2020  Moulin-A-Vent

Moulin-A-Vent

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.

2017  Gigondas

Gigondas -- "More concentrated and tannic than the 2016, the 2017 Gigondas shows outstanding potential. Marked by hints of charred wood and mocha, it's nevertheless rich, ripe and fruity, with a long finish." - 91-93pts WA

2017  Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire

In the same foothills of Mont Sainte Victoire in which Paul Cézanne lived and found inspiration, the Sumeire family has thrived since the thirteenth century. This magical place is shielded from northern winds, with abundant sunshine and chalky soil regulating temperatures and helping to create a unique microclimate. The Sumeires added Château Maupague to their collection of properties in 1991, with a goal of creating a classic rosé on par with the finest of the region, light in color, fresh, aromatic and dry. Château Maupague is a blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Cinsault and 5% Syrah. Rosé's with a majority of Grenache are rare for the region and result in a much more complex wine that transcends the appellation. Both the Cuvée Cabaret from the younger vines on the estate and the Cuvée Sainte Victoire from the older vines offer amazing value and remarkably high quality, while beautifully representing the best of Provence. -- Composed of scree and clay-sandstone from the Late Cretaceous period, with colluvial deposits from the surrounding hills. Located at the foot of the Sainte Victoire Mountain, in the village of Trets, just outside of Aix-en-Provence. Yield of 45 hectoliters per hectare. Average age of vines: 20 years. Grapes are hand harvested, destemmed, undergo skin maceration and light penumatic pressing. The wine is then vinified in temperature-controlled vats.

2015  Terrasses du Larzac Les Gravettes

Terrasses du Larzac Les Gravettes - Syrah, Cinsault, and Grenache Red wine for laying down, spring or summer 55% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 15% Syrah 15 months of aging in demi-muids, barrels and concrete eggs. FOOD & WINE PAIRINGS Duck à l'orange, lamb tagine, creamy cheeses, strawberry panacotta

2001  La Landonne

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.

1984  Cote Blonde 'La Garde'

Cote Blonde 'La Garde' 97 JG

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

2019  From Consultant Winemaker Guillaume Rouget

*From Consultant Winemaker Guillaume Rouget* 6,980 bottles of Single-varietal Gamay from Fleurie produced in 2019 from 35yr and 70yr vines. ---- The 2019 Fleurie reminds us of what it is: a floral, fine and elegant wine. Its notes, similar to the structure of a perfume, spread out around red fruits, grenadine, musk and tobacco. Its power gives way to a smooth mouth and an intense length. It is a wine that will reveal all its richness when kept for a long time.

2019  Beaumont

Beaumont ---- "From Gamay vines planted in 1978 in the coolest of the domaine's red wine parcels, the 2019 Mâcon-Cruzille Beaumont exhibits notions of red berries, warm spices, smoke, raw cocoa and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied, lively and concentrated, it's deep and sapid, with powdery tannins and a long, floral finish. It was vinified without any destemming. As I wrote of its 2018 counterpart, this is a serious, inherently structured wine, so readers shouldn't be misled by the modest appellation into drinking it too soon: four or five years' bottle age will be richly rewarded." - 92+pts WA ---- "It took me time, I confess, to understand the wines of Domaine Guillot-Broux. These are tightly wound, concentrated whites, framed by chalky dry extract from low yields and intelligent pressing, and they take their time to evolve in the cellar. That's a far cry from the stereotype of the northern Mâconnais - honeyed, facile, giving - but when you visit the vineyards, you understand. Rocky, sloping, enclosed sites at the forest's edge - some recently recovered from its encroachments - are planted with old vines of Chardonnay, Gamay and Pinot Noir, and they've never seen chemical farming. Of course, opening old bottles also helps make sense of these wines: complex, mineral and sapid, it's clear that 20 years is the minimum rather than the maximum at this address. But the rewards of patience, as so often, are considerable; and when you get to know them, it's hard to argue that these number among the region's finest exemplars. As I've written before, Emmanuel Guillot's grapes are harvested by hand, with the whites pressed to barrel directly and the reds fermented in small tanks, often with more than a little whole-cluster inclusion. With the 2019 vintage, taking advantage of market dislocation occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, Guillot opted to extend élevage: so most of his whites, having spent a year in barrel, saw an additional six months in tank. Whether or not it's the inherent quality of the vintage, or the fact that those additional six months really seem to help these structured wines flesh out and unwind, the 2019s are the most impressive young wines I've tasted to date at this address, and everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended." - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

2016  

"The 2016 Syrah Cuvée Christine shows just how compelling this vintage is at Donelan. Gracious and lifted, but showing striking depth, the Cuvée Christine is magnificently complete from the very first taste. A rush of dark red/purplish berry fruit, wild flowers, mint, pine, rose petal and spice builds as this classy, polished Syrah shows off its alluring personality. There is much to love about this arrestingly beautiful Syrah. "- 97 points Vinous Media