‘Posmeester’ translates to ‘Postmaster’ from Afrikaans. This is a nod of the cap to the old postmaster that renamed Hermanuspietersfontein to Hermanus in 1902.

The One that gave us our Identity.

Long before the mobile phone he delivered Telegrams with important messages to families, friends, and lovers’ front doors. They knew he knew, before they knew, that made him an important man in their lives…

Tasting Notes 

A wine designed for everyday enjoyment with a focus to be approachable and accessible to all palates. A small percentage of Mourvedre (8%) blended with the Merlot brings a warmth and finishing touch to this wine. 

Colour

Brick red to purple

Nose

Red and purple fruit such as raspberries and blueberries, showing milk chocolate undertone; fruit freshness.

Palate

Perfect balance between freshness and texture, effortless weight and length.

History

You’ve probably heard of the quaint beach town of Hermanus, situated on South Africa’s famous Whale Coast. Between 1855 and 1902, it was called Hermanuspietersfontein. In 1902, the local postmaster decided to shorten the name of the town to make addressing letters to the locals easier.

150 years later, the wine farm Hermanuspietersfontein, or HPF for short, craft outstanding wines with a serious sense of place. Their grapes come from Sondagskloof, which competes with Elgin and the Ceres Plateau for South Africa’s coolest wine growing region.

Specifications

Reveals subtle hints of spices, ripe blackberries, plum and cherries. The integrated, complex and beautifully rounded tannins of this expressive and superbly vibrant blend ensure a velvety, lingering finish. At the olfactory level, there is a subtle hint of aniseed on the nose. This full-bodied blend maintains a sleek tannin structure with an immaculate developing palate.

Tasting Notes

This soft, approachable ruby-hued beauty is a true testament to vines lovingly reared and winemaking raised to an art form. A Right Bank-style Bordeaux blend, De Toren Z comprises a symphonic blend of five Bordeaux varietals. You’ll find it tantalizingly soft on the tongue, with a hint of aniseed, liquorice, raspberry and cranberries lending a fresh acidity to its polished finish… plus, of course, all the finesse that makes Bordeaux-style wines so prized among the world’s most enthusiastic wine lovers.

Vintage

When the stars and all the elements collide to produce a spectacularly good harvest, the results are always felt (and tasted, of course) in the wine. Industry wide the season of 2017 was earmarked as spectacular, and for De Toren, it was no different. The year 2017 is fondly remembered by our team for the incredible craftsmanship that went into producing one of the most outstanding vintages yet of De Toren Z, our famed Right Bank Bordeaux-styled blend.It was a season when perfectly ripened vine fruits were optimally harvested; gently reaped and sorted by the hands of our team of ladies, so that only the finest grapes were put forward for pressing and maturation in the cellar. This is the journey that our cellar team at De Toren undertook to co-create a superlative wine, i.e., De Toren Z 2017 vintage, in partnership with our key collaborator, Mother Nature. The favourable weather conditions of the season contributed to making the 2017 vintage one of the finest yet. It was a year in which the vines were perfectly balanced and restrained, producing the smallest, most concentrated berries. These hand-harvested grapes were transformed by sustainable and intelligent viniculture, resulting in this coveted vintage of De Toren Z being the highest awarded vintage yet and a true collector’s prize. At De Toren, the noble Bordeaux varietals are an expression of ancient South African soils and our signature winemaking style. As a result of all these factors – terroir, timing, technique and passion – commands attention on the palate when savouring the acclaimed De Toren Z 2017.

Producer

Specifications

Traversing the beautiful vineyards of the Western Cape, I have the good fortune to often taste small and unique parcels of wine. Winemakers create blends to accentuate certain qualities or add complexity to a wine. Forager is one such blend, assembled from selected grapes each with its own special character, 'foraged' from various vineyards, barrels and batches to create a distinctive wine in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Tasting Notes

Colour

Deep ruby garnet. 

Nose

The nose is reminiscent of dark forest fruit with notes of white pepper, dried herbs, cloves and leather. 

Palate

Red berry and dark jam follow on the palate with subtle vanilla oak. The finish is elegant and perfumed. Medium to full-bodied with soft, supple tannins.

Specifications

A traditional sweet style produced from the Grasparossa grape - widely considered to be the highest quality of the Lambrusco varieties, with thicker skin and ripe tannins. It has lashings of vibrant cherry and berry fruit.

Tasting Notes

Dark ruby red in colour with intense aromas of plum and ripe black cherry. The palate is fresh and vibrant with pure crushed black fruits balanced by fresh acidity and a touch of sweetness. The finish is clean and bright with a nip of tannin.

Production

The Lambrusco Grasparossa grapes are sourced from sandy-clay vineyards in the Castelvetro region south of Modena. Made using the Charmat method, with its second fermentation in tank.

Producer

This new range of high quality Lambrusco is a partnership between the Soliera cooperative and Medici Ermete, one of the most influential producers in the renaissance of ‘proper’ Lambrusco. Cantina di Soliera, with 422 member growers and a 40 year tradition of Lambrusco production, is situated in the heart of the Lambrusco di Sorbara zone north of Modena and is the DOC’s largest producer. The alluvial soils here are ideal for the cultivation of the low yielding Sorbara variety, the mixture of sand and clay produces wines which balance elegance and structure and are regarded by many as the finest Lambrusco. Grapes for the Cantina di Soliera range come from 20 ha of selected ‘cru’ vineyards here and in the neighbouring Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC.

The Lambrusco family of grapes (there are many varieties, once numbered at 56) is thought to be one of the oldest in Italy and is predominantly found in Emilia-Romagna. Today the focus is on a handful of varieties, and Cantina di Soliera specialise in Lambrusco di Sorbara and Lambrusco Grasparossa, the most important of the 5 Lambrusco DOC’s in terms of quality. The former produces light, elegant, floral wines, while Grasparossa typically gives deeply coloured, weightier and more structured wines. Both make fantastic food wines – the delicate Sorbara with cold meats and seafood, the richer Grasparossa a perfect match for fatty sausages, charcuterie, tomato-based pasta dishes and cheeses.

Sustainability

Specifications

This great value Montepulciano is an expressive, fruity and all-round delicious wine from Abruzzo in central Italy. Created by the 3rd generation Caldirola family who have been there since 1897.

Tasting Notes

Colour

Intense ruby red

Nose

Characteristic and fruit

Palate

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Colour

Specifications

A wine that celebrates Australia’s best-loved variety, Broken Record is juicy and bright and plays long on the palate.

Tasting Notes

Broken Record captures Southeast Australia’s essential joy. Soft and juicy plummy fruit flavours are balanced by smooth, savoury tannins.

Production

The creation of this wine was a judicious blending exercise to marry aromatics and lift with a generous, velveteen palate. Grapes are sourced from vineyards across Southeast Australia. They are picked at night to avoid high daytime temperatures and crushed immediately after picking. Temperature-controlled fermentation avoids extraction of harsh tannins and maintains the juicy fruit flavours.

Producer

Quintessentially Australian, this range offers consistent quality, hugely appealing, commercial wine styles that have gained a loyal following. Reflecting our skill and experience in seeking out the very best of Australia, our wines capture ideal climatic conditions and pure varietal definition.

Boutinot's Samantha Bailey brings her signature palate and decades of experience to finessing our components into the loveliest Boutinot expressions of Oz.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Everything it should be - a bright, juicy attractive blended Shiraz. Soft enough but just some tiny rough edges that could be softened out by blending in some wines from warmer vineyard sites. But sure about complexity or length (both could be better) but it really does deliver a soft, easy drinking red. I suggest Soldiers Block Shiraz has a better structure, more complexity and length - but it’s a very good simple, easy drinking Shiraz - and a bit cheaper - so choice is yours. If you like your Shiraz simple, soft 'n smooth then Broken Record is your choice - but if you like your entry Shiraz with a little more bite & spice then it’s Soldiers Block for you!" May 2024

Specifications

A textbook fruity southern French Grenache; rich and dark with no hard edges.

Tasting Notes

This Grenache Noir from the deeps south of France is steeped in texture and character. Rich black fruit and sweet spice on the nose with more intense berry fruit and liquorice on the palate.

Production Method

In the south western part of the Languedoc, Boutinot’s Guillaume Létang found this parcel of well tended 40 year-old Grenache Noir. Cordon trained (in an area where bush vines are more common) these old vines thrive on silt and sand, their roots buring deep into the soils in search of water. Fully ripened by the Mediterranean sun, once harvested the grapes are destemmed and macerated at cool temperatures prior to fermentation. To fully expresss the ripe black / red fruit flavours of this 100% Grenache Noir the wine was vinified without the use of oak.

Producer

Like all good stories, that of Boutinot France is both long and a little bit complicated! Boutinot began as a tiny importer in 1980, specialising in French wines. Paul Boutinot himself began by personally selecting the wines from France, back in the UK he would unload the trailer by hand. And deliver the crates of wines to customers himself. But good things grow and by the end of the decade we had become a bigger and better company. A company that not only sought out great wines but made them too. After 10 years later, Boutinot France started in January 1990. The first office was in the middle of the vines in Julienas; perfectly located to navigate the Beaujolais and Macon regions on the quest to make beautiful wines.

Samantha Bailey, who started as a wine enthusiast, was there at the beginning of this adventure. Since then, she has grown into our Master Blender and has key responsibilities: building long-standing relationships, tasting, understanding the terroir and appellations, and pushing the boundaries. She is at the heart of the whole process from blending to quality assessment, making sure there is always a Boutinot touch in every cuvée. We are proud to also count Guillaume Letang and Julien Dugas in our winemaking team. Guillaume oversees the South of France and Languedoc, whilst Julien looks after our property in Cairanne. Together they have the local knowledge to select and blend the very best wines from throughout. Eric Monnin oversees every aspect of production and makes sure everything our winemakers blend and source is top quality.

Specifications

95 points - James Suckling.com | 91 points - Wine Advocate

Tasting Notes

Colour

A youthful bright appearance with a core of ruby leading to a just fading rim.

Nose

Aromas of primary red berry fruits including dark cherry and plums, plenty of barrel spice and bottle development complexities. The beginnings of secondary aromas with a whisper of date and toasty spices layer in complexity and depth. 

Palate

Still youthful and firm on the palate with textures from tannins and acidy leading the mouthfeel. Core fruit flavours mirror the bouquet with equal impressions of plums and cherry. An excellent example, just a little bit dry though easily marries with gently salty earthy food. 

The Season

A mild spring was followed by a sunny summer and a lingering dry autumn. It was a perfect growing season with enough warmth to produce optimal ripeness but it was not too hot to destroy varietal purity or freshness.

The Vineyard & The Vines

We have about a dozen different clones of pinot noir and often these grow intermingled throughout our various blocks. The vines, many of which are nearly 30 years old and on their own roots, grow on a series of north facing, gradually descending terraces. While the site is warm during the day it is cool at night. This allows the fruit to ripen fully but slowly and to retain good acid levels of natural acidity. The drainage is helped by stones intermingled with the soil.

Harvest & Wine Making

We use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. We picked the various blocks at different stages during late April and early May, depending on their maturity. Most of the grapes were destemed and put into small fermenting vats, retaining as many whole berries as possible. Ten percent of whole bunches were also added to these vats. They were kept cool over the next few days to help extract the soft, silky tannins from the pinot noir skins.

After this time the grapes warmed enough to start fermenting. During fermentation the floating cap of grape skins was twice daily gently pushed back under the wine by hand to keep it moist and healthy. When the fermentation finished the vats were sealed and the grape remnants were left to steep in the wine for up to a week to help extract a different range of tannins that add structure and depth. The duration of this period was determined by daily tasting. Subsequently the wine was gently pressed off and put into oak barriques (30% new) from selected artisan Burgundian coopers. In the summer after harvest, when the weather warmed, the wine underwent malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation. Both this and the original fermentation phase were completely natural and without added micro-organisms. After maturing for 18 months in these barriques the batches made from the many different plots of pinot were carefully blended in varying portions to produce this wine.

Accolades

95 points - James Suckling.com

A lovely and fresh late-released pinot with plum, cooked strawberry and cherry aromas that follow through to a full body with layered fruit and tannins, and a savory finish. Shows plenty of ripeness. Sustainable. Drink now. Screw cap. (Nick Stock )

91 points - Wine Advocate

Pale to medium ruby colored, the 2013 Pinot Noir reveals expressive black cherry, mulberry and red currant jelly notes on the nose with hints of tar, black loam, balsamic and dried Provence herbs. Medium-bodied, the palate has elegant styling with gentle savory and red berry preserves characters framed by a lively backbone and chewy tannins, finishing with earthy nuances. (Lisa Perotti-Brown)

91 points - Stephen Tanzer (tasted in 2016)

This is a beautiful wine now with lots of ripe strawberry and cherry fruit character, with hints of iron and peppercorn. It’s full and layered with lots of fruit and firm yet round tannins. A wonderful release of a pinot noir with age. Sustainable. Drink now or hold. Screw cap. 

94 points - Excellent | CamDouglasMS - Master Sommelier

Specifications

The second Vielles Vignes project from enigmatic winemaker Faouzi Issa.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose has an exotic mix of ripe fig, bright cranberry and rasberry fruit with notes of liquorice , it’s lifted and pronounced.

Palate

The palate had more beautifully ripe red fruit characters, along side lively fig and date notes, the acidity perfectly balances the generous flavours and leaves a pure, clean finish.

Production

Domaine des Tourelles have a 50 year old block of Carignan in their Amik vineyard in the Bekka Valley. The fruit from here provides an excellent component for the acclaimed Domaine des Tourelles Red, but winemaker Faouzi believed it could produce great wine in it’s own right. This first vintage highlights his belief in the project. The wine only sees concrete during production, being both fermented and aged for 24 months in his old but perfectly formed tanks.

Producer

Domaine des Tourelles was founded in 1868 by French adventurer François-Eugène Brun and is one of the most highly acclaimed and oldest wineries still operating in Lebanon. It was also the first commercial cellar in 'modern' Lebanon to produce wines, arak and other spirits. This place has history! The Brun family owned and ran the winery up until the last descendant died in 2003 but luckily two local families - the Issa and Issa el-Khoury families - joined forces to buy the property and continue the fine tradition of winemaking.

Today, this Bekaa Valley estate is run by the three Issa children - twins Faouzi and Johanne and their sister Christiane, alongside Emile Issa-el Khoury, son of one of the co-owners. This young and dynamic combination have introduced a handful of practices in the vineyards and cellar including the use of indigenous natural yeasts, no fining or filtering, and only very small amounts of sulphur. These techniques along with fruit from 40 hectares of ancient, organically cultivated and dry-farmed vineyards (among the oldest in the valley) and a winery perfect for hands-off winemaking, make Domaine des Tourelles one of the finest boutique wineries in the Middle East.

Specifications

Tasting Notes

It starts with cassis, a nose full of promise. Clove and black pepper spice. The palate is dark and sultry with a dried fruit appeal. It finishes with a gentle lick of oak from the time the wine spends in oak.

Specifications

The spirited red wines of Spain | A fabulous quality and great value Reserva from a small family, producer.

Tasting Notes 

Colour

In the glass a cherry red color with rusty red reflections of medium depth.

Nose

Good aromatic intensity, with balsamic notes and ripe fruit on the nose.

Palate

Soft and clean on the palate with a fresh and elegant taste and well-integrated tannins on the finish.

Producer

Specifications

Tasting Notes

"When this matures it will be an absolute beaut! At the moment it’s all primary raspberry and cherry fruit but as it oxidises it will continually evolve to expose its secondary and tertiary Pinot noir characteristics of farmyard stinkiness. Real, proper, Burgundian Pinot as it used to be - can’t wait to keep my eye - actually - it’s keep my nose on this one over the coming years.

Incredibly intense, concentrated, complex yet balanced. Some earthiness just beginning to show through oxidation in the glass - this will become really earthy and vegetal through time - with mushrooms and truffle coming to the fore as the fruit begins to take on its secondary characters - then it’s onto those stinky, manure, farmyardy aromas as it hits its tertiary stage. Stunning!!  | Alan's Personal Notes Tasted  April 2024

Winemaking

Manual harvesting Integral vinification in half muids of 500 liters from 2018 5-day pre-fermentation maceration, then hot maceration during fermentation alcoholic up to 32°C for 12 days. Daily drum rotations at the rate of 8 turns morning and evening until the end of the sugars, then 2 rounds morning and evening in post-vinification.

Passage of two days in stainless steel tank in order to eliminate the coarse parts and keep only the fine lees. Ageing in French oak barrels for 8 months, no new wood. No addition of SO2 after malolactic fermentation or bottling to preserve the freshness and drinkability.

NB: This wine has a significant dissolved CO2 content. This is voluntary to protect the wine during its years in the bottle, it is enough just to carafe it energetically to chase away this surplus of gas and thus obtain a silky wine.

Specifications

Colour

Intensely and brightly coloured wine with a ruby-red hue

Nose

Ruby red in colour this wine has a bright cherry nose supported by complex red and dark fruits, spiced cherry, cedar, mushroom and floral characters on the nose

Palate 

The palate highlights bitter chocolate, cherry and cinnamon spice notes supported by fine acidity and a flowing finish. Nicely balanced and drinking beautifully.

Vintage

The 2021 vintage in Waipara, North Canterbury was warm and dry - good growing conditions. Heat summation was well up on average while rainfall was 50% less than normal over the last three months before harvest. The lower rainfall meant that disease pressure was not present, allowing the winemaker to be patient and instruct the picking of the fruit in absolute pristine condition and when tasted at their premium. The effects of this were enhanced fruit flavours creating a wine of great balance.

Winemaking

The fruit was harvested in excellent condition and gently handled in the cellar using traditional burgundian methods and aged for 12 months in French oak barriques.

Awards & Accolades

• 5 Stars - 93pts | Wine Orbit

Specifications