Minimalist Wines by Sam Lambson: New vintages have landed

Next up on the Christmas list.. and a cracker it is!

Here at Chester's we've been a big advocate for South African wines since our inception.

We would like to say we have a knack for spotting the most exciting & upcoming talent in the wine world. Certainly one of these is Sam Lambson from Minimalist wines.

A few years back we were blown away by Sam's wines & they have developed a good following since, the single site wines are coveted and our allocation is small, the Connect the dots Syrah was one of the 'stars' of the show at our Christmas tasting last week!

It's been amazing to watch Sam grow and each vintage gets better and better!

A bit of background if the wines are new to you..

Sam had a pretty handy start in the trade, a student under two great superstar winemakers, Lukas Van Loggerenberg** and Christ Alheit. Along with a BSc in Oenology from Stellenbosch Univeristy. Sam certainly shows what he has learned from these great producers and studies in his own wines.

Minimalist Wines is all about making quality wine with minimal intervention.  It’s about focusing on the varietaIs I’m passionate about (chiefly cool climate Syrah), about treating them gently in the cellar and then allowing nature to shine.

At heart, it’s about respecting the fruit by using what occurs naturally in each vineyard and letting it ferment spontaneously, so the unique and fascinatingly diverse microflora speaks for itself.  Then, relying on old-school techniques – like foot stomping and whole-bunch fermentation – and barrelling the wine in subtly seasoned Oak that’s already had a few fills.

CONNECT THE DOTS 2023
£24 per bottle 
 

Life’s an expedition, and the path unfolds as we explore. The quest for a Minimalist Syrah is a journey, a series of connected dots across the Cape Winelands. This year’s Connect the Dots unites exceptional fruit from Agulhas, Elgin and Stellenbosch, cool-climate havens where the varietal thrives.

Elgin forms the skeleton, with it’s structure and a core of fruit, oud and woodier spices give way to the Polkadraai’s floral, briny notes and distinct black pepper. Agulhas lends bacon fat and white pepper aromatics with unmistakable salinity on the palate.

STARS IN THE DARK 2023
£36 per bottle (allocation only wine)

“Some of the best things in life emerge from tough times and dark places”.

This is the message on the back label and It’s no secret that growing conditions at the southern tip of Africa are extreme but the resilience of these Syrah vines from Cape Agulhas continues to astonish and delight us.

With it’s pronounced salt and pepper flavour profile that is the hallmark of Cape Agulhas Syrah, the nose is led by red cherry and violets, followed by smoked bacon, green olive brine & white pepper. It has a medium bodied palate, with concentrated fruit coating an intensely umami core.

All the fruit was harvested from two cool climate, low-altitude Syrah parcels just 8km from the stark and blustery coast. Facing North West, one 21-year old parcel is planted on Clay and the other (22 years) on Koffieklip soils. As always, we like to let the sites do the talking, so the fruit was matured for 10 months in neutral French Oak, in 228L and 300L barrels.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME 2023
£36 per bottle (allocation only wine)

 “Not all magic is amongst the Stars in the Dark. It is also in the soils at our feet.”

The grapes all come from Niemandsrivier, a beautiful 3 hectare vineyard in South Africa’s coolest viticultural climate, Elgin.

Vines located in the same block can react to their environment in unique ways and No Place Like Home is an exploration of the variation that exists within a single vineyard. Using a mix of drone technology (with a Near Infrared Camera flying 80m above the vineyard) and good, old-fashioned soil analysis, we identified four distinct pockets across the 3 hectare parcel, then harvested and fermented them separately before meticulously blending only the best barrels to produce the most complete wine.

Beautifully pure Syrah..

If you would like to get your hands of any of the above wines please do give us a shout on 01873 856565, reply to this email or click the link below :)

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Team Chesters 
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