Himalayan wines from China

Chinese wines are up and coming, including at the London Wine Fair.

Thanks to Himalayan wines, a winery from Yunnan, for bringing some interesting products. 

This is the 10th year of production for them.

Below are my tasting notes and the RRP, which very ambitiously position these products in an expensive range.

The quality is high, the prices even higher!

Allofme 2022

Chardonnay

3mos each old new French oak

Balanced wine, 7000 bottles produced.

Score 89

Rrp 75




Célèbre 2022

Chardonnay

12 Mos new French oak

Balanced and complex

Rrp £ 200

Score 91




Allofme 2018

Rose of Cabernet sauvignon bleeding

Smooth long

20k bottle

Score 89

Rrp 40




Célèbre 2018

Cabernet sauvignon

18 Mos new French oak

Balanced long

35k bottle

Score 92

Rrp 200




Allofme 2018

80% Cabernet sauv 20% rose honey

Complex flowers balanced

Score 93

Rrp 40

Discovering China’s Coastal Terroir in Penglai

Masterclass at the 2025 London Wine Fair with Michael Palin, expert of Italian wine actually who recently discovered Chinese wines, and Sonya Song, founder of Longting, China's leading boutique vineyard by the sea.

We learned how China now boasts 100k hectares of vineyards, roughly the same surface area as in Germany. The huge country can use a huge range of soils, altitude, rainfall, latitude.

Since 2010 push to try different grapes, Marselan and Petit Manseng works well in Shandong in addition to classic Chard and Cabernet Franc 

These are my tasting notes.

Petit Manseng 2022

3 months of oak 

Balance sapidity and smooth ,long

Score 90

Rrp 500 rmb in China 

"Sea breeze" 2020 

Chardonnay 

3 months in New French oak 

Intense aromas Zest almonds 

Score 88

Rrp 600rmb

"Lan" Marselan 2021

Ripe fruit, plum, black cherry, cassis, still rough edges needs time 2 years perhaps

500 rmb

Score 89

Dragon label 2019

Cabernet franc

30 days on skin, plenty of tannins 

Alcohol feel (14.5%)

Needs time

Rrp 2000 rmb almost sold out 8k bottles 

"jade" late harvest petit Manseng 2021

Acidity and smooth ending 

Score 86

Rrp 287 rmb, 7 is her lucky number 

Meet the producer: Clos Mont Blanc, Catalunya, Spain

This post is the result of a meeting with Clos Montblanc of Catalunya at the online fair organized by Onvinum in February 2024 and I am grateful to the producer for the samples received which I tested and paired as noted below.

Unic 2022

Chardonnay 100%
A mellow chardonnay, round and balanced. I paired it with tomato sauce pasta with Spanish tuna and the moderate structure of both food and wine went well even though I would have liked a bit more acidity.
Score 83

Xipella 2023

An eclectic blend, Xipella makes for an honest straightforward wine that will go down well with a wide range of food pairings and consumers. This wine is balanced, moderately long and ticks all the boxes for a pleasant drink that is perfect now with the coming of Spring. It does not strike me for its freshness or for its complexity and this is why the first work that came to mind was straightforward. I paired it with spaghetti and mussels and it was a successful marriage in that both wine and food proposed medium structure and the moderate acidity did not overwhelm the sapid flavor of the seafood.  Enjoy it without thinking too much about it! Score 87

Xipella 2019

Carinena, cab sauvignon and syrah for this well balanced wine with a nore of ripe red fruits, and a palate with notes of chocolate. Well rounded tannins, long finish. I paired with Chinese oily tofu and it worked well, both dishes offering moderate structure and the gentle tannins contrasted amicably with the oiliness of the tofu. Score 90.

Chinese oily tofu with spring onions and asparagus

Inici 2018
garnacha negra 79%, cab sauvignon 21% in organic production

An elegant wine, perfectly balanced, complex and long. A rare gem with less than 3000 bottles produced.

Score 92

G de Gourmand 2021

A fruity and fresh wine despite the old vines (30+ years), almost delicate. I paired it with pizza.

Score 86

Sparkling wines from Burgundy

Crémant de Bourgogne masterclass organized by Bourgogne Wines today with Laura Kent, proud Ambassador of this wine in London. CdB is well known, and considered by many (excluding producers of Champagne perhaps!) to be a more affordable alternative to Champagne. In this class we will try and determine if that is true.

The following is based on her presentation today, for which I am grateful.

For starters, some numbers: CdB represents 12% of the wine production of Bourgogne and this number is growing. Last year some 22m bottles were sold. By way of comparison, 61% of Bourgogne wine consists of the iconic chardonnay white wine and 27% is red and rosé.

CdB may be produced throughout Burgundy (and parts of Beaujolais) and its vines keep some 2800 hectares of vineyards busy growing grapes for 22m bottles, about 44% of which is exported.

The history of CdB goes back to the middle ages, to the 13th century to be precise, when the first mention appears for "effervescent" (frémillants) wines. But it is only in the 18th century, when bottling as we now know it becomes widespread, that natural effervescence, sometimes unintentional, becomes a common phenomenon and a new taste develops the the bubbles.

In 1818, with the Napoleonic wars over, wine production takes off again and specifically in the Côte de Nuits some of the finest cuvées are converted to sparkling production, most notably red!

In 1830 a certain François Bazille Hubert, a winemakers from Champagne, moves to Rully and starts the tradition of the classical method in Burgundy. Over the next one hundred years more and more vignerons follow his lead and in 1930 no less than 40 vineyards make crémant. 

In 1940, with the storm of war gathering in Europe, Simmonet-Fèvre and Moreau start making bubbles in Chablis. In March 1943, with the war in full swing, the appellation Bourgogne Mousseux in created. One would have to wait for another 30 years and in 1975 the appellation Crémant de Bourgogne is inaugurated for both red and white wines.

Strict control criteria are applied to the production of CdB, beginning with inspections in the vineyards and pressing centers, where a limit of 150kg for 100 liters of wine is applied. Grapes are harvested by hand with whole bunches. Quality control of the taste of the base wine follows and a second tasting of 100% of the final product is de rigueur as well.

Minimum of 9 months of aging on laths and 12 months after that prior to release.

Three categories differentiate the final product by quality: crémant, eminént (min 24 months on laths and another tasting) and grand eminént, the Formula 1 of CdB: a) only pinot noir and chardonnay are allowed (some gamay for the rosé); minimum 10% potential alcohol at harvest, only the cuvée (first 75% of press) is allowed; minimum aging is 26 months; wines must be Brut and the final product has to undergo yet another tasting.

And now let us go for some tasting ourselves.

Domaine Laurent Berger

Just 7 hectares of chardonnay in the mâconnais.

Almonds notes for a light yet balanced wine.

Score 82

Domaine manuel Olivier

25 hectares of chardonnay (50% of this wine), pinot noir and aligoté

A light wine

Score 80

Maison Louis Picamelot

Making sparkling wines since 1926

pinot noir, chardonnay and aligoté with some gamay

A dry wine, moderately complex, amaretto notes.

Score 84

Le Vignerons d'Igé

Making wines since 1927, now farms 190 hectares, mainly chardonnay.

A smooth fragrant wine with a final bitter touch.

Score 85

Maison Paul Chollet

Making CdB since 1955.

Concerto, a yeasty fragrant wine, balanced and moderately long.

Score 87

Maison André Delorme

Founded in 1942 in Rully.

A smooth wine with little effervescence.

Score 84

 Quatre-vingt-deux blanc de noirs

pinot noir and 20% gamay.

A balanced and long wine with unique cherry notes.

Score 89

Louis Bouillot

Crémant Eminent

Tradition here goes back to 1877 and now covers 140 hectares.

Another fragrant wine with good length and moderate complexity.

Score 88

Caves Bailly Lapierre

Crémant de Bourgogne éminent

Made from grapes collected from 400 growers

85% chardonnay and 15% pinot noir.

Good freshness, intense aromas of ripe cherries, long.

Score 91

Maison Albert Sounit

Established in 1943 and owned by a Danish family since 1993.

Crémanmd Grand éminent 2018

A creamy fragrant wine, very long.

Score 93

 

Meet the producer: Fei Tswei, Ningxia Hui, China

Wine in China is not new, as a book I recently reviewed illustrates at length, international appreciation for Chinese wine is, and so is widespread appreciation by Chinese consumers of high quality international wines. China is already among the top 5 or 6 producers of wine in the world, and quality is improving by the day.

One example is the Fei Tswei winery in northwest China. They were present at the London Wine Fair 2024 and served as the business card for Chinese wines in London.

There are lots of problems Chinese wine has to overcome, including still too much emphasis on quantity and too many fakes that spoil the market, but I came out of this tasting convinced things are moving in the right direction.

Good wines from this producer are available in the UK and the best bottles are not cheap, but definitely worth giving it a try to expand your horizons over Chinese wines.

 
Here below my tasting notes from the wines proposed by Fei Tswei at the London Wine Fair.

Chardonnay 2021
Smooth, soft sensations prevail
Moderately long
Score 86

Chardonnay reserve 2019
Similar to the previous wine but with better balance
Score 88

Viognier 2019
Apricot nose. Good balance
Score 88

Red joyous blend 2019
Red fruit is intense, an easy wine.
Score 85

Marselan 2019
Intense nose red
Complex long
Score 89

Marselan 2020
More balanced and longer
Score 90

Merlot 2019
Intense red fruit
Complex long,mod length
Score 91

Cabernet franc 2021
Intense nose of ripe cherries
Smoother than expected if you think of cab franc from loire, long
Score 92

Syrah reserve 2019
1 year in oak
Smooth, mod complex and long
Score 89

Marselan reserve 2019
Fruit bombshell, good structure tannins still a bit rough
Mod complex, long
Score 91

Cabernet sauvignon reserve 2019
Intense red fruit, balanced, complex and long
Score 91

All these reserves Ready now, some aging potential .

Wines of Canada in London

The High Commission (Embassy) of Canada  in London hosted a tasting of Canadian wines organized by Westbury Communications.

Peter McCombie held a masterclass together with Janet Dorozynski and here below are my main takeaways.

Most wine lovers (including myself) assume that Canada is a cold wine region. It is way up there in the northernmost part of America after all right? Well, yes and no. The climate can cold, but Canada's wine making region share their latitude with some of the mainstream classic areas in Europe we do not always associate with the work "cold". Ontario is on par with Tuscany when it comes to latitude.

There are 700 wineries in Canada which get their grapes from 1770 growers. Some 14,000 hectares of land are dedicated to vines in 4 main regions:

Here are my tasting notes.

1 Blomidon nv

Fresh wine with a zesty tone

40mos on  lees

Score 86

2 Lightfoot 2016

100% chardonnay 

Also quite fresh but 48 months lees allow a more fragrant impression

Balanced more complex

Score 89

3 Norman Hardie 2020

100% chardonnay

Complex smooth long 

Score 90

4 Le Clos Jordanne 2021

100 chardonnay

Very light canary yellow 

Smooth soft sensation prevail 

Score 86

5 Spear Head 2022

chardonnay clone 95 100%

Balanced, complex. Vanilla.

Score 91

6 Big Head chenin blanc 2022 RAW

Low intervention 

Concrete , unfiltered, light botrytis

Balance, Slight bitter end

Score 91

7 Bachelder 2022

gamay 100%

Fresh, said, good structure, raspberry 

Score 90

8 Leaning Post 2020

pinot noir 2020 

Structure complexity length a high quality wine which ever way you look at it.

Score 92

9 Pelham 2022

Baco Noir, hybrid vine (vinifera/riparia) produced by Francis Baco in Nova Scotia. Old vines 

Ripe cherries, sweet end, an easy wine that is very popular in Canada 

Score 85

10 stratus 2020

Cab franc 100%

Fruity fresh, powerful structure needs time 

Score 92

11 poplar Grove 2020

Syrah blend 

Fruit and structure, good length and complexity 

Score 93

The final two wines of the day were icewines. My spell checker tries to correct me every time but icewine in Canada is spelled in one word! I have written about Canadian icewine before on this blog.

12 icewine reif estate 2019

Riesling

Very complex long 

Score 95

13 icewine Lakeview 2019

Vidal

Veeery sweet, lacks that bit of freshness that makes for a perfect icewine.

Score 86

 

Meet the producer: Alcardet, Toledo, Spain

A family company founded in 1972, Alcardet is an up and coming vineyard that focuses on organic wines. Located in the region  of Toledo, south-west of Madrid, it combines some interesting experiments with more classic production associated with the region.

Cepas Viejas 2019

Almost extinct Moravia and Tinto Velasco grapes, very limited edition aged in oak for 6 months. A rare gem from Castilla.

A fruity, balanced wine with medium body. Smooth tannins. Ready now. I paired with pasta that I had prepared with a sweet tendency sauce. I also tried roasted chicken and peas, and would not recommend a steak as red meat would have too much structure for this delicate wine. 

Score 90

371+52 =323 Correcto

Verdejo 100%

A floral nose with latent white peach and a smooth unpretentious wine. Moderate length. An easy drink to pair with a salade niçoise or mozzarella. Score 86

Correcto red wine

tempranillo 199%

A simple tempranillo, with fruity notes and moderate complexity and length, produced with the same "randomness" philosophy as the previous wine. 

Score 86

Natura Brut

Chardonnay, macabeo and airén

This organic brut presented an intense fruity nose and a moderately complex, balanced palate with fragrant notes. We paired it with a hearty English lamb pie. 

Score 89

Riesling Sescueras

Riesling 100%

This can be considered an interesting experiment, one does not find many riesling in southern Spain. This is an easy entry level wine, perhaps the warm climate prevents the full development of this variety. 

Score 80.

Real Gana brut Reserva 

Airén 100%

Their top of the line bubbly, this traditional method from Alcardet in Spain is very fresh without being aggressive, pleasant lemon zest. Moderate complexity and length. I paired it with mushroom ravioli, the acidity contrasted perfectly with the filling and fatty sauce. Score 89

Thracian Lowlands, Bulgaria, presented by Ray O'Connor MW

With Ray O'Connor

Unusual opportunity offered to us today by Westbury Communication in London: Bulgarian wines from the lowlands of Thracia. Excellent introduction by Ray O'Connor, MW. Here are the main takeaways.

The Greeks cultivated vines first in this region, but it was the Romans, as so often everywhere in Europe, that brought a systematic organization of wine production, with rules and laws about what to grow, how and how much.

The subsequent Ottoman rule all but quashed the wine industry and it was only in the 1870s, the Russia liberated Bulgaria from the Turks that wine production picked up once more. During the communist times, from 1945 to 1989, Bulgarian wine thrived because in the socialist planning the country was designated as a wine producing region. It was supposed to bottle wine for other countries of the socialist bloc that did not have the same comparative advantage in terms of climate and tradition. Because of the lack of a market economy wine was sometimes bartered instead of sold, even with western companies like Pepsi Cola, which unlike Coca Cola always had a good business relationship with the Soviet Union and its satellite countries: socialist wine for capitalist Pepsi!

With the return to market economy in the 1990s there was a huge task to be completed before production could restart on a new basis: return to the legitimate owners the land that had been expropriated by the Communist Party. Thereafter, the new/old owners started to stress quality over quantity, reduced bulk wine production and began to address the demand of the rising middle class, as well as of the export market.

Uniquely in Europe, and contrary to the old traditions that dated back to the Romans, Bulgaria decided to establish very loose rules for its denominations, and instead let the producers use their imagination to make pretty much whatever wine they wanted.

Here are my tasting notes:

Burgozone Via Istrum Tamyanka 2022, Danubian plain

tamyanka 100%

Intense,  aromatic, fresh with a citrus peel finish.

RRP £ 18. Score 86

Bononia Estate Vrachanski Misket 2022

Vrachanski misket 100%

Marked texture, fresh, citrus, sapid end

RRP 16. Score 86

Chateau Copsa Cuvée blanc 2022

50% chardonnay, 40% misket, 10% sauvignon

Intense and complex, fresh, floral.

RRP 16. Score 88

Vinex Slaviantsi reseerve Chardonnay 2021

Chardonnay 100%

Intense, complex, balanced and long.

RRP 12. Score 90

Aya Estate melnik 2021

Broadleaved melnik (Ranna Melnishka Loza) 100%

Spices, herbal, dry, a bit astringent. Might benefit from more time in the bottle.

RRP £20. Score 85

Rupel Gramatik Rubin Barrique 2020 from Struma valley

Rubin 100%

A structured wine, tobacco, herbal, definitely needs more time in the bottle to round corners.

RRP 20. Score 87

Domaine Boyar Korten Natura Mavrud & Rubin 2021

mavrud 68% and rubin 32% French oak barrels

Good structure yet lots of fruit, ready now with some potential for evolution.

RRP £ 10.50 Score 87

Katarzyna Estate Seven Grapes 2021

Cab sauvignon, merlot, syrah, malbec, tempranillo, cab franc, mavrud

Fresh, coffee, spices, structure, good length.

RRP £13.50. Score 89

Minkov Brothers Oak Tree 2016, Thracian Lowlands

cabernet sauvignon, cab franc, merlot

Complex, balanced and long.

RRP 29. Score 92

Slaten Rozhen Sycagy 2017, Struma valley

Syrah 33%, cab franc 33% and sangiovese 33%

Amazingly fruity and flowery, spices, tannins need some rounding.

RRP 30. Score 88

Bulgarian wines overview. Courtesy of Ray O'Connor

Tasting of wines from Nova Scotia, Canada

Masterclass by Sarah Drake, Flint Wines

Masterclass

You may not have heard of wines from Nova Scotia, on the eastern coast of Canada, and neither had I before I was invited to this tasting, a first in London, by Westbury Communication. Ontario, yes, British Columbia, yes, Prince Edward County, yes, but Nova Scotia? And yet it is there that wine was first made in Canada, in the XVII century. The first winery was planted at Bear River in 1611. The second winery was established at Petite Rivière in 1633. One would have to wait over two and a half centuries, until 1980 for the first commercially viable winery to start operations at Grand Prè under pioneer Roger Dial.

Wine production in Nova Scotia, like for the rest of Canada, was inhibited by prohibition in the early part of the XX century, and there were dry areas until 1980s where there was a legal need to hold a plebiscite to make wine. Despite these difficulties, altogether, 63 varieties are grown to produce 2,500+ metric tons of wine grapes (2021) over 485 hectares.

Nova Scotia is the home of a typical Canadian grape, the Arcadie Blanc, a hybrid crossing that was produced in the 1950s. It now makes for some 30% of all wines in Nova Scotia. 

There are now 35 wineries, and another couple of dozen growers who sell their grapes to them, all in all a small number for a population of 1m people. The geographical location is somewhat isolated which does not help with trade in general and wine trade in particular. In Canada each province is like an independent country, limited exports from one to another.

Climate difficulties are predictably severe, in March 2023 they just had frost at minus 25 Celsius, and lost almost all harvest. Harvest, when it does happen, is a long process because of the slow ripening of the berries at this latitude. Picking bunches from the vines usually starts in September and it can go on until well into November.

25% of production goes to sparkling wines, not surprising given the high levels of acidity resulting from the cool climate. Outside Canada export to many countries but small quantities. A rising share of production is consumed by local youth, who like some of the very low alcohol drinks that are even sold in cans to please soda drinkers.

There is one controlled origin appellation: Tidal Bay, a unique feature in all of North America. Wines must pass a panel tasting to be labeled in Nova Scotia, if they don't satisfy the judges the winemaker has to go back and modify the wine for another try. Officially launched in June 2012, it is a crisp, aromatic white wine. The name Tidal Bay was inspired by the fact that this is home to the biggest tidal differences of water level in the world.

Overall, Nova Scotia makes quite a few good wines and some excellent ones, and while more work may be required to catch up with some other Canadian provinces, it is an interesting emerging wine region to monitor in the years to come.

map from vineyards.com

Selected tastings

Lightfoot and Wolfville Tidal Bay 2021

50% Arcadie blanc et al

Zesty, hard sensations prevail, apricot in the nose. RRP £20

Score 86

Planters Ridge, Tidal Bay 2021

Blend of arcadie blanc, chard et al.

A crisp aromatic wine. RRP £34

Score 88

Luckett Vineyards, Tidal Bay 2021

Blend of arcadie blanc, chard, ortega et al

Rounder than the previous wines, longer. RRP £32

Score 89

Blomindon Reserve Chardonnay 2020

Barrel fermented for a round, balanced wine with good complexity. RRP £34

Score 90

Lightfoot and Wolfville Brut 2017 sparkling

100% chard

Light fragrance, on the fresh side but mod complex and long. RRP £35

Score 88

Benjamin Bridge Brut 2017 sparkling

Wild yeast fermentation in large French oak barrels produce a fragrant wine with a slight bitter ending. RRP £38

Score 87

Blomindon blanc de blanc 2011

100% chardonnay

Balanced and fragrant, still development potential. RRP £56

Score 89

Blomindon Grande Reserve 2008

100% chardonnay

Complex,  round and long with toasted notes. Only 11.4% abv. The best wine today, and it shows how Nova Scotia quality wines can age. RRP £78

Score93

Luckett Vineyards traditional method sparkling NV

arcadie blanc 100%

Fragrant, mod complex and long. RRP £37

Score 90

New Zealand Top 50 wines

Quality keeps getting higher and higher every year, and so do, alas, prices for premium New Zealand wines. Part of it is due to externalities (global inflation, logistics bottlenecks) but part is probably just because the best NZ wines attract more and more demand.

In the context of the Annual New Zealand Trade Tasting in London, organized by NZ Wine Growers, a separate table was set up for the "best 50" wines selected by an independent panel of UK experts. I will focus my post on my best of the best among these.

Coal Pit Wines

Tiwha pinot noir, 2019

Old vines planted in 1994, a wine made from destemmed fruit which is given a cold soak for 4 to 6 days and then matured in barrel for 10 months, using 28% new French oak. The best wine today. RRP £40. Score 94

Hatch Mansfield, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough

Esk Valley The Terraces 2016

A blend of malbec, merlot and cab franc makes for a unique experience, a round wine with complex aromas and flavors. A bit of an investment at RRP £90 for a score of 92

Pegasus Bay, Waipara

Bel Canto Dry Riesling 2020
A floral and zesty wine by Ivan Donaldson who planted his first Pegasus vineyard in 1986. Single vineyard. Score 88

Pinot noir 2019

Made using traditional Burgundian techniques, single vineyard. RRP £36. Score 92

Aria, late picked Riesling 2020

Plump fruit still freshness come out but is balanced by a slightly sweet ending. RRP £27. Score 88

Peregrine, Central Otago

Sauvignon blanc 2020, organic

Apricot notes, quite an original interpretation of sauvignon. RRP £26. Score 91

Yealands Estates, Marlborough

State of Flux sauvignon blanc 2019

A balanced and long wine from a single vineyard overlooking the Awatere river. The name comes from the fact the wine has been fermented and aged for 11 months in concrete eggs with the lees kept in "state of constant flux". RRP £27, Score 92

Kelly Washington, Marlborough

Chardonnay 2019, organic

A fresh and moderately complex chard. Too expensive. RRP £34. Score 86

Wild Irishman, Central Otago

Tuturi Pinot Noir 2021

A powerful wine on the border of excellence. Ready now. RRP £45, Score 90

Domaine Thomson Surveyor, Central Otago

Thomson pinot noir 2017

Tannins still a bit rough but very promising.

Smoky and jammy. RRP 44. Score 90

Meet the producer: Thelema Mountain Vineyards of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Thomas Webb

Another interesting master class at the London Wine Fair 2022, this time with Enotria&Coe presenting the products of Thelema Mountain Vineyards of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Our speaker today was Thomas Webb, Director of Thelema. 

The family now owns 180 hectares of land and does not plan to increase its size, rather they want to focus on quality. He explained how the origin of their name comes from François Rabelais a monk, doctor and writer in sixteenth-century France who imagined a utopian abbey on the banks of the Loire. In stark contrast to the religious orders of his day, this community admitted both men and women and encouraged them to live together in great luxury. This was the Abbey of Thélème, which ultimately lent its name to our vineyard on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain: Thelema. (from their website)

I asked about how the various ethnicities of South Africa are getting involved in the wine industry, but the answer is more than in earlier times but not much. Wine was not part of the traditional culture of the Ndebele, Xosa, Zulu...

They use thermal imaging of the vineyard to monitor maturity and decide when to pick at the exactly perfect moment. Which means picking at different places on different days.

thermal imaging of Thelema vineyards

They use screw caps, they believe it will allow for more homogeneous aging in the bottle.

Here is my notes from their best wines tasted today:

Thelema Chardonnay 2011
Pressed in steel tanks and fermented in French oak barrels.

A mature wine, round and complex, with a perfect balance.

Score 93.

Thelema Chardonnay 2018

Still quite fresh and fruity, moderate length.  Definitely needs more time in the bottle.

Score 87.

Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

De-stalked, manual sorting of berries, crushed in steel then pressed and left for 20 months in French barrels, 50-50 new and old. Incredible fresh for a 21-year-old wine.

Ready now, but can benefit for a longer period in the bottle to round the tannins a bit further.

Score 90

Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Incredibly, this is smoother than 2001, ready now.

Score 93.

Thelema Rabelais 2015

Cab sauvignon 80%, petit verdot 15%, merlot 5%.

Perfect marriage of fruit and structure. Excellent balance, length and complexity. Ready now.

Score 95

Thelema Rabelais 2019

Same grapes as 2015 but no merlot. A tad disappointing after tasting the wonderful 2015.

Score 87