Arcangeli, an exciting new addition to the South African wine scene

south africa

Arcangeli, an exciting new addition to the South African wine scene

ARCANGELI GROUP PACKSHOT LR

Arcangeli is an exciting new addition to the South African wine scene. The home of this project is a farm on Bot River that used to be called Freiteras Vineyards. It was bought a while back by Sandro Arcangeli, who tasked Krige Visser (Mount Abora, La Vierge et al) with making the wines. The property is just 4 hectares, and these grapes have been supplemented with fruit purchased by Krige from elsewhere. These are the debut releases, all wild ferment and old oak. The names of these wines were, at the time of tasting, provisional.

Arcangeli Semillon 2016 Western Cape, South Africa
This is from Bot River and Hemel-en-Aarde. Complex, lively and a bit tangy with orange peel and spice notes, as well as ripe lemons, herbs and apples. Tangy with some sweetness to it and a bit of grip. 90/100

Arcangeli ‘Freiteras’ Verdelho 2016 Bot River, South Africa
From the home property. This has pear, white peach and a hint of nuttiness. Lively with good acidity and nice citrus notes, showing lovely purity and a nice chalky edge to the fruit. 92/100

Arcangeli ‘Romulus’ Nebbiolo 2016 Western Cape, South Africa
The grapes for this come from the Breede River Valley. Juicy, bright and fresh with nice raspberry and red cherry fruit, as well as some tannic grip. Supple with a hint of leather and nice focus. Stony grip here under the red fruits with a vivid, focused flavour profile. Quite challenging now, but full of promise. 91/10

Arcangeli Merlot Petit Verdot Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Bot River, South Africa
This is a blend of Merlot (55%), Petit Verdot (35%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%). Fresh, vivid and grippy with nice focused black fruits and some grippy structure. Vivid fruit here: juicy raspberries and blackcurrant. Crunchy and complex. 91/100

Arcangeli Syrah Mourvedre 2016 Bot River, South Africa
71% Syrah, 21% Mourvedre. Supple, fresh and fine with lovely raspberry fruit with a bit of spicy grip. Fresh and supple with juicy fruits and nice grip. It’s ripe but restrained with nice freshness and a bright berry fruits character. Lively, with good focus. Supple sweet fruit is nicely countered by the savoury spiciness. 92/100

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

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