Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023 receives ‘humdinger’ score from Jancis Robinson MW
Wine doyenne Jancis Robinson MW was among the British media and trade who recently attended a ‘particularly useful’ blind tasting organised by the Chardonnay Association of South Africa (CASA) at High Timber restaurant in London.
A total of 34 Chardonnays were served blind in pairs, including 22 from South Africa, four from England, two each from California and Australia, and four from Burgundy.
‘The South African wines were impressively consistent,’ said Robinson, who was inspired to write about the tasting both in her Financial Times column and on her eponymous website. ‘Most of my favourite wines were South African although the Droin Chablis and Bouzereau Tessons were pretty smart.’
In particular, she singled out our Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023 as a ‘humdinger’, awarding it 17.5 points – her top score of the day – along with the following tasting note: ‘Serious stuff with real structure and bite. Savoury and serious. This wine has a beginning, middle and end. Particularly end – what a build towards the finish! Still with quite a bite on the end.’
Only 1,500 bottles of Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023 were produced, hand-harvested from 21-year-old vines. Ambient-yeast fermentation took place in 70% second-fill and 30% new French oak barrels, where the wine was left on the lees for a further 11 months while undergoing malolactic fermentation. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023 costs R990 ex-cellar. To purchase the wine online, please click here.
Over 80 sommeliers recently descended on Cape Town to attend the annual General Assembly of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI). It was the first time in the ASI’s 55-year history that the General Assembly was held on African soil, attracting delegates from over 60 countries to take part in strategic meetings, cultural exchange, and unforgettable wine and food experiences. Our father-and-son winemaking duo, Jean-Claude and Glenn Martin, thoroughly enjoyed engaging with them at a tasting and networking event sponsored by the Chardonnay Association of South Africa. We always appreciate opportunities to interact with sommeliers, as previously outlined here.
This week, we received news that our beautiful short film, Celebrating the ‘culture’ in Agri-Culture, was awarded a Silver Award at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa 2025.
The festival, which took place in Sandton last week, merged a competition between tourism films and documentaries from all over the world with activities focused on tourism audio-visual production.
Our film was a ground-breaking collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Ballet Africa, fashion designer Kat van Duinen and a classical music composer Peter Johnson. Shot on location at Creation over 24 hours, its aim was to celebrate the profound connection between nature, the land and the arts. It showcases winemaking and food pairing alongside ballet, music, cinematography, high fashion, art and craftsmanship.