Our wines and biodynamic farming practices have “reached the ears” of several well-known South African magazines.
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Elgin Ridge 282 Sauvignon Blanc
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Elgin Ridge 282 Pinot Noir
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Elgin Ridge 282 Pinot Noir
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Elgin Ridge 282 Pinot Noir
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Elgin Ridge Biodynamic Wines
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Very proud of our winemaker Kosie Van der Merwe on achieving an exemplary 93 points for our Chaos White 2018 in this year’s Winemag.co.za Sauv-Sem Blend/Wooded Sauvignon Blanc Report, read the full report here
Images courtesy of www.winemag.co.za
94 points and a really special wine, the inclusion in Decanter‘s 30 Best Cape Wines Under £20, for our Elgin Ridge 282 Chardonnay 2017.
Thank you for this endorsement, Greg Sherwood MW – A Fine Wine Safari. We are delighted. An outstanding shopping list for the festive season
Neal Martin is one of the most respected, international wine critics. Previously at Wine Advocate, Neal is now part of the team at Vinous and rated our 2016 Sauvignon blanc with 91 points in his 2019 South Africa Report
“The Elgin Ridge 2016 “282” Sauvignon Blanc, so named due to the apparent ideal elevation to create cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc in the Eglin Valley, actually goes a long way towards proving that point. It has a wonderful nose of freshly sliced pear, melon, gooseberry and subtle tropical aromas. Those are replicated on the palate, which is fresh, well balanced and offers enticing gooseberry, nectarine, satsuma and mandarin notes. This is a top-notch Elgin Sauvignon that is drinking beautifully now but should give four or five years of drinking pleasure.
Drinking window: 2019 – 2025, Tasting date: October 2019
— Neal Martin”
read more about Neil at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Martin_(wine_critic)
Michael Fridjhon at Wine Wizard, asks
How predictable is brand when it comes to determining wine quality? Put another way, should the better known brands readily submit their wines to the potentially more objective world of blind tasting?
The Jordan Cold Fact 2018 was pipped (admittedly only by a point) by the 2016 Elgin Ridge 282 – a less well-known wine, and therefore, given the pricing, under some pressure to over-deliver at the price point. This is exactly what it did: it’s a bigger, more muscular sort of sauvignon, and its aromatic profile reflects its appellation. There are notes of capsicum and blackcurrant leaf, whiffs of mown hay. It’s not showing any age, although the extra two years in bottle have helped the integration.
The September 2019 issue of leading international wine industry magazine, Decanter, takes readers into the world of the cool-climate Elgin Wine Valley. Authored by industry influencer, Christian Eedes, the feature is appropriately entitled ‘Elgin wine region: Names to know and wine to try’.
Included in the lineup is Elgin Ridge Wines’ certified organic and certified biodynamic Chaos White 2018, which scored an impressive 94 points, and tied for joint first place as his best white wine in Elgin.
“We’re excited by this international validation, as it speaks to hard work and passion we constantly strive for in producing organic and biodynamic wines at Elgin Ridge. Christian Eedes and Decanter’s endorsement reaffirms our team’s dedication to creating wines of excellence.”
The Chaos White 2018, a blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Semillon, as showcasing sweet pear, apricot and elderflower flavours, with nuances of dry hay around the edges. These flavours develop into fennel with a green tea and ginger undertone. The palate has a pithy edge, yet coated with an oily, multi-layered and textured mouthfeel. A wine not to be rushed, but rather savoured.
Enjoy on its own – served at approximately 15°C – or enjoy with fish, chicken and creamed based pasta dishes. Without a doubt a collector’s dream, the Chaos White 2018 is available directly from Elgin Ridge or select specialist outlets nationwide.
For more information contact Marion@elginridge.com
Marion & Brian
To be a certified biodynamic wine producer is a long and arduous path to follow. Few in South African have done it, Elgin Ridge Wine Estate has. Owned by Brian and Marion Smith. In the cool [in terms of climate and fashion] and beautiful Elgin Valley. Breezes from the cool Atlantic ensure the right climate for Pinot Noir, ameliorating the summer heat and allowing for a long hang time to reach perfect ripeness. Brian and Marion, with their winemaker Kosie van der Merwe produce a small but exceeding fine range of wines.
Ever more popular in South Africa, Pinot Noir is a perfect reflection of the soils and climate in which it is grown and a fingerprint of each vintage. Being a certified Biodynamic and organic wine farm allows the winemaking team to produce excellent fruit which requires minimal intervention in the cellar. The only ingredient in this wine that is not from the vineyard, is the added 62 ppm total SO2 after natural malolactic fermentation.
I was keen to find out about the oak regime for the Elgin Ridge 282 Pinot Noir 2016, and Kosie gave me way more than I wanted. He made the wine from three different Pinot Noir clones. Here is what he said.
“The 282 Elgin Ridge Pinot Noir 2016 comes from 4 vineyards, consisting of 3 clones: 777, 667 and 115. The three clones were vinified separately.”
An incredible score and compliment for our Chaos White 2017 from Greg Sherwood MW. A true testament to quality biodynamic wine grown and made in the beautiful Elgin valley.
We were delighted to be selected by Peter Richards MW, as one of the 30 great New World wines, in the February edition of the renowned Decanter magazine. Peter says
“The London IT industry’s loss was Elgin’s gain when Marion and Brian Smith upped sticks and launched a biodynamic wine estate. This is a complex, spicy, highly original Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend with beautiful texture, huge energy and a delightfully funky edge.”
Peter selected our Chaos White 2016 as one of his “30 great New World buys under £30” – chosen from over 1,000 potential candidates – which represent the “most intriguing, exciting and mould-breaking winemaking in the world today”!
To read the full article, see Decanter
Our entry is below
Our Chaos 2016 release is sold out. If you would like to request an allocation for our 2017 release, please email Marion at Marion@elginridge.com
It’s a busy time for wine lovers while the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium rumbles on in Brighton, London has just finished six weeks of celebrating natural wine, with events based around the REAL and RAW wine fairs
Read this wonderful article by Caroline Henry on Wine Seacher