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 David & Nadia 2023 Swartland Elpidios is led by Grenache Noir, supported by Syrah, Carignan, Pinotage and Cinsault. Pinotage adds structure and depth at the back while allowing Grenache to take charge on the bouquet with caper blossom and spicy plum. The wine shows good body and texture in this vintage. Fermentation is gentle, with careful extraction to preserve freshness. The Swartlands granite-based mountain vineyards bring both warmth and lift.
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.