2020 Glenelly - Lady May Red (750ml)

Glenelly Estate was founded in 2003 by May-Eliane de Lencquesaing on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch, following her thirty years as owner of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Bordeaux's Pauillac appellation. She set out to bring that Old World pedigree to South African soil, and Lady May, first released with the 2008 vintage, stands as the estate's flagship expression of that vision. The 2020 bottling carries a special commemorative label marking de Lencquesaing's 100th birthday, a fitting tribute given her ongoing influence over the property's style and direction.

This Bordeaux-style blend leans on Cabernet Sauvignon at 59%, its lowest share in the wine's history, rounded out by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a small portion of Petit Verdot. The fruit comes from estate vineyards on cooler, southeast-facing granite slopes farmed under a regenerative approach that favors soil health and lower vigor to keep the fruit clean and well defined. Following fermentation, each component ages separately for a year in 30 to 40% new French oak before blending and a further year in barrel, this time with a higher proportion of new wood.

The wine shows a deep ruby color with youthful violet edges, opening to aromas of cassis, dark plum, and cedar layered with fynbos and a touch of mint. On the palate it is medium-bodied with bright acidity, fine, tightly packed tannins, and a long, appealingly austere finish that should reward several more years in the cellar.