Elpidios, Swartland, 2023
A delicate, expressive, redder fruited Elpidios after the darker 2022, the 2023 is a lifted Grenache based blend offering up notes of dark cherry, rose and flowers with earth spice, Turkish delight, and mint and herbal notes. Medium bodied, with a whole cluster freshness and gentle, well-balanced finish which opens up in richness with air. A Grenache based blend with accompanying Syrah, Pinotage and Carignan, aged in a variety of neutral vessels – oak, concrete and foudré, bottled after a year and released with an extra year of ageing in the bottle.
critic reviews
The 2023 Elpidios is still Grenache-led, albeit less so than previous vintages, here representing 26% of the blend. It has a gorgeous bouquet with vivacious cranberry and raspberry fruit, camphor and light fennel scents, taking you straight to the Rhône (via Swartland, of course). The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red berry fruit on the entry, fine volume and grip, very focused with a structured, precise finish. This represents a strong follow-up to the '23.