(2022) The Kaaimansgat, or 'Crocodile's Lair' cuvée is a stalwart of the Bouchard-Finlayson range, barrel-fermented and aged for eight months, but with only partial malolactic and no stirring of the lees, to create a more linear style. The nose is Chablis-like, focused on cool apple and lemon, a gentle background mealiness only. In the mouth its all about oranges and lemons, with lovely zip and freshness, again just a gentle biscuity, nutty hint in the background, and a fine finish on fruit and clear acidity. A lovely wine for the price.
(2021) Though weighing in with 14.5% alcohol, as always with Seven Springs' Syrah there is a European-style elegance here, with a lovely violet and old roses floral lift to the black fruit, touches of spice and cherry too. In the mouth the weight and density of the fruit and that alcohol becomes apparent - not overdone or obvious, but there's a certain sumptuous quality to this as well as firm, fine-grained tannins and pert acidity to balance.
(2021) Seven Springs rosé is 100% Syrah, and opens with strawberries and cream in abundance, a light herbal note and some floral, violet nuances. In the mouth there is more cream, both flavour and texture, with a light smokiness and plenty of pulp red fruit charm. A lovely sun-kissed rosé.
(2021) I've been following the fortunes of English-owned Seven Springs Vineyards for a decade now and their Sauvignon always impresses for its fruit-forward and balanced style, that avoids too much herbaceousness. this has aromas of very juicy peach and sweet orange, a hintnof tropicality, then a free-flowing and juicy palate, lots of nectarine ripeness, a nicely judged herbal streak to the citrus acidity, into a fine, dry and moreish finish.
(2019) All new oak for this vintage, but larger 500-litre barrels, gives toast and delicate orange blossom, natural ferment adding a little savoury umami grip. The palate floods with fruit and flavour, tangy and vivid, fine mealy texture and a long, delicious finish that is poised and cool.
(2019) A delicate oak treatment, whole bunch pressed prior to a barrel fermentation, then aged 11 months in barriques. No malolactic fermentation. At first not hugely expressive of Viognier, but more floral perfume begins to emerge with swirling, notes of peach and apricot. Very sweet fruit mid-palate, but it retains such lovely peach juice and lime acidity and is delicate and long. Note, stockist quoted at time of review is for an earlier vintage.
(2019) Around 40% whole clusters her, aged in 500-litre barrels, 40% new. Lovely spice and blackberry infusion, a little tobacco and smoke, spicy pepper, cherry and liquorice, some firm damson fruit. The palate has a cool fruit precision, lots of shimmering acid and taut, fine tannins support a big raft of black fruit. Long and pure, such tang and citrus-bright acidity.
(2019) The latest vintage of Seven Springs Pinot, which until the 2012 vintage was labelled as 'young vines', but now with more years under their belts that epithet is dropped. It pours a lovely pale- to medium garnet colour, and has a soft, briary character on the nose, a little curl of woodsmole and small red berry fruit. In the mouth there's plenty of edge to this, with firm tannins and a keen raspberry acidity, the medium-weight fruit and touch of background oak giving some mid-palate flesh. A fine, food-friendly Pinot from Seven Springs.
(2019) Always one of my favourites in the Seven Springs portfolio, 2014 has given an extra oomph of ripeness and chocolatey berry ripeness to this wine, lots of clove spice and menthol, an almost Porty-ripe character, and a lovely depth of black fruits. In the mouth it is powerful and mouth-filling, very firm and quite steely in terms of the acidity and tannin axis, the barrel ageing adding some smokiness and spice, and the fleshiness of the fruit nicely licked into shape by the structure. Another very good Syrah in a run of good Syrahs.
(2019) A perennial favourite of mine in the Seven Springs range, this feather-light 12.5% alcohol Chardonnay is both delicate and intense, the acidity drives this in a Chablis-like way, stripped down and fresh and yet not without a hint of creaminess, a hint of more tropical mango fruit in there somewhere. A brisk, yet gentle and aromatic Chardonnay.
