96 Points - James Halliday / Halliday 5 Red Star Winery. Award winning Briar Ridge's single vineyard Shiraz is produced in very limited quantities from their unique 'Dairy Hill' vineyard block, only when vintage conditions have yielded the highest standard of quality fruit. This wine reveals a lovely intense red fruit palate complemented by savoury and spice characters in classic Hunter Valley style. Matured in the finest French oak puncheons, this wine displays a well-structured and elegant fin

96 Points - James Halliday / Halliday 5 Red Star Winery. From the Award winning Briar Ridge, their 'Big Bully' represents a small parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon selected from their estate grown Wrattonbully vineyard. A rich, ripe and powerful wine defined by concentrated blackcurrant and blackberry fruit flavours and reinforced by high quality french oak.  Wine Press / Awards Halliday 5 Red Star Winery "Outstanding winery regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity. Will have at le

100 Points - Wine Enthusiast. The 2019 Fay stands as an icon of distinction and a wine for the ages. Meticulously crafted from 100% estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, its journey unfolding through stainless steel fermentation and a refined 21-month maturation within new French oak barrels, a truly exquisite wine. Tasting Note This FAY Cabernet Sauvignon has a bright fruit-driven nose of maraschino cherries and blackberries along with hints of baking spice and coconut. The wine has a polished mouth

93 Points - Tim Atkin MW. A rich, silky Cabernet Sauvignon from the outstanding Thelema Mountain Vineyards. Thelema have firmly entrenched themselves as one of the leaders in Cabernet Sauvignon, placing Stellenbosch Cabernet’s firmly on the global wine map. 18 months spent in barrel, 45% of which is new French oak, along with careful hand sorting have produced a truly elegant and complex Cabernet Sauvignon. Vivino Rating: 4.1 (Feb 2024) Wine Press Ratings 93 Points - Tim Atkin MW (2020) About th

98 Points - WinesCritic.com. Solengo was the brainchild of the legendary winemaker and father of Super Tuscan wines, Giacomo Tachis. The first vintage was 1995 and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Sangiovese. The wines are aged in French barriques for twelve months and are blended just before the bottling. A long period in bottle follows before the finished Solengo is released. Solengo, by the way, means solitary wild boar in Tuscan, and describes perfectly the regal, powe

96 Points - Decanter. The Man O' War Dreadnought 2018 is a classically styled Syrah with really lifted spice and floral notes overlaying a more savoury umami character. Underneath the aromatic lift is a layer of red berry fruit characters which lead into a soft and supple palate following with a clear focused acidity and fine tannins, all finishing with a trademark long persistence that is fresh and slightly salty. Vivino Rating: 4.3 (Mar 2024) Wine Press Ratings 96 Points - Decanter (2019) "Pow

90 Points - Platter's. The name Giorgio Dalla Cia will forever be intertwined with the legendary Meerlust Rubicon, an early Bordeaux-style blend that earned him the title of South Africa's Champion Winemaker in 1980 and the distinction of producing the world's finest red blend in 2006. Dalla Cia Giorgio is aged for 18 months in a combination of 80% new and 20% second-fill French oak barrels and boasts a captivating bouquet featuring notes of blueberries, cherries, violets, tobacco leaf, and spic

91 Points (2019) - Natalie Maclean - A consistently great McLaren Vale Shiraz. Generously rich with amazing fruit weight and balanced, chewy tannins. Brimming with ripe red fruits and an underlying layer of subtle oak, as well as a hint of pepper. This wine represents great value, and has a long life ahead of it... If you can resist! Taste  Earthy, spicy Shiraz from McLaren Vale in South Australia, full of black plums, liquorice and black pepper, with a peaty under layer of mushroom, pipe tobacc

94 Points - The Wine Independent. Bolgheri is a relatively young yet prestigious Italian appellation located on the Tuscan coast just to the south of Livorno, home to exceptional wines. It is known mainly for deeply coloured, supple yet age worthy red wines, usually based on the Bordeaux grape varieties, which this wine is no different (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec). A classic, elegant Bordeaux style blend with round and silky tannins that

93 Points - The Real Review.The Partners Cabernet Sauvignon is a premium Cabernet from the Grove Estate Vineyards and captures the spirit of the hilltops. A low yielding cool climate Cabernet, spending time in a mix of French & American oak gives this high quality Cabernet deliciously smooth tannins and a long finish. Intense red and purple berry liqueur ahead of graphite and cedary oak. Fruit is ripe and pristine, cassis driven width and length, oak subdued and tannins silky. Wine Press Rat

91 Points - Tim Atkin MW. Nikela 2009 is a “Cape Blend” of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz & Merlot. The word “Nikela” (pronounced “Ni-care-la”) is a Nguni (Xhosa/Zulu) word meaning “to offer a gift of dedication, respect or a tribute to one’s ancestors” - this wine being a tribute to winemaker Jeremy Walker’s late parents, Eddie and Betty, who contributed greatly to the establishment of Grangehurst, which was named after their childhood homes - “The Grange” and “Hurst Close” - in Engla

93 Points - James Suckling. Named for its iron rich, red volcanic soils, Monte Rosso has produced grapes of unmistakable character for more than a century. Three generations of the Martini family have made wine from this iconic vineyard and it continues to inspire their winemaking team on a deeply profound level. Monte Rosso remains the source of some of the most coveted bottles in the Louis M. Martini portfolio. Full bodied and concentrated the textured mouthfeel is plush, finishing long. Vibra

91 Points - Vinous. From the son of acclaimed producer Alain Graillot, Maxime. The organic fruit (from 35-year-old vines) is de-stemmed, spending one year in old oak (used barrels from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) with a touch of new. This is an appealing, pretty, fruit-forward Crozes with aromas of violets, plump blackberry, plum, licorice, and chocolate followed by a tighter palate with grainy tannins and high acidity. An accomplished, balanced, and restrained wine. Wine Press Ratings 91 Point

91 Points - Decanter / Silver Medal. Intense lifted aromas of ripe red berries play with notes of violet, pepper and dark chocolate. Full bodied with complex forest fruits, plums, spice and velvety tannins. Situated on a similar latitude to renowned wine regions like Gisborne in New Zealand, Sonoma and Napa Valleys in the USA, Mendoza in Argentina, Sicily in Italy, and Jerez in Spain, Victoria stands as the southernmost and coolest state on mainland Australia and has gained fame for its diverse

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast. Château Grand Tayac is a small production Margaux run by the hands of ultra-talented winemaker Eric Boissenot, who is the consultant at all the Médoc First Growths and a majority of the other 1855 classified estates. The “Cuvée Reserve” is an exclusive selection of tanks comprised of younger vines and there is no new oak in the blend. In every other way, this wine is cared for in the same way as the Grand Vin. A fine smoky hint with some solid tannins, it is Cabernet

Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship wine of Orin Swift and emphasises their guiding principle: Without quality grapes, great wine is impossible. It comes from the best lots from very select vineyards in Napa Valley and the wine is a testament to those vineyards, to their principle and to what is possible in Napa Valley. The Liberty Dime on each bottle symbolises winemaker Dave Phinney's favorite coin in his collection growing up and his most prized possession. Vivino Rating: 4.6 (Feb

91 Points - Andreas Larsson - From the outstanding terroir of Sainte-Victoire in Provence comes the Organic Esprit Gassier. Stylish yet laid back, Esprit Gassier is made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Rolle and is vinified using direct pressing and fermentation at low temperatures in order to preserve the aromas in the fruit. A light pink hue and notes of peach combined with delicate aromas of white flowers and white fruits. Spring and Summer in a glass, with this beautiful Rosé f

93 Points - Robert Parker. The Zinfandel Old Vines is a blend of declassified wine from Turley’s old-vine vineyards. A great buy and one of the best old-vine cuvees the Turleys have produced, rich full-bodied, and unctuously textured, it explodes from the glass revealing black fruits, earth, kirsch, licorice, pepper, and underbrush elements.  Vivino Rating: 4.2 (Feb 2024) Wine Press Ratings 93 Points - Robert Parker "The 2021 Zinfandel Old Vines has a medium ruby color and plush red and black ch

91 Points - Winemag.co.za. Located 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. Their Equanimity Cabernet Sauvignon has an exuberance of concentrated fruit, intense black cherry colour with a full bouquet of cassis, black berries, cigar box, pencil shavings and subtle oak and a hint of mint to ensure freshness. Stunning value at under £20. Vivino Rating: 4.0 (A

92 Points - Tim Atkin MW. Handcrafted, traditional & unhurried are the key watchwords of Grangehurst Winery and their flagship wine is a blend of three Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The vineyards are located on the coastal part of Stellenbosch and the quality of the grapes is positively influenced by the cool southerly summer sea breezes that blow across False Bay. With over 15 years of bottle age, the Grangehurst is wonderfully smooth and complex. Vivino Ra

Decanter World Wine Awards: 2019 – 90 Points. The grapes for 'The Graduate' are sourced from a single Syrah block in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, overlooking the coast. Enjoying the cool sea breeze, this limited production (only 3000 bottles) Syrah is a hand crafted, premium wine from a Wine Maker dedicated to quality and refinement.  Vivino Rating: 4.0 (Mar 2024) Awards National Wine Challenge (Top 100): 2019 – Double Silver (2019) Decanter World Wine Awards: 2019 – 90 points (2019) About the Pro