Neil Ellis The Left Bank 2007
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A full-bodied red wine with purple-red hues and good depth of color. Concentrated red berry fruits of dark cherries, plums and spicy fruit cake flavours provide an uplifted intensity. The nose is clean and pure with layers of rich dense fruits. Oak provides a caramel/mocha complexity. The long brooding palate has an abundance of soft, round, juicy red berry fruits. The vibrant, sweet palate has aniseed spice and black pepper complexity with mineral gravely texture providing some dryness. Fine, soft, powdery tannins add structural focus and length. This wine should be enjoyed upon release; however given the pedigree and quality of the 2007 vintage, it could also be cellared comfortably for 3-4 years.
"Smoky spice and dried herbs on the nose are followed by flavors of rustic spice and red fruit on the palate. Vibrant fruit and muscular tannins are integrated by a clean minerality. The wine has native character but will please many palates with its dimension." 90 Points,
Wine Enthusiast
December 15, 2008
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2010-
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In the very year Neil Ellis set out as a negociant, his future partner Hans Peter Schroder purchased the Stellenbosch wine estate, Oude Nektar, in the spectacular, viticulturally-ideal Jonkershoek Valley. This coincidence gained fresh resonance some years later when Neil and Hans finally met. Neil, recipient of many accolades since flying solo, had outgrown his leased cellar; Hans, in search of a like-minded partner for a quality-focused winery, had extensive cellar facilities. From this synergy emerged a unique joint venture: Neil Ellis Wines.
Neil Ellis Wines differs from most South African wineries in that instead of owning vineyards they have focused on producing the best wine possible and sourcing the grapes from top quality growers. Recognizing that different grape varieties thrive under different soil and climate conditions, from the company's start their philosophy has been to locate those areas that produce a distinctive grape quality and work closely with quality-minded growers in those areas.