Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Lubanzi – Chenin Blanc – 2024
Swartland WO – Western Cape – South Africa 🇿🇦

Overview
An expressive and highly approachable Chenin Blanc from Swartland that captures the region’s signature balance of freshness and texture. Crafted in a clean, dry style, this wine delivers authenticity and character at an incredibly accessible price point, making it a standout for everyday drinking.

Aromas & Flavors
Bright citrus, green apple, and pear lead the profile, followed by hints of stone fruit, light honeyed notes, and a subtle savory edge. A touch of minerality and gentle herbal nuance adds depth without complicating the experience.

Mouthfeel
Light- to medium-bodied with vibrant, uplifting acidity. Crisp, dry, and clean with a refreshing, energetic finish that keeps the wine lively and food-friendly.

Food Pairings
Grilled chicken, seafood, fresh salads, sushi, or light vegetable dishes. Also shines as a refreshing standalone sipper.

Verdict
A beautifully executed, no-fuss Chenin Blanc that delivers freshness, balance, and typicity. It overdelivers for the price and fits perfectly into a casual daily rotation without sacrificing quality.

Did You Know?
Swartland has become one of South Africa’s most exciting regions for Chenin Blanc, known for dry-farmed bush vines and wines that emphasize purity, texture, and natural freshness.

🍷 Personal Pick
A reliable daily white that punches above its weight, clean, refreshing, and unmistakably Chenin. One of those bottles you grab without thinking… and never regret. — a month ago

Jose Lorenzo

9.3

At our dear friend Mauricio’s new venture Mosaico in South Miami — 4 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

First vintage of a joint venture between two important Italian wine families. Bright ruby color. Black cherry and mulberry fruit on the nose with an intense hit of volcanic ash and soft herbal hints. Ripe red fruit flavors with a flinty note on the finish. Medium bodied with intense acidity. Polished. Good food wine. — 4 years ago

Georgia Conlin

9.2

All cinsault to my knowledge. I thought this was delicious! Medium bodied, great chilled red. — 3 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.4

2015 vintage. A joint venture between the Roquette (Quinta do Crasto) and Cazes (Lynch Bages) families. Only produced from the best barrels in exceptional years. Old vines of Touriga Nacional, Tina Roriz and Touriga Franca from the Douro Superior and Cima Corgo sub-regions. Black fruit and violets. Seriously powerful, but it maintains elegance, thanks to the acidity balancing the layers of fruit and ripe tannins. Long lingering finish. Impressive. Abv. 14,5 % . — 4 years ago

Will Stanley

9.7

Simply one of the greatest wines I’ve ever tried to date, the 1961 Real Vinicola is my first venture into mature Port and a complete eye-opener to this style of wine.

A veritable miracle on opening, the wine has a clear brick-red colour and a hauntingly beautiful nose. There are exotic aromas of toasted nuts, dried cherry, fig, raisin, lavender and clove; it’s a wine you don’t need to taste for a long time, such is the intrigue up front. The palate, then, is explosive for a wine of this age, almost full bodied with great complexity and acidity that belies its six decades of life.

The finish is staggeringly long, with a lasting impression on the palate. A new and totally enthralling experience for me in the world of wine. — 4 years ago

Gilles de Chambure

Master Sommelier & Educator

10

Last bottle on list 2017 recommended by owner sommelier Caroline great original wine list for St Emilion great delicious Vietnamese food #wine rich ripe with a searing acidity great Egon Muller touch venture in Slovakia — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Brief notes. Meaty aromas - very savoury. See previous notes re this being Bryan Martin’s private venture while still working at Clonakilla with their Shiraz Viognier being the benchmark in the country. Love this Northern Rhone style wine. I was expecting pepper but got more spice and charcuterie. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Brief notes - at a friend’s place checking out his new cellar and generously opened this wonderful Margaret River Chardonnay. Cloudburst is the venture of American, Will Berliner, who turned the district on its head by asking prices 2 and 3 times the price of the Icons of Margaret River. It doesn’t worry Will who is able to sell much of his product into up-market restaurants in the US. This wine was initially leaner than I was expecting with citrus and ripe grapefruit. With more air nectarine and peach notes started coming through but still shows admirable restraint. All in all a class act. — 4 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.4

Better than my first bottle last June.
Parker 95 Wine Maker notes,


Derek Mossman began Garage Wine Company at a time when there were relatively few smaller, family owned wineries in Chile. He not only started his venture to produce hand made wines on a human scale, but also to buy fruit from and support farmers with great quality fruit throughout the country. Along the way, he also banded together a group of like minded wineries to create MOVI, a platform to promote smaller production wineries in Chile.

Tantalizing aromas of blueberries, violets, orange peel, raspberry leaf and aniseed with a touch of aromatic herbs that provide freshness. The palate is electric, with pulsing acidity, ultra-fine tannins and very good length. Both rustic and elegant, wild and subtle, it has precision, elegance, balance and life. Shows no alcohol nor wood. A fresh, Mediterranean blend from a vineyard that was forgotten, revived, regenerated and today shows what the Maule is capable of. — 5 years ago