KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"In 2000, Samantha O’Keefe left Los Angeles and settled at a 750-acre ranch in Greyton, in the Overberg district of South Africa’s Cape. She planted vineyards on slopes tucked up against the Riviersonderend Mountains and has earned recognition for Greyton as a wine district. The snow-covered peaks help temper the climate, bringing in peppery syrah that O’Keefe presents in fresh and inviting wines. We tasted her latest releases a month before a wildfire destroyed her winery, home, 2019 vintage and portions of the vineyard. O’Keefe is determined to rebuild, and the wine community has stepped up to help. Taste her 2016 Syrah or her 2018 Age of Grace Viognier and you, too, may be inspired to help. - J.G."

- Wine & Spirits' 2021 Buying Guide

"Samantha O'Keefe of Lismore Estate is a trailblazer who is making some of South Africa's most focused, precise and thoughtful wines. If you are not familiar with Samantha or her wines, you need to seek some out and try them for yourself. South African wine may hold negative connotations in some people's minds, so I hope they try Samantha's wines, as every bottling from her range displayed elegance and beauty. Lismore wines are expressive with layers of complexity that shine and an honesty that over delivers for the price. I am anxious to see what she does next. Be on the lookout for an article on food and wine pairings with Lismore wines in 2020 and keep your eyes peeled on Lismore Estate wines for some truly great winemaking! - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019)

"Samantha O'Keefe is living the dream. That's not to say things have been easy for the ex-Californian on the outskirts of Greyton. You know what they say about how to make a small fortune in wine. The competition is fierce when you start out. I mean, how do you distinguish yourself from the crowd? One way is to splash lots of money on marketing. Another is to price your wine at a silly price in the hope of persuading people that it must be good. Of course, you can just make bloody good wine, which is the route that Samantha wisely took.

I still remember meeting her for the first time at a busy tasting in London. I remarked how good I thought her wines were. I felt as it was the first time her wines had been complemented, a third party validation that she was doing things the right way and it was paying off in the quality of her wines. And since then, over the last two or three years, it's been great to see both Lismore and Samantha gain more and more recognition. Her recent releases, which I tasted at the Cape Show with Samantha, continue to furrow that path of cool-climate white and reds. Perhaps in the past I have focused more on the white. On this occasion, I was blown away by her 2014 Syrah that was galvanized by the 40% whole bunch ferment, manifesting a truly complex Syrah, one of the best you will find.- Neal Martin"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (November 2015)

Go to Lismore Estate

"South Africa is now a strong contender for the world’s most improved and exciting wine nation, bar none. Its transformation is rapid and ongoing. The pace of change and achievement is staggering.” .....
“So what has changed?...Arguably the shift is generational- the new group of highly passionate, original and talented winemakers includes, Eben Sadie, Chris Mullineux, Chris and Suzaan Alheit, JD Pretorius, Duncan Savage, Peter de Wet, Samantha O'Keefe, Peter-Allan Finlayson and Matthew Day. None of them lacking in confidence, determination, talent or passion. You can taste it in the wines.” - John Stimpfig
- Decanter Magazine (December 2015)