organic estate selection
releasing the 2023 vintage...
a note from the winemaking team
The 2023 estate release of Radford Dale Organic is our second, and after the warm welcome of largely favourable conditions and little disease pressure throughout 2022, the 2023 harvest brought into perspective the challenges of organic certified viticulture in the Elgin Valley, in a harvest of two parts. The difficult second album..
Fortunately, we had the preceding year’s work experience under our belt at the farm and felt confident in the strides made in the vineyards. The variable conditions 2023 harvest would bring into light the merits of being a small, adaptable team, and the benefits of having your own vineyard on the doorstep.
The preceding winter did not align with the long-term averages, yet still provided ample cold accumulation and rainfall, surpassing the needs of the vineyard. Budding and dormancy break was even and benefited from slightly warmer spring temperatures and low precipitation. Grapes had a good veraison and colour formation and the grapes were remarkably even and earlier than the previous season. Dry conditions persisted until late February, ensuring good grape potential and ripening. Atypical rains in late February and March brought the harvest to a sudden stop, and the risk of disease pressure. Patience was required to bring the fruit in at optimal levels.
As a result, yields are noticeably lower than 2022, with meticulous grape sorting further reducing yield, but being a vital resource in ensuring only clean and vibrant fruit was used for the wines.
Despite the challenges, the resulting wines show real freshness, lifted varietal aromatics and restraint. For the Chardonnay and Semillon, a stylistic trait of concentrated, crystalline fruit, a coolness of varietal scent and racy acidities. On the reds, these are lighter in colour to the 2022s, more towards medium in body, with a welcome freshness once more, and a notably breezy and brambly fruit expression in the Pinot Noir. There is a winning sense of authenticity and transparency in the wines.
If 2022 was a comparably showy vintage, then 2023 looks to be a set of wines which will unfurl their nuances with time in bottle.
revelation organic semillon 2023
Elgin
Old gold with a light green hued rim. Fresh spring blossom, honeysuckle, ripe melon and golden delicious apples are prominent on the nose. A bracing acidity supports restrained green peach and winter melon fruit expression. Enduring length and persistence lead to a cleansing mineral finish (12% ABV)
92/100 - Tim Atkin MW
95/100 - C Eedes, Winemag
touchstone organic chardonnay 2023
Elgin
Pale gold in colour with lime-hued rim. Prominent on the nose are Jasmine perfumed citrus blossom with airy characters of lemon, peach and melon. Lightbodied but persistent and intensely flavoured, featuring characters of spiced grapefruit, orange peel with a lime zing and clean mineral finish. This wine aims to express the elegance of the variety by relying only on the terroir and the quality of the fruit. (13% ABV)
92/100 - Tim Atkin MW
95/100 - C Eedes, Winemag
Freedom organic pinot noir 2023
Elgin
This wine offers a generous and pure expression of the varietal, showcasing an elegant interplay of red and purple fruit. Notes of wild strawberries, blackberries and spiced mulberries add depth, with forest undergrowth and graphite adding to the complexity and intrigue. The fine-grained tannins offer a sense of gravitas to the overall structure. (13.5% ABV)
91/100 - Tim Atkin MW
91/100 - C Eedes, Winemag
Higher Purpose organic cabernet franc 2023
Elgin
The wine exhibits the delicate nature of this variety, with finesse and depth only attainable in cool climate conditions. Depth and clarity of flavour are achieved by virtue of a maturing vineyard. Spicy cardamon notes are overlayed on a dark blackcurrant fruit core. A juicy medium-weight palate featuring a balanced tannic grip leading to a satisfying mineral finish. (13% ABV)
93/100 - Tim Atkin MW
92/100 - C Eedes, Winemag
further resources
reviews to date
Christian Eedes (WineMag SA, oct 2024)
Touchstone Chardonnay 2023
Fermented and matured in older oak for 11 months. Struck-match reduction precedes lime, lemon, a subtle herbal note and oatmeal on the nose. The palate is concentrated but not weighty or oily – pure fruit and fresh acidity before a dry finish. Precise and elegant. Alcohol: 13%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Revelation Semillon 2023
Fermented on the skins for three days and matured in older oak for 11 months. Subtle and alluring aromatics of hay, lime, lemon, peach, nectarine, soft citrus and perhaps some blackcurrant. The palate is lean but flavourful with racy acidity and a savoury, slightly grippy finish. Poised and detailed. Alc: 12%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Freedom Pinot Noir 2023
Matured for 11 months in 228- and 300-litre barrels. Red cherry, strawberry, sour plum plus a herbal note on the nose while the palate is light-bodied with fresh acidity and powdery tannins, the finish overtly dry. A touch angular. Alc: 12.5%.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
Higher Purpose Cabernet Franc 2023
Made using carbonic maceration in concrete eggs. A shy nose with hints of red and black berries, rose and forest floor while the palate is well balanced and medium bodied with fresh acidity and fine tannins. Alc: 13%.
CE’s rating: 92/100.
Tim Atkin MW (SA Special Report 2024)
Radford Dale Revelation Organic Semillon 2023
Elgin (12%) - Grapes used from two organically certified vineyards, one of them planted with 10,000 vines per hectare, to make this cool climate Semillon. Sappy, tangy and mineral, with some grip from two days on skins, lime, greengage and citrus flavours and a waft of fynbos and fennel. 2024-29
92/100
Radford Dale Touchstone Organic Chardonnay 2023
Elgin (13%) - Sourced from Radford Dale's organically certified estate in Elgin, this has lovely wild flower, summer orchard and fennel aromas, notes of white pepper, chamomile, tangerine and citrus, subtle oak integration and a mineral core. A range that’s on the up. 2024-28
92/100
Radford Dale Higher Purpose Organic Cabernet Franc 2023
Elgin (13%) - Alex Dale is a big fan of Loire Valley Cabernet Francs and the team are trying, with some success, to replicate elements of their style in Elgin. Fermented and aged in concrete and old barrels, this is elegant, ethereal and grassy with granular tannins and plum and red pepper flavours. 2025-30
93/100
Radford Dale Freedom Organic Pinot Noir 2022
Elgin (13.5%)- Vineyards with a high percentage of clay supply the raw material for this blend of three clones (115, 777 and a little 667). Bright, ethereal and perfumed, it has spicy, gingerbread-like 15% new barrels, juicy raspberry and pomegranate fruit and fine-grained tannins. 2024-29
91/100
