South Africa 2021

We first tried the 2021 Secateurs red at a wedding on Adi's farm in November 2021: it's hard to explain just how easy this is to drink.

A blend of Shiraz, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Mourvedre and Grenache, it's so juicy, fine boned, and fresh. Brilliant.

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 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.

A Cabernet Franc led blend, this is one of the best bargains on our list. Loads of ripe, juicy fruit, fine-grained tannins, and a mouth-watering freshness, having a bottle to hand is a must.

From a vineyard that only really started being productive at the age of 65, this is so lifted and pure. It's one of the best examples of Cinsault we know of in South Africa. Just so delicious.

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 left field blend from Pieter: Grenache, Cinsault, Pinot, Syrah and then some Chenin Blanc & Viognier. This is a ripost to those who claim Pieter is a jack of all trades, master of none. It's so easy drinking, but with the structure and length to make it interesting.

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.

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 2019 Epilogue underlines its credentials as one of South Africa's best Syrahs, and one of the best wines here in general. It's almost Hermitage like in intensity, with dried herbs and a hint of iron oxide on the finish. Reenen's wines get better and better. Don't miss this.

The vineyard takes its name from from the final use for the land before vineyards were planted: to shoot a film about Napoleon. Here, clay and iron rich soils with schist, just 6km from the ocean give plenty of structure: this is an intense Pinot Noir. Notes of pomegranate and a hint of citrus complete the picture on this brilliant wine.

The Peter Max Pinot Noir is the introduction to the estate. It comes from five different plots, from different regions, and its name honours the first growers to sell grapes for the wine (the sources have since changed). It’s lifted and approachable, with lots of pomegranate and blood orange character. Just lovely in 2020.

The most improved wine in the cellar, this is a really lovely Cabernet Franc. From shale and sandstone, there’s lovely red fruited perfume as well as plenty of energy on the finish. This is incredibly well balanced.

From vines that are reaching a good level of maturity, this is a really impressive Syrah from Peter-Allan. Lavender and liquorice, and blackberry fruit mark out a wine that balances the warmth of the site and delicate winemaking. Outstanding.

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.

Just an incredibly delicious Merlot from Ginny's Stellenbosch estate, this is plummy, juicy, and fine-boned, with a lovely thread of acidity. One to pop and pour.

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.

2017 was a spectacular vintage in South Africa, and this Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant iteration from Kanonkop: possibly the best we’ve tasted from here. This is fine-boned, crunchy, but with perfect ripeness. Don’t miss this.

The country’s benchmark Pinotage delivers again in 2019. Notes of rose petal and a whiff of smoke on the nose, the palate is vibrant and full, with lovely minerality on the finish.

Keermont's Bordeaux blend has undergone a revamp from 2015, with more careful selection and much smaller production. This is brilliant: minty, dark berries, and incredibly refined tannins. Very very good.

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.

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.

For Lukas, a good glass of Cinsaut should be like jumping into weightlessness, shouting Geronimo. This comes predominantly from 40+ year old vines on the Helderberg, and is one of our favourite Cinsauts from South Africa. Floral and fine, with citrus lift and real salinity, it's an absolute beauty. Slightly chilled, it's ready to go right away - but it will surely age brilliantly, too.

The 2020 Stars in the Dark comes from 3 different sites within the Cape Agulhas ward, in the far south of the African continent. With parcels on clay, shale, and koffieklip, and each plot treated differently, this is a stunningly pure, silky, complex Syrah. Notes of wild flowers and white pepper swirl from the glass, while the palate has astonishing purity and focus. There's the salinity on the finish that we've come to expect from this great wine. This is not to be missed.

The 2019 Connect the Dots comes from 3 different sites - 2 in Elgin, that have subsequently been ripped out, and one in Stellenbosch, on the Helderberg. The wine is whole bunch fermented, and has lift and pepper spice, and a really beguiling texture. This is a real beauty.

This is a real contender for South Africa’s finest Grenache. She calls Grenache “South Africa’s Pinot Noir”, and is always looking to make as elegant and precise an example as possible: this comes in at just 13.5% abv, yet is perfectly ripe. It comes mainly from a farm on the Paardeberg, next to Eben Sadie’s farm, and it’s so complex and pure. Notes of wild berries and pomegranate, and a fine thread of acidity - too often missing with Grenache. Just spectacular.

A recent bottle of 2013 of this shows just how good Tinta Barocca can be. It’s a real labour of love, and 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. As mentioned 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 is simply stunning: a real hidden gem of our South African range.

The Syrah is as true an expression of this grape variety in the Swartland’s varied terroirs as you’ll find. In 2018, it’s a blend of four parcels planted in the stony Shale and Schist based soils of the Kasteelberg; two parcels of dry-land, bush vines grown in the decomposed Granite of the Paardeberg; and one on the rolling, iron-rich soils west of Malmesbury. The vines are aged between 22 and 30 years, and while delicious on first release, it’s a wine that will age impressively. There’s slightly less whole bunch this year, and it’s really open, grippy, and very fine.

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

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

The 2020 Family Vineyards from Newton Johnson is another brilliant release from this beautiful estate. So fine and finessed, with lovely juicy fruit and lots of saline, savoury tannins, this is long and pure, and totally delicious already. This is a must buy every year.

The 2019 Porseleinberg is an astonishingly complex, concentrated, refined wine, with notes of lavender and dark berries on the nose, and a palate that wows with its poise yet power, and incredibly sumptuous tannins. This is surely now one of the world's greatest Syrahs. It's not to be missed on first release.

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.

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 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.

From two vineyards on Craig & Anne’s estate, the 2018 Main Road and Dignity might just be the best iteration of this yet. It’s got incredible depth of fruit, with blackcurrant and lavender notes, as well as the slight leafiness that marks these wines out as so refined. The finish is mineral and long, and the potential for ageing is spectacular. Don’t miss this.

From biodynamically farmed grapes in the Polkedraai, the 2019 Syrah from Reyneke is a stunning red. Floral and expressive, there’s notes of raspberry coulis and pomegranate, as well as incredible lift, and a mineral, textured finish. It’s a brilliant wine, with everything in impeccable balance. It’s a real advert for the holistic approach of Johan Reyneke.

The reserve red is Polkedraai Syrah, and is a stunningly beautiful Syrah from Johan and his team. This has loads of violet lift, crushed rock, and a core of blue fruit on the nose. The tannins are so refined, and the finish lasts an age. Outstanding.

From 11 tiny parcels, the 2018 Pinot Noir is a powdery-tannined example of the grape, with notes of pomegranate and loads of floral elements. Red fruited and long, it’s a really lovely Pinot.

The Thief in the Night is, in 2020, around 63% Grenache, with the rest made up of 26% Cinsault and 11% Syrah. It comes from Piekenierskloof, with the Grenache coming from the same vineyard as Eben Sadie’s Soldaat - Eben has 8 rows, and Duncan has 4. Here, at 550m elevation on sandstone soils, the wine maintains stunning energy alongside perfect ripeness. It’s red fruited and spiced, and very long indeed.

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.

Originally made for John’s parents-in-law’s restaurant in the Drakensberg, in KwaZulu-Natal, we’re thrilled that he’s now allowed us to buy a little. This comes from different sources in the Overberg, and is a lovely Pinot Noir, with notes of fresh red berries, and plenty of silky tannins, herbal notes, and a long and savoury finish. A lovely addition to the range.

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.

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.