South Africa 2021

The 2021 Secateurs Chenin is the best example we've tried. Loads of fresh, crunchy apple fruit and a lovely lick of spice, with a hint of oatmeal make this an awful lot of wine for the price. And if you forget a few bottles in the back of the cellar, you might just be surprised.,

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.

In the early 20th century, Caperitif was mentioned in many of the greatest bartending books, and now Adi is bringing this Vermouth-like aperitif back to life. 46 different ingredients are infused into a wine base, which is fortified with grape spirit. It's utterly delicious, and transports you to the cape immediately. We love it with tonic and ice, but check our Adi's website for more cocktail ideas.

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 unique wine in our South Africa offer, this is mainly Roussanne, with a drop of Chardonnay. It's all about texture and bright fruit. Roussanne can be a little heavy, but there's none of that here: it's savoury and frest, with just a hint of herbal lift.

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.

The Full Moon White is a field blend from a single vineyard on the Swartland’s Uitkyk farm, a farm where plenty of others source grapes. Just a handful of bottles are made of this blend of Chenin, Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Chardonnay, from a 45 year old vineyard. Lovely weight on the palate, and plenty of energy. Delicious.

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.

A blend of 32% Chardonnay, 25% Roussanne, 13% Chenin Blanc, 13% Verdelho, 5% Muscat, this is the first vintage this has been predominantly Chardonnay. This is so complex and delicious, and gets better and better every year. A brilliant wine from a wonderful producer.

All the fruit for this comes from upper part of the vineyard, and is the result of three separate picks. This is lower in alcohol than usual, and has loads of yellow and greengage fruit, and lots of saline tension. Just so alluring: brilliant.

Due to a delay in bottles arriving, this spent 18 months on the lees, rather than the planned 16. Just two thirds of a normal harvest this year, and this is the most expensive per bottle wine they’ve ever made, due to the tiny yields and the careful selection that went into the wine. The result is stunning, with incredible concentration and power. Fruit that would normally go into Broom Ridge and Huilkruins went in here.

Chris comments that the 2020 Magnetic North had the most perfect grapes he’d ever seen. It’s from a 550m high vineyard, 30km from the coast, on red soils, with just 1.3 tons picked this year. This is stunning, and totally unique. It’s so savoury and herbal, with incredible focus and a finish that lasts for minutes. Stunning.

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.

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.

The Hoë Steen, literally high Chenin Blanc, comes from tall bush vines (hence the name) planted in 1968 on iron rich soils some 40km to the west. South facing it ripens late, and there’s a bed of limestone, virtually unheard of in the Swartland, that brings nervy acidity alongside the wine’s creamy texture. There’s a lovely peachy core here, and a long and saline finish. Brilliant.

The first single vineyard they made was the Skaliekop, from a vineyard planted in 1985 on the Paardebosch farm. This vineyard is an anomaly: an island of schist on the normally granite Paardeberg. Indeed, the name means hill of Shale, and this gives a mineral, reserved character to the wine. This has notes of fennel and lime blossom, and the potential here is outstanding.

From five sites in the Swartland, this might just be the best pick in the entire range. It’s a wine that works on different levels: it’s easy drinking and very approachable, with pure fruit and mouth watering freshness. But there’s also a complexity and purity here that marks out the Cape’s very best Chenin Blancs.