In Club Oenologique’s inaugural review of South African wines, British Master of Wine Victoria Mason has awarded 94+ points to three Creation wines from the 2024 vintage – wines that we are now proud to be releasing on allocation.
Introducing her comprehensive report, Mason writes: ‘My focus was on producers who have, since 2000, established their wines as some of the country’s most collectable; this meant I had the wonderful task of tasting the best of South Africa’s contemporary output – a truly world-class roll call.’
Recognising our Art of Pinot Noir 2024 (95 points), Glenn’s Chardonnay 2024 (95 points) and Art of Chardonnay 2024 (94 points), Mason says these and other Hemel-en-Aarde standouts from her tastings ‘invite easy comparison with grand cru Burgundy’.
She notes: ‘Assigning a number to a wine to designate its quality is an exercise I find inherently reductive and at times frustrating; I think it is far more important to put the effort into accurately describing the salient features of the wine… The greatest wines in the world are charismatic and alive, and their idiosyncrasies, like people’s, are subject to shifting; they resist reduction to a number, so I would encourage you to read my notes rather than the scores alone.’
Here, in full, are Mason’s notes for three of our 2024 wines:
The Art of Pinot Noir 2024 – 95 Points
From Creation’s oldest vineyard, this 22-year-old virus-free Pinot Noir block will likely become the oldest Pinot in South Africa, according to Jean-Claude Martin. A mini-vertical of six vintages, from the 2019 through to the 2024, illustrated what fantastic terroir this is, just next door to Crystallum’s Cuvée Cinéma vineyard, on decomposed Bokkeveld shale. The new 2024 was one of my highlights in what was a superb line-up (after the 2021 vintage); wonderfully perfumed with rose petals and potpourri, orange zest and pink grapefruit. Fine-boned, medium-bodied and supremely elegant Pinot, with such brightness and clarity of red fruit, and enlivening acidity. While the five- to six-year-old vintages show that a savoury, sous-bois character emerges here with bottle age, this is all about pure, precise primary fruit at this young stage, with subtly integrated new oak bringing a sprinkling of sweet spice and luxuriant texture.
Drinking Window: 2025 – 2034
Glenn’s Chardonnay 2024 – 95 Points
Glenn is Carolyn and Jean-Claude (JC) Martin’s son – and Glenn’s Chardonnay comes from the same vineyard as The Art of Chardonnay, debuting with the 2020 vintage that was his first year (properly) in the cellar with JC. (For the record, the 2020 is absolutely on fire now at five years’ old!) Representing a different interpretation of the same block, it is entirely wild-fermented and made in even smaller quantities than The Art. Wonderfully tangy and energetic, with green-apple skin and a salted lemon core, this is both a more savoury and nervier expression of Chardonnay than its sibling, with just-ripe white peach fruit and white-miso undertones on the long, flinty finish. It wears its oak subtly and is already complex and exciting.
Drinking Window: 2025 – 2032
The Art of Chardonnay 2024 – 94 Points
Youthfully exuberant, this has a generous, open, yellow-fruited profile of peach and yellow grapefruit, with subtle toast and sweet oak spice, and is more like the charming and upfront 2022 vintage than the restrained, chiselled 2021 (which I tasted in the same sitting; we didn’t taste the 2023). Coming from a small pocket in a 2.2-hectare single vineyard that grows on a seam of quartz on clay, The Art of Chardonnay is 50% wild fermented and 50% inoculated, which Jean-Claude Martin feels achieves the level of purity he is aiming for here. Vibrant and refreshing, this has lovely leesy texture and an almost creamy finish.
Drinking Window: 2025 – 2032
Collector Value
At a fraction of the price of grand cru Burgundy, Creation’s wines represent exceptional collector value, with Mason noting (for example) that the 2020 vintage of Glenn’s Chardonnay is ‘absolutely on fire now’ (at five years old).
Responding to Mason’s ratings, Carolyn Martin comments: ‘Glenn’s Chardonnay is a mineral-driven masterpiece that wears its oak subtly and delivers immediate complexity. But it represents more than just exceptional wine; it’s the next generation of the Martin family’s commitment to excellence, with Glenn’s proper cellar involvement having begun in 2020.’
‘While Glenn’s Chardonnay showcases wild fermentation and mineral intensity, our Art of Chardonnay offers a more classic approach to the same exceptional fruit,’ adds cellarmaster Jean-Claude (JC) Martin. ‘It proves that great terroir can support multiple exceptional interpretations.’
Similarly, says JC, ‘The Art of Pinot Noir 2024 is perfect for Burgundy lovers seeking South African elegance at exceptional value, promising exceptional ageing potential.’
Creation’s triple crown achievement in the Club Oenologique review follows our recent success in Tim Atkin MW’s South Africa Special Report (see here), not only firmly establishing our place among the very finest cool-climate producers in South Africa, but also showcasing why the Hemel-en-Aarde deserves a place among the world’s finest wine appellations.
Limited Availability – Order Today
Our award-winning 2024 wines are now available on allocation in limited quantities. Given the exceptional scores they have received from both Victoria Mason MW and Tim Atkin MW, we expect strong demand. Contact us TODAY to secure your allocation.