South Africa: New releases

One of the most underrated wines on our list, this is a blend of 10 varieties that ages spectacularly. Pithy, textured, with brilliant volume, it’s a white that you really have to discover.

Shiraz 58%, Cinsault 14%, Tinta Barocca 14%, Mourvèdre 9%, Grenache Noir 5%. The 16th release of this benchmark red, that’s smoky, intense, and finely structured. A real stunner, from a great vintage, you’ll want to let this age.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The style that Andre has made his own, this is an ageworthy white, with lots of bright yellow fruit, a savoury character to the palate, and also lots of energy. This is surely a match for Andre's old baby, the GVB from Vergelegen.

Verdelho from the Helderberg, this takes its name from the Vulture, as in its early years Pieter had to hang around and wait for others to take their fill before he could access the vineyard. Now his grapes are more secure, and this is always a favourite: a wine all about texture, length, and definition.

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.

A Malbec that comes from Keermont’s vineyards, and named in honour of Alex Starey, this is such a joyful wine. Juicy and intense, with lots of blue and black fruit, and also simply brilliant freshness. A delight.

From the vineyard we’ve come to know and love for Retirement at 65, this is a pure Cinsault. It’s delicate in colour, but there’s so much intensity and vitality here. Notes of rose petal, and also a core of spice. Charming.

Is this the best Syrah that Boekenhoutskloof have made? Surely a worthy successor to the legendary 1997: this gets better and better under Gottfried's management. Now 90% from Porseleinberg's blue schist soils, and 10% from Goldmine's brown schist, this has astonishing aromatics, with wild flowers and pure fruit, and the palate is so refined and elegant. There's minerality on the finish, which lasts for minutes. This is undoubtedly a match for the world's greatest Syrahs.

The new vintage of Chocolate Block shows how this gets better and better. A core of Syrah, from Boekenhoutskloof's properties in the Swartland, this is intense, structured, but also approachable. Such a no-brainer at this price. Also watch how it ages.

Mainly Grenache, with around a third Syrah, this is made in a fresh, lifted style, for easy drinking. It's inexpensive and easy to approach, with red berries, cherries, pepper and rose. It gives a lot of bang for your buck.

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.

54% Grenache, with less Syrah than usual, this red blend has lots of focus, very fine tannins, and a long, fynbos-infused finish. Very nicely judged, charming, and already approachable.

A blend of nine varieties, this gives a lovely impression of the vintage. There are notes of pineapple and peach, as well as plenty of spice and herbal notes. Beautifully complex, but also refreshing and approachable, this is a lovely white wine.

From eight vineyards, including the four single vineyards, from across the Swartland. A lovely wash of fruit here, with notes of fresh honey and hay. There’s a power and purity to the palate, and there’s also real grip and salinity. This will age brilliantly. A bargain.

From five vineyards in the Swartland, this has lots of Thyme and Pomegranate notes, with wild strawberries and lots of focus, too. There’s tension and salinity, and a long and pure finish. Beautifully done.

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 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.

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.

While Paul Sauer gets the plaudits, this is a brilliant value red from Kanonkop. In 2018 it's intense and refined, with notes of cassis and dark cherry, and also lots of grippy tannins and store cupboard spice. A benchmark Cabernet from the Cape.

Arguably the Cape's greatest Pinotage, Abrie Besselaar has crafted something impressive in 2020. A core of morello cherries and some darker fruit gives way to a palate with some savoury notes, alongside fynbos and a hint of smokiness. Where this wine really excels is with some age: it becomes more and more Pinot like. Squirrel away a case or two while you can.

This has more intensity and up front fruit than the 2017 at the same stage. There’s really crunchy berries here, notes of pepper spice, and then also a lot of fynbos and spicy complexity. Such a brilliant Syrah for the price.

From bunches which have their stems bent, to encourage shriveling, this is a brilliant sweet wine from Alex Starey. Notes of jasmine and manuka honey, and also a core of focussed citrus, here. So complex, and so delicious.

Riper and more intense than the Steepside, this is more grounded. Notes of fynbos and tapenade swirl from the glass, while there’s also a core of dark cherries, store-cupboard spice, and so much grip to the tannins. This will be a remarkable wine: secure it today.

An iconic, historic wine from South Africa, the 2020 Vin de Constance is beautiful, with an unctuous, nectar-like texture, ripe apricot, and honey flavours.

From a range of vineyards across the Cape South Coast region, this is an intense and wonderfully poised cool climate Syrah. Notes of pepper and graphite, and lots of lifted red berry fruit. There's a focus and length here. Delicious.

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.

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.

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.

A blend of Shiraz, Cinsault, and Grenache, this is a wine that gets better and better with every year that goes past. So much pretty fruit, with tension and lots of savoury notes. There’s a purity to the finish, and lots of mineral savouriness that shines through. Gorgeous.

A blend of 52% Chenin Blanc from a 61 year old vineyard in Piekenierskloof planted on its own rootstocks, alongside 27% Verdelho and 13% Colombard. This is very saline and fresh, and there’s lots of pithy fruit, too. Delicious.

From a single vineyard planted in 1977 on the decomposed sandstone of the Piekenierskloof, this is a brilliant Chenin Blanc. There's a luminosity here, and also a real freshness. But don't let the subtlety fool you: this is a serious wine, with a lot of potential in it.

61% of this comes from the Paaderberg, with the rest from the Polkadraai. And that gives this wine a brilliant balance of Stellenbosch yellow fruit, and Swartland savouriness. It’s full of energy: a benchmark Chenin Blanc from the Cape.

From the Rustenhof farm, with the closest Cinsault vines to the ocean, this is stunning. Bright and juicy, 40% stems brings a lift and a herbal complexity. There’s purity and aromatic complexity, yet it remains so lively and fun. Delicious.

A blend of 70% fruit from Lammershoek on the Paardeberg, planted in 1966, with a 1980-planted vineyard also on the Paadeberg. This is savoury and saline, and there’s lots of fynbos and confit lemon character. Long, savoury, and so vibrant.

In 2022, Lukas sees this as his blue-eyed boy. 45% is aged in concrete to maintain purity, and this is a wine all about subtlety and balance, with wonderfully refined tannins and a core of pure fruit on the palate. Wonderful stuff.

A wine that Lukas dreamt up when he spent 8 days in hospital with Covid. From the Swartland, this has 9% Grenache, 3% Cinsault, with the balance made up of Syrah planted on Schist. Generous and velvety, but still with finesse, it’s utterly delicious.

Includes Agulhas fruit for the first time, so this is 84% Elgin (Niemandsrivier) 9% Agulhas, 7% Stellenbosch. It’s bright and lively, with notes of blood orange and a core of crunchy cherry fruit. Very fine tannins are present but not overbearing, and the wine is long, focussed, and very fine indeed.

From a vineyard farmed by sand in Niemandsrivier, in Elgin, this is cool-climate Syrah that shows lots of pepper and slightly darker fruit than the Stars in the Dark. Planted in 2006, this is another standout wine from one of the cape’s biggest talents.

The wine that made Sam’s name, two sites just 8km from the ocean go into this. It’s so expressive and fine, with the salinity and minerality that makes it such a remarkable wine. Already so drinkable, this will age wonderfully, too.

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.

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.

With Chenin Blanc from Langkloof, from blocks planted in 1971 and 1979, as well as from Bot River, from shale and clay soils, and Verdelho from Voor Paardeberg and Bot River. This is a charming white, with lots of pith and savouriness. There's a salinity here, as well as lots of tension, and bright yellow fruit. Delicious.