1984  Cote Blonde 'La Garde'

Cote Blonde 'La Garde' 97 JG

1998  Dionneres, WA90

1998  

1999  

2001  La Landonne

2001  Cuvee Barberini

"The outstanding 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Barberini (a blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 20% Mourvedre aged 24 months in 40% small barrels and 60% neutral wood foudres) boasts an inky/ruby/purple color in addition to a big, sweet nose of creme de cassis, melted licorice, graphite, smoke, and truffles. Full-bodied, lush, and expansively flavored, with tremendous purity as well as density, this brilliant 2001 is already starting to strut its stuff." - 93pts WA

2004  

"**Two Stars** Deeply fruited, generously oaked and well-focused on varietal spice, the latest HDV bottling gets right to the richness that is inherent in the grape without making any sacrifice to excessive ripeness. It is big but supple and polished in feel, and it shows plentiful extract, yet its sense of refinement remains all the way to the end, its tannins notwithstanding. So neatly crafted, in fact, that it can be enjoyed soon with a juicy rack of lamb, it is a quite ageworthy wine with a future that is at least as attractive as its wholly compelling present. It need not be drunk any time soon." - 92pts Connoisseurs Guide (Tasted 11/2006)

2004  

2011  WA 99

This cuvée is a vineyard plot selection. The grapes come exclusively from the oldest plot within the renowned area of "Les Bessards", in the heart of the Hermitage hill. This wine is only produced during the very best years, the production is deliberately limited to 6,000 bottles (75 cl.) per year. 100% Syrah.

2011  Torroja Vi de Vila

50% Carinena, 50% Garnacha. Terroir al Limit is a partnership between super-star South African winemaker Eben Sadie and former chef Dominik Huber. Their go-to reference wine/estate is Domaine de la Romanee Conti and it’s apparent that their range of wines is modeled after the Burgundy tradition of village wines, 1er cru site wines, and Grand Cru single vineyard wines. Terroir al Limit is a true garage wine project focusing on old vines of garnatxa and carinena located primarily around the historic village of Torroja. The philosophy of the estate is to capture the character of the terroir by minimizing the effect of winemaking to minimal processing and natural handling of the grapes, enabling the individual sites to express themselves fully. The vines are farmed biodynamically although they are not certified.

2012  Chateauneuf-du-Pape

"I loved the 2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence, a serious wine from this solid, always charming vintage. Saddle leather, currants, garrigue, pepper, and ample spice notes flow to a full-bodied, opulent, concentrated wine that has terrific mid-palate depth. While it's relatively soft and forward on the attack, it has density as well as tannin. It's going to drink nicely for two decades." - 96pts Jeb Dunnuck

2013  Swartland

A.A. Badenhorst is the result of one family’s long-term love affair with wine. The estate is owned by cousins Adi and Hein Badenhorst - their grandfather was the farm manager of Groot Constantia for 46 years and their fathers grew up on the estate. A graduate of Elsenburg College in South Africa, Adi moved overseas to work harvests at Chateau Angelus, Alain Graillot and Wither Hills in New Zealand. He returned to South Africa and worked at Simonsig, Steenberg and Groote Post before his appointment as winemaker for Rustenberg, the highly regarded estate in Stellenbosch. The Swartland appellation of South Africa has become ground central for a small, but influential group of talented young winemakers who are establishing new boundaries for South African wines. A.A. Badenhorst is located in the Siebritskloof area of the Paardeberg mountain range in Swartland. In 2008, after working with Rustenberg for nine years, Hein and Adi bought a dilapidated 148 acre farm called Kalmoesfontein for its 62 acres of old bush vines. Their Cinsault (Cape Hermitage) and Grenache vines are some of the oldest in the country - the average age is 45 years old and 58 years respectively - and their Chenin Blanc is on average 40 years old. The vineyards are dry-farmed and biodynamic methods are practiced throughout the farm. The vineyards are particularly noteworthy for their exposition - instead of facing one direction; the parcels were planted on east, north and south facing slopes. The soils are composed of low-bearing Paardeberg, Lammershoek or Lemoenfontein granite. While Adi and Hein have modernized the cellar and the 1930’s farm house, Adi’s winemaking methods are traditional. All the wines begin with whole bunches. The white grapes are transferred directly into old casks or concrete tanks for fermentation and aging. The red grapes are fermented in concrete tanks or wood casks. Minimal sulfur is added before and after fermentation, otherwise, no other stabilizers or chemicals of any kind are used. Both A.A. Badenhorst estate wines are made in the same manner. The grapes were sorted in the vineyard and placed in refrigerated containers to rest overnight. The whole bunches were fermented naturally in concrete or wood tanks - the grapes weren’t mechanically crushed, but trodden by foot and minimal sulfur was added. Once fermentation began, the must was punched down twice per day and then left on its skins for six months before pressing. The wine was pressed into 4000L casks and aged for 16 months, during which time the wine was topped regularly but not racked until the final blends are complete.