A baby CdP, this 11+ year old was a bit tight upon opening, but unfurled like a beautiful rose with tangy spiced violet raspberries and that PEZ-like VERVE that went perfect with our homemade lamb meatballs with fresh naan. The medium weighted body with long floral finish with very poetic too :) — 2 years ago
Big fav of the 2nd phase wash state Syrah (100%)... linear yet deceptively poetic… Delicate spice in floral accents are like the Gilded Age of pure BlackBerry liquor. Opened up and became even more expressive the second day.  — 4 years ago
I bought this 2009 vintage in 2013 and opened it almost 10 years later. It is very smooth, with complex flavors that I can’t describe (forgive me, poetic writing is not my strength). The color has mellowed to an amber-red. Lovely. — a year ago
For a good time, bring this wine to your next blind tasting.
For us industry folk who took a certain exam earlier this year, this wine revealed 1) what a silly value South Africa is right now 2) how ignorant we Americans are generally about what’s happening there today (so scarred by pinotage are we).
In a blind tasting, some of us called this 100% Cab a warm vintage medoc (a touch of bret), some (🙋🏻♀️) called it Napa (eucalyptus!), others (also catching that mint/eucalyptus note) called it Coonawarra…. But all of us rated it highly. We noted the well-integrated oak, the intensity and complexity of flavors and aroma, balance of ripe fruit with fresh acidity, ripe firm tannins and a hint of green pepper,..
Lol. Turns out we had been waxing poetic about a $16 Cab from South Africa 🤯
To make us feel better, the founder of Glenelly estate estate in Stellenbosch is Bordeaux aristocracy (the nearly 100 year old Lady May was raised at Chateau Palmer and later served as GM of CdLalande). Even though this is the estate’s entry level wine, few corners were cut in making it (hand picked fruit, early picking to retain freshness, natural yeast fermentations, actual 12+ month aging in French oak) rarely seen at wines of this price point. Undeniably new world in flavor profile (rich, ripe, fruit forward, smooth—yes, there’s even a touch of RS in there but it’s deployed well), but raised by a French governess. Not everyone’s cup of tea for sure, but a really well made wine IMHO. — 2 years ago
The myths are real. A bottle, a label, a glass of burgundian juice. A wine with a bouquet so big, bold, complex yet so small and subtile. Elegance extravaganza. Suggestive and poetic and so beautiful at the moment. Maybe a little more matured than expected, Dont wait for it, drink it IF you ever get the chance. Turn the lights out knock yer self down — 5 years ago
@Lyle Fass HFS. This is a ridiculously good bottle of wine..beyond good..my wife called this poetic. This is a crazy Cote-Rotie, and doesn't fit my idea of what Cote-Rotie should be. Frankly, the comparison I would draw is Cayuse Cailloux or some other Rocks district Syrah...except done correctly: fantastic acidity, not reductive/bretty bordering on flawed, and 12.5% abv. Wow.
We savored this as long as we could, but from pop and pour, this btl lasted all of 2 hrs... — 3 years ago
Martin Sher
Fantastic! — 10 months ago