Professionele reviews
Robert Parker (96)
The Grenache-dominant 2021 Elpidios begins with a bright nose of dark cherry skin with hints of herbal elements before expressing dusty red flowers. Medium-bodied, the palate offers a savory, spiced tart plum essence before notions of potpourri spice sway with succulent acidity and fine-grained tannins. This beauty ends with a delightfully food-friendly finish that has me craving duck breast and wild game. It's the best Elpidios yet! Begin drinking in 2024.
James Suckling (94)
What a fragrant and intense nose of aniseed and licorice, cracked pepper, blue and red berry fruit and potpourri. It’s medium-bodied, elegant yet structured and firm, with fine-grained tannins and a very sleek, long and savory finish. 54% grenache, 31% syrah, 13% carignan, 1% cinsault and 1% pinotage. Drink or hold.
Jancis Robinson (16.50)
Full bottle 1,362. 54% Grenache Noir, 31% Syrah, 13% Carignan, 1% Pinotage, 1% Cinsault. From 11 different vineyards harvested in 17 lots. The 2021 vintage again includes a portion of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. was fermented and matured in a concrete vessel. Along with the concrete vessels, the wine was also matured in old 500-litre neutral French oak barrels and a 4,100-litre foudre for the Pinotage. Produced in similar fashion to their Grenache Noir in terms of long, gentle extraction, the use of 40% on average whole bunches and then pressed off. After bottling, the wine was aged in bottle for 18 months before release. This vintage is again based on grapes grown in granite soils from the Paardeberg, blended with structured shale/schists from the east, clay-rich soils from the north and iron-rich soils from the west.
Mid garnet. Ripe nose and fresh palate with quite an array of flavours. A hint of farmyard on the nose but a firm finish and reverberant, multi-layered fruit on the mid palate. Still quite youthful. Not quite as luscious as the first red wine from this source that I remember. (JR)
Vinous (92)
The 2021 Elpidios contains the highest level of Grenache (54%) to lend backbone, augmented by Rhône red varieties. This is matured in 500-liter French oak and a 4,100-liter foudre for the Pinotage. Red plum, cranberry and Provençal herbs on the nose, with fennel and a touch of thyme, quite complex but backward at the moment. The medium-bodied palate has powdery tannins, good backbone and a little more grip than usual. The finish has a slight reduction with a hint of black olive on the aftertaste. Give this 3-4 years in bottle.
