Winemaker Notes
Lady May is Glenelly's flagship estate wine. The 2020 Bordeaux blend pays tribute to the pedigree of its legendary owner, May de Lencquesaing. The wine shows concentrated aromas of cassis and dark berries, with hints of mocha and cedar wood. The palate has lovely fruit purity, polished tannins, and a long, refined finish.
Blend: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A full-bodied, creamy and polished red blend that exudes notes of chocolate, blackcurrants, mint, cedar and hints of graphite. Broad and textural with ripe and firm tannins. Excellent focus. A blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 10% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Drink after 2025.
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Vinous
Due to be released next year, the 2020 Lady May includes the lowest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (59%) thus far. Aged for 24 months in 30-40% new French oak for the first year and 70% for the second, it has a detailed, complex nose of black fruit laced with cedar, black olive and a faint touch of licorice. The palate is medium-bodied with a finely structured entry. It’s quite spicy compared to previous vintages, with impressive body and density and firm grip on the finish. Give this three or four years in bottle once released—it will mature with class.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Glenelly 2020 Stellenbosch Lady May, bottled in heavy glass, is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Cabernet-driven dark fruit and initial succulence lead the palate, though the mid-palate remains lean and somewhat restrained, giving a lighter impression. Fruit is sourced from estate vineyards farmed under a regenerative philosophy on cooler, southeast-facing granite slopes, where soil health and reduced vigor encourage fruit clarity.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.