2014 Vintage
Timed Online Auction, 1 - 11 March 2024
2014 Vintage
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
Richard Kershaw was a successful chef in the UK before working as a cellar-hand in California, Chile, France, Germany and Hungary. He relocated to South Africa in 1999 and is currently one of only ten Masters of Wine who actively produce their own wine. Focusing on cool climate, site-specific, clonally-selected wines, Richard hit the ground running in Elgin valley, immediately gaining a reputation as one of South Africa’s finest Chardonnay producers and most knowledgeable winemakers.
Provenance
Private Client
Critics Ratings
'Pale, bright yellow. Distinctly Burgundian scents of orange blossom, white peach, oatmeal, leesy spices and minerals, complemented by sexy smoky oak tones. Saline, fine-grained, rich and concentrated, with a subtly glyceral texture to its flavors of stone and soft citrus fruits. A component of oak spice contributes an impression of sweetness to the middle palate but this wine from Dijon clones is broad, dense, spicy and dry, and built to evolve in bottle. Finishes very smooth and salty, with sneaky rising length--and held up beautifully in the recorked bottle. Richard Kershaw is a British Master of Wine who works with Dijon clones. This wine could easily be lost in a Meursault tasting.' - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, 93/100 (Mar 2017)
'The 2014 Clonal Selection Elgin Chardonnay, which is matured in 40% new oak, has a refined and perfumed bouquet with copious orange blossom, mango and light citrus aromas. The palate is slightly honeyed on the entry and you can feel a little fatness on the back palate, yet Richard Kerhaw manages to control any over-exuberance and maintains fine balance on the spicy, lemongrass-tinged finish. This is excellent and a worthy follow-up to the impressive 2013.' - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 92/100 (Apr 2017)
'A dusty, briny nose unfolds celestially onto fleshy and opulent fruit. A splendid integration of oak aromatics lingers around the nose. The palate is focussed, with incredibly subtle oak and succinct acidity. Spices intertwine with minerals and swirl around chalky melon notes, which are everlasting.' - Decanter.com, 95/100 (Nov 2016)
'Master of Wine Richard Kershaw’s Chardonnay gets better with every vintage and is now one of the Cape’s outstanding whites. Using five sources of fruit, all of them in Elgin, this has greater leesy power than the 2013 - more Meursault than Puligny, as it were - but the same sure touch. Rich, complex yet supported by acidity, it’s mealy, subtle and complex, finishing with a mineral-edged flourish. Drink: 2015-20' - Tim Atkin SA Wine Report 2015, 96/100