“Her latest releases are sublime.” – Neal Martin
“Readers should check out the Lismore 2024 Chardonnay Reserve and Syrah Estate Reserve 2023, which are genuinely world class.” – Neal Martin
There is one set of new releases that continually capture the imagination of our customers…the outstanding wines of Samantha O’Keefe at Lismore Estate. We are so fortunate that Samantha didn’t throw in the towel following the devastating wildfire at her estate in 2019. Each year since her little piece of paradise high up in the Overberg Mountains, just outside the town of Greyton, has produced the most majestic array of wines, with production steadily getting back to where it was before the fire.
As Samantha’s stint as chair of the Cape Winemakers Guild comes to an end following a record-breaking wine auction, we offer her latest 2024 Estate Reserve whites, 2023 Reserve Syrah, and the newest releases from around the Cape South Coast. Yet again, Lismore stands at the pinnacle of the South African wine industry with unique and individually expressive wines that receive high scores and excellent reviews from Neal Martin.
The 2024 Estate Reserve whites are beautiful, with the Chardonnay being the pick of the bunch, as endorsed by Neal Martin: “If you find better aromatics on a Cape Chardonnay in 2024 than this, then do let me know”. The Estate Reserve Viognier is amongst the very best in the world, and the Roussanne- dominant Cuvée Blanc is packed with flavour and aromatics and wonderfully fresh at the same time.
Words don’t do justice to the Estate Reserve Syrah 2023, which is the ultimate cool climate expression of Syrah. Also offered for the first time is the 2023 Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc “…simply one of the best Sauvignon Blancs I tasted in the Cape…” said Neal Martin in his recent review of South African wine.
The rest of the Cape South Coast wines are not ready for release, so included in the offer is a re-release of the Age of Grace Viognier 2023, along with the superb 2022 wines from the Cape South Coast range - Chenin Blanc 2022, Chardonnay 2022, Pinot Noir 2022 & Syrah 2022.
Read more about Sam's extraordinary journey to becoming one of South Africa's best winemakers in the profile below.
New releases are offered pre-shipment, expected in the UK in Spring 2026. All other wines are available from bond, for delivery this December.
Producer Profile
Lismore Estate, South Africa
Owner and Winemaker Samantha O'Keefe was a TV executive in LA and a single mother of two, with no winemaking experience. She bought a remote mountain in South Africa in the early 2000s and planted a vineyard. In 2019, Neal Martin tasted the wines and ranked them with the greatest in the world. The story already read like a script for a TV drama, but then, just before Christmas 2019, we learnt that her home and winery had been destroyed in a devastating wildfire, which she and her staff narrowly escaped with their lives.
'TV drama' comparisons do not do justice to what is likely to have been a traumatic experience for Sam. A crowdfunding site was set up and other SA wineries lent barrels to make her 2020 vintage. Happily, most of the vines have escaped damage and Sam's 2018 vintage was already in bottle, stored in cellars away from the winery.
Self-taught as a winemaker, in a short space of time, Samantha created wines to vie with the very best in the world. Neal Martin compares the Reserve Chardonnay to Corton-Charlemagne, whilst on Jancisrobinson.com Julia Harding MW describes the Hermitage-like Syrah as 'mouth-wateringly good'.
For Martin these are among a new breed of wines "born in climactic knife-edge, dry-farmed vineyards, often from ancient vines, and with minimal intervention by talented and frequently young winemakers in the opening chapters of long careers."| WHITE | 2024 | Lismore Estate - Reserve Chardonnay | 75cl | £236 per case of 6 | Lismore Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2024 / / 75cl £236 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"The 2024 Chardonnay Reserve comes from dry-farmed vines on steep slopes that tend to produce small bunches, matured in 500-litre oak barrels, 30% new. If you find better aromatics on a Cape Chardonnay in 2024 than this, then do let me know (usual address). Stunning delineation, real depth and mineralité, blossoming with aeration. The palate is very well defined, nicely poised with tangerine, white peach and light nectarine scents. Very poised and very sustained, this is the kind of Chardonnay to pour for your best friends. 2026-2042. 95 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com |
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| WHITE | 2024 | Lismore Estate - Viognier Estate Reserve | 75cl | £233 per case of 6 | Lismore Estate Viognier Estate Reserve 2024 / / 75cl £233 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes“The 2024 Viognier Estate Reserve is handled oxidatively and spends 11 months in 500-litre barrels, 5% new. This has an expressive nose with wild peach and almond scents, perhaps the previous vintage with a little more precision. The palate is medium-bodied with a lovely, waxy texture, moderate depth, with a touch of stem ginger towards the finish. Very harmonious with plenty of personality, this is a classy Viognier. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2033. 93 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com |
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