In November of 2024, Vin Chicago's Michael Torrey sat down with Pieter Walser in his Stellenbosch cellar. Together they tasted through a huge selection of Pieter's amazing BlankBottle wines. Michael had many favorites, with one wine mesmerizing him completely. Today, we bring you that wine!

"The 2021 Pierre Le Cois is like drinking velvet out of a bottle!"
     - Michael Torrey, Vin Chicago

Only 2,600 bottles of the decadent 2021 Pierre Le Cois were produced, and none of them had ever made it to the States! Scroll on for all the details about this sensationally luscious Bordeaux-style red, and for Pieter's insanely delicious and even more limited single-vineyard white, and then hammer the Big Green Button!

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2021 BlankBottle "Pierre Le Cois" Red Blend
Stellenbosch, South Africa
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After hearing Michael gush for a year and a half about how this silky smooth, deliciously dark-fruited red blew his mind, we are thrilled to bring a small quantity to you as a Vin Chicago exclusive.

Affectionately nicknamed “The X-Factor” by Pieter, this big, bad Bordeaux blend is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with a little Cabernet Franc and Merlot adding layered complexity. This dark-fruited, deeply opulent Bordeaux lookalike is smooth as silk and has grown beautifully into its 14.5% ABV body. Holy moly do we see why Michael loved this so much!

Juicy plum, elderberry, redcurrant, and pencil shavings lead to a snappy white pepper and rhubarb finish. Utterly delicious, you could age this for a few years more, but with how great it's drinking right now, why wait!

“The 2021 Pierre Le Cois, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, presents a refined and fresh profile with mineral nuances and notes of redcurrant, crème de cassis, graphite and pencil shavings. This rustic yet fresh wine showcases its red fruit character and is expected to remain food-friendly for over a decade. It boasts a medium to full-bodied presence, with a tannic structure, lively acidity and a long, spicy finish. In essence, it's a wine that overdelivers. After spending 18 months in oak, with 35% new, a total of 2,667 bottles were produced."
          - 92+ Points, Wine Advocate (5/9/2024)

This wine totally rocks on its own, and it will make flank steak or pork chops sing. We appear to be the only shop to carry this wine on our entire half of the planet! Only 260 bottles available, so act fast!

Vin Chicago Price: 27.99

Only 1500 Bottles PRODUCED of this Incredible Chardonnay!

When we asked our South African importer if there were any new wines that Pieter was excited about, he barely even let us finish asking the question before he told us about this precocious white.

2024 BlankBottle "Seelug" Chardonnay
Stellenbosch, South Africa
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An avid surfer, Pieter Walser will be the first to tell you that it makes for great waves when the wind blows out from the mountains and over the ocean. What do you get when the inverse is true, and the winds blast from the ocean and into the seaside vineyards? Some damn great Chardonnay!

Lovingly named Seelug (Afrikaans for “Sea Air”), Pieter harnesses the strong salty winds that blow in from the ocean by trellising his vines to maximize the grapes’ exposure to the gusts while also lifting warm air over the vineyard. The result is a salty, limey, beautiful cool climate Chardonnay unlike anything we’ve ever tasted from Pieter before.

Pieter himself refers to Seelug as “on the more serious side” by his standards, and with its higher-acid style and touch of reduction, it called to members of our tasting team as reminiscent of a modern white Burgundy. This is some really stellar stuff.

We got notes of lime, orchard fruit, oatmeal, and sea salt, with some light toastiness on account of aging in French Oak barrels. We’ve found that Seelug is served best with a light chill. As scrumptious as it is on its own, pairing with ceviche or a grilled mahi mahi steak would be even more heavenly.

Only 1,500 bottles were produced. We nabbed 200 of them. As far as we can tell, we are the only store in the entire world that is selling this wine!

Vin Chicago Price: 32.99