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Vintages 2024 Buyers Guide
unpaid-for non-advertorial reviews

LINKED 2024 VINTAGES BUYERS GUIDE
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NEW MUST BUY CABERNET FRANC

Cave Spring Estate Grown Cave Spring
Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022
VINTAGES SEPTEMBER 7 - #523001 - $20.95
Rich, Bright, Ripe, Well Balanced *** (91.5-points)
This excellent ripe 2022 has a bright fairly deep purple-red colour. The nose is slightly spicy and quite intense with bright, plummy fruit along with some gentle minerally, faintly cedary, raspberry notes. Dry, medium-plus bodied, bright, fresh, still youthful, ripe plum flavours with a lingering, crisp, faintly cedary finish. A very well-made, perfectly ripe Cab Franc (with no green tonality), it has a hefty 6.5 g/L total acidity and was aged for 14 months in 225L (80%) and 500L (20%) French oak barrels (95% neutral and only 5% new). Note that it is bottled unfiltered thereby greatly increasing mouthfeel and ageability. Showing very nicely now, it should still get better with 2-3 years of aging. This well structured 100% Cabernet Franc has 14% alcohol and under 2 g/L residual sugar. Winemaker Gabe Demarco has come up with a very tasty versatile crowd-pleaser that represents terrific Cab Franc value. Bottled last April, only 527 cases produced. Not to be missed.
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Eikendal Sauvignon Blanc 2023
SOUTH AFRICA VINTAGES SEPTEMBER 7 - #92860 - $17.95
Fresh, Bright, Ripe, Dry, Elegant *** (90-points)
Bright pale straw colour. Very attractive, slightly spicy, gently grassy, fresh, ripe, lemon-apple meringue along with some minerally notes. Dry, medium bodied, nicely structured, slightly spicy, fresh, bright, ripe, apple-lemon-grapefruit flavours with a lingering, crisp, unoaked finish. Terrific value - it is made from two clones of hand-picked grapes grown in a site-specific block of unirrigated vines in the cool Elgin highlands (350m. Batonnaged every 2 weeks for 2 months before bottling, it has 13% alcohol, 2.4 g/L residual sugar and a hefty 6.5 g/L total acidity with lot number 19/6/23 on the upper part of the glass bottle.. A versatile crowd-pleaser - don’t miss this one. Screwcap closure
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Amazing Value 2010 Bordeaux

Chateau de Belcier 2010
VINTAGES SEPTEMBER 7 - #18672 - $24.95
Rich, Dense, Complex, Ripe *** (92-points)
This extremely well-priced tasty 14-year-old 2010 from Castillon (up-river from St Emilion) is a blend of 57% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc and 9% Malbec (better than the 69-25-5 for the 2009 vintage). It has a surprising youthful deep intense purple-tinged red colour with a tight amber edge. Intense, complex, alluring, maturing, ripe Damson plum fruit along with some forest floor and rusty iron notes. Dry, medium-full bodied, intense, well structured, ripe, maturing, plum-blackberry flavours with lingering, still slightly grippy, forest floor and cedar-sandalwood notes on the lingering finish. Perfect now and superb value for those looking for a maturing but still ageable Bordeaux from a classic year to pair with a rib steak. It has 14% alcohol and under 2 g/L residual sugar.
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Alpha Estate Turtles Single Vineyard Malagouzia 2023
VINTAGES GREECE Wine Value Award Gold - #32161 - $18.95
Floral, Bright, Deliciously Refreshing *** (91-points)
Malagousia is a very aromatic white variety that was rescued from near extinction 40 years ago and is grown in north-western Macedonia. This delicious youthful 2023 has a bright pale straw colour with an attractive, intense, still youthful, slightly spicy, floral, yellow grapefruit nose. Dry, medium bodied and nicely structured, its slightly spicy, mineral-driven, bright, apple-melon-grapefruit flavours have a lingering, unoaked finish. Unoaked and aged sur lies for two months, it as 13.% alcohol and under 2 g/L residual sugar. Bone dry and great with seafood - a not to be missed bargain.
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Cremaschi Furlotti
Gran Reserva Carmenere 2019
VINTAGES AUGUST 24 - #549741 - $19.95
Rich, Ripe, Mouthfilling *** (91-points)
This Wine Value Awards Gold has a fairly deep intense purple colour. Attractive, intense, slightly spicy, bright, fresh, ripe, plummy-crancherry nose with some minerally, gently complex, toasty notes. Dry medium to medium-full bodied, well structured, intense, bright, ripe, mouthfilling, plum-crancherry purée flavours with a lingering, bright, gently savoury, cedary finish. Aged for 12 months in French oak, this impressive, extremely well-priced, 100% Carmenere has 13.5% alcohol under 3 g/L residual sugar with lot number L24108 L1C on the back label