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. — 2 months 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. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

A joint venture of Jorge Ordonez, Bodegas Borsao and Chris Ringland, located in the town of Bulbuente (Zaragoza) Spain. Alto Moncayo is the flagship of the winery. A single-grape variety of Garnacha, from vines between 40 and 70 years old, aged in new barrels for 20 months. Bold aromas of fruit and spice. On the palate black fruit flavors, rich and full-bodied, with complex spice. Fine tannins, savory, good structure ending with a smoky character. Very nice! — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Angelo Gaja’s venture - Ca'Marcanda. Blend of 60% Cab Franc, 30% Cab Sauv & 10% Petit Verdot, barrel aged for 12 mos. A big, very rich Gaja style wine. Deep red with dark berry fruits and earthy leathery spice notes. On the palate blackberry and black cherry flavors, smooth with integrated spice, mint and tobacco, screaming acidity. Fine tannins, great balance, long, drinks well ending with mineral spice character. Very nice. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

This is Alain Graillots Australian venture in Heathcote Victoria. Interesting to compare with his Crozes Hermitage from a few nights ago. This showed better IMO. Lovely spice and dried meat. More like Northern Rhone than Heathcote. Earthy and savoury. Showed better than a bottle in December 2019. — 6 years ago

Rick Baraff

9.1

Nice, nice. Thought it might be a muddling, middling venture at such a steep price at a nice restaurant, but after being a tad fruity on opening, turns out really solid, balanced nicely minerally dinner pairing with some character. Enjoyable. — 7 years ago

Georgia Conlin

9.2

All cinsault to my knowledge. I thought this was delicious! Medium bodied, great chilled red. — 4 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

Bob McDonald

9.1

See previous notes for this cuvée and vintage 76 weeks ago An unlikely venture on Kangaroo Island SA owned by Jacques Lurton of Cheval Blanc fame. The Lurton family own vineyards around the world. This is 100% Cabernet Franc. Herbal tea leaf like notes which belie the sweetish medium weight palate. Red Currant with mild resolved tannins. Overall very pleasing and ready to drink. — 6 years ago

Matt Konopka

9.0

Big Jammy Napa Cab, eucalyptus, plum. Went great with #Rastelli steaks for dinner tonight.
Needed a little normal! — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Dusty left bank aromatics. Strong at 15 years - a medium to full bodied palate still vibrant and alive. A word on Drinking Windows - A UK source I respect greatly said 2016-2018 for this wine but this tasting showed there was a lot of life left - maybe another 4 to 5 years I would say. To be fair it is an inexact science. This the Argentinian venture of Right Bank Icon, Chateau Cheval Blanc. 55% Malbec, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. There is no doubt you could mistake this as Bordeaux. An excellent Wine singing at 15 years. — 7 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. — 6 years ago

David Miska

8.9

Dry with nice rose flavors. Good value — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

My first time with this producer. Very enjoyable and classic. Lemon, limestone, chalk, caramel dipped underripe Granny Smith apple, and a fruit taste I commonly get with Pinot meunier. Not sure if it’s included, but I’d venture to say it has a fair bit. On the lighter side with a fresh bite at the end. — 6 years ago

with Dan and Mark

David Shaw

9.0

Last of my own stock of Paul Gregutt’s old vine Chenin blanc from Washington state. The venture is now defunct, alas. Pale yellow white, excellent clarity. Floral and funk notes in nose. Honey peach-apricot and cantaloupe flavors, slight skin astringency in finish, lemony aftertaste with a tinge of cantaloupe-apricot. Great length of flavors, good acidity but lacks a bit of needed crispness. And in the future, please help support your local old vine Chenin blanc producer. The world deserves more quality wines like this. — 7 years ago