tight and mineral, with salts and small, underripe red berries as well as something gently herbal. The palate is sheer and elegant, taut with citrus and redcurrant, that stone, salty minerality pushing out the finish. Classy stuff.
(2019) Grenache, Pinot Noir and Cinsault mainly sourced from Swartland and Elgin. Aromatic with savoury leather and a touch of truffle and morel mushroom, lovely dark fruit and succulence, a touch of chocolate in the finish. Yes, the name means 'family murder', from a case of seriously mistaken scenario that made headlines in the local press, when Pieter 'buried' his young son in a freshly dug sandpit, but neighbouring children spotted and reported a 'crime scene' leading to a massive police response.
(2019) A blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Cinsault and Tinta Barocca from a 1962 vineyard. Beautiful liquorice-rich, dense but bright cherry fruitiness, touches of crimson brightness and then super-silky and smooth onto the palate, slick wth dark blue and red fruit; the dark bittersweet tang of damson and blueberry edged with cherry. A raft of dry tannin, the acid adding extra tension into a long, very pure finish, a touch of rhubarb and beetroot to add a grounding earthiness. Stockist quoted at time of review is for an earlier vintage.
(2019) Chenin and Viognier is the blend. Lovely, racy, mineral and fruit-skin and chalky aromas, and a touch of tobacco and light spice. In the mouth it has spicy, very fresh lemon and crunchy apple fruit, it is also long with a tangy grapefruit and salt finish that is hugely appealing.
(2016) I really liked this wine when tasted nine months ago on my visit to Chile, but tasting again in the UK it showed possibly even better. From the same wild, rugged coastal Aconcagua vineyards as Errazuriz's icon 'Pizzaras' Chardonnay, one of South America's greatest white wines (but made in only tiny quantities and at three times the price), this sees 10 months in older barrels, and has a toasted oatmeal richness with wheaty touches, a little honey, the fruit subtle with apple and citrus. The palate has delicious ripeness and sweet mid-palate fruit, but finishes with lovely clarity and just a hint of mineral saltiness.
(2016) From Bio Bio and volcanic soils known in Chile as Trumao – red clay. From a foggy spot. Very nice Pinot nose, with a lovely truffle and mushroom character, a certain smokiness, a beetrooty note and delicious ripe plum fruit. Silky palate, so much sweet fruit, sappy, earthy, lovely subtle spice. Long too. A great Chilean pinot, with velvety tannins.
(2016) Maipo fruit. Colluvial material from the volcanos. A minty, eucalypt nose, with a touch of smokiness and good black fruit, dark berries. The palate has a great juicy concentration of cassis, with a tart plum and cherry skin acidity, and again the tannins are ripe and creamy-smooth. The structure is there, but it’s a tight framework of tannins and acids draped by that sweet black fruit and creamy oak.
(2016) A blend of 43% Grenache, 38% Petite Sirah, 17% Mourvedre. A really tight, glossy black fruit nose, some softer red berry notes adding brightness, a touch of nutty and smoky character, but the creamy and glossy sweet fruit dominates. The palate is filled with rich, thick black fruit, like biting into the flesh of a ripe black plum, that little bite of acidity and tannin from the skins, but the sweet-fleshed generosity is gorgeous.
(2016) Maule fruit, 15 months in oak. 70% Syrah and 30% Carignan from dry farmed vineyards. Named after a volcano on the border with Bolivia, which has the highest lake in Chile that is home to colonies of flamingos. A touch closed, but a deep and meaty fruit richness comes through with swirling, and a full, dry extract weight of fruit, quite dry and grippy, but with delicious fruitcake and prune ripeness.
(2011) A blend of 60% Syrah and Grenache, this 12.5% ABV wine comes from the foothills of the Montagne Saint Victoire. Pale peachy-pink, the aromas are very gentle and delicate, with a touch of rose-hip lift and soft, clean fruitiness. On the palate this has a fresh, pure character, the acidity well balanced and the delicate structure maintained into a nice long finish.
