| Country: | South Africa |
| Region: | Franschhoek |
| Winery: | Leopard's Leap |
| Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2011 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Maipe Chardonnay 2013 is made from 85% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier.
Manual harvest.
5 hour maceration on skins in temperature controlled steel vats; fermentation with selected yeasts at 14°-16°C; 30% malolactic fermentation.
30% was aged in French oak barrels.
Brilliant yellow golden color with green hints.
The wine is crisp and filled with white peach, pear, green apples flavors, toasty vanilla. Elegant and luscious wine, well balanced. Crisp and long finish.
Pairs well with creamy soups, pork, veal, vegetables.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Adelsheim Vineyard Chardonnay Staking Claim is made from 100% Chardonnay.
Review:
Grapefruit pith, flint, roasted almonds and toasted lemons here. It’s medium-bodied, flinty and gently toasty with bright acidity and a fresh, tight finish. Sustainable.
-James Suckling 92 Points
Ancien Chardonnay Carneros is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Chardonnay Carneros owes its style, depth, and structure to intensely flavored, low yielding, heirloom clones growing in two Carneros vineyards: on the Napa side, the Toyon Farm and on the Sonoma side, the Sangiacomo Vella Ranch. Ancien Wines hand-selected the cuttings themselves, from older vineyards in the Carneros area. These cuttings are reputed to have origins tracing to Paul Masson who imported them from Burgundy in the early 1940’s, from Louis Latour's renowned Corton Charlemagne vineyard. These selections are often referred to as “Old Wente”or “Robert Young,”denoting the sourced mother blocks in the 1960s.
Notes of ripe apple and honeydew melon greet and are delicately perfumed by notes of freesia and citrus blossom. Brighter notes of lime and Meyer lemon match the refreshing acidity of this wine, balanced by a creamy palate and leading to a finish that will continue to lengthen in the coming months. A wonderfully textured and vibrant Chardonnay displaying the best of Carneros.
Chardonnay Carneros is guided toward a layered, complex, and expressive style that develops gracefully in the bottle and shows enticing minerality, vivacious fruit, length and structure. The watchword is balance. Grapes were pressed as whole clusters, settled and fermented entirely in French oak from four different coopers, chosen for their unique synergism and support of the fruit on the palate. One third of the barrels were new. A variety of yeasts were used, including native strains, and fermentation proceeded evenly and slowly, averaging a cool 55°F. The wine was aged on its yeast lees, which were stirred weekly through the spring.
Leopards Leap Chardonnay Viognier is made from 95% Chardonnay, 5% Viognier.
Wine Style: Unwooded, elegant and full-bodied.
Vinification: Whole-bunch pressed, settled and cold fermented with extended lees contact. Fermentation takes place at optimum temperatures. Grapes are sourced from Villiersdorp and Darling regions.
Alcohol percentage: 13.5 %
Total Acidity: 6.4 g/L
pH: 3.35
Residual Sugar: 2.1 g/L
Total Production: 22,000 cases
This refined blend is produced to be an elegant, medium bodied wine with an abundance of tropical fruit, with the added complexity of the slightly wooded Viognier component. It is further enhanced by the tones of apricot and melon from the Viognier.
The Leopards's Leap Estate
Situated at the most southern tip of the African continent, South Africa is a country rich in diversity, a nation steeped in history, and one with a bright future. Agriculture is one of the country’s principal industries, and its rich culture of winemaking spans 300 years. Today, one of the best ways to experience South Africa’s unique heritage is by tasting its world-class wines. Leopard’s Leap is based in the picturesque town of Franschhoek, situated in the heart of South Africa’s winelands, located in the Western Cape province. An hour’s drive from Cape Town, Franschhoek is not only home to some of the country’s finest wine estates, but is also considered to be the culinary capital of South Africa.
The Name Leopard's Leap refers to the Cape Leopard and the efforts of the winery to reinstate the Cape Leopard.
"We are a proud sponsor of the Cape Leopard Trust, a NGO aiming to optimally facilitate conservation of the Cape region's predators, in particular the endangered Cape mountain leopard.
Cape mountain leopards fill the role of apex predators in the Western Cape ecosystem and act as an 'umbrella species' to control the numbers of smaller predators. In effect, they thus help with the conservation of other species by maintaining this balance. By simultaneously implementing conservation strategies, research projects and tourism initiatives, the trust works tirelessly to conserve these beautiful animals."
The Leopards's Leap Vineyards
We at Leopard’s Leap understand that the first thing the everyday consumer looks for when selecting wine is price. That is why we pride ourselves on producing excellent quality wine at affordable price points. Our winemaker, Eugene van Zyl, selects the best grape varietals from the Cape Winelands region, and strives to create wines that are high on quality and can compete with the best of South African wines. Our philosophy embodies creating wines that are popular with all palates and easy to drink, but does not compromise on quality, and can be served at a widevariety of social occasions. Leopard’s Leap produces three ranges. The premium Family Collection is at the top end, and with its sleek black, gold and red labels, these wines are perfect for special occasions. The elegant Classic Collection boasts a wide variety of well-structured wines that all pair exceptionally well with a wide selection of food. The Lookout Range is more fun-loving and is perfect for everyday drinking and as a companion to social events.
Benjamin Romeo Predicador Tinto is made from 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo.
Predicador, or “Preacher,” named after Clint Eastwood’s everyman character in the 1985 film Pale Rider, is composed of 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo. The grapes are sourced from 15 different plots within San Vicente and Briones in Rioja Alta which on average yield less than 2 kg per vine. The wine is fermented in oak and stainless steel with a two-day cold maceration and aged for sixteen months in new French oak. The wine was filtered but not fined. This vintage some La Cueva del Contador, Contador and La Vina de Andres were added for concentration and balance.
The aromatics open up with crushed red cherries, balsamic notes and the sweet baking spices of cinnamon and clove. The fruity and spicy characteristics found in the nose follow through on the palate, along with dried cranberry, black cherry and elegant fine-grained tannin supporting the tart red fruit and adding to its length and depth.
Review:
The red 2021 Predicador has notes of ripe black fruit and dark spices and is a little earthy, powerful, concentrated and generously oaked but balanced and integrated. A modern, powerful red Rioja produced with Tempranillo and complemented with 3% each Graciano and Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha, it has a juicy palate with plenty of power and abundant, fine-grained tannins. It's ripe without excess at 14.7% alcohol. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after spending 19 months in used French oak barrels.
-Robert Parker 93 Points
Colour ,cherry, purple rim. Aroma ,fruit expression, floral, spicy, red berry notes, black fruit, complex. Flavour ,flavourful, fruity, good acidity, long.
-Guia Penin 93 Points
Certified organic, head-trained, dry-farmed field blend of vines planted at the winery in the heart of Napa Valley. Red and black fruits, garrigue, and distinctive black pepper nose. Broad and deep on the palate, with further notes of Provencal herbs and earth; though most definitely a classic Napa wine, it has an almost Southern French sensibility.
Review:
The 2022 Zinfandel Turley Estate is composed of three generations of plantings that commenced in 1996. Medium to deep ruby in the glass, it opens with pure, deep, characteristic aromas of grilled yellow peaches, red cherry, redcurrant, lavender, leather and angostura bitters, revealing finer detail as it spends time in the glass. The palate is massively rich, full-bodied and powerful, with a brooding density that melds with grainy tannins and mouthwatering acidity. The finish is layered, dramatic and perfumed, with an overarching youthful density that will take a few years in bottle to unwind. This is a lovely effort that combines modern density with a classically framed structure.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points