Specifications

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Specifications

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Armador is the Spanish word for “ship owner” and is the name of  the original line of wines, launched in 1999.

Tasting Notes

Alluring purplish-red in colour with aromas of dark fruits and liquorice as well as hints of spice notes such as black pepper and cloves. The palate is long and refreshing with ripe fruit flavours and soft tannins.

Production

The quest of Odfjell is to make wines that are a true expression of the terroir of our vineyards. Their low yield vineyards are handled with individual care, where they handpick the grapes bringing the fruit to the cellar as intact as possible. They began planting vineyards on the estate over 15 years ago, selecting only red varieties. Today they have 85 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, aromas of cherries, figs, violets and white fruit aromas such as apricots and pears. Carménère, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Malbec planted in Maipo. They have also acquired vineyards in Cauquenes and Curico with old vines of Carignan and Malbec where we practice organic farming. Odfjell is committed to be a leader in progressive vineyard management, dedicated to elevate the image and practice of viticulture in Chile. The aim of this work is to produce the best possible wines in the vineyards, together with a long-term commitment to sustainable agriculture and "green" winemaking practices.

The grapes were picked and the bunches were destemmed but not crushed. The whole berries then underwent a cold maceration at 14ºC for four to six days prior to fermentation in 40,000-liter tanks using selected and native yeasts, followed by a 10-day post-fermentation maceration at 25ºC. Malolactic fermentation took place spontaneously in tanks.

Producer

One of the best boutique organic wineries in Chile, Odfjell Vineyards are committed to producing wines with elegance and poise, from their vineyards in the Maipo, Lontué and Maule valleys.

As one of the founding members of Chilean Organic Winegrowers, Odfjell’s certified organic, biodynamic and sustainable portfolio consists of superlative old vine Carignan, in addition to more traditional varieties and blends. Cover crops and beehives amongst the vineyards aid biodiversity, whilst small Fjord horses work the land. Established by Norwegian, Dan Odfjell, with winemaking now in the very capable hands of Francisca Palacios (who takes over from Arnaud Hereu after 25 years at the winery). The two worked together on vintages since 2019, and with Francisca’s meticulous approach, work with native yeasts and deft touch, the wines of Odfjell will no doubt continue to grow in terms of quality and reputation over the coming years

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

This wine has a soft, salmon pink colour and is bursting with aromas of strawberries and rose petals. The palate is vibrant with a good balance between the bright acidity and flavours of Turkish delight, strawberries and red cherries. The finish is juicy and dry and the wine has a pleasant length.

A fresh, dry and vibrant Rosé made via direct pressing of Cabernet Sauvignon providing a wine with an alluring salmon colour and appealing drinkability.

Vintage Conditions

2022 was an excellent vintage for the Rosé on Dornier. The ripening season was cooler than the previous vintage. The result of this cooler season was that the grapes ripened at lower sugar levels and with a fresher natural acidity and more delicate flavours. 

Fermentation and Ageing

The Cabernet Sauvignon ripened in late February. The grapes were handpicked and pressed directly after destemming in order to obtain light pink juice. The resultant light pink juice fermented for 14 days at 12 degrees Celsius and spent a further four months on full lees to provide fullness and body to the wine. 

History

Dornier is a family owned winery situated in The Golden Triangle area of the upper Blaauwklippen Valley Stellenbosch. The primary focus at Dornier lies in the production of premium quality wines with minimal intervention which are expressive of the unique terroir of The Golden Triangle whilst showcasing the complexity and finesse of the noble grape varieties planted at Dornier. Reverence for tradition is salient at Dornier as is difference where it leads to improvement.

Dornier Wine Estate is located on 3 different farms in the Upper Blaauwklippen Valley namely Groenkloof, Heldemeer and Stellenrust (Homestead) the latter of which includes a historic Sir Herbert Baker designed homestead and one of the first wine cellars ever built in Stellenbosch in the late 1600s.

Dornier proudly boasts an A rating with IPW (Integrity and Sustainability) given its ongoing efforts incorporated and devotion towards sustainable farming practises with integrity. 

Dornier also holds an A Rating with WIETA - a pro-active world-class and sustainable ethical trade programme for the South African wine industry and aligned sectors. given its efforts incorporated and devotion towards facilitating fair working conditions and sustainable ethical trade within the wine industry and its aligned sectors.

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

Being a truly versatile variety and lending itself well to many different styles, we have aimed at making a wine in a fresh and fruit driven style. The wine has a lively bright colour with delicate aromas of passion fruit and litchis. The palate is vibrant with a refreshing acidity and flavours of tropical fruit. 

Cocoa Hill Chenin Blanc is a delectably chic version of what used to be South Africa's Cinderella variety. The vines grow in the decomposed red granite soils of Cocoa Hill – a hilltop in the folds of the Stellenbosch Mountain, superbly positioned in prime South African terroir. 

Vintage Conditions

2022 was an excellent vintage for many producers in Stellenbosch. The winter was cold and wet and the ripening season was cool. This led to grapes ripening at lower sugar levels with higher natural acidities. The lower temperatures also preserved the more delicate flavor components in the Chenin Blanc during the ripening period. 

Fermentation and Aging

This wine is made with Chenin Blanc grapes from the Stellenbosch and Swartland area. The wine was fermented in stainless-steel tanks and in French oak barrels. Flavour and style specific yeast were used in order to obtain the desired fruit- and aroma characteristics. 

History

Dornier is a family owned winery situated in The Golden Triangle area of the upper Blaauwklippen Valley Stellenbosch. The primary focus at Dornier lies in the production of premium quality wines with minimal intervention which are expressive of the unique terroir of The Golden Triangle whilst showcasing the complexity and finesse of the noble grape varieties planted at Dornier. Reverence for tradition is salient at Dornier as is difference where it leads to improvement.

Dornier Wine Estate is located on 3 different farms in the Upper Blaauwklippen Valley namely Groenkloof, Heldemeer and Stellenrust (Homestead) the latter of which includes a historic Sir Herbert Baker designed homestead and one of the first wine cellars ever built in Stellenbosch in the late 1600s.

Dornier proudly boasts an A rating with IPW (Integrity and Sustainability) given its ongoing efforts incorporated and devotion towards sustainable farming practises with integrity. 

Dornier also holds an A Rating with WIETA - a pro-active world-class and sustainable ethical trade programme for the South African wine industry and aligned sectors. given its efforts incorporated and devotion towards facilitating fair working conditions and sustainable ethical trade within the wine industry and its aligned sectors.

Specifications

A naturally fermented old bush vine brew, Tea Leaf hails from vineyards where the vines grow amongst South Africa’s native rooibos (red tea) plants that grow wild alongside the vines.

Tasting Notes

Aromas of ripe citrus and peach with savoury, gently nutty notes. The palate combines firm, high-key fruit with a gentle, sandy texture true to the source vineyards’ soil leading to a long, lightly honeyed finish. A deeply satisfying wine, taut and concentrated, from a blend of high quality bush vine fruit.

Production

From selected coastal vineyards of Chenin, Grenache Gris and Marsanne where the indigenous rooibos tea plant grows wild. Grapes are harvested in the early hours and then a further selection is made by hand at the winery to select the best fruit. The wine is naturally fermented and aged a few months in older 600 litre French oak barrels. No fining and coarse filtered (above 1 micron).

Producer

What’s this then? SKU is a casual band of happy ferments. A circus tent of the Cape’s stranger grapes and blends. We will champion the unfashionable, experiment with the known and express the found before it gets lost. Mistakes are likely, fun certain. Welcome to Strange Kompanjie, a Kultivar Club for the Underdog.

Sustainability

Strange Kompanjie Unlimited wines are certified as part of South Africa’s sustainability accreditation, the ‘Integrated Production of Wine’ (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of audited guidelines specifying agricultural practices, manufacturing practices and bottling activities.

Specifications

Once upon a time, in a little town called Apple Tree Flat, a humble winemaker created quality, true varietal wines that were affordable enough to enjoy every day.

Luckily, this story is true.

The beauty of these wines can be found inside the bottle and out. The labels feature hand-drawn illustrations depicting the people, places and experiences of our winemaker’s home and winery. Whilst inside the bottle you'll find fruit driven wines with excellent regional expression that represent astounding value for mone

Despite such humble beginnings, Apple Tree Flat wines make big waves in Australia and around the world.

Tasting Notes

The lovely 2021 Apple Tree Flat Shiraz has inviting aromas of raspberry, bayleaf and a slight floral lift, before a warm welcome to the palette of red berries, clove, smooth peppers and soft tannins.

Winemaking

After crushing the grapes were fermented in stainless steel. The cap was pumped over twice a day during the 7- day fermentation period, then 100% matured in stainless steel. The wine was filtered before bottling.

Vintage

The Shiraz grapes for this dry red were harvested at 12.63° Baumé on the 29th March 2021. The 2021 growing season was a tough one in the NSW Central Ranges, although overall quality was high. Yields in the Orange region were pitifully low, about 10-15% of an average year, due to a hangover from the 2018-2020 drought, snow in November and some large rain events late in the growing season which required us to remove any mould or fungus affected grapes.

Yields in Mudgee were healthier but still a little down on average. Temperatures were cooler than average leading to slow, steady ripening, however the sunshine throughout produced clearly varietal wines, generally with lower alcohol levels.

Specifications

This 10 year old is a classic Tawny with the typical appealing aromas and flavours of wood-aged Ports, particularly nuts and caramel.

Tasting Notes

Colour

Lovely tawny colour with golden hues.

Nose

Complex aromas of ripe red fruits, damson jam, raisins and toasted nuts.

Palate

Smooth and rounded on the palate, with notes of caramel balanced by fresh acidity to give great length. A very well balanced, elegant and harmonious port wine.

Production

Made from selected red ports produced from the best vineyards of the Douro Valley, and varieties including: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão and Tinta Roriz. Aged in small oak casks, typically of around 630 litres. As the wine ages it gradually loses the ruby red colour of its youth, becoming tawny in colour, more smooth and mellow on the palate, and aromas gaining richness and complexity.

Producers

Wiese & Krohn was founded in 1865 by two Norwegians - Theodor Wiese and Dankert Krohn - shipping initially to Scandinavia and Germany. In the century and a half since its foundation, Krohn has built up an outstanding reputation. Long renowned for the quality of their sublime Colheitas (single vintage tawnies), they produce a remarkably complete range for a small house, and each wine excels in its category. Much of the secret lies in the high quality of their vineyards - the magical combination of terroir, locality, aspect, incline and low-yielding vines. Their Quinta do Retiro Novo estate in Sarzedinho, in the Rio Torto valley (where vinification takes place), is all A grade vineyard. Indeed Krohn only work with grapes from A-graded vineyards across all of their ports, and their top wines are still trodden by foot. Since 2013 Krohn has been part of the Fladgate Partnership - alongside Taylor's, Fonseca and Croft.

Reviews

• Wine Enthusiast Magazine
  “Elegant and balanced, with a good acidity. Fresh and delicious, exactly as it should be a 10 year old.”

Specifications

Tasting Notes

A bright, vibrant style of Chenin with aromas of citrus, white flowers and a hint of honey. Ripe and full flavoured with a rounded mouthfeel thanks to long fermentation and extended lees contact. Nice concentration of stone fruit characters with hints of dried apricot and mango. Good balancing acidity on the clean, fresh finish.

Production

‘Bloos’ is the Afrikaans word for blush, which describes the delicate pink hue of this wine.

Tasting Notes 

Nose

Fresh red fruits with creamy undertones and pleasant floral notes

Palate

Perfect balance between freshness and texture, effortless weight and length

Vinification

A wine designed for everyday enjoyment with a focus to be approachable and accessible. The wine is predominantly a blend of Malbec and Merlot to create a fruit-forward rosé aimed to please all palates. A small percentage of the wine ferments in contact with French oak to broaden the palate without compromising the refreshing sensation of this wine. Our aim is to create a wine that showcases fresh red fruit (strawberries) and floral notes, with a creamy finish.

On the palate this wine presents the perfect balance between freshness and texture, with effortless weight and length. This wine was not made with the intention to age, but rather to be enjoyed immediately.

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.

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

"An altogether glorious glass of wine - enough flavour to drink on its own but with interest, complexity and length that will complement lots of menu options. A lot of wine for the price." Alan Chapman

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

Light yellow-straw.

Nose

The nose is reminiscent of apricot, peach, and quince with hints of lychee and cardamom.

Palate

Citrus and stone fruit follow on the palate, rounded by subtle oak and punchy lime acidity. The finish is long and dry. Medium to full-bodied.

Specifications

The Iconic Blue Label | Fresh & Dynamic

Tasting Notes

Réserve Exclusive Brut is an iconic Champagne that perfectly encapsulates Nicolas Feuillatte house style. Representing the entire Champagne appellation, every inch of the region comes together to reveal a glorious showcase: light, fresh and vibrant Champagne, effusing intense, expressive fruit, while extensive cellar-ageing brings appealing maturity to perfect style and consistency.

Aromas of juicy pear and crunchy apricot merge and weave in a beguiling fusion around a mass of delicate bubbles, gradually unleashing their true character over time.

Simple in its complexity, refreshing and impulsive, it is fabulously versatile with wildly contrasting flavours, and the ideal partner to pre-dinner nibbles, where Réserve Exclusive Brut encapsulates true Champagne spirit to perfection.

Blend

Aged for 3-4 years in our cellars.

The Chief Winemaker adapts dosage levels to each Champagne in order to enhance its flavours and aromas. The choice of reserve wine is crucial and takes into consideration a whole range of factors, including the proportion of cru wines, year of harvest, grape varieties, and vinification and ageing methods, in order to guarantee the intrinsic style of each Champagne.

Medals & Accolades

• Gold Medal - Sakura Japan Women Wine Awards 2021
• Silver Medal- Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2022 & Champagne Masters 2022
• Silver Medal 92/100 - International Wine & Spirit Competition 2022
• 92/100 - Wine Spectator December 2022
• 91/100 - James Suckling Tasting June 2022

Specifications

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Another Coterie delight - you don’t see these 2 varietals together many places in the world - but this certainly works here to produce a stunning, textural white. I’m picking up some old vine vibes and malolactic creaminess. A very well balanced and interesting white - it’s also got a good dollop of oak in the finish." July 2024

Specifications

This organic, unoaked Barbera is a new project from Castel del Lupo, and has bags of red berry fruit and bright acidity.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Aromas of summer fruits with touches of spice and black pepper. 

Palate

The palate has bright redcurrant and cranberry characters, violet hints, ripe tannins and vibrant acidity.

Production

The Barbera vines grow in silt, clay and chalk soils on south and south-west-facing slopes at 250 metres altitude. The Barbera grapes are hand-harvested and undergo selection, before a 6-7 day maceration on the skins. After fermentation, the wine spends over 9 months in stainless steel before bottling

Producer

Castel del Lupo, in the heart of Oltrepograve; Pavese, dates back centuries - and includes the eighteenth-century Palazzo Pegazzera. In 1974 three entrepreneurs took over this historic estate and began a regeneration process. Giovanni Doglio, whose father and grandfather were both Piemontese winemakers, has over 40 years experience managing wineries. Recently joined by his daughter Federica, he has worked tirelessly to develop the estate. They have purchased more vineyards (to cover 100ha at around 300m altitude), planted new vines and built a new cellar. The vineyards are now certified organic. The winery's main focus is high-quality bottle-fermented sparkling wine, and much of the vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir for this purpose. However, these vines are also the source of fine still red wines.

A Note on Sustainability

Led by Giovanni Doglio since 1974, the team at Castel del Lupo is very keen to honour the long heritage of its estate which existed even before its inclusion on a map of the region in 1301. All of Castel del Lupos grapes are estate grown and the 100-hectare property is now fully certified organic to maintain the integrity of the environment, the ecosystem and soil fertility without resorting to artificial substances at any stage of the production processes.

Specifications

It is an expressive dry white wine with crisp acidity and great varietal typicity that are evident in every sip

6159 bottles produced

Tasting Notes

This Sauvignon Blanc is an expressive dry white wine with crisp acidity and great varietal typicity that are evident in every sip. Its clean fruit flavours of tropical mango and pineapple are not overpowering but instead complemented by moderate herbaceous undertones, making for a round and refreshing palate.

Vintage

2022 was a long and dry growing season of outstanding quality. Veering on the cooler side of average temperatures, yields were still plentiful, and grapes achieved ideal ripeness throughout a very long cycle. Rainfall was limited, but abundant glacial water and sporadic showers were timed perfectly to help the vine’s balance. After cooler autumn and ideal growing conditions in February and March, we were able to produce wines with remarkable quality.

History

It was the year 2002 when a group of friends decided to invest in Argentina. They knew little about wine production, but all were passionate wine lovers and excited about the vision of bringing Argentine wines to the world stage. They bought the land that would become Finca Ambrosia and set about turning their idea into reality. At this time, the Gualtallary district began to attract the interest of wine producers, primarily because of its outstanding soil and climate characteristics. Encouraged by the positive forecasts, the friends bought 3 more plots over the years, from which the current winery emerged. Today, Gualtallary is considered the best terroir for producing premium wines in the province of Mendoza.

Specifications