Young Guns
Online-Only Auction, 17 - 28 November 2022
Young Guns | For the classicists and the geeks alike, an incredible collection
About the SessionWhat is a Young Gun?
A talented winemaker who pushes the boundaries, breaks the rules and creates cutting-edge wines with personality and energy. Young Guns either work, or have worked for notable estates, but also produce unique wines under their own labels. They are dynamic, working together in pushing the envelope and promoting brand SA. They are the winemakers who should be on your radar as they are making some of the most daring, innovative, and simply delicious wines in SA. They travel and taste extensively, drawing inspiration from the classics through to the more edgy, hip styles and techniques, from the profound and obscure wine regions of the world. And then they apply their own creative interpretations on home soil, often searching for unique vineyard sites, cultivars and old vines. The results are most often small in numbers and high in demand, selling out on release. They are the rising stars, the future icons and ultimately, tomorrow’s investment wines.
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About this Item
Illimis, the Latin word for clarity, signifies winemaker Lucinda Heyns’ crystal clear winemaking philosophy. Wine should be a window to where its vineyard is rooted. Illimis intends to honestly harness what nature offers, and follows a minimal intervention principle as far as possible, allowing the wine to express its origin with clarity, finesse and complexity. Wines are made through spontaneous fermentations and mostly older, neutral oak is used. Lucinda worked as viticulturist for leading South African wineries and refined her winemaking skills with experience in South Africa, California and Italy. A decade of hands-on involvement in both vineyards and winemaking, developed a clear vision for Illimis. Being a viticulturist at heart, she believes that everything starts with the vines. All wines are made from single vineyard sites, specifically selected with the finished wine in mind. Every vintage is unique, and her hope is that every wine is a tribute to the endless pursuit of refining the potential of each site the Illimis wines are made from.
All vintages 2015-2020 were made from the same single vineyard site, with minimal intervention winemaking techniques in the cellar. This means that this vertical selection is an expression of this particular site, over six seasons. Situated in the cool climate region of Elgin, this vineyard was planted in 2006 on Bokkeveld shale soils. Grapes are subjected to a long, slow ripening period that contributes to the racy acidity and concentration of flavours in this wine. Thanks to the natural acidity retained in the grapes because of the cool climate, this wine is truly age-worthy.
Critics Ratings
2015
‘Grapes from Elgin. Fermented and matured for eight months in old oak. Subtle notes of pear, yellow apple, peach and apricot plus a hint of spice. Great fruit concentration and bright acidity – tightly knit with a saline finish.’ – Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 91/100 (Oct 2016)
2016
‘After working for a number of South African and Californian wine companies, Lucinda Heyns has established her own brand, based in Somerset West. The grapes for this Chenin Blanc are sourced from 16-year-old vines on Bokkeveld Shale at around 300 metres of altitude in cool-climate Elgin, where they benefit from a long hang-time to develop flavour while retaining acidity. The 2016 has attractive citric aromas with a soft, seductive texture set off by quite an austere, vibrant, racy finish reflecting Elgin’s cool climate. It should age well.’ – Jim Budd, Decanter.com, 91/100 (Jul 2019)
‘Lucinda Heyns buys selected blocks of fruit to produce her stylish range of wines. This is racy, pure and refreshing with leesy weight, a descant of oak and a hint of tropical fruit sweetness.’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2018, 90/100
2017
‘A significant step up on the 2016 release, Lucinda Heyns' Chenin Blanc was one of the highlights of my Discovery Tasting this year. Wild fermented in older wood, this is a textured, poised, beautifully judged cool climate Chenin Blanc with oatmeal, pear and citrus flavours. 2020-24.’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2019, 93/100
2018
‘Something of a below-the-radar producer, even in South Africa, Illimis is the boutique project of Lucinda Heyns. One of only a handful of impressive Chenins from Elgin, this is leesy, wild and slightly savoury, with some sweet stone fruit and honey and bracingly fresh acidity. 2020-25.’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2020, 93/100
2019
‘One of only five Wine of Origin Elgin Chenins in the guide. 2019 orange blossom aroma, crunchy apple flavours and notes of grapefruit and orange peel, lovely nettle finish. Bunch pressed, matured 7 months in old barrels.’ – Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2021, 5* (95 pts)
2020
‘Citrus blossom aromas, crunchy apple, lemon and lime flavours and notes of pear and quince, nettle finish. 2020 approaches 2019 (5 stars, 95 pts) in impressiveness, with lees ageing in oak adding weight and breadth.’ – Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2022, 4.5* (93 pts)
'One of only a handul of Chenin Blancs from cool climate Elgin - Chardonnay and Sauvignon are much more widely planted - this is a complex, low-intervention style from Lucinda Heyns, with notes of honey and baking spices, yeasty, bready undertones and thrilling acidity. 2021-25.' - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2021, 93/100
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