New World Wines

Continuum, owned by Tim Mondavi, is an impressive vineyard at the top of Pritchard Hill. The 2019 is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot and is aged in two-thirds new French oak, with the balance in second or third-use barrels and a single concrete amphora. There's a distinct sage note that is a hallmark of Continuum, with lifted violet notes and rich black cherries. The texture is plush and silky but there's a stoniness that brings freshness at the finish.

A blend of 70% Syrah, 12% Grenache, 10% Carignan, and 8% Cinsault, this is a brilliant Mediterranean red from a master winemaker. Hints of wild herbs and plenty of red fruit, there are saline tannins here, and a really lifted, elegant quality to the fruit.

From a 19 year old vineyard on the iron-rich soils around Malmesbury, the Iron Syrah has a breadth on the palate that’s not found on the other wines, and is stunningly aromatic.

RunRig has a fragrant, soft profile, with fine tannins and an ethereal poise, despite some serious power and concentration. This is all grown on the western ridge of the Barossa Valley. It's a blend of six vineyards, including what is likely the oldest Shiraz in the world. There's 25km between the vineyard sites, creating plenty of complexity in the fruit. It finishes saline and mineral, long and fresh.

The RWT is a supercharged example of Barossa Shiraz: it’s broad and intense with massive volume. This is unashamed, yet perfumed, too. There’s some violets but it’s quite earthy and scorched ground takes over on the back palate. With impressive depth and intensity and a really driven and cool finish, it’s a super-impressive wine.

From the same vineyard on the far west coast of the cape as Eben Sadie’s Skerpioen. This Palomino is savoury, fresh, and beautifully balanced. It’s a curious, long-lived white that’s seriously impressive.

The Schist Syrah comes from the couple’s Roundstone property, allowing full control of the farming. These 21 year old vines give a structured, peppery expression of Syrah. The berries here are 25% smaller than the Granite, and that gives this incredible texture and power.

This Tinta Barocca, meanwhile, is a real labour of love. She loves the grape variety, and this comes from three different, old vine sources: one in Bot Rivier, one in Stellenbosch, and then a parcel on the same farm on the Paardeberg as the other two wines. This is a bottling that benefits from a couple of years in bottle: with that it develops wonderful smoky notes, and hints of blood orange.

The 2019 from the much-loved Spottswoode estate is gorgeous, with fragrant bramble and black cherry with sweet spice, earthy notes and cedar. It's marries the generosity and warmth that comes naturally to Napa Cabernet with Spottswoode's textbook grace and charm. It's a medium-weight, elegant Napa Cabernet, harking back decades. These age beautifully, but the supple tannins, balance and refreshing style you'd be forgiven for failing to resist now.

Pure, juicy apple fruit and a creamy texture, with light mealy notes. There are plenty of flinty, reductive notes with bright acidity keeping it fresh and zippy.

Agricola is the brainchild of Callum Powell, the son of Torbreck founder Dave Powell, who worked in the Northern Rhône with Jean-Louis Chave before striking out on his own. There's a clear nod to the Northern Rhône here. Its 'low hi', hands off winemaking, and all that, combined with some excellent vineyard sources, makes Callum's wines some of the most exciting we've found in South Australia. The Flaxman Shiraz is from the Eden Valley and is sourced from two vineyards; the 100+ year old Powell family vineyard, and a neighbouring steep slope. This is a medium-weight, elegant Shiraz. It's fresh and saline, with black olive and black pepper in amongst fresh red and black fruit. Callum uses very little new oak, and coming in at below 12% alcohol it's a truly unique, and incredibly impressive, example of Eden Valley Shiraz.

St Henri's signature is its maturation in large format old French oak. As a result, there's a freshness and purity of fruit that sings through. It's elegant and supple, showing some of the warm character of the 2020 vintage with ripe blackberry and damson. There's aniseed, clove and spicy cured meat complexity on the nose and palate, and lots of concentration from the low-yielding vintage conditions.

2019 has brought a more 'classic' expression of Grange, with dense black cherry and blackberry, and notes of tar, coffee, coconut and licorice. It's unsurprisingly tightly wound now, with lots of tannin, toasty oak, and a ripe, juicy core. This vintage is 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Praus is biodynamically farmed Voor Paardeberg Shiraz, with a little Pinotage from Darling in the blend. It’s juicy and and utterly delicious; the perfect wine to enjoy in big bottle format.

A serious Cinsault from a vineyard planted on the Paardeberg in 1954. This has notes of liquorice, rose petal, and lifted strawberry fruit. And it will age brilliantly, too. Powdery tannins complete the picture. You can almost taste the soil here. Brilliant.

Brazen is a blend of Fernao Pires - from 37 year old vineyards in the Swartland - alongside amphora-aged Palomino from a 47 year old vineyard in Piekenierskloof, and Grenache Blanc from the Voor Paardeberg. It’s a savoury, textured, vibrant white, with a mineral finish that lasts for minutes.

The 2019 Syrah from Boekenhoutskloof comes from the Goldmine property, planted on brown schist, and Porseleinberg, on blue schist. The resulting wine is wonderfully perfumed - like great Côte-Rôtie - but with a touch of added ripeness. There’s dark berry fruit and a hint of tapenade, and then silky tannins that last an age. This is an astonishingly good Syrah from the team at Boekenhoutskloof.

The 2019 Family Vineyards Pinot Noir is a stunning wine, that’s all about floral aromatics and focussed energy. It comes from four separate parcels on the estate, and shows incredible balance, purity of fruit, and savoury length. A brilliant Pinot Noir: the best value we know?

From a single parcel high up on the Helderberg, this is cool and fresh, with lots of lemon oil focus. An outstanding Chardonnay.

A blend of grapes from Greyton and Cape South Coast. Lovely energy here, with fynbos and tapenade notes, and then a core of dark fruit. Very nicely done.

Now owned by the same team as Penfolds, Beaulieu Vineyards is famous for being one of the first Napa Cabernets back in the 1930s, located on the main highway nearby Opus One and the Robert Mondavi Winery. This 2019 vintage is beautifully rich and spicy, with graphite notes and very ultra-fine tannins. An absolutely classic Napa Cabernet.

From the original Rhone Ranger John Alban comes this benchmark Viognier. John fell in love with Viognier after a glass of Condrieu and he was likely the first person to bring the grape to California vineyards, at a time when there was only 50 acres planted globally. The wine is full of musky, heady, stone fruit aromas with an oily rich texture.

Founded in 1889, Mayacamas is one of the most iconic properties in California. With vineyards planted 1,800 to 2,400 feet above sea-level, this has some rugged, mountain, wild herb character alongside ripe blackcurrant and plum. A timeless style of Napa Cabernet that more than matches up to the best of the old world, this has character, charm and savoury elegance.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 is a blend from Coonawarra, Barossa Valley and Wrattonbully and is matured for 16 months in new American oak hogsheads. Coonawarra is becoming more and more of the signature here, giving lots of fresh cassis and refreshing herbal character. It's built to age, with a firm structure but a lot of complex flavour to match, and it should soften into a brilliant 707 given the long, cool, even growing season in 2021.

This is the top wine from the historic Wirra Wirra winery, one of the pioneers in McLaren Vale. Chook Block is from a single biodynamically farmed vineyard plot and is only released in the top vintages. There's lots of complex, ripe fruit here with red and black cherry, raspberry, cassis and mulberry, covered in dark chocolate and spice. There's more leathery notes as the palate continues, and iron-filing-like mineral notes. There's plenty of oak character and bold structure around the core of dense fruit. Long and concentrated on the finish.

The 2020 Trust your gut is absolutely gorgeous. Floral, perfumed and wonderfully lifted, there's a core of grapefruit and elderflower, as well as greengage and yellow plum, and then leesy complexity on the palate. There's such drive on the finish, from the Paardeberg fruit, and then a peacock's tail of flavours emerges. Remarkable, and for this price a must-buy.

Aasvoel is Verdelho, from a single plot in Stellenbosch, that Pieter’s always desperate to get his hands on. So much so, that he feels like a vulture - Aasvoel in Afrikaans - waiting to pick over the vineyard. It's a textured, mouth filling white, but with loads of focussed energy.

From two vineyards on Craig & Anne’s estate, the 2019 Main Road and Dignity features incredible depth of fruit, with beautiful blackcurrant, red currant, graphite and cedar notes. The finish is mineral and long, and the potential for ageing is spectacular. Yet again, this is a star of the cape. Don’t miss this.

Grenache led, with 38%, there’s also 36% Syrah, 10% Cinsaut, 9% Carignan, 7% Pinotage. It smells beautiful, with lots of pepper and fynbos and rooibos tea: a real South African red. So much tension on the finish. A real beauty.

Fresh red and black berry fruit with black cherry and tons of development already in the form of roasted hazlenut, truddle, espresso, earth and tobacco. Fine, ripe tannins are densely packed and create a rich feel on the palate. Lisa Perotti-Brown, writing in the Wine Advocate, awards (96-98) points for this "beautiful" wine.

Fortuna Malbec comes from a part of the Adrianna Vineyard with a deep layer of sand before the vine roots hit limestone and large rocks. There's a silkiness here and fresh black fruits, damson and violets, with a chalky freshness throughout.

A trailblazing cuvee from Catena that focuses on the execptional terroir here. There's limestone soils and 1500m of elevation, leaving the wine with beautiful freshness and mineral tones. There are tons of aromatics, with vibrant red berry fruit and some floral blue fruits. There's chalkiness to the tannins and complex, dried herb notes. One of the most exciting wines coming out of Argentina.

As the name suggests, this is Sauvignon Blanc that's made in Amphorae, bringing texture and definition to a perfectly ripe wine. Notes of pineapple and lemon pith are supported by ginger spice and plenty of herbal complexity. Will be even better with a couple of years in bottle.

From the maker of Boschkloof Epilogue, this is a stunning Syrah from the Polkadraai's granite soils. Focussed and fine, with hints of blood orange alongside the core of dark berry fruit, there's so much complexity here. Already delicious, you'd be wise to lock away a few bottles for the coming years.

Planted in 1985, this is very intense and savoury and saline. There’s such tension here, with real purity and lots of minerality on the finish. From the vineyard next to Plat’Bos, but so different in style: this has more rippling energy.

Planted in 1984 in a vineyard with double rows. David started here in 2017, but 2021 was the first release. This is out towards the ocean, and produces intense, powerful wines. Lots of phenolics, energy, and hints of blood orange.

From a schist vineyard, this has more breadth and depth, with incredible saline lift, and a lot of bright yellow fruit, and herbal density. This is very complex, with a long and broad finish.

From a vineyard near David Sadie's cellar on the Paardeberg, planted in 1969, and named in honour of Donnovan's second daughter. Tihis is tense and vibrant, and there's remarkable focus. It lasts for so long on the finish. Brilliant.

The Tesselaarsdal Chardonnay is a generous yet impeccably balanced example, from a single vineyard on Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. There's lots of peachy fruit here, lime blossom, and notes of fresh ginger and sea spray. The finish is long and focussed, and there's real energy that lingers on.

From vines with a minimum of 35 years old, from across the Cape, this is Chris's ode to old vine Chenin Blanc (with 8% Semillon from the 80 year old La Colline vineyard, too). In 2022 serious selection has resulted in a beautiful wine. Orange peel and fynbos lift from the glass, with a blood orange note giving lift and gravitas to the palate. Don't be afraid to tuck this away for a decade.

From Stellenbosch, this Verdelho also has a drop of Semillon in the blend. Beautiful fruit here, with notes of pear and pineapple, and a long, pithy finish. An impressive whuite.

Lots of pepper spice here, which supports the core of dark berries and floral, violet-tinged character to the wine. This is nicely judged, and easily approachable, from a future star of the South African wine industry. Tiny production.

Just 80mm of rain falls annually up in the Klein Karoo, where this Grenache Blanc is found. It's a fascinating wine, with notes of fennel, orange pith, and lots of texture. Very long and tense, it's totally delicious.

Planted in 1976, the Pinotage here creates a stunning wine. Foot stomped, with 30% whole bunch used to submerge the cap, this is herbal and intense, with notes of thyme and dark berry fruit. This is reminiscent of great Blaufrankisch.

Aromatic, smoky, and very intense, the 2022 Pinot Noir from Hamilton Russell is a real beauty. Notes of pink peppercorn and fynbos support the intense core of cherry fruit, while the tannins are present but refined. There's no hint of rusticity here; just a brilliant Pinot Noir.

From the Polkadraai, this yellow-fruited Chenin is from Reenen's experimental line, and sees some fermentation on skins. It's complex and textured, and utterly delicious. At this price, a bargain.

This is a very fresh, pithy expression of the Vrede Chardonnay, which comes from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley ward. There’s notes of white pear, ginger spice, and lots of salinity. 25% new oak gives spice without being overbearing. Brilliant.

From the Ridge, this is saline, tense, and brilliantly balanced. There’s a lot of citrus fruit here, with notes of anis and orange pith, and also plenty of spice. Very tense and long.

An incredibly elegant, refreshing expression of Grenache, this is delicate and perfumed. There’s wild petals and lots of crunchy red fruit, and there’s also talc-like tannins. This is from Bot River, and its cool climate credential, and careful winemaking, both show through beautifully.

Just the second vintage, and produced in miniscule quantities, this is floral and lifted, with lovely purity of fruit, and a juicy, fine-boned finish. Serve this at cellar temperature for a totally delicious Syrah.

Long a favourite Chardonnay, this is intense and structured. The fruit fills the mouth with stone fruits, white peach, and pear, while there's lots of spice and a long, savoury, mouth-watering finish. Just brilliant.

From the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, from an organically farmed vineyard on granite soils. This has notes of wild strawberry and fynbos, and is nervy, fresh, and very impressive.

From the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, from a high density planted vineyard. It’s the tannins that are particularly impressive here: notes of citrus and pomegranate swirl from the glass, and there’s also a graphite note on the finish. Delicious.

A blend of 55% Cabernet franc with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot - all from the Helderberg in Stellenbosch. Pieter discovered these vineyards by keeping an eye out for pickers wearing white surgical gloves - those being employed by estates with the deepest pockets for vineyard research - and then buying grapes from as close by as possible. This is a lovely red Bordeaux blend from the Cape, with lots of brambly fruit, super-fine tannins, and a long and precise finish. Pieter’s Bordeaux blends get better and better.

This is a wine that gets better and better, no doubt thanks to Matt's experimenting with the single vineyard wines. This is the best iteration we've tried, and is up there with the best Sauvignon Blancs we've tried, from anywhere. At this price, not to be missed.

30% Greyton fruit, with the rest donated after the fire, this is complex and savoury, with plenty of grapefruit, and then spice from the oak. Really lovely, but needs a little time in bottle.

Sam is probably South Africa’s best Viognier producer. This shows why. Bot River, Elgin, Stellenbosch and Sutherland fruit makes up the blend, and the wine is peachy, with pear skin complexity and stem ginger, too. Lovely.

From seven different vineyards, planted on different soils, with planting dates ranging from 1968 to 1985. This is the best yet: suave and silky, with just enough palate weight and a lovely thread of acidity.

Grenache led, with 38%, there’s also 36% Syrah, 10% Cinsaut, 9% Carignan, 7% Pinotage. It smells beautiful, with lots of pepper and fynbos and rooibos tea: a real South African red. So much tension on the finish. A real beauty.

49% Chenin Blanc, 10% Roussanne, 9% Semillon, 8% Marsanne, 7% Clairette Blanche, 6% Viognier, 5% Verdelho, 4% Grenache Blanc and, for the first time, 2% Colombard . This is a stunning blend, with lovely weight, floral lift, and a mouthwatering finish. Very nice indeed.

The Om Pinot Noir comes from a vineyard planted on the Hemel-en-Aarde ridge in 2006, just 12km from the sea, at 300m of altitude. Here, the soils are granitic with plenty of clay, and the resulting wine is more savoury and earthy than the perfume of the Nom. For Jessica, Om symbolises the concept of universal creation, while the word is also synonymous with peace. It’s more nervy than the Nom, with more depth and texture, too. There’s a refinement to the tannins, and impressive length.

The 2020 Little William Syrah is a stunning, cool-climate Syrah from one of South Africa’s most dynamic producers. It’s cool, fresh and perfumed, with lots of floral lift and a really mineral finish. This is so delicious now, but will age well, too.

From the same schist vineyard as the Ava Chenin, farmed by Donovan and his team. Incredible purity of fruit here, with plenty of baked earth complexity, as well as amazing energy. Donovan is making some of the Cape’s best wines today. Don’t miss this.

This, from Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, gets better and better every time we taste it. Floral and juicy, with plenty of energy, savoury notes, and a long finish, tinged with notes of seaspray and pomegranate. Outstanding.

A blend of 41% Grenache from the Voor Paardeberg, 30% Syrah from the Swartland and Stellenbosch, and 29% Bot River Mourvèdre, this is a juicy, fine boned red that shows lovely focus alongside notes of pepper, redcurrant, and pomegranate. A wine that shows just how talented John is: it shouldn’t be missed.

The Miracle Bush White is a brilliant white blend from high altitude. It's a blend of 47% Chenin blanc, 40% Grenache blanc and 13% Palomino, with the Palomino from a vineyard planted in 1964. It's elegant, refined, with so much texture and floral lift. This is a brilliant wine from one of the Cape's best winemakers.

The Schist Chenin Blanc comes from two parcels of 35 and 39 years old, planted in the heart of the Kasteelberg. It gives a structured and intense Chenin, with a core of ripe fruit. This is so grippy and long. Remarkable.

Prausis biodynamically farmed Voor Paardeberg Shiraz, with a little Pinotage from Darling in the blend. It’s juicy and just so drinkable.

Made from vines that were first planted 21 years ago, and named after Anne and Craig’s daughter. Incredibly Burgundian in style, the granite soils here give taut minerality and restraint, while the finish on the wine is astonishingly long.

Chenin Blanc from Durbanville just outside Cape Town. The Blouklip shale soils give a real richness to the fruit. There’s lovely purity here. Quite rich and spicy, with lovely energy, too. This is nicely balanced, with plenty of darker fruit on the palate.

This is from the cool Elgin valley, from trellissed vines on rich koffieklip soils. Deep in colour, there's loads of intensity here, and real precision to the acidity. Agile and pure, it's totally delicious, and very ageworthy.

A blend of 71% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and just a dash of Viognier, the 2019 Chocolate Block is a wonderfully pure, elegant expression from the heart of the Swartland. Red berry fruit and wild flowers drift from the glass, while the palate shows crystalline purity and a beautifully mineral finish. It punches way above its weight: that they manage to produce this in such quantities is one of the wonders of the wine world.

A blend of 71% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and just a dash of Viognier, the 2019 Chocolate Block is a wonderfully pure, elegant expression from the heart of the Swartland. Red berry fruit and wild flowers drift from the glass, while the palate shows crystalline purity and a beautifully mineral finish. It punches way above its weight: that they manage to produce this in such quantities is one of the wonders of the wine world.

A blend of 71% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and just a dash of Viognier, the 2019 Chocolate Block is a wonderfully pure, elegant expression from the heart of the Swartland. Red berry fruit and wild flowers drift from the glass, while the palate shows crystalline purity and a beautifully mineral finish. It punches way above its weight: that they manage to produce this in such quantities is one of the wonders of the wine world.

The 2019 Family Vineyards Pinot Noir is a stunning wine, that’s all about floral aromatics and focussed energy. It comes from four separate parcels on the estate, and shows incredible balance, purity of fruit, and savoury length. A brilliant Pinot Noir: the best value we know?