Glenelly Lady May 2020 (magnum)

'The latest in a series of brilliant Lady Mays, the 2020 release is an assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Curated in 70% new wood, it's a bold, structured wine that wouldn't look out of place in Pauillac, with aromas of liquorice and five spice, remarkable density and palate weight, top notes of coffee bean and cedarwood and a core of inky black cherry, plum and cassis fruit. 2027-40' – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2024, 96/100

‘The vintage itself was far from straightforward – warm weather conditions and the challenges of lockdown made for a testing season – but then-winemaker Luke O’Cuinnegan, now at Vergelegen, seems to have managed adversity with aplomb. Cabernet Sauvignon is at its lowest ever in the blend at 59%, complemented by 23% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The components were matured separately for 12 months in 30 – 40% new oak, then blended and returned to barrel (75% new) for another 12 months. While some 2020s can appear clumsy, this is relatively elegant.