Lady May is an incredible bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and due to the favorable exchange rate with South Africa, it's an absolute steal for the money. In 2003, at the age of 78, May de Lencquesaing, then owner of the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, purchased the estate. As many may know, May de Lencquesing sold Pichon Lalande in 2010 and moved to South Africa to devote all her time to the Glenelly Estate. Luke O'Cuinneagain, the talented wine-maker at the Glenelly Estate, has worked at Chateau Fieuzel and Chateau Angeleus in Bordeaux as well as Screaming Eagle in Napa Valley and is very qualified. The vineyard for this wine is a small amphitheater planted in 2003 after May de Lencquesaing purchased the estate. The vines have been farmed organically since inception, and the natural yield on this site is pretty low. This wine sees about twenty-four months in new French oak and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. The blend for the 2018 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet franc, 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Merlot.
The aromas of cassis, liquid minerals, spice, and earth jump from the glass. The palate is dense and concentrated, but the wine has terrific acidity that gives it perfect balance and energy with a kaleidoscope finish. This is an absolute must-buy for the lover of Bordeaux and New World Cabernet Sauvignon, and it's the best Cabernet-based wine we have tried this year at this price point outdoing wiens 2 to 3 times the price. This is even better than the 2017, and it is an incredible bottle for the money made by some very qualified people!
Tim Atkin MW 97pts! "Even better than the 2017 release – and there aren’t many top Stellenbosch Bordeaux blends that you can say that about – this is a superb Lady May that makes light of the hot, dry conditions. Something of a sleeper, it’s a brooding assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, aged in 92% new wood. Intense, smooth and textured, with graphite and cigar box aromas, fine-grained tannins and layered flavours of damson, fennel and blackcurrant leaf. 2026-2035"
Wine Advocate 95+ "Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and the remainder Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Lady May is firm and red-fruited with a broad yet compact frame. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is generous and juicy on the palate with a robust frame. It is slightly shy in its cocoon phase and should reemerge in about five years and remain a stoic and epic South African red blend for decades to come. This is what you want in your cellar. 2028-2050"
2018 Glenelly Estate Lady May
2018 Glenelly Estate Lady May
Lady May is an incredible bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and due to the favorable exchange rate with South Africa, it's an absolute steal for the money. In 2003, at the age of 78, May de Lencquesaing, then owner of the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, purchased the estate. As many may know, May de Lencquesing sold Pichon Lalande in 2010 and moved to South Africa to devote all her time to the Glenelly Estate. Luke O'Cuinneagain, the talented wine-maker at the Glenelly Estate, has worked at Chateau Fieuzel and Chateau Angeleus in Bordeaux as well as Screaming Eagle in Napa Valley and is very qualified. The vineyard for this wine is a small amphitheater planted in 2003 after May de Lencquesaing purchased the estate. The vines have been farmed organically since inception, and the natural yield on this site is pretty low. This wine sees about twenty-four months in new French oak and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. The blend for the 2018 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet franc, 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Merlot.
The aromas of cassis, liquid minerals, spice, and earth jump from the glass. The palate is dense and concentrated, but the wine has terrific acidity that gives it perfect balance and energy with a kaleidoscope finish. This is an absolute must-buy for the lover of Bordeaux and New World Cabernet Sauvignon, and it's the best Cabernet-based wine we have tried this year at this price point outdoing wiens 2 to 3 times the price. This is even better than the 2017, and it is an incredible bottle for the money made by some very qualified people!
Tim Atkin MW 97pts! "Even better than the 2017 release – and there aren’t many top Stellenbosch Bordeaux blends that you can say that about – this is a superb Lady May that makes light of the hot, dry conditions. Something of a sleeper, it’s a brooding assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, aged in 92% new wood. Intense, smooth and textured, with graphite and cigar box aromas, fine-grained tannins and layered flavours of damson, fennel and blackcurrant leaf. 2026-2035"
Wine Advocate 95+ "Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and the remainder Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Lady May is firm and red-fruited with a broad yet compact frame. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is generous and juicy on the palate with a robust frame. It is slightly shy in its cocoon phase and should reemerge in about five years and remain a stoic and epic South African red blend for decades to come. This is what you want in your cellar. 2028-2050"
