Provenance

Wine Cellar Private Client

Critics Ratings

‘Cabernet being only 25% of the blend (with roughly equal merlot & malbec), this is the more succulent, youthfully accessible of the siblings, as usual, yet also good for a decade plus. 2014 succulent plums & raspberries, velvet texture & fine-grained tannin. Barely brushed with oak (3% new, 22 months).’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2018, 4.5* (94/100)

‘The 2014 Series M has a rich, generous bouquet of raspberry coulis and brown spice; a hint of menthol emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and quite firm in the mouth. White pepper emerges on a finish that needs to develop greater precision (something I discerned in previous tastings). It has improved slightly in recent months, though I still prefer the 2012.’ – Neal Martin, Vinous, 91/100 (Aug 2018)

‘The 2014 Series M comes from 17 different blocks each vinified separately. It is a blend of 39% Merlot, 36% Malbec and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is matured in French oak for 20 months, just 3% new oak mainly, as it turned out to be a larger vintage than expected according to winemaker Zelma Long. It has a rich bouquet, ripe and generous with kirsch, crushed strawberry and blueberry, later just a smear of creme de cassis. The palate is soft and rounded on the entry, a little smudged perhaps, yet still nicely balanced with a sprinkle of white pepper towards the finish. Perhaps it just needs a little more persistence on the aftertaste compared to vintages that I have tasted in the past, but still a fine Series M.’ – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 90/100 (Apr 2017)

‘There’s less new oak on the 2014 M than usual because of the cooler vintage, and the wine benefits from it in my view. Combining almost equal parts of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s smooth and silky with notes of black fig and bramble and ripe, textured tannins. 2018-23.’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2017, 93/100