Rest of World
One of the best things about wine is its limitless nature. Even professionals with 30 years under their belt come across new regions and new varietals all the time – it is the passion/hobby/profession that just keeps on giving. If you have not yet experienced the elegance of new wave South African wines, the sweet nectar that is Tokaji from Hungary, the precise and terroir driven German Rieslings with unrivalled drinkability, the wild and sometimes bloody reds of Portugal, or any other of the beauties found off the beaten track, you are in for a treat. Wine can transport oneself to another place and time just by popping the cork, and there is a whole world full to discover.
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James Suckling (96)
The complex nose of sliced pear, white peach and white currant with delicate floral notes pulls you into this very juicy and vibrant Spatlese that leaps and bounds over your palate, in spite of the frank natural grape sweetness. Then comes the radical minerality at the very focused, long and pristine finish. Drink or hold.د.إ922.00 -
James Suckling (97)
This is like staring into a deep chasm, yet the discreet mirabelle fruit gives that austere, bone-dry style enough charm to make it really compelling. Enormous crushed-rock minerality, with delicate spice and just a hint of oak on the compact yet sleek palate. This is an uncompromising expression of the Rheingau’s “back to the roots” movement that reveals its greatness at the extremely long and precise finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.د.إ1,695.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
The last two hectares of dry-farmed Syrah on the Helderberg, planted by Bernhard Bredell's grandfather in 1995, were pulled out in 2017, so this Swanesang comes from a new source on the mountain. Rich, dense and Cornas-like, it's another remarkable Syrah from this talented young winemaker, with pepper spice and grip from 30% whole bunches and meaty, stony complexity.د.إ731.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2019 Swanesang comes from a 0.8-hectare parcel on decomposed granite soils planted in 1999. Here, vines are usually bush vines, but Bredell has trained them to grow upright. Blended with 60% stems, there is just a slight reduction on the nose, though with aeration it reveals enticing brambly red fruit, sous-bois, fennel and white pepper scents. The palate is medium-bodied with an almost pastille-like purity on the entry that belies the structure and backbone. Mainly red fruit here, white pepper and sage, it has impressive precision and freshness on the Rhône-inspired finish.د.إ731.00 -
(12x37.5cl) 2018Wine Advocate (99+)
Fermented in glass balloon for 22 months and bottled at the end of August this year, the 2018 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is highly concentrated yet pure and spicy/stony on the apricot-scented nose that is enormously detailed and refined for this class. Enormously rich and juicy-piquant on the palate, this is a fantastically precise and stimulating TBA that will become a legend years from now. This is a perfectly balanced noble sweet wine with unreal precision. Picked with 201° Oechsle and bottled with nearly 7% alcohol, 318 grams of residual sugar and 11.5 grams of total acidity. Tasted from AP 22 20 in September 2020.د.إ10,675.00 -
د.إ1,720.00
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Wine Advocate (90)
Showing its age with tarry spice and dark fruit tones, the Sijnn 2015 Malgas Red reflects an earlier chapter in the estate’s evolution. The blend of Syrah, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Mourvèdre does not include Grenache, and after a decade in bottle, the wine presents a more evolved and weightier profile with deeper, darker edges. There is richness and maturity here, with tertiary notes emerging and tannins softening into a broader frame. This vintage predates the stylistic refinement seen in more recent releases, marking a clear step forward in subsequent years.د.إ1,715.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
Sijnn is one of the most amazing new terroirs in the Cape, producing wines of remarkable individuality. This Rhône meets Bordeaux meets the Douro Valley blend, made with grapes grown just 15 kilometres from the sea, is stony, complex and intensely aromatic, showing lavender and wild thyme avours, grippy tannins and layered, mineral intense fruit. Superb stuff . 2021-35د.إ790.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
One of the most beautiful and complex terroirs in South Africa supplies the grapes for this unique red, produced from a medley of Shiraz with 33% Mourvèdre, Touriga Nacional and the very rare (in South Africa) Tinta Amarella. Inky, savoury and wild, it has freshness and concentration, notes of rosemary and lavender, meaty depths and fine oak. 2023-30د.إ859.00 -
د.إ1,720.00 -
Wine Spectator (90)
Lovely almond and hazelnut notes lead the way, with lemon curd, verbena, heather and lightly toasted piecrust and ginger notes gliding through the finish. Slightly languid in feel, but shows good range. Chenin Blanc and Viognier.د.إ883.00 -
د.إ883.00
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Tim Atkin MW (93)
More conventional than the Sijnn red, this is a three-way blend of Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Roussanne that sees a little skin contact before fermentation. Honeysuckle, fresh herb and citrus flavours reminded me of the Rhône Valley.د.إ1,425.00 -
د.إ1,720.00 -
د.إ1,720.00 -
د.إ614.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
As its name suggests, Ignis uses grapes from a 2.4-hectare, north-facing site on warmer decomposed granite soils. Pale, ethereal and very delicate for a 2022 red, it combines the Burgundian 113 and 115 clones to brilliant effect. Focused, energetic and tangy, with savoury tannins, pomegranate and wild strawberry flavours, nuanced and a real sense of energy, vibrancy and purpose. Incredibly long.د.إ1,015.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (94)
Hannes Storm's whites have shifted up a gear in 2022 and are fast approaching the same level as his lauded Pinot Noirs. This stylish Chardonnay showcases grapes from a south-east facing parcel at 330 metres on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Fermented in a combination of 32% new barrels and 10% clay amphoras, it's a chiselled, pithy, focused white with lots of zip, lemongrass and orange zest flavours and subtle aromatic spices.د.إ957.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020Tim Atkin MW (95)
As its name suggests, this hails from a cool shale site on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, planted as recently as 2009. It combines the density of Vrede with the perfume of Ignis, making it Hannes Storm’s most complete Pinot, with floral scents, red cherry and raspberry fruit, savoury tannins and focused acidity.د.إ1,165.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Now including 20% of the 777 clone, alongside its habitual 115 base, Vrede comes from red clay soils with a high iron component. Seductively perfumed, this stunning red has fine tannins, fleshy, opulent flavours of strawberry and redcurrant, finely judged 35% new wood and undertones of rose petal and forest floor. One of the greatest ever Cape Pinot Noirs.د.إ1,015.00 -
Falstaff (96)
An intriguing mix of cream, vanilla and smoke makes for a dramatic opening. Creamy mousse defines the palate, expressing salty oyster shell and preserved lemon, shortbread richness and subtle saltiness. The smoky echo returns on the finish which is of pristine lemon expressing depth and soaring freshness in equal measure. The finish is pure and lasting. Lay this down and you will have treasure. Drink by 2035.د.إ1,400.00 -
Falstaff (95)
Both orange peel and Red Delicious apple figure on the nose, alongside a subtle hint of fresh Viennoiserie that turns into shortcrust with more air. The palate strikes immediately with its effortlessness: there is that lovely balance between juicy freshness and mellow ripeness that you get in red apples. The slender body fizzes away with tiniest bubbles, lending creaminess and gentleness, expressing serenity, beauty and depth. Very elegant, lovely now, certain to evolve into a grandiose and gastronomic rosé.د.إ1,320.00 -
د.إ1,280.00 -
Jancis Robinson (17.5)
Tons of toastiness on the nose, baked-apple fruit, loads of flavour persistence and intensity here – wow, this is an absolute treasure. Long, profound finish. One of England's best.د.إ1,010.00 -
Jancis Robinson (17.5++)
70% Storrington Priory and 30% Coldharbour Vineyard fruit. 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Sustainably farmed. Fermented and aged in a combination of large barrels and stainless steel. The initial release of this wine was disgorged in early January 2024. Dosage 6 g/l. 7,500 bottles produced.
The smoky, marine-scented aromas, like rain on windswept coastal cliffs, have goosebumps tingling down my neck before I've even sipped the wine. So racy it takes your breath away. White-knuckle tension, white-shell minerality, white stone fruit and long, long, sweet pithy tannins. Power in structure: salt-crusted verticality, a whisper of honey across the endless breadth. It feels like licking chiselled marble. Stern, high-cheek-bone beauty. There is so much tension in the wine that it feels like it might snap in your mouth; it feels like the crack of a whip splitting a white winter sky. I'd strongly urge laying this down for as long as you dare. If you drink it now, don't chill it as much as you might champagne and, if you can, allow it to open in the glass. I've been tasting a very large number of top-notch grower champagnes recently and by comparison the Sugrue wines, every bit as good, are underpriced (for which read VGV).د.إ1,150.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021Decanter (93)
Rudiger Gretschel is production director for South African giant Vinimark, but also makes his own wines in rugged Piekenierskloof under the Swartberg Wingerde label. Old vines are grown 80km from the sea at 600m; grapes are fermented with wild yeast in concrete and just 20% is aged in used oak. The result calls to mind new-wave Garnachas from Spain’s Sierra de Gredos: vibrant and elegant with appealing freshness. Bright cherry, strawberry and plum nose with a whisper of smoke and white pepper. Lovely purity of fruit on the lifted palate, allied with powdery tannins, subtle spice, a core of minerality and a lingering seam of refreshing acidity.د.إ443.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021Decanter (95)
Putting the 'Pinot' into Pinotage, this elegant example comes from a single parcel of dry-farmed bush vines planted in 1990 in remote and rugged Piekenierskloof, where Vinimark's Rudiger Gretschel hones his own range of distinctive and expressive wines. Poised and lifted, with bright fragrant red berry aromas, the linear palate has crunchy raspberry and pomegrante fruit, with gentle touches of spice and fynbos, plus lithe tannins. Only 1,410 bottles made.د.إ956.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Very few recent South African releases have been as eagerly awaited as this 2018 red from the old Cordoba property on the flank of the Helderberg. And it doesn't disappoint in the slightest. Cabernet Franc-centred, with 24% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, the new crescendo is a beautifully refined, detailed red from 21-year-old vines. Violet and cut grass aromas lead into a palate that is fresh, bright and comparatively low in alcohol with filigree tannins, subtle wood, fine tension and the focus and balance to age. What a début!د.إ663.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (98)
Could Schalk-Willem Joubert do it again in 2019 after such an impressive maiden release? You bet he could and he has even improved on that predecessor. This is more precise and nuanced, presenting a seamless assemblage of Cabernet Franc with 26% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from the windy western corner of the Helderberg. Complex, layered and restrained, with perfumed 35% new wood, graphite, red berry, blackcurrant leaf and tarragon flavours and fresh, sea breeze-kissed finish.د.إ605.00 -
Indulge in the exceptional Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 2016, a paragon of fine craftsmanship from Portugal's Douro Valley. This illustrious wine house, with over three centuries of tradition, delivers an opulent, full-bodied port of impeccable finesse. A beautiful deep purple in colour, this port incorporates a complex, multilayered mélange of ripe blackberry, chocolate, and exotic spices. The meticulous selection of the highest-quality grapes from their privately-owned vineyards, a felicitous year for the viniculture, and maturation in wooden casks all contribute to the wine's notable intensity, robust tannic structure, and remarkably long finish. The Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 2016 is an impeccably balanced symphony of flavours, testament to the house's unwavering commitment to quality, refinement, and dedication to craft. Decanting is highly recommended to allow the exquisite array of flavours to fully blossom, perfect for savouring or as the pinnacle of any private collection.
د.إ1,965.00
