James Halliday once wrote a line on the topic of Shiraz that has stuck with me. The great critic of Australian wine commented that ‘There are many good judges who see the Heathcote subregion of Bendigo as Australia’s greatest area for Shiraz, notwithstanding the far greater (historic) reputation of the Hunter and Barossa valleys.&rsq...
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To say the Champagnes of de Sousa are avidly followed by Atlas clients might be understatement. Two cuvées in particular have developed something of a cult-like following with our clients, namely the Mycorhize and the 3A – both invariably sell out in a matter of hours, so on your marks…
Those of you waiting...
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The only disappointment with the 2019 releases from Hannes Storm is the quantity.
The 2019 vintage represented the third dry vintage in a row for South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde valley and, as Hannes Storm comments, ‘stressed vines to the limit with three years of drought and they focused all their energy...
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When you are such a fan of a set of wines, it is hard not to sound repetitive. I have written it before and I’ll no doubt write it many times more, the Champagnes of Egly-Ouriet are really special and, for me, this estate ranks as one of the very best producers in all of Champagne (and I include all comers in that statement).
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I have kept my Barolo enthusiasm calm for a while; there were so many great 2016s that I feared overwhelming everyone with the commentary over the last year!
I think, however, that this particular example is well worth drawing to your attention. Why? The grower remains a little off radar, it is a Riserva from 2015 from a highl...
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I have mentioned before how highly I rate the Chenin Blanc Reserve from DeMorgenzon in Stellenbosch. Well, the 2019 vintage has just been released and it is sure to impress followers of this estate.
It represents a slight departure from recent hot and dry vintages, as 2019 was cooler and resulted in wines with bright acidities...
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