All wines from the campaign

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.

A true calling card for Adi, this is everything you could hope for in a Chenin Blanc. So crisp, saline and focused with stone fruit and white grapefruit flavours on the palate. This is a wine that is just so drinkable.

A blend of what was previously bottled as Adi’s single vineyard Chenins this wine is truly more than the sum of its parts. Aromas of ginger, orange blossom and white grapefruit match the ripe stone fruit of quince and white grapefruit on the palate. There is a crystalline structure to the wine, finely chiselled and extremely refreshing.

From an old vine plot planted in 1952, this is a wine of both real concentration yet levity. There is a perfume of red cherry fruit, blood orange and Aperol with fine, chalky tannin. An immensely impressive Grenache that shows all the concentration of this old parcel.

A white field blend that shows notes of jasmine, acacia with just a little flintiness on the nose. The palate is fresh and with real nuance, showing layers of ripe stone fruit, a core of salinity and a delicate white floral note on the finish.

A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault with just a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon this year, this is a beautifully defined and spicy red with aromas of pepper, black tea, violets and dark cherry fruit. Very bright and supple on the palate this shows both charm and real intensity through the finish.

The fruit for the Boekenhoutskloof Syrah comes 90% from the Porseleinberg farm and 10% from Goldmine. This is a spicy, nuanced Syrah with around two thirds whole bunch that was vinified in concrete before ageing in large foudres and 500 litre barrels. There are aromas of cracked pepper, roast beef, with a fleshy and rounded feel to the bramble fruit. The tannins are ripe but well defined adding tension to the finish. An excellent effort and another great Syrah from Gottfried.

A beautifully classic nose of violets, pepper and dark cherry fruit. The peppery spice is equally present on the palate with accents of grilled herbs adding layers of complexity to the ripe plum fruit. Juniper spice and violets lift from the glass while the supple frame of tannins adds tension through the finish.

While Xander Sadie replaced Kiara Scott with the 2025 harvest, this 2023 vintage Old Vine Chenin was made by Kiara. From old vine Chenin Blanc, planted in 1985, which is grown on decomposed shale and granite. It is a wonderfully tense and vibrant wine that offers restrained aromatics of quince, acacia and golden citrus with a subtle flintiness. This really sings through the palate with intense notes of peach and kumquat.

The second vintage of this new Syrah made by Chris Alheit, as part of a partnership between the Fogwell and Alheit families. The grapes come from two sites, one in the Swartland on shist soils and one in the Polkadraai from granite. This is a peppery, red berry fruited Syrah that is beautifully perfumed. Fine, detailed and supple, it is a beautiful red that will age effortlessly.

A collaboration between Emma and JC Martin, this single-site vineyard wine represents the intimate, family-driven approach that defines Creation. Emma made her first wine when she was 10 years old under the guidance of her father in 2012, and "wowed the wine world" with her debut vintage at age 11. This is a small production wine with notes of rose petal, wild cherry and black tea. A wine of drama and presence with layers of detail.

Single-site specific and barrel selected. Utterly enchanting with complex velvety texture, spice and perfume. This is Pinot Noir at its most charming. There is a tension to the wine with accents of sandalwood and white pepper while the finish is long, saline and focused.

Smooth yet complex with layers of fresh cherry fruit and piquant spice. Supple tannins ensure excellent maturation potential - this is serious Pinot Noir that will develop beautifully in your cellar. A fragrant and supple Pinot that overdelivers for the price.

Glenn Martin, the 4th generation winemaker in both family's traditions, works alongside his father JC on this brilliant Chardonnay, crafted from the same block as The Art but entirely wild yeast fermented. A savoury, complex wine that represents the next generation of Creation's winemaking excellence. There are notes of acacia and orange peel with a fine flinty note, white flowers and a crystalline energy.

Single-site specific and barrel selected, this wine offers steely tension yet elegant refinement. Seams of quartz sparkle in this particular vineyard, creating mineral complexity that develops beautifully with age. There are notes of toast, some stone fruits and a very saline core to the wine. A brilliant Burgundy-styled Chardonnay.

Single-vineyard selection showcasing vibrant grapefruit and fragrant apple with honey and cinnamon hints. A complex, site-specific Chardonnay that delviers heaps of complexity at a fraction of the price of many other esteemed regions.

With fruit sourced from the Karibib farm in the Polkadraai hills of Stellenbosch Jean Smit uses around 75% whole bunch on this wine. It is an extremely expressive and pure style of Syrah with notes of wild berries, warm rocks and fresh hedgerow fruit. With air, notes of iris, pepper, rhubarb and wild thyme lift from the glass. There is a brightness and focus through the wine with fine-grained and detailed tannin with a fine violet and liquorice note on the finish. Extremely fine.

From the great 2021 vintage this is a wine of both breath of fruit yet tense, vibrant energy. Coming from red clay soils on Malmesbury, this has notes of apricot and lots of lime blossom. Flinty, floral and mineral it is a truly multi-dimensaional wine. There’s lots of minerality on the finish, and it lasts an age.

Expressive on the nose with notes of oyster shell, white flowers, orange peel and quince. The palate shows both richness and freshness with a note of lemon oil and white grapefruit. Long and beautifully textured finish.

Beautifully elegant, red cherry and wild strawberry notes with a twist of fynbos. There are notes of liquorice and violets with a supple, sinewy tannins that delicately frame the fruit. Easy to approach but a wine has serious potential.

Sparkling with energy there is a little spiciness here of ginger and a dusting of warm rocks. Red berries, ocean spray, there is wonderful focus and drive to the wine. There is a grip on the palate and a structure that means this is most definitely one for the cellar.

The soil here is very shallow shale soils in the Paardeberg, which gives the wine a real mineral focus. There is restraint on the nose, chiselled and tense with a core of mineral, salty energy. Driven and crystalline on the palate, there are notes of white grapefruit, white flowers and white peach. Really impressive density and drive to this wine.

The nose opens with aromas of quince, apricot and orange blossom. There is a nod to tropical fruit which is balanced by a saline focus through the palate. This builds on the palate to a finish that is wonderfully layered with notes of acacia, ginger and lemongrass.

Made from a single hectare block and raised in around two third new oak, this is an intense and focused style of Chardonnay that shows real confidence in the glass. Notes of acacia, roasted hazelnut, ripe apricot and a little miso complexity counterbalance the bright line of acidity running through the wine. This will only improve with a few more years in bottle.

From the great 2021 vintage, this is a Cabernet Sauvignon of real power and class. The savoury oak spice of incense and sandalwood leads for the moment with a rich core of bramble fruit filling the palate. There is a graphite edge underpinning the richness of fruit with sculpted tannins which show real refinement.

From two vineyard sites in the Swartland, there is a crystalline feel to the wine that opens with flavours of orange blossom, golden stone fruit and ocean spray. This is a tense and energetic wine that builds in volume through the palate finishing with a refreshing burst of citrus fruit.

Fermented with 50% whole bunch, the Syrah on Sandstone has enticing aromatics of dried violets, dark cherry, and black olive tapenade. There is fleshiness to the mid-palate with a supple, fine-grained feel to the tannins. A great effort this year.

A beautiful Cabernet Franc, immensely perfumed with notes of iris and violets. Salty liquorice on the palate with a fine, velvety touch of cassis fruit. Silky and seductive this is a brilliant expression of this variety.

The 2020 vintage celebrates the 100th Birthday of May de Lencquesaing, and what a celebration it is. A classical wine, that seems to find the perfect balance of South African energy and fruit with the restraint and balance that is seen in the best Bordeaux. There is dark cassis fruit, incense and five spice with a firm, ripe structure of tannins. Harmonious and focused, it is a wine that will age gracefully over the coming decades. An apt tribute to this milestone.

From a vineyard planted in 1953, the finest site on Kanonkop’s estate in their eyes, just 6,500 bottles are produced of the Black Label Pinotage. It’s powerful and intense, but it’s the quality of the tannins that’s simply remarkable. A unique wine: this needs to be tasted to be believed.

This was the last vintage made by Abrie Beeslaar and the first vintage blended by new cellar master Francois van Zyl. It is a classic Paul Sauer showing real concentration matched with finesse. Flavours of cedar, sandalwood and wild herbs accent the ripe dark cherry fruit while a freshness and definition leads through the palate. This is always a wine that rewards patience and the 2022 will be no exception.

A white blend of six different varieties, it delivers delicacy and tension with a delicious hint of savoury complexity. Flavours of peach, apricot and white blossom lift from the glass, this offers everything you could want in a refreshing white.

From Stellenboschberg, this is from a West facing site that is a little more rocky in terms of soil. There are flavours of wild herbs, warm rocks, earth and black tea that lift from the dark hedgerow fruit. Sappy and tense through the palate, there are notes of violets and graphite through the finish.

From slightly warmer Helderberg soils of clay rich in iron, there is a ferrous quality to the wine with notes of dark cherry, beef stock, sundried tomato and violets. The tannin is fine and sinewy with an accent of black olive tapenade on the finish.

There are a total of 6 hectares of Syrah planted on the farm and this Syrah is a blend of different plots. There is ripe dark cherry fruit but then the wine shows real elegance and restraint through the palate. Silky, fluid and poised there are notes of iris, black pepper and liquorice that mingle with the dark cherry fruit.

Violets, pencil shavings, accents of cigar and pepper this shows upfront charm but with real seriousness and tension on the palate. There is a vibrancy and juicy cassis profile on the palate with a beautiful line of minerality. Finely etched tannin that melts into the fruit, this is a generous and compelling Cabernet from one of the most exciting producers of the Cape at the moment. 

The superstar Christo Le Riche does it again with this, a selection of their longest standing single vineyard in their range. This is totally and utterly stylish. Serious Cabernet with graphite and gravel at its core. Tannins run from front to back with focus and relentless energy. There is a hint of some blue fruit on the mid palate, but this is otherwise quite a brooding cassis driven, coiled style of Cabernet with very subtle cedar and sandalwood notes.

A blend of 85% Chenin Blanc and 15% Clairette Blanche. The Chenin is old bush-vine fruit sourced from the Paardeberg in the Swartland, while the Clairette Blanche is sourced from vines in the same area of 43 years old. The Chenin is fermented in an older 400 litre French barrel while the Clairette Blanche is fermented in a concrete egg before blending. The nose opens with white flowers, fennel - this is really delicious. There is a crystalline and saline feel with subtle savoury notes of miso. Aromas of peach and apricot on the palate with some apple skin with ocean spray freshness on the finish.

Impressively complete, the 2022 Max from Miles Mossop is a real standout wine. Rich and bold there is a fine spiced note of cedar and five spice that leads while plenty of ripe cassis fruit fills the palate. This is all elegance and power wrapped into one and one of the best wines tasted from Miles.

No Place Like Home comes from a beautiful 3 hectare site in one of South Africa's coolest areas, Elgin. From a mix of sandstone and shale this is a wine that has a real aromatic lift with aromas of pepper, black tea and iris. The palate is finely texture with dark cherry fruit and freshness pulsing through the wine. The finish is so long and balanced with a little hint of seaweed and kelp.

Coming from Elim, this is a vibrant and extremely elegant style of Syrah which has been aged 60% in concrete vats. The wine opens with notes of wild herbs, white pepper, and fresh cherry with a saline core with excellent focus and tension. There is a subtle savoury note with pepper finish that is so delicious. An excellent set of 2024s from Sam.

A blend of fruit from three sources: Elgin, Polkadraai Hills, and Cape Agulhas. This is a medium bodied, highly perfumed Syrah with notes of violets, pepper, and wild cherry fruit. So approachable yet showing lots of complexity, there are flavours of liquorice root and wild herbs on the finish. Another great success from the young Sam Lambson.

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 the Mullineux’s own vineyard on the Paardeberg, this has a breadth and density. There’s extra phenolic intensity here, from the thicker skins, and that brings a grippiness and a more yellow fruited character. More intense.

This single vineyard Cabernet Franc represents only the second release from this exceptional site. Planted stok-bypaaltjie on the east-facing slopes of Leeu Estates, this benefits from the cooler morning sun and long-slow ripening period. Beautifully pure, aromatic nose of violets, earth, pepper and cherry blossom. There is a real sense of energy here, the feel of the tannin is so finely managed - pixelated and very fine. Stylish.

A Chenin based blend from the Swartland with the addition of Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Semillon Gris and Verdelho. It shows upfront aromas of fresh stone fruit and lightly poached pears which follow through to a complex palate which has layers of yellow grapefruit and nectarines, a vibrant acidity with hints of ginger and lemongrass on the finish.

A lavish wine with dense fruit, soft spice and violets. The lush black and red fruits merge to a savoury core, strewn with mineral characters and freshly turned earth. The firm framework and granular tannins are rooted in the clay soil, lengthened by fine, sinewy tannins in the finish.

This Chardonnay from Newton Johnson originates from the estate's best single vineyard site, demonstrating the clarity and energy characteristic of the granitic soils within a cool maritime climate. Confident, flinty (but not too much), crystalline, this is measured and taut from start to finish. Spiced pear, acacia flower, peach skin, this is very finely detailed.

Restrained, chiselled and crystalline, this is at the top of the tree this year for Rall’s whites. So detailed and with magnificent focus, it is a wine of real tension and drama while remaining zipped up for now. A wine of huge promise and potential.

A little flintiness on the nose, there is a nervous energy and tension to this wine. So complete on the palate, there are flavours of apricot, white grapefruit with a freshness that balances perfectly with a feeling of breadth on the palate. Excellent.

Opening with crushed pepper, warm rocks and smoked meat there is a refinement to this wine with flavours of black cherry and plum. This is a wine that does not shy away from structure with firm, sinewy tannins that ably frame the fruit. A classical feel to the wine, with more complexity revealing itself with time. A wine of real potential.

A wine that seems to capture all the beautiful flavours of whole bunches of raw Syrah. Dripping with bramble fruit, the nose shows notes of pepper, violets and tapenade. This is a beautifully understated yet so complete style of Syrah that will give the most classical wines of the Northern Rhône a run for their money.

This is a wine of restraint and focus that opens with a subtle note of gunflint. It builds through the palate with notes of stone fruits, a hint of grilled tropical fruit, but a lift of ginger and acacia. Hugely complex Chenin with layers that grow in the glass.

Expressive, spicy and so enticing this opens with notes of white pepper, wild herbs, hedgerow fruit, and liquorice root. There are ripe cherry fruit flavours with savoury accents of warm rocks and fynbos. Supple and energetic it is a wine of huge drinking pleasure.

Very pure on the nose, with notes of citrus and stone fruit. Very tight and young - and lots of energy. This is very stony - salty and mineral, with lots of citrus. Craig likens it to St-Aubin, and we can see what he means.

This old-vine Chenin is a blend of Reyneke's oldest vineyards planted in 1974 and 1976. The grapes were fermented in 500 litre amphora and a large foudre. It offers notes of ginger, quince, apricot and white peach. There is a texture here which is round but there is a flash of acid that drives through giving a real sense of salinity and purity. The finish is fresh and extremely well balanced with notes of fresh pear and honeysuckle.

This Syrah from Reyneke is around a third whole bunch fermented, a third submerged cap fermented, and a third crushed and destemmed fruit. It is refined and spicy, with delicious and classic Syrah aromatics of wild herbs, lavender, black pepper and black olive. The palate is fleshy but still so elegant with juicy dark berry fruit and a peppery spice on the finish. Very classic and certainly reminds you of a young Cornas.

From the northern part of Elgin on shale soils that lie over clay. The wine shows intense black plum and bramble fruit, with black pepper and some subtle charcuterie notes. Fine grained, powdery tannins with crushed iris lingers on the finish.

The grapes for this wine are carefully sourced from a specific block in the Hemel-en-Aarde RIdge. It is crafted exclusively from clone CY548, renowned for imparting stony, meaty, robust flavours to the wine. This has a Chablisienne style, absolute focus with a saline, mouthwatering core. Orange peel, white grapefruit, and bitter lemon notes, with is perfectly chiselled. Delicious

From five different clones and eleven different parcels the wine does not go through malolactic fermentation which accounts for the chiselled and crystalline feel on the palate. Notes of acacia and chamomile lift from the glass with flavours of white peach and fresh apricot. A little nuttiness adds complexity on the finish to this beautifully finessed, saline style of Chardonnay.

Extremely well defined and driven style of Chardonnay that is crystalline, building through the palate in intensity. A breath of citrus zest, white flowers, and apple blossom unfurl with air, there are layers of complexity from the floral to the mineral. So complete, this is a wine that really stands out this year.

Primarily from 115 and 777 clones this Pinot Noir is sourced from five different parcels. It is beautifully finessed showing lively aromatics of dried rose petal, cinnamon, cranberry and wild cherry. The palate is bright and tense with just enough richness of fruit leading to a saline and detailed finish with a twist of wild herbs.

The aromatics stand out on this wine, with finely detailed notes of wilted rose, cardamon, incense and blood orange. There is a silky, satin-like texture to the tannins with form a fine web around the core of bright red berry fruit. A wine of detail and finesse that stands out for its layers of complexity.

A broader, creamy style of Chardonnay that shows plenty of intensity on the palate. Notes of hazelnut, sourdough crumb and acacia build around a core of bright stone fruit. There is a zesty streak of acidity running through the wine with a persistence saline finish.

A bright and vertical style of cool climate Syrah that offers floral complexity of white pepper, violets and fresh earth. There is a Pinot like energy to the wine, while the supple tannins and peppery spice make this a distinctive cool climate Syrah. Extremely fine and detailed.

A superb example of cool-climate Syrah showing notes of tomato leaf, red cherry, wild thyme and white pepper. There is some flesh to the hedgerow fruit to the mid-palate while remaining bright and lifted. The finish is long and vibrant with a peppery twist.

Eben wants his signature wines to be “true inhabitants of the land”, reflecting their Swartland origins. When Columella started in 2000, it was a blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre. But that has now evolved into a blend of six of the seven official grape varieties of the Swartland, adding Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, and Tinta Barocca (the only missing variety is Pinotage - in Eben’s words, “a grape that was made by man”).

Eben’s benchmark red from a legendary vintage, this is a beautiful wine in 2017. It’s a blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault, and is Sadie’s ode to Swartland. Silky and fine, with astonishing energy, it’s one of the great wines of the world.

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.

Made in the cellars of Duncan Savage, this is a textbook Chenin giving aromas of golden fruit, a little beeswax and ginger spice. Beautiful salinity running through the palate with a little savoury lift on the finish.

Mainly from granite soils of the Paardeberg with a component from Malmesbury too, this is a benchmark old vine Chenin, showing huge tension and complexity. Notes of orange peel, acacia, white peach and white grapefruit emerge from the glass but this is zipped up and vibrating with energy on the palate. So crystalline and focused, it is a real standout this year.

A Swartland Semillon and Semillon Gris blend that really hits the high notes.This is spicy with notes of ginger and lemongrass with richness of ripe stone fruit through the palate. A wonderful drive of freshness here it is a wine of huge complexity that will be benefit from some time in bottle.