KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"The 2023 Viognier The Age of Grace comes from several vineyards. It was made in an oxidative style, whole-bunch-pressed and aged in a mix of concrete eggs and multi-format oak. Delineated and focused, this takes time to open in the glass, unfurling with lemon curd and nectarine. The palate is very well balanced with a killer line of acidity. There’s real tension and mineralité, so that it is almost Chenin-like on the finish. Excellent.- Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2024), 93 pts

"The Age of Grace is Samantha O'Keefe's second tier Viognier, made with purchased grapes from Bot River, Elgin and Villiersdorp, but it's still better than most of the competition. Weighty, textured, yet poised, it has subtle rose petal and peach skin aromas, a dab of cream, clementine and apricot fruit and a whisper of oak. 2024-29"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2024 Special Report), 93 pts

"The 2022 Viognier The Age of Grace comes from five parcels, is oxidatively handled, whole bunch pressed, and 30% raised in concrete egg, spending 11 months on the lees. Intoxicating on the nose, this offers citrus fruit, frangipane, beeswax and orange blossom scents, very perfumed but not as overpowering as this grape variety can be. The palate is well-balanced with yellow fruit, orange rind and nectarine, a silver bead of acidity and wonderful precision on the sustained finish. So crystalline! A triumph..- Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2023), 95 pts

""A tamed Viognier" is how Samantha O'Keefe describes this impressive white. Made with
purchased grapes from Bot River, Elgin and Overberg, it moves from honeysuckle and stem
ginger aromas into a palate of pear and apricot framed by very subtle oak sweetness. 2023-27

- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2023 Special Report), 93 pts

"Starting with a classic nose of florals and citrus, the 2022 The Age of Grace Viognier displays wax melon, orange oil and citrus rind before aromas of peach blossoms and cereal grains pop out of the glass. Medium-bodied and with 13.5% alcohol, the palate is succulent with delightful, food-friendly acidity that displays a balanced notion of phenolic bitterness that's both food friendly and cerebral. 18,400 bottles were produced from whole-bunch pressed grapes that were naturally fermented in 85% barrels, 15% concrete eggs. The wine rested on the lees for 11 months. - Anthony Mueller"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (December 28th 2023), 92 pts

"This is aromatic with notes of candied lemons, pear drops, dried herbs and acacia flowers. Medium- to full-bodied. Round, textured and a little waxy with juicy acidity and some savory undertones at the end. Flavorful and bright. Drink now."

- James Suckling (December 28th 2023), 91 pts

"The 2021 Viognier The Age of Grace comes from Sutherland and Bot River, whole bunch pressed with 11 months on the lees using 15% concrete eggs. With pretty white peach and Mirabelle scents on the nose, this takes time to blossom, but it never fully lets go. The palate is medium-bodied with a gorgeous dried apricot, mango and spicebox entry, nothing blowsy here with a very focused, almost understated finish. Excellent. - Neal Martin"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (September 2022), 93+ pts

"Sam O'Keefe gets the grapes for this stylish, commercially significant Viognier from Elgin and Bot River, rather than her home base in Greyton. Fermented in 5% new barrels and concrete eggs, it's a suitably graceful, subtle Viognier, with aniseed, pear and apricot skin flavours and tangy supporting acidity. 2022-27"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2022 Special Report), 92 pts

"Aromas of peaches and apricots with lemon pith, white flowers and raw almond. Full-bodied with waxy texture, round mouth feel and toned, crunchy stone fruit character. Vivid acidity and flavorful, lingering finish. Drink now."

- James Suckling (November 2022), 92 pts

"An expressive white, with pretty honeysuckle, acacia blossom and ground ginger notes serving as fragrant accents to plum tart, glazed tangerine and graham cracker flavors. On the finish, tangy salinity and citrus peel acidity provide fine definition and a crackling quality. Drink now through 2028. - AN "

- Wine Spectator (November 2023), 91 pts

"Initially subdued in the glass, the 2021 The Age of Grace Viognier lifts from the glass with some swirling. The softly floral wine offers subtle hints of spice and citrus zest before the medium-bodied Viognier showcases a delightful texture and sweet citrus flavors. The palate displays a delicate mineral tension with a kiss of phenolic bitterness over the food-friendly finish. Decanting is recommended. - Anthony Mueller"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (December 28th 2023), 91 pts

"The 2020 Viognier The Age of Grace has a subtle, well-defined bouquet of detailed lemon sherbet, lemon thyme and crushed pebble scents, poised and, yes, graceful. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and linear and quite steely toward the almost Chenin-like finish. This is not a flamboyant, Rhône-like Viognier – it’s is far more tensile and racy. It should age extremely well in bottle. - Neal Martin"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2021), 94 pts

"This wine presents subtle herbal aromas on the nose, complemented by alluring sweet white peaches. The palate reveals apple and vanilla flavors backed by good acidity. Light citrus and leafy notes linger in the long finish. — Jesica VARGAS"

- Wine Enthusiast (December 2025), 92 pts

"Bot River, Elgin, Stellenbosch and Sutherland components make up the blend of this 10% new oak-fermented Viognier from Sam O'Keefe, which is more restrained and focused than usual. Pear, orange zest and stem ginger flavours are supported by bright acidity 2021-24"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2021 Special Report), 92 pts

"The 2018 The Age of Grace Viognier is sourced from Elgin and matured mainly in used barrels with some concrete eggs for 11 months. It has a well-defined bouquet of pressed yellow flowers and crushed stone scents that gain intensity with aeration. The fresh, vibrant palate is poised and harmonious, delivering a fine bead of acidity and a lick of salinity on the finish. Superb! - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2019), 92 pts

Go to Lismore Viognier The Age of Grace

"With its cool southern exposure at the foot of the Riviersonderend Mountains, Samantha O’Keefe’s vineyard produces a quiet yet powerful viognier. It’s rich and waxy, the bright citrus-oil flavors supported by the oak structure."
- Wine & Spirits Magazine (February 2020), 90 pts

"The 2017 Age of Grace comes from purchased Viognier fruit from Elgin grown on rose quartz soil. It has a well defined bouquet of yellow plum, mirabelle, apricot blossom and subtle popcorn aromas. The palate is clean and precise with a fine line of acidity, hints of stem ginger complementing the tropical fruit (passion fruit and peach skin), and the finish is spicy and quite persistent. Excellent.- Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2018), 93 pts

Go to Lismore Viognier The Age of Grace

"Bottled but not yet labeled, the 2017 Age of Grace Viognier is made with Elgin fruit grown on rose quartz soil. Although made oxidatively, it’s very floral in character with notes of jasmine and honeysuckle. Samantha attributes this in part to natural ferment and the partial use of polyurethane egg, which contributes an extreme florality. It’s a lovely wine with bright, dense tropical and stone fruit on a full, creamy palate and showing good minerality on the finish."
- International Wine Review (February 2018), 92 pts

Go to Lismore Viognier The Age of Grace

"I review very few bottlings of Viognier for the good reason that very few of them merit mention…much less praise. The flashy, floral ones are often alcoholic and tiring to drink, with insufficient acidity, whereas the fresh ones often lack the aromatics that make Viognier worth considering in the first place. Renditions from Condrieu (in France’s northern Rhône) that dodge these two problems are almost always painfully expensive, and though that makes sense because the region is tiny and horribly difficult to farm, I still can’t see shelling out $70 for them. Which brings me to this wine--admittedly by a circuitous route--which I took because it is such a brilliant exception to the rule. It shows floral topnotes that are lovely but also subtle (which is good, because overly perfumed wines almost never invite a second glass), as well as delicious peachy fruit enlivened with excellent acidity. It seems that the secret to success in this case was two separate pickings…an early one for acidity, and a second to pick up the florals, which only emerge at full ripeness. Probably tough to find, but even harder to resist after experiencing it."
- Michael Franz, WineReviewOnline (November 2017), 93 pts

Go to Lismore Viognier The Age of Grace

"Fans of Lismore’s amazing estate Viognier - the best in South Africa - will be dismayed that there was none produced in 2015, but this is not a bad substitute, made with Elgin fruit. Floral and fresh, with subtle cream and stone fruit flavours and more acidity than many examples of the grape. 2017-19. - Tim Atkin"
- Tim Atkin (South Africa Report 2017), 92 pts

Go to Lismore Viognier The Age of Grace