Last year we introduced Farr Vintners customers to Sam Lambson's Minimalist Wines. They proved immensely popular, selling out in a day and prompting us to go back for more. Today we can offer his latest releases, freshly received and ready for immediate delivery.
Sam is young, even for a South African winemaker, but he has quickly risen through the ranks to become one of the country's most exciting producers of Syrah. Inspired by a bottle of 1998 Jamet Côte-Rôtie, his wines are built on intoxicating aromatics and chiselled vibrancy on the palate with ever-increasing precision. We tasted the new wines last week and were extremely impressed by the added focus, balance and detail they show this year.
The latest releases start with 2023 Connect The Dots, which is led by Syrah with a dash of other varieties blended in. The fruit is sourced from the same sites that the likes of Duncan Savage, Reenen Borman and Lukas Van Loggerenberg use. This vintage is a clear step up on last year, with more precision and a silky, open-knit texture that you can enjoy tonight. It remains incredible value at £90 per 6 in bond.
2024 No Place Like Home comes from a cold site in Elgin and benefits from Sam's investment in new concrete tanks, showing beautiful aromatics that blend fruit and spice with impressive purity and salinity that keeps you coming back for more. 94 points from Neal Martin who calls it "Outstanding" due to its "very pure and intense bouquet" and "stunning delineation". This pure and focused Syrah is £135 per 6 in bond.
2024 Stars In The Dark blew us away, the coastal Agulhas site harnessed into a beguiling nose, chiselled palate and incredibly complex yet pure wine. 95 points from Neal Martin who says it is "very Rhône-like" with "real depth" and "wonderful delineation", concluding it is "sheer class". One to get your hands on before the staff buy it all - it too is £135 per 6 in bond.
Following his tasting at Minimalist, Neal Martin concluded "These are wonderful wines, limited in quantity but worth the search." Rarely do we taste a trio of wines that offer such good value and quality at once. Minimalist Wines are one of the names to follow as South Africa continues to establish itself as one of the most important, dynamic winemaking countries for young producers.
Some stock is available for immediate delivery, further stock is arriving early 2026
