Easter Cellar Raids -
South Africa and USA

A South African benchmark. The first vintage after the fire, 2021 is a spectacular year. This has remarkable intensity on the palate, with notes of white pepper, wild strawberries, but also a hint of black olive. So complex, long, and poised, in ten years this will be remarkable.

Planted in 1968 on the soils with the highest clay content, this is a structured, yellow-fruited wine, with amazing saline minerality on the finish. Delicious and mouth watering.

Donovan’s Cinsault was first released in 2015, and is a blend of fruit from Swartland, shared with David Sadie, and Darling, from the same vineyard as Duncan Savage’s Follow the Line. It’s a really lovely expression of this grape, with loads of rose petal and plenty of juicy berry fruit. Will also age well.

From a plot in Franchhoek planted in 1932, there are just 5,000 bottles of the Franschhoek Old Vines Lötter Cinsault.

Made with 50% skin contact and 50% without, the 2021 Tin Soldier is beautifully balanced. There’s lots of iron oxide on the nose, with ripe red apples, and a wonderfully driven, saline finish. This is from a parcel of Semillon Gris planted on the Paardeberg, on decomposed granite soils.

Taking it's name from the horses that used to work this plot, the Perdeblokke is a real beauty in 2020. There's such energy here, alongside the opulence we've come to expect from this warm site. Sweet and sour in character, this will convert even the most anti-Sauvignon wine lover.

This Chenin Blanc is different from all the other Chenins in our range: it comes from Elgin, one of the coolest grape-growing regions in South Africa. Planted on Bokkeveld Shale - not all that dissimilar to the soils of the Loire’s Savennières - this is as cool and precise as South African Chenin gets.

Pieter discovered this vineyard in some bushes - it had been totally abandoned for twenty-five years. It’s a parcel of old Chenin Blanc, that’s now forty years old, along with some young Picpoul Blanc, Petit Manseng, Semillon, Macabeo and Grillo that have been planted among the old Chenins. Oorbegin means new beginnings, referring to this new start for a forgotten vineyard. Fermented and aged in Amphorae, this is complex and balanced, with remarkable purity and shape in the mouth.

The Chi Riesling is from the cool region of Elgin, and reflects Jessica’s love for all things Mosel. Indeed, the soils here, at 300m of altitude and 10km from the ocean, are red slate, just like the hillsides above Urzig. It’s slightly off-dry (although in German classifications it would be classed as dry), and is a pure, savoury Riesling that’s simply delicious. Chi means ‘life force’, reflecting the energy Jessica seeks in her Riesling, and also refers to Chiuta, the African rain god: Elgin is the wettest part of the Cape. This ages brilliantly.

The 2020 Raaigras is a beautiful Grenache, coming from just twelve long rows of the vineyard in front of the estate, planted in 1952, making it the oldest Grenache in the Cape. It’s delicate and floral on the nose, with a power and intensity that builds over the palate. There’s stunning freshness here, and a long and mineral finish. Beautifully done.

The Syrah is a blend of 30% Greyton fruit, and the rest from a shale and sandstone vineyard in Elgin. These cool vineyards produce a Syrah that’s all about pepper and rose petal: a joy to behold.

100% merlot from Stellenbosch, this blew us away when we tried it in February. From a vineyard on the Simonsberg, this has notes of blueberries, and then also lots of violet character, and a charming, saline, mineral finish. Brilliant.Just 902 bottles made.

Matthiasson are renowned for their elegant style, with earlier picking than their neighbours to protect the bright, expressive red cherry and bramble fruit. There's some floral lift here and subtle spice. A refreshing, appetising version of Napa Cabernet that remains excellent value.

Tinta Barocca is one of the great grapes of the Swartland, and this comes from a single vineyard planted in 1966. Floral and intense, and almost bloody in character, this is remarkably well balanced, and very long indeed.

A newer wine for Lismore, this comes from Walker Bay, and has plenty of points of difference from the Chenin Blancs from Stellenbosch and the Swartland. Notes of orange blossom and jasmine, alongside a core of apple fruit, and lots of texture.

From the vineyard next to the cellar - Kelder in Afrikaans - this is as bright and energetic a Chenin Blanc as you’ll find. Volumes are miniscule, and the vines were planted in 1972. Floral and intense.

While the Epilogue Syrah gets all the plaudits, the Sons of Sugarland is arguably just as good, if not even better. It sees no oak, and is a peppery, suave, floral expression of the grape. With bottlings like this, it's no wonder that Reenen is regarded as one of the Cape's Syrah masters.

The 2021 Romance Pinot Noir opens with subtle spiced notes of pepper and dried wild herbs. There is a delicate undertone of earth which goes on to reveal floral notes of violets and rose petal. The palate is bright and focused with sinewy, delicate tannins and a lift of pomegranate and wild cherry on the finish.

Subtle and brooding, with wild cherry, black plum and dried herbs. There's decent structure here with linear, densely-packed tannins.

Planted in 1954, this old block of Cinsault gives an intense and refined expression of the grape. There’s real energy here, and there’s also notes of fynbos, negroni, and very fine but almost Nebbiolo-like tannins.

The most improved wine in Franco’s cellar, this is a stunner in 2020. It’s a blend of 44% Grenache Noir, 31% Cinsault, and 25% Syrah, and is floral, lifted, and so light on its feet. There’s such perfume here, as well as incredible energy. Just such a delight.

This single vineyard expression of Merlot from Steve and Jill Matthiasson is elegant and perfectly balanced, with dark cherry notes and a herbal lift. The Ashes & Diamonds vineyard was planted on silty loam and alluvial gravel in the 1980s and the mature vines are now showing a stunnning purity of fruit. This is an absolute delight.

A vineyard planted in 1996, this is the last bushvine Stellenbosch Syrah left. Dense and saline, this has a lot of tannin, but also the fruit inteensity to balance. This will age brilliantly.

This is an ageing Cabernet Franc bushvine on the edge of the Paarl appellation, that’s grown on weathered sandstone and decomposed granite soil. It’s a very silky, elegant expression, with lots of top floral notes, and then very silky tannins, too.

From the hills that surround Malmesbury, this single vineyard Syrah is always the most backward of the Mullineux's wines. It's intense and bloody in character, with loads of dark fruit, intense tannins, and also a saline minerality. Long, precise, and incredibly soulful, it's a simply wonderful wine.

Fellom Ranch sits on the Santa Clara Valley side of the Santa Cruz Mountains on the famed Monte Bello Ridge at an elevation of 2,200 feet. This Cabernet has an intense nose of blackberries and cassis rounded out with with smoke, graphite, tobacco, and dried herbs. Whole cluster fermentation adds a savoury freshness that makes this wine so distinctive.

From a vineyard planted in 1968 at the entrance to Adi’s property, this has lots of yellow fruit and an almost tropical note, but remains taut and mineral on the finish.

The Kweekamp Chardonnay comes from a high altitude vineyard, planted on limestone. Limestone, the top pick for Chardonnay plantations throughout the world, is a rarity in the Cape, and this is a tense, mineral yet pleasingly open expression of the grape, with a lovely lick of oak spice. Just five barrels are made. In recent years, as well as being bottled by the Bruwers, this vineyard is also around one third of the blend of Capensis, South Africa’s most expensive Chardonnay, made by Jackson Family Wines.

Cathy Corison stuck to her guns throughout the Parker era, keeping her wines elegant, charming and more medium-bodied than her neighbours, with capacity to age for decades. The price, relative to estates nearby, also remains restrained. It has sunny, ripe black fruit with a crunchy edge, and plenty of appetising, savoury cedar and sweet tobacco. There are plenty of fine, savoury tannins, but the 2020 has an effusive generosity and softness making it very approachable at this very early stage in its development.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford, crafted by Steve Matthiasson. This cuvée from Ashes and Diamonds is a tribute to what they consider to be the 'golden era' of the 1960s and 1970s in Napa: great wines made by farming in a traditional way, picking at lower sugar levels for lower final alcohol, and using gentler extraction. It's from the famous George III vineyard in Rutherford. A portion of it was planted in 1896 by Mrs Thomas Rutherford herself, and later used by André Tchelistcheff to make wine for legendary Beaulieu Vineyards. The wine has that classic 'Rutherford dust' in its texture, with elegant, gourmand, savoury notes. There's pretty red fruit with red currant and red plum, as well as some darker bramble alongside layers of tobacco, dried rose petals and exotic spice.

This is the first Sandhi wine to be made exclusively with domaine fruit, all from the famed Domaine de la Cote vineyard on the western edge of the Santa Rita Hills. Only 198 cases were produced of this excellent, concentrated, benchmark for Californian Chardonnay.

The Dry Red is inspired by the South African reds of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. At this time, wines labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon would frequently have a considerable proportion of Cinsault, and this is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Cinsault, and is a wine built for long ageing.

From Kaaimansgat, from the same vineyard as Peter-Allan Finlayson's Malabel, this is a cool climate Pinot Noir that dazzles with its freshness and purity. Jessica has to battle the baboons here for the grapes, but it's well worth it: this is floral, delicate, and very long. Not the most powerful, the finish lasts an age.

The second wine from Spottswoode Estate in 2020 has a lot of the same richness and fragrance of their estate wine. There's plenty of savoury quality on the palate, with rose petals and aromatic, musky spice. Fresh with more red fruit and blueberry than the estate wine, it's a brilliant way to experience this celebrated estate at a more accessible price, with earlier drinking potential.

Grown close to the Pacific Ocean, this a mineral driven Chardonnay with lots of salinity and chalky texture. Fresh citrus and delicate white peach fruit.

Just a few hundred bottles of this single block are produced: for Matt, it's a play thing, something that informs the rest of his winemaking. Notes of ginger and fresh grapefruits swirl from the glass of this wine, that's all about texture and purity. South Africa's best Sauvignon Blanc?

From a vineyard planted in the 1940s, which also provides Eben’s Skerpioen, this is a saline, pithy, long, delicious white that’s one of Adi’s hidden gems.

From Jakkalsfontein farm, now owned by Adi Badenhorst. Lots of purity and focus, they’ve worked with this block since 2005. Intense and brooding when first poured into the glass but opens up with beautiful violets, spices, and herbal aromatics over time.

From the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, this is a wine that shows impressive freshness and intensity. A core of dark berry fruit, with lots of spice on the nose and the palate, and fine-grained tannins that linger, it's a very classy Pinot Noir. It's a shame there's so littler.

Block 382 is a single vineyard at the top of the Klein Constantia hillside, and the 2020 is intense and pure and remarkably textured. Just a few hundred bottles are produced this: we're thrilled to be able to offer it in the UK.

Grown close to the Pacific ocean, there's plenty of mineral, saline influence here, with some crunchy red fruit notes. Spicy with herbal notes, with precise red cherry and black cherry fruit. There's a chalky feel to the tannins, and a wonderful fresh finish.

Kashy Khaledi was once Creative Director for Capitol Records, before he founded Ashes & Diamonds, where he collaborates with superstar winemakers like Diana Snowden-Seysses (of Domaine Dujac and Snowden Vineyards) and Steve Matthiasson, using fruit from fantastic California vineyards. It's Diana who makes this, the Mountain Cuvée from Bates Ranch vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is an historic, four-generation-old ranch in the same area of the famous Ridge Monte Bello. The Cabernet grows at 2,100 ft above sea level, and the steep slopes here, along with cool breezes, keep the vines in check, and the result is a vibrant, elegant, restrained style of wine, with plenty of herbal, savoury character alongside the plump black fruit. They use a combination of American and French oak to add layers of sweet spice and cedar notes.

Fewer than 1500 bottles are made of this, from a vineyard planted in 1966. This is intense and vibrant, and there’s so much concentration and depth of flavour. A brilliant Chenin Blanc.

Chris Keet's Weather Report is a brand new producer, and he focusses on Cabernet Franc from the Cape. This is a blend of sites and soils, and is a really lovely wine. Informed by the best examples of the Loire, but with a little more SA sun, it's silky and savoury, and very long indeed. A brilliant first vintage.

The 2019 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Cabernet Franc, with 5% of it aged in amphoras. Layers of ripe cassis, black plum, blueberries and sweet spices. There's a rich, chocolatey texture on the palate, with velvety tannins and lifted violet notes.

A delicious Napa vintage and now with years in bottle the Quintessa Bordeaux-blend has harmonised and softened into a seriously impressive offering. Truffle, five spice and clove intermingle with fresh cassis and black plum, along with some fresh red cherry. The tannins are supple and still tightly packed, and there’s plenty of cleansing acidity to create a lifted, gourmand finish.

Mayacamas is one of the most historic estates in the entire US, founded in the 1880s and rising the prominence in the famous Judgement of Paris tasting. Their Chardonnay eschews the usual richness of Napa, instead showing plenty of fresh citrus, steely mineral notes as well as some riper stone fruit. These wines age beautifully, if you can resist.

This is a blend of: 34% Stellenbosch Chardonnay (skin fermented for 11 days); 9% Stellenbosch Chardonnay; 26% Bott Stellenbosch Old Vine Chenin; 17% Stellenbosch Old Vine Muscat (fermented for 7 days on skins and stems); 11% 2020 Reserve Chardonnay aged for 2.5 years in Barrel; and 3% Cool Climate Elgin Riesling. It’s complex and delicious, with lots of bright acidity, notes of lemon curd, and sea spray. Long and poised, it’s an impressive white.

The Granite Syrah comes from the Paardeberg, from 24 year old vines, and is incredibly elegant and floral in style, with real focus.

The only Cinsault Blanc we know about, with just a few hundred bottles made. This is apple-fruited, textured, and saline, and is so much more than a curiosity. Long and pithy, and incredibly delicious, you'll be reaching for another glass.

A cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon, with very refined tannins, a little clove spice and lifted lavender notes, and a lovely core of dark fruit. Pieter is so talented when it comes to this grape variety.

A vineyard planted on Kalmoesfontein in 1954, this is a beautifully complex, savoury, well-balanced Cinsault. There’s notes of rose petal and a core of blue fruit. Delicious.

From a parcel planted in 1900, this is an incredible Cinsault of depth and power, and remarkable structure. Tiny quantities produced.

This vintage of Cartology is Chris’s favourite by far. There were just enough grapes produced to do exactly what they wanted to do. There's so much sapidity here, and wonderful energy. So long, and saline and so much finesse. This is defined by purity and energy. The finish lasts for minutes: crunchy fruit, floral, and mineral all at once.

Mainly a 1988 parcel, but with some 1968 vines, too. The wind is key for this wine, Bernhard explains. It's an energetic Cinsault, that's all about lift and brightness, and red berries and spice. The finish is saline and has you reaching for another glass right away.

Tin Soldier is 100% Semillon Gris from a vineyard propagated from cuttings from the Paper Kite vineyard, and planted just eight years ago. It’s fermented on the skins, and is copper-coloured and stunningly complex. Notes of orange pith and fresh ginger swirl from the glass, while the palate is wonderfully saline and brilliantly long. A favourite, the 2020 is taking this wine to a whole new level.