Country: | South Africa |
Region: | Swartland Region |
Winery: | Short Street |
Grape Type: | Pinotage |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
When the founding fathers of the Napa Valley carved out new sub-AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in the 1980s, Soda Canyon Ranch was not yet on anyone’s map. The vineyard is neighbored to the northwest and west by the winegrowing districts of Stags Leap District and Oak Knoll District, respectively, which were among the early pioneers of California Cabernet Sauvignon to attain global fame. To the northeast and southeast—and further off the beaten path—were Atlas Peak and Coombsville, thought to be the next frontiers for the emerging wine-producing region.
With richness and depth of flavor, the 2018 Timeless Napa Valley is the embodiment of patience and attention to detail. Decades of experience at Soda Canyon Ranch allow winemaker Nate Weis and team to highlight the individual merits of each block. Combining the strongest lots from each resulted in a refined and harmonious bottling.
In 2018, the diurnal shift at Soda Canyon Ranch produced a darker, lusher fruit profile of Cabernet Sauvignon. Simultaneously, the overnight recovery periods resulted in expressive and refined Merlot, giving the wine a pleasant profile of bright, red fruit. With an extended harvest window, the signature, plush density and structure of Petit Verdot is also prevalent in the final blend. Cabernet Franc thrived in 2018 with its predilection for the cooler soils and the climate of blocks 5, 6, 16, 20 and 21—areas we call the Transition Zone and Hardpan Alley. The variety’s floral and tobacco-like aromatics are accentuated, and its more aggressive nature for back-end tannins tamed.
Once blended, the 2018 vintage rested in French oak barrels for 16 months, developing flavors of vanilla and baking spice. Velvety tannins dance across the palate of bright and lingering cassis. With a smooth finish, this is a comforting wine of elegance and depth—a sophisticated expression of the sedate summer.
Review:
This is a little old-school and shows lots of dark berry, chocolate and dried fruit. It’s full, dense and layered with fleshly sensibility. Velvety texture.
-James Suckling 93 Points
Argot Pinot Noir Sonoma County is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Everything you have come to expect from an Argot Pinot Noir, shone through the filter of a textbook-perfect vintage. We simply can not get over the quality of fruit this wine displays! Intense, yet fresh; fruity, yet spicy; brambly, yet juicy; immediate, yet lingering. A Pinot Noir that displays the variety’s natural come-hither attitude, while succinctly capturing its intriguing nature. There are not enough superlatives to describe this wine. Almost too easy to love!
VINEYARD Multiple vineyards throughout Sonoma County, including both valley floor and high-elevation hillside sites
PRODUCTION 600 cases
VARIETAL 100% Pinot Noir
CRUSH Night harvested by hand beginning in mid-September, concluding at our coolest sit on October 13. Cluster and berry sorted by hand, de-stemmed, no crushing
FERMENT 7-day cold soaks, followed by native fermentation in open-top containers, with the grapes fermenting on their skins for an average time of 14 days.
AGING 16 months, French oak barrels, 7% new, remainder once-used. Never racked prior to bottling. Bottled un-fined, unfiltered.
NOTES Singularly great. 2018 was an all-time vintage for California’s North Coast, achieving rarely before experienced heights. A mild summer gave way to Autumnal perfection, allowing cooler areas the opportunity to ripen their crop while chemistries remained perfect. What arrives in bottle is nothing short of a pinnacle representation of Sonoma County Pinot Noir — profound depth of pure, red Pinot Noir fruits, caressing textures balanced by deep minerality and a quenching acidity.
Stonestreet Estate Vineyards Rockfall Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sourced from one of our highest elevation vineyards, the 2017 Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon features a true wildness that expresses the rugged growing site 2,000ft above the fog line. Elegant aromas of blueberries, cassis, graphite and black tea with complex undercurrents of baking spices. This wine balances power with elegance through to its savory palate with a generous structure and ample tannins. The structure of this wine allows for many years of cellar aging to continue to bring out nuanced flavors and complexity.
Review:
The Rockfall Vineyard is between 2,000 and 2,200-feet in elevation, and the wine that originates there is powerful and concentrated in style, with robust red-fruit and mineral tones. Herbal and classic, it shows elegance and integrated oak and tannin within its context of intensity and structure. Enjoy best from 2027–2037. Virginie Boone
-Wine Enthusiast 96 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
It is hard to imagine with the Lithology range receiving 298 points out of 300 for the three single-vineyard wines, that there could possibly be a wine above them. But there is, and it is our Estate wine. Blended several times very intently by masters of their craft Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, this is the ultimate expression of our house’s work. Positive, full-bodied, and quite powerful, there’s the expected crème de cassis and blackberry from St. Helena Cabernets, with mineral, herb, subtle tobacco and vanilla, plum skins, and pie crust, purple flowers, forest-conifer notes, and very fine tannic structure. It is a magnificent, and magnificently elegant expression of this house, and when asked recently, Monsieur Rolland stated plainly to me, “oh yes indeed – this is the best one, the best yet…”
Review:
The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Alejandro Bulgheroni comes from a selection made by winemakers Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, mostly from Rutherford and Oakville fruit. Aged 20 months in 78% new French oak, it has incredible aromatics of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, and graphite to go with a massive, full-bodied, concentrated style on the palate that somehow stays graceful, weightless, and elegant. This tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is guaranteed to put a smile on your face over the coming 20-25+ years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points
Alejandro Bulgheroni Lithology Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
From a St. Helena vineyard planted by early Napa settler Edward Bale more than 150 years ago, and later serving as the estate vineyard for the area’s first winery built by Henry Pellet in 1860, the Las Piedras site always gives us our prettiest wine. When placed next to Dr. Crane and To-Kalon wines, the Las Piedras show a certain elegance, with a very graceful entry and finely detailed complexity. We produce it with at least 75% new French oak, so there is a floral, spicy, and vanilla accent to the intense red and black fruits, cassis, and black cherry liqueur. What distinguishes this bottling is the beautifully fine tannins, delicate texture, and stunning purity. (Less than 100 cases made.)
Fermentation 70% Oak, 24% Concrete, 6% Puncheon
Review:
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lithology Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard comes from a world-class site outside of St. Helena and is all Cabernet that spent 20 months in 80% new oak. It offers a touch more red fruit as well ample cassis, spring flowers, loamy earth, and spice-like aromas and flavors. It has a wonderful sense of minerality, ultra-fine tannins, a dense, layered texture, and incredibly purity of fruit. It’s another just about off the charts release from this estate."
- Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
Short Street Pinotage is made from 100% Pinotage
Situated at the very heart of South Africa’s Swartland wine region, Short Street is the shortest street in the Riebeek Valley. A melting pot of creative energy, gourmet fare, farm fresh produce and the vibrant, uncomplicated lifestyle of the people, Short Street captures the essence of the Swartland, where passion, creativity and simplicity are distilled into a captivating experience.
Made in a rich, full-bodied, this Pinotage emphasizes the Pinot Noir parentage of this uniquely South African wine. Sustainably crafted from protected old bush-vine Pinotage, it offers abundant fresh cherries, ripe plums and a hint of spice and smoke with a smooth, lingering finish.
To highlight the red fruit of both parents of Pinotage, namely Pinot Noir & Cinsault, fermentation on the skins is slowed by strict temperature control. The extended fermentation period ensures maximum extraction of flavor and color, while working gently with the skins avoids astringent flavors. The wine is aged for 4 - 9 months in French oak for good integration of flavor.
Served at room temperature, this wine is exceptionally food-friendly, enhancing enjoyment without masking food character. Especially suited to Italian dishes and smoked meats.
Situated at the very heart of South Africa’s Swartland wine region, Short Street is the shortest street in the Riebeek Valley. The street is small, but full of life – you’ll find gourmet fare, fresh produce, artisans, music and more. The vibrancy of Short Street is captured in these classic W.O. Swartland wines.
UNIQUE TERROIR
The Swartland is a rugged place of untamed beauty and unique, distinctive terroir.
The terroir of the Riebeek Valley is mainly affected by a Mediterranean climate and diverse, prehistoric Sandstone and Shale soils from the majestic Kasteelberg Mountain. Both significantly influence the style and quality of our wines.
Average age of the vines is 12 years. Oldest are 47 year old bush-vines.
The vineyards are situated at heights that vary from 60m to 300m above sea level, against the slopes and foothills of the Kasteelberg Mountain. Because of the topography, the soils offer rich diversity, including: Oakleaf and Dundee alluvial soil from the sediment of die Berg River and Swartland and Glenrosa soils from underlying shale along the Kasteelberg Mountain.
Rainfall occurs during winter months with enough cold units to ensure a proper rest phase for the vines before bud-break in early September. The summers are intensely hot and dry with some cooling westerly winds that are ideal conditions for producing fine white and red wines.
A low bearing region with limited irrigation, our key vineyards are still farmed as either dry land farms, or with some supplementary irrigation to help the crop to optimum ripeness. The soils and dry land conditions have proved ideal for bush vine (un-trellised) vineyards. The dry land conditions result in small berries with layered flavour, near perfect colour and soft tannin structures that deliver fruit-driven, expressive wines for the novice and connoisseur alike.
The Riebeek Valley supports a great diversity of varietals that florish here but it is their exceptional Chenin Blanc, Shiraz & Pinotage that shows the best of what the Swartland terroir can do.
The wine team, including a full-time viticulturist, works with our grape growers to sustainably develop varietals and sites that best translates the Swartland terroir. Using only free-run juice from the finest grapes, a passionate wine team craft clean, crisp, well-made wines that are true-to-type with focussed fruit and great purity.
ALECIA BOSHOFF: WINEMAKER & HEAD OF PRODUCTION
“I firmly believe that the specific character of each wine has its origin in the vineyard and therefore my goal is to express the uniqueness of our terroir in each glass of wine. Understanding and harnessing the diversified terroir of the Kasteelberg Mountain and the individuality of each vintage guides me in creating special wines rather than blindly following fixed recipes.”
ERIC SAAYMAN: SENIOR WINEMAKER
“Innovative technology and modern cellar equipment enables me to produce wines that boast sought after titles and prestigious awards. Wine lovers are invited to experience the fruit of our wines and to enjoy true Swartland hospitality.”
THARIEN HANSEN: VITICULTURIST
“Essentially the winemaking process begins in the vineyard as winemakers can only make superior wines from quality grapes. Such grapes are only produced when terroir and sustainable vineyard practices are unified. We partner closely with our wine grape growers to ensure that we get the best from our vineyards and preserve this unique terroir for generations to come. It’s all about respecting what we have, and being passionate and considerate in what we do with it. ”.
THEMBILE NTLOKO & WOUTER LOUBSER: Assistant winemakers.
Luis XIV Fondillon Oro 50 years NV is made from 100 percent 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre). Only 24 9 liter cases produced.
The wine is produced in the village of Cañada, in the subarea of Alto Vinalopó in the province of Alicante. Made from 100% Monastrell planted on traditional dry land as bush vines, at 550-580 meters above sea leval and enjoying a Mediterranean climate with great marine influence due to the easterly winds.
Fondillon 50 years is mahogany in color with orange tile rim, medium layer and great density. On the nose, it has a very deep aroma of old wood, black tea and carob. In the mouth, it has a sweet entry balanced by a rich high acidity. Its aromas are long, almost eternal and very intense. It tastes like old mahogany, a very old barrel and bygone times.
Bottled in December 2019.
AGEING:
CASK NAME: Saboners.
AGEING: Aged more than 50 years (single barrel).
TYPE OF WOOD: 19th-century American oak barrels
CASK SIZE: 70 “cántaros valencianos” (805 litros).
ANALYSIS:
GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE: 34 gr/litre.
VOLATILE ACIDITY: 1.35 gr/l.
ALCOHOL: 16.2º (NO ADDED ALCOHOL).
FREE SULFITES: less than 10 mg/litre.
TOTAL SULFITES: 76 mg/litre.
Review:
Dark mahogany color, candied fruit aromas, fruit liqueur notes, spicy, varnish, acetaldehyde, bakery, complex. Fine solera notes, bitter flavors."
- Penin 2022, 99 pts
"The NV Fondillón Luis XIV has the subtitle Edad Superior a 50 años (over 50 years old), and it's a dark mahogany, bottled from a single barrel that has the specific profile of a very old wine greatly concentrated by age, which tends to make it similar to other very old and concentrated wines, be it a Mediterranean rancio or a very old Moscatel. It has notes of bitter chocolate, coconut and iodine, carob beans (algarroba) and some bittersweet sensations. It's dense and concentrated, and the palate is pungent, with very intense flavors and a bitter twist in the finish. This has 16.3% alcohol, 6.45 grams of acidity and 34 grams of sugar, but it comes through as very dry. The wine is long and extraordinary, but it just doesn't have any Fondillón character after decades of concentration by evaporation. The price is ludicrous. Only 435 half-liter bottles were filled in December 2019. - Luis GUTIERREZ
- Wine Advocate (September 2020), 95 pts
"Fondillón is an extraordinary treasure of Alicante, a rare product, made from late harvest, non-botrytised grapes, unfortified, but with a final alcohol of no less than 16%. Intense, aged, but not sweet (deliciously not more than 45g/l). Fab with cheese or dark chocolate. The wines have to be a minimum of 10 years; this release is more than 25 years. The project is a revival by David Carbonell of Vins del Comtat and two local families. Very limited quantities. - Sarah Jane Evans MW"
- Decanter (December 2021, My top 10 Spanish fine wines of 2021), 95 pts
At the foot of Spring Mountain, the vineyard produces soil and mineral-driven cabernet sauvignon with aromas of ripe blackcurrant and damp earth. A dense palate of blackberry and cassis flavors harmonize with intense mineral expressions bolstered by soft, lush tannins.
Review:
Superb aromas of blackberries, currants, crushed stones, conifer and wet earth. Menthol, too. Full-bodied with a dense center-palate, yet it remains agile and persistent. Lovely character and richness at the finish, but not overpowering. Another three or four years will make it better, but already gorgeous.
-James Suckling 98 Points