Leading Lady
Is experience quantifiable? In winemaking, it tends to be measured in seasons turned, harvests seen through and bottles crafted.
It is the accumulated knowing that tells you, without hesitation, when a great vintage has arrived - and precisely how to honour it. By that measure, Glenelly Estate's founder, May de Lencquesaing, who turns 101 on the 17th of May, may be the most experienced winemaker alive. And she will tell you, without hesitation, that the Lady May 2021 is one of the finest vintages the estate has ever produced. The critics agree. The Lady May 2021 - a Cabernet Sauvignon-led Bordeaux blend from the estate's highest, coolest slopes on the Simonsberg - has earned 98 points from Greg Sherwood MW, 97 from Tim Atkin MW, and a place at #21 in James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of South Africa.
Defined by patience
The 2021 growing season on the Simonsberg was defined by patience. A wet winter gave way to a cooler-than-usual year - bud break arrived two weeks late, harvest two weeks later still. For a lesser site, that kind of season might spell difficulty. On Glenelly's southeast-facing slopes, where decomposed granite soils and steep, wind-exposed aspect already incline the vines toward elegance, it spelt something else entirely. The slower ripening allowed flavour and tannin development to proceed at their own measured pace, while the site's natura acidity remained perfectly preserved.
Winemaking followed the same philosophy: natural fermentation, pump-overs limited to two per day, and two to three weeks of post-fermentation skin contact to build structure without aggression. The resulting blend - 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot - was aged for 24 months in 300-litre French oak barrels. The components were matured separately for the first twelve months before being blended and returned to barrel, allowing for both precision and seamless integration in the final wine.
Bottling a legacy
The Lady May 2021 leads with notes of crème de cassis and blackcurrant, framed by cherry tobacco, graphite and a subtle herbal nuance. The palate is focused and structured, the finish long and composed - a wine of immediate precision and considerable promise for the cellar.
Greg Sherwood MW describes it as "a phenomenal red wine that registers quality-wise in the highest of echelons of Cape Bordeaux Blends," while Tim Atkin MW calls it "...one of the best releases yet of this increasingly iconic red." It is, in every sense, the wine May de Lencquesaing set out to make.
“It has always been my dream to craft the finest Cabernet Sauvignon blend outside of France," she says. "At the age of 78, I discovered Glenelly Estate in the heart of Stellenbosch - the ideal place for this vision to take shape.
This wine is my legacy."
A century and one
May de Lencquesaing was born in Bordeaux on 17 May 1925, into a family for whom wine was a bona fide way of life. In 1978, she inherited Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - and spent the next 28 years transforming it into one of Bordeaux's most celebrated estates, earning, along the way, the Légion d'Honneur, a Decanter Hall of Fame award, and the formidable nickname: La Générale.
Most would have rested on those (plentiful) laurels. Instead, Madame purchased Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch in 2003. Two decades on, she remains as engaged as ever, checking in weekly with winemakers and marketing managers alike. She is as focused on what is still possible as on what has been achieved:
"As I celebrate my 101st year, I raise a glass of Lady May 2021 to you - a vintage that we believe stands among our finest. May it give you a sense of place, balance and elegance, and fill your hearts with joy. Santé!"
Raised among the vines. Wine in her veins. The Lady May 2021 may not bottle Madame’s lifetime of experience- but it comes remarkably close.
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