Still youthful and needs air but then shows classic Pinotage flavors of dark fruit, leathers, road tar and smoky spices. Firm acidity lays over a plush palate that leads to a complex spicy finish. This unique and underrated wine has a great track record for aging and needs more time to really strut its stuff. 92+
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In the decanter 2 and a half hours prior to drinking, drunk over the next half hour. A little muted on the nose for me, with notes of vanilla pod and a touch of mocha. Starting opening up as the bottle was finishing, suggesting longer decant needed.
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Really wonderful wine that punches way above its weight vintage after vintage. Medium-bodied and ripe but not overdone with delicious flavors of black fruits, licorice and tarpit. There is enough acidity and the texture is smooth and layered which leads to a fine finish with notes of bitter chocolate and smoky minerals. This is fully integrated now but with plenty of life left given its excellent track record for aging. 92+
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This is maturing nicely but still quite youthful showing delicious flavors of dark chocolate and graphite. Rather ripe fruit but it's balanced well by good acidity and excellent freshness with uplifting notes of eucalyptus and dark spices. Finishes taut and complex with notes of road tar and minerals. One of the better Pinotage's in almost every vintage. 91+
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PNP, for the first several hours had a sharp smell and unpleasant burnt tar. But this blew off and the wine opened up very nicely. Deep purple color. Nose of plum and blackberry, plush but not jammy. Same fruits on the palate, along with some raspberry. Bold, sweet tannins with an undercurrent of dried leaves and smoke. My first pinotage, and given the reputation, I was pleasantly surprised.
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Three hour decant. Very deep dark purplish magenta color. Lots of peanut butter on the powerful nose, with very secondary fruit. Smooth, thick, tongue drying palate. Full tannins on the medium long finish. Classic Pinotage.
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the wine is clear, quite dark almost purple, youthfull
nose is clean, medium+ intense with aromas of dark cherries, violets, sweet cherries, pepper, almondmass, seem quite closed at the moment. Youthfull
palate is dry, medium ripe tannins, medium+ alcohol, medium+ acidity, body and flavour intensity with aromas of dark and sweet cherries, some oak, vanilla, dark floral notes, dark plum, sweet tobacco, red pepper, hint of liquorice, very complex. long finish
Very well structured, deep complexity, good balance, alcohol seems a bit dominant maybe, quite intense and solid lenght. This is a very good wine which i recommend for further storaging, at least 5 more years. 89-90p
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Tasted blind. Dark garnet color turning crimson at the rim with a reflective edge. This exhibits a very perfumed and mentholated nose with floral notes accompanied by warm spices, smoke on black fruits. The palate is full-bodied, but structurally weak as it takes a steep dive on the finish. Drink now.
Nice nose. Dark red/purple color. Leather, vanilla, Red and black fruit. Nice but moderate finish . Easily the most enjoyable Pinotage I have had.. Very pleasant and enjoyable.
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Decanted 2 hours. Ruby color with clear rim. Moderate weight on the palate: nice acidity, little heat, and good balance. Fresh raspberry and other blue and red berries, touch of compote, bulb flowers. Short-medium finish.
Excellent with bobotie and yellow rice. Glad to have found some quality producers available here (USA). If scoring, 89+.
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Dark ruby/purple. The nose initially showed some sulfur/rubber, which blew off after several minutes, revealing interesting notes of root beer, plum, raspberry and vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, with good acidity and a tannic bite. An inviting, fruit-forward attack (cherry, plum, raspberry) gives way to some complexity and serious structure on the midpalate, ending with a bitter, tannic finish. I've rarely encountered a wine that offers such a contrast in tastes across various parts of the mouth. This clearly needs some time to pull itself together, and I would love to try this again in five years or so.
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Medium ruby red with garnet edges. Very interesting nose. A little dirty, some burnt rubber, spices like black pepper and herbs. Started to open up over a couple hours with some chalk, floral notes and dark fruits such as figs and blueberries. Moderate tannins (6.5/10) with a medium body. Bright acidity from the start with dark fruits; soft blueberries on the attack then blackberries and some red cherries. Long dry finish with dried berries and a slight toasty and savory notes. Drink till 2024.
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Dark red with long legs. Complex nose with spice, black berries, agriculture, liquorice and burnt sugar. The nose evolves constantly during the evening. The palate has the same characteristics. The wine has firm and juicy tannins that hold the wine up and gives it a firm spine. Great structured wine, that can be kept for 15-25 years under good conditions.
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65 year old vines, dry farmed, meticulous winemaking with manual punch downs every two hours (!). 75% new French oak. Medium nose shows cherry, baking spice, vanilla, blackberry, cedar, roses. Palate matches, modern fruit style with juicy red and black tones, vanilla from oak, sweet spice, fresh earth, also structure driven with medium tannins and acidity propping things up. Couldn't decide if this was light bodied or full bodied so nice balance. Does have a punch with alcohol at 14.5% Nice example overall and a crowd pleaser.
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12/31/2023 - Stemvers wrote: 89 Points
Not too great unfortunately. A bit alcoholic and lacking balance. Maybe the bottle?
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12/29/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still youthful and needs air but then shows classic Pinotage flavors of dark fruit, leathers, road tar and smoky spices. Firm acidity lays over a plush palate that leads to a complex spicy finish. This unique and underrated wine has a great track record for aging and needs more time to really strut its stuff. 92+
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10/9/2021 - red.red.vino wrote:
In the decanter 2 and a half hours prior to drinking, drunk over the next half hour. A little muted on the nose for me, with notes of vanilla pod and a touch of mocha. Starting opening up as the bottle was finishing, suggesting longer decant needed.
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8/22/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really wonderful wine that punches way above its weight vintage after vintage. Medium-bodied and ripe but not overdone with delicious flavors of black fruits, licorice and tarpit. There is enough acidity and the texture is smooth and layered which leads to a fine finish with notes of bitter chocolate and smoky minerals. This is fully integrated now but with plenty of life left given its excellent track record for aging. 92+
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5/25/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is maturing nicely but still quite youthful showing delicious flavors of dark chocolate and graphite. Rather ripe fruit but it's balanced well by good acidity and excellent freshness with uplifting notes of eucalyptus and dark spices. Finishes taut and complex with notes of road tar and minerals. One of the better Pinotage's in almost every vintage. 91+
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4/15/2020 - Livonietisr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bright ruby color. Plum, black cherries, cinnamon. Flavore of black berries. Deep and concentrated.
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4/8/2020 - Maphill01 Likes this wine:
PNP, for the first several hours had a sharp smell and unpleasant burnt tar. But this blew off and the wine opened up very nicely. Deep purple color. Nose of plum and blackberry, plush but not jammy. Same fruits on the palate, along with some raspberry. Bold, sweet tannins with an undercurrent of dried leaves and smoke. My first pinotage, and given the reputation, I was pleasantly surprised.
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2/2/2020 - ggtirevite wrote:
Delicious, but cork was brittle
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12/21/2019 - AGELVIS wrote: 90 Points
Three hour decant. Very deep dark purplish magenta color. Lots of peanut butter on the powerful nose, with very secondary fruit. Smooth, thick, tongue drying palate. Full tannins on the medium long finish. Classic Pinotage.
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9/24/2019 - Krister Larsson wrote: 91 Points
mörka bär, liten touch av backelit, gummi, lång eftersmak ,med hög syra
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12/26/2018 - GrayStreak Likes this wine: 88 Points
Pleasant nose. Plum notes. Enjoyable Pinotage.
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9/16/2018 - Mckalm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mörka bär, ektoner, god, passar perfekt till Boboutie
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6/20/2018 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice wine with enough depth and a hint of spice. Almost like a cool climate syrah.
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2/20/2018 - Empirate Likes this wine: 91 Points
Slo ox 2 hours. Has picked up weight and continues to be well balanced with appropriate acidity. Beautiful.
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12/2/2017 - curtr Likes this wine: 90 Points
A young wine. Licorice, rich, a wine that needs 2-3 more years to come together.
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11/4/2017 - Sergei&Marisa Likes this wine: 88 Points
I 3/2/6/5 = 16
S 3/3/6/5 = 17 out 20
Subtle for South African wine. Very nice but a bit expensive (20 euro's)
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10/7/2017 - Bearbus Likes this wine:
Delicious. Plum, lift, florals, VA, oak, blackberry, char, peppery rocket. Juicy, mouthfilling. Nice
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9/10/2017 - Ebrim Likes this wine: 89 Points
the wine is clear, quite dark almost purple, youthfull
nose is clean, medium+ intense with aromas of dark cherries, violets, sweet cherries, pepper, almondmass, seem quite closed at the moment. Youthfull
palate is dry, medium ripe tannins, medium+ alcohol, medium+ acidity, body and flavour intensity with aromas of dark and sweet cherries, some oak, vanilla, dark floral notes, dark plum, sweet tobacco, red pepper, hint of liquorice, very complex. long finish
Very well structured, deep complexity, good balance, alcohol seems a bit dominant maybe, quite intense and solid lenght. This is a very good wine which i recommend for further storaging, at least 5 more years. 89-90p
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8/7/2017 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 89 Points
Tasted blind. Dark garnet color turning crimson at the rim with a reflective edge. This exhibits a very perfumed and mentholated nose with floral notes accompanied by warm spices, smoke on black fruits. The palate is full-bodied, but structurally weak as it takes a steep dive on the finish. Drink now.
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8/1/2017 - Sourdough Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice nose. Dark red/purple color. Leather, vanilla, Red and black fruit. Nice but moderate finish . Easily the most enjoyable Pinotage I have had.. Very pleasant and enjoyable.
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7/29/2017 - Empirate wrote:
Decanted 2 hours. Ruby color with clear rim. Moderate weight on the palate: nice acidity, little heat, and good balance. Fresh raspberry and other blue and red berries, touch of compote, bulb flowers. Short-medium finish.
Excellent with bobotie and yellow rice. Glad to have found some quality producers available here (USA). If scoring, 89+.
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6/4/2017 - Rossmcn1 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Deep garnet red.
Rich leather and cigar nose, smokey with Blackcurrent Jam. Vanilla, is that banana?
Round fruit forwards, full body. Good acid balance. Light round tanin brings good mouthfeel.
Bring out the BBQ (or Fajitas)
Breathe in bottle - 30 minutes opened up wide.
Drinks young
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2/26/2017 - Jeck wrote: 91 Points
I was surprised , nice wine for this price.
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2/23/2017 - dream wrote: 91 Points
Young, thickly-textured. Classic flavors of black fruits, tar and smoky meats. Savory and long on the finish. Needs time. 91+
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12/15/2016 - Guy Des Rosiers Likes this wine: 87 Points
Dark ruby/purple. The nose initially showed some sulfur/rubber, which blew off after several minutes, revealing interesting notes of root beer, plum, raspberry and vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, with good acidity and a tannic bite. An inviting, fruit-forward attack (cherry, plum, raspberry) gives way to some complexity and serious structure on the midpalate, ending with a bitter, tannic finish. I've rarely encountered a wine that offers such a contrast in tastes across various parts of the mouth. This clearly needs some time to pull itself together, and I would love to try this again in five years or so.
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11/17/2016 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 91 Points
Medium ruby red with garnet edges. Very interesting nose. A little dirty, some burnt rubber, spices like black pepper and herbs. Started to open up over a couple hours with some chalk, floral notes and dark fruits such as figs and blueberries. Moderate tannins (6.5/10) with a medium body. Bright acidity from the start with dark fruits; soft blueberries on the attack then blackberries and some red cherries. Long dry finish with dried berries and a slight toasty and savory notes. Drink till 2024.
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11/6/2016 - Empirate Likes this wine:
Happy to have discovered this varietal and an importer for for this producer!
Lots of pairing possibilities from light fowl or fish to savory roasted or grilled meats.
Prior notes describe the nose and flavor profile well.
Very young as anticipated but, with decanting and some coaxing in the glass, turned in to a real beauty. Better 2018 and beyond?
Great QPR. If scoring, 91++.
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9/30/2016 - Torchy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark red with long legs. Complex nose with spice, black berries, agriculture, liquorice and burnt sugar. The nose evolves constantly during the evening. The palate has the same characteristics. The wine has firm and juicy tannins that hold the wine up and gives it a firm spine. Great structured wine, that can be kept for 15-25 years under good conditions.
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7/12/2016 - GTFreek wrote:
65 year old vines, dry farmed, meticulous winemaking with manual punch downs every two hours (!). 75% new French oak. Medium nose shows cherry, baking spice, vanilla, blackberry, cedar, roses. Palate matches, modern fruit style with juicy red and black tones, vanilla from oak, sweet spice, fresh earth, also structure driven with medium tannins and acidity propping things up. Couldn't decide if this was light bodied or full bodied so nice balance. Does have a punch with alcohol at 14.5% Nice example overall and a crowd pleaser.
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