With vines celebrating their 50th birthday, this is a rare and beautiful example of a Palomino from South Africa. It’s a wine with a sapid, earthy character, not overtly fruity (Palomino is quite a ‘neutral’ variety), but those old vines confer plenty of concentration, so there’s an ampleness to the fruit, showing lime, quince, wild flowers and a hint of bitter lemon. With its repurposed grape variety (Palomino is most commonly associated with fortified sherry) and its low intervention winemaking, it has the sort of ‘off-grid’ credentials that should appeal to the hipster community, but its flavours are delightfully mainstream, which should put them off. 12.5% alc. Drink now-2030.

Press reviews:

Decanter: “Palomino, that neutral Sherry grape, has found a special home in South Africa. Once widely planted for brandy and fortifieds, there are some surviving special older vineyards that produce wines of concentration. From a 1976 Piekenierskloof block, opening chords of sun-warmed hay, bitter orange and apple. Pretty core of white peach wraps in saline threads, stretching to a mouthwatering sapidity. Drink now-2032.” 94 points

Christian Eedes: “From a Piekenierskloof vineyard planted in 1976. Matured for 10 months in older 500-litre barrels. Aromatics of hay, wild flowers, herbs, pear, apple, citrus and a subtle lees-derived complexity. The palate is concentrated without excess weight, the creamy texture offset by well-integrated acidity. For a variety that is often quite neutral and light-bodied, this is surprisingly expressive, combining depth with remarkable poise.” 95 points

Tim Atkin MW: “Part of an intriguing new range from Daniel Colombo, this is true to his hands-off, medium-bodied style. Using old-vine Palomino from Piekenierskloof, one of the few places you find the variety in South Africa, this is earthy, savoury and stony, with some tannic structure, layers of fennel, lanolin and citrus zest and a well-balanced finish. Drink now-2030.” 90 points