La Brune new releases

Nico Grobler of La Brune in Elgin has knocked it out of the park with his 2025s. ““We recorded the highest number of cold units in over a decade,” he explains – the sustained winter chill that allows vines to fully rest and reset before the growing season. “The season stayed cool and dry, and harvest came about two weeks later than usual. We had to work hard in the cellar to unlock the potential, but the wines show impressive concentration that comes straight from the vineyards, with both higher alcohol and higher natural acidity.”

Valley Chardonnay 2025
Price: R240
Eight blocks. Matured for four months, 60% old oak and 40% concrete eggs. Enticing aromatics of orchard blossom, citrus and apple. Pure, bright and pithy – precise with lots of refreshment and good length. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 92 | Delicious

Valley Pinot Noir 2025
Price: R280

Five clones, 12 blocks. Matured for nine months in older oak. Musk, cranberry, red cherry, rose and a hint of spice on the nose. Clean, pure fruit, fresh acidity and fine tannins – open and accessible but not short of fruit definition, plenty of zip, not aggressively dry. Concentrated, maybe even luscious. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 92 | Delicious

Chardonnay 2025
Price: R580

Grapes from Shannon Vineyards farmed by James Downes. Fermented and matured for 10 months in 228-litre barrels, 20% new. Flinty reduction, vanilla, cinnamon and some leesy complexity currently sit above subtle notes of citrus and apple. The palate is super-dense with driving acidity and an emphatically dry finish. No nonsense. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 96 | Serious

Pinot Noir 2025
Price: R640

Own grapes from high-density plantings – 65% 113 and 35% 115. Tank fermented before nine months maturation in barrel, 20% new. Compelling aromatics of red and black cherry, orange, rose and violets, a subtle herbal note, earth and spice. The palate is dramatic – super-concentrated, big acidity, grippy tannins. Vinous – intensely flavoured but equally harmonious, rich without sacrificing definition. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 97 | Serious

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