Neal Martin 2011 reviews

NV A A Badenhorst Family Wines Funky White Blend
A A Badenhorst Family Wines
A Proprietary Blend Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 91 / Drink 2011 - 2015
Adi has provisionally named his Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier non-vintage blend “Funky White.” Blended with eight other varieties and aged under flor but not fortified and with a blend of four different vintages, it has a striking nose that you will either love or hate?Jura meets Swartland perhaps? The palate is very well balanced with a smooth texture and is not as oxidized as the nose implies. Apricot, lemon rind, honeycomb and walnut furnish the poised finish. This evinces individualistic winemaking, but the bottom line is that it tastes good and it tastes “cerebral.” Drink now-2015+.
Adi Badenhorst is a name to drop when it comes to the future of South African wine. Along with Eben Sadie, he has been at the forefront of putting Swartland on the map. On the surface he has a devil-may-care attitude but underneath is a gifted winemaker who now suffuses his wines with that all-important ingredient. Personality. His winery located in Paardeberg, might look a bit cobbled together, but the wines that he vinifies from his 28-hectares of bush vine are individual and uncompromising?and delicious.
Importer: Broadbent Selections Inc., San Francisco, Cali. Tel 415-292-8466.
2010 A A Badenhorst Family Wines Secateurs Red Blend
A A Badenhorst Family Wines
A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 90 / Drink 2011 - 2013 / $17
A blend of 74% Shiraz, 10% Cinsault plus Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre aged for 14 months in old French casks, the entry-level 2010 Secateurs Red Blend has ripe raspberry, blackberry and wild hedgerow on the nose that is well defined and very natural. The palate is medium-bodied, supple on the entry with juicy bright red berries, raspberry, red currant and has a touch of citrus peel lending freshness and vitality. Drink now-2013.
Adi Badenhorst is a name to drop when it comes to the future of South African wine. Along with Eben Sadie, he has been at the forefront of putting Swartland on the map. On the surface he has a devil-may-care attitude but underneath is a gifted winemaker who now suffuses his wines with that all-important ingredient. Personality. His winery located in Paardeberg, might look a bit cobbled together, but the wines that he vinifies from his 28-hectares of bush vine are individual and uncompromising?and delicious.
Importer: Broadbent Selections Inc., San Francisco, Cali. Tel 415-292-8466.
2009 A A Badenhorst Family Wines White
A A Badenhorst Family Wines
A Proprietary Blend Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 92 / Drink 2011 - 2016 / $42
Bottled in January, the 2009 Family White Blend is a blend of around ten white varieties that Adi tried his best to remember. We got as far as Chenin Blanc, Grenache Gris, Palomino, Clairette and Semillon, but we might have been there all day. The striking thing about the nose is the definition, for the 2009 shows greater precision than the 2008, whilst the Palomino does indeed impart a sherry-like tincture. The palate is supremely well balanced and demonstrates greater tension and vibrancy than the 2008, as if the grapes are working together, moving in the same direction. It is very focused on the finish and should age beautifully. Drink now-2016+.
Adi Badenhorst is a name to drop when it comes to the future of South African wine. Along with Eben Sadie, he has been at the forefront of putting Swartland on the map. On the surface he has a devil-may-care attitude but underneath is a gifted winemaker who now suffuses his wines with that all-important ingredient. Personality. His winery located in Paardeberg, might look a bit cobbled together, but the wines that he vinifies from his 28-hectares of bush vine are individual and uncompromising?and delicious.
Importer: Broadbent Selections Inc., San Francisco, Cali. Tel 415-292-8466.
2008 A A Badenhorst Family Wines Noble Late Harvest
A A Badenhorst Family Wines
A Semillon Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 93 / Drink 2011 - 2020
There are just 200 bottles of his 2008 Noble Late Harvest Semillon. It has an appealing, very pure bouquet with touches of clear honey, white flowers and a hint of quince with very fine delineation. The palate is viscous on the entry, caressing lemon curd, marmalade and lemon zest flavours with a pure, opulent finish that you cannot help but fall in love with. Drink now-2020+
Adi Badenhorst is a name to drop when it comes to the future of South African wine. Along with Eben Sadie, he has been at the forefront of putting Swartland on the map. On the surface he has a devil-may-care attitude but underneath is a gifted winemaker who now suffuses his wines with that all-important ingredient. Personality. His winery located in Paardeberg, might look a bit cobbled together, but the wines that he vinifies from his 28-hectares of bush vine are individual and uncompromising?and delicious.
Importer: Broadbent Selections Inc., San Francisco, Cali. Tel 415-292-8466.
2007 A A Badenhorst Family Wines Red
A A Badenhorst Family Wines
A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 93 / Drink 2011 - 2020 / $42
A blend of 70% Shiraz (not 80% as stated on the label) with 10% Mourvedre, 7% Cinsault and 3% Grenache, the sublime 2007 Family Red Blend has a very natural, beautifully defined bouquet of dark berries, a dash of white pepper and garrigue that you would swear comes from some rocky outcrop in the Rhone. The palate has really coalesced since I tasted the 2007 in its youth: very fine tannins, wonderful balance and freshness with great tension. There are dark berries, tertiary notes, white pepper, fennel and a slight salty tang on the mid-palate that leads to a very focused finish. It will age over 8-10 years with ease. Drink now-2020.
Adi Badenhorst is a name to drop when it comes to the future of South African wine. Along with Eben Sadie, he has been at the forefront of putting Swartland on the map. On the surface he has a devil-may-care attitude but underneath is a gifted winemaker who now suffuses his wines with that all-important ingredient. Personality. His winery located in Paardeberg, might look a bit cobbled together, but the wines that he vinifies from his 28-hectares of bush vine are individual and uncompromising?and delicious.
Importer: Broadbent Selections Inc., San Francisco, Cali. Tel 415-292-8466.
2010 Anthonij Rupert Wines Cape Of Good Hope Serruria Chardonnay
Anthonij Rupert Wines
A Chardonnay Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 92 / Drink 2011 - 2018
The cerebral 2010 Cape of Good Hope Chardonnay is sourced from 700-metre vines up in the Stettyn Mountains. It has a light, primal, grapefruit and lemon scented bouquet that blossoms beautifully with teasing granite and crushed flower notes. The palate is fresh on the entry with a nice citrus twist at its core. There is superb tension and palpable minerality towards the finish that imparts a sense of Old World strictness. Drink now-2018.
This Franschhoek based winery is named after Anthonij Rupert, the son of South African billionaire Anton Rupert, who tragically died in 2001. Their flagship wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, represent top-class internationally styled varietals that are hand-picked and lavished in 18 and 24-months in new French oak.
Importer: Terlato Wines International, NJ. 201-659-4712.
2006 Anthonij Rupert Wines Cabernet Franc
Anthonij Rupert Wines
A Cabernet Franc Dry Red Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 94 / Drink 2013 - 2020 / $80
The 2006 Cabernet Franc is cut from a similar cloth to the Cabernet Sauvignon with a polished, almost decadent nose that manages to retain the peppery aromatics of great Cabernet Franc with subtle hints of mocha and chestnut. The palate is full-bodied and very well balanced. It is certainly lavished in high quality new oak but without denuding elegance and definition, whilst the varietal character really comes through on the savoury finish. You could easily mistake this for a top Napa Cabernet Franc. Drink 2013-2020+.
This Franschhoek based winery is named after Anthonij Rupert, the son of South African billionaire Anton Rupert, who tragically died in 2001. Their flagship wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, represent top-class internationally styled varietals that are hand-picked and lavished in 18 and 24-months in new French oak.
Importer: Terlato Wines International, NJ. 201-659-4712.
2006 Anthonij Rupert Wines Cabernet Sauvignon
Anthonij Rupert Wines
A Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Red Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 93 / Drink 2016 - 2025 / $60
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is decadent and alcoholic on the nose, although decanting allows the super-ripe cassis, black cherry and blueberry fruit to blossom and mellow. The palate is full-bodied with ripe, assertive tannins and layers of ripe black fruits cloaked in glycerine, but this Cabernet maintains impressive delineation. Unashamedly ostentatious and showy. This wine needs to be decanted for a couple of hours or leave it another five years to see what the secondary phase of evolution with bring. This is a class act. Drink 2016-2025.
This Franschhoek based winery is named after Anthonij Rupert, the son of South African billionaire Anton Rupert, who tragically died in 2001. Their flagship wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, represent top-class internationally styled varietals that are hand-picked and lavished in 18 and 24-months in new French oak.
Importer: Terlato Wines International, NJ. 201-659-4712.
2008 Anwilka
Anwilka
A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 90 / Drink 2013 - 2020 / $50
A blend 48% Syrah, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot and aged in oak for 15 months, the 2008 Anwilka has a glossy, well-defined bouquet that is rather taciturn at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a lactic entry: touches of dark chocolate and mocha at first, interwoven with blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The texture is a little “furry” but it is endowed with a satisfying, silky finish. Cellar this for 2-3 years and wait for those secondary flavours. Drink 2013-2020.
Anwilka is the joint venture between Bruno Prats, Hubert de Bouard from Bordeaux, and Lowell Jooste representing the home team. The grapes in their Stellenbosch vineyard are selected from 12 of the 40 hectares planted and yields are kept around 35 hectoliter per hectare, before fermentation in 7,000-liter “tronical” stainless-steel tanks and matured for nine-months in French oak. A majority of Anwilka is exported and sold through the Bordeaux “Place.”
Importer: Fidelis and though Bordeaux negociants.
2007 Ashbourne Hemel en Aarde Valley
A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from
Hemel-En-Aarde Valley, Walker Bay, South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 90 / Drink 2012 - 2017 / $50
Much better is the 2007 Pinotage that is blended with 10% Bordeaux varietals and is graced with a lifted dark plum and damson-scented bouquet. The palate has fine tannins and fresh dark berry and damson tinged fruit with good acidity and freshness on the finish. This is a very fine Pinotage built with propensity to age. Drink 2012-2017.
Anthony Hamilton founded Ashbourne in 1996: a 113-hectare estate east of his own Hamilton Russell vineyard. Readers should note that the labels do not divulge the grape varieties that I have indicated above.
Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Alabama. Tel 205-949-6262
2010 Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc
Ataraxia
A Sauvignon Blanc Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 90 / Drink 2011 - 2016 / $20
The impressive 2010 Sauvignon Blanc has a refined, more introspective bouquet that the 2005 that avoids those pungent cat’s pee aromas. The palate has very good definition on the entry with crisp acidity: lively aromas of green apple, kiwi fruit and citrus lemon, demonstrating great purity and subtle mineralite towards the finish. Anticipated maturity: now-2016.
Having put Hamilton Russell on the map, winemaker Kevin Grant departed to establish “Ataraxia” in the idyllic Hemel-en-Aarde valley. Since debuting in 2005 with out-sourced fruit, he has already fashioned some of South Africa’s finest Chardonnays, but he is already enthusiastic about his own fledgling 47-hectares of vine that should debut with the 2011 releases. In the meantime, Kevin showed me debut and recent vintages of portfolio, expounding his philosophy of terroir and mineralite rather than fruit.
Importer: Worthwhile Wine Company, Atlanta, GA; tel. (678) 358-5241
2009 Ataraxia Chardonnay
Ataraxia
A Chardonnay Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 93 / Drink 2011 - 2018 / $40
Better is the outstanding 2009 Chardonnay that is sourced from Hemel-en-Aarde and Elgin and aged for 10 months in 225-liter French oak with 34% new (the rest 2nd fill). The nose is beautifully defined with scents of melon, honeysuckle and white peach with just a hint of creme patissiere. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry with subtle almond and hazelnut. It has wonderfully integrated vanilla-tinged oak and a tense, mineral-rich finish that is Corton-Charlemagne in all but name and price. This is one of South Africa’s benchmark Chardonnays. Drink now-2018+
Having put Hamilton Russell on the map, winemaker Kevin Grant departed to establish “Ataraxia” in the idyllic Hemel-en-Aarde valley. Since debuting in 2005 with out-sourced fruit, he has already fashioned some of South Africa’s finest Chardonnays, but he is already enthusiastic about his own fledgling 47-hectares of vine that should debut with the 2011 releases. In the meantime, Kevin showed me debut and recent vintages of portfolio, expounding his philosophy of terroir and mineralite rather than fruit.
Importer: Worthwhile Wine Company, Atlanta, GA; tel. (678) 358-5241
2009 Avondale Wine Estate Anima Chenin Blanc
Avondale Wine Estate
A Chenin Blanc Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 90 / Drink 2011 - 2016 / $29
Much better is the 2009 Anima Chenin Blanc. Sourced from 8- to 30-year old vines, whole-bunch pressed and raised in 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill 500-liter French oak barrels, it has a lovely, understated bouquet with lime flower, nectarine and a touch of walnut that is very well defined and blossoms in the glass. The palate is taut and refined with crisp acidity, fresh citrus fruit, apricot, gooseberry and a hint of mango that leads to a nicely focused finish. Drink now-2016.
Avondale is a Paarl-based producer with the emphasis upon organically grown grapes sourced from their own estate, using natural yeasts in their gravity-flow winery and sulphur additions that are half the norm. I like the ethos here and the sense of dynamism, however, some of their portfolio did not quite live up to my expectations.
Importer: Metropolis Wine Merchants, New York, NY; tel. (212) 581-2051
2009 Avondale Wine Estate Cyclus
Avondale Wine Estate
A Proprietary Blend Dry White Table wine from
South Africa
Source / Reviewer / Rating / Maturity / Cost
eRobertParker.com
Aug 2011 / Neal Martin / 91 / Drink 2011 - 2016 / $35
The 2009 Cyclus is a blend of 60% Viognier with the remainder consisting of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Semillon. Sixty percent of the crop was fermented in 500-liter French oak barrels. It harnesses the aromatic spice of Viognier on the nose: nectarine, dried apricots, wax resin and a hint of lemon curd. The palate is well balanced with a pleasing fatness on the entry. There is a honeyed quality to this Chenin, a little richer and more generous than the Anima, but a vibrant finish of honey, grilled almond, lemongrass and a twist of lemon. This is a stylish, multi-faceted Chenin Blanc. Drink now-2016+.
Avondale is a Paarl-based producer with the emphasis upon organically grown grapes sourced from their own estate, using natural yeasts in their gravity-flow winery and sulphur additions that are half the norm. I like the ethos here and the sense of dynamism, however, some of their portfolio did not quite live up to my expectations.
Importer: Metropolis Wine Merchants, New York, NY; tel. (212) 581-2051
2006 Avondale Wine Estate Samsara Syrah