Spring Clean Day Three

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 fresh, 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.

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.

From grapes from the Vergelegen estate, this is an impressive Bordeaux blend. Notes of graphite and a core of dark fruit, with lots of spice and a hint of smokiness. Already approachable and delicious, this will surely age well, too.

65% Syrah, 22% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache, and the remainder Viognier. They use some whole bunches here and age the wine in 50% new French oak. Complex and rich on the nose with black berry furit, raspberry and wild strawberry, as well as white pepper, baking spice and some blueberry fragrant elements. Incredibly complex on the palate too with rich, deep, black fruit flavours and lots of spicy notes. Concentrated and velvet-like on the palate, with enough firm structure to age for decades.

78% Grenache, 12% Mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah, aged in 50% new oak, this brilliant 2020 has a complex nose with red cherry, ripe strawberry, rose petals, white pepper and incense. It's hedonistic and bold on the palate, layered and as complex as the nose, with a velvet quality to the tannins already. Only 400 cases made.

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.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon made by Diana Snowden Seysses of Domaine Dujac. This is made from fruit sourced from the biodynamically farmed Red Hen Vineyard, owned by Bart and Daphne Araujo in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. It's elegant in style, with silky tannins and a notable forest floor, earthy complexity around the bright red fruit. There are tobacco and cedar flavours in the background and a breadth across the palate towards the finish.

Now owned by the same team as Penfolds, Beaulieu Vineyards is famous for being one of the first Napa Cabernets back in the 1930s, located on the main highway nearby Opus One and the Robert Mondavi Winery. This 2019 vintage is beautifully rich and spicy, with graphite notes and very ultra-fine tannins. An absolutely classic Napa Cabernet.

2021 marks the 15th bottling of The Bedrock Heritage, a wine that has become Bedrock Wine Co’s Morgan Twain-Peterson MW and Chris Cottrell’s most emblematic cuvée. Though it’s based on Zinfandel, The Bedrock Heritage is a field blend of over 20 different grape varieties, and includes ancient vine parcels from the Bedrock vineyard that were originally planted in 1888. Coffee and black fruit aromas jump out of the glass, while its varied and utterly hypnotic spice notes could put Delhi’s Khari Baoli spice market to shame. Beguiling and 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.

Ultra, meanwhile, takes its name from the farmer’s love of trance music - and more specifically a gig named Ultra. It’s a Chenin Blanc from the Swartland, and is generous, textured, and astonishingly good value.

This is a tiny production Tinta Barocca from the Swartland, that Pieter, in his inimitable wisdom, decided to only bottle in half bottles. It’s name means absent minded, and comes from the fact that the day Pieter went to pick this vineyard, he realised half way there that he hadn’t put his shoes on. Hence the label, too. It’s a brilliant example of this grape variety, that we reckon is one of the Swartland’s most exciting. Textured and bloody, with a core of dark fruit, and lovely energy. One of the best reds we’ve tried from Pieter.

Aasvoel is Verdelho, from a single plot in Stellenbosch, that Pieter’s always desperate to get his hands on. So much so, that he feels like a vulture - Aasvoel in Afrikaans - waiting to pick over the vineyard. It's a textured, mouth filling white, but with loads of focussed energy.

Brazen is a blend of Fernao Pires - from 37 year old vineyards in the Swartland - alongside amphora-aged Palomino from a 47 year old vineyard in Piekenierskloof, and Grenache Blanc from the Voor Paardeberg. It’s a savoury, textured, vibrant white, with a mineral finish that lasts for minutes.

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.

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.

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.

Brilliant pale gold. Intense nose with spicy cinnamon over yellow peaches and French nougat aromas, with just a hint of burnt sugar syrup. Palate is rich, powerful and impossibly long with peaches and barley sugar flavours all kept in check by deft acidity.

Eaton Wines was established in 2014. Along with his wife Jo, Mike established some of New Zealand’s most renowned Pinot Noir vineyards (Clayvin, Clay Hills, Outpost, Calrossie) and the TerraVin wine brand. 2019 was a ripe peachy vintage for Sauvignon Blanc and this tiny production cuvee showcases this with soft fruit on the nose with a zingy citrus lift on the palate. Juicy and mouth-watering, it's one of the finest New Zealand wines we've tried.

Eaton Wines was established in 2014. Along with his wife Jo, Mike established some of New Zealand’s most renowned Pinot Noir vineyards (Clayvin, Clay Hills, Outpost, Calrossie) and the TerraVin wine brand. This is a single vineyard wine, fermented and aged in French oak barrels. Zesty and pungent, with added leesy richness and subtle nutty aromas. Textural and rich.

Freshness, elegance and silky texture are the hallmarks of the Favia estate's wines. Indeed, the Cabernet Franc-led 2018 Cerro Sur wouldn’t be out of place in a line-up of the Right Bank’s top estates. Made in minisule quantities, it's an exercise in elegance with laser-like focus, freshness, and layer upon layer of mineral-laced black fruits. It's a welcome addition to our range, and is sure to provide drinking pleasure for years to come.

A late release from one of our favourite Napa estates. Now nearly 10 years old, it's a joy to drink, with tons of truffle, tobacco and cocoa aromas developing. There's still plenty of blueberry, bramble and cassis with Favia's trademark elegance and energy. Andy Erickson and Annie Favia are champions of this exciting and cooler part of Napa, and have created a delicious example in this 2014. The vintage was dry and long, allowing the slow ripening of their brilliant old vine Cabernet Franc.

Soft and approachable, the Foxglove Chardonnay showcases a quintessential style of Californian Chardonnay that is broad on the palate with tropical notes alongside ripe citrus and peach, and creamy richness from maturation on the yeast lees. The juicy style of the fruit and light white flower notes make it very appealing and refreshing. Blocking malolactic fermentation, preventing overly buttery flavours, also keeps this fresh. With breadth, balance and layers of complexity, this is seriously good value for money.

From Albarino vines that were grafted onto unsuccessful Cabernet Sauvignon, this was a great decision from Ginny Povall. This is pithy and fresh, with lots of savoury density, and a delicious finish. Just so easy and drinkable

From the Laing's farm on the Skurfberg, this is a remarkable old vine Chenin Blanc vineyard. There's notes of orange blossom and rind, and an almost negroni-like perfume. So complex, piercing, and delicious, it's no wonder that the wines from the Skurfberg are so sought-after.

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.

A true passion project from an inspiring female winemaker, Joan Heatlie made just 1238 bottles of her Glen Heatlie, 2020 Grenache Blanc. A wine showing a delicate interplay of acidity and texture, it is a white that dances between the floral, spicy and savoury.

Made from a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with 12% Merlot making up the blend. This vintage of IX Estate is rich and intense, with brooding black fruit, graphite and wild sage. There's a lot of mineral, saline quality on the palate, and intense, grippy tannins typical of this mountain vineyard. Now with some time in bottle, the complex flavours are starting to knit together beautifully, showing masses of breadth and concentration through to a long, mineral-tinged finish.

A blend of 56% Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc (18%), Chardonnay (17%) plus Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier, from terraced estate vineyards in Blaauwklippen. Notes of orchard peach, Granny Smith apples and fresh ginger on the nose, with a beautifully textural and pithy finish. There’s an easygoing nature to this, but don’t underestimate its ability to age.

This 2017 from Keermont reminds us why we loved this vintage so much. A blend of Syrah from four vineyards, with just a dash of Mourvèdre, it’s energetic, intense, with a gorgeous structure of fine-boned tannins. And the finish goes on and on, and more and more complexity emerges. Just so delicious.

Made by pinching the tops of the bunches, concentrating the sugars, and acidity, in the grapes, this is a really lovely sweet wine from Alex Starey. Green pineapple, ginger, and a hint of lemongrass create a very refreshing but intensely sweet wine. This is a blend of vintages, hence (for the one and only time) it's a N/V wine.

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.

Howard John is in honour of Franco’s dad, and is a red blend that comes, from 2019, entirely from the Swartland. Lovely fruit. So much delicate energy, lovely mouthfeel. Plenty of perfume, then grip and a long and pure finish. Very detailed and very long.

The 2021 Lindi Carien is a blend of predominantly Verdelho, with 65% Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Grenache Blanc and Palomino supporting. Waxy and expressive, notes of greengage, fynbos, and lots of yellow fruit. There's a lot of ginger spice, and plenty of persistence on the finish.

The 2021 Trust Your Gut is an absolute delight. Perfumed, saline and wonderfully lifted, there's a core of grapefruit and yellow plum, and a leesy complexity on the palate. There's such drive on the finish, from the Paardeberg fruit that perfectly envelops the classic Stellenbosch yellow fruit. Outstanding.

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.

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.

Linda Vista is the name of the vineyard that Jill & Steve Matthiasson call home. It's in a cooler part of Napa, and this, combined with their approach in the cellar, makes for a refreshing style of Chardonnay with clean, pure citrus and stone fruit and subtle creamy notes. There's plenty of acidity here and flinty mineral notes.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunner, with tremendous aromatic power and a core of dark fruit. There's a freshness throughout and bright floral notes. The sumptuous, bramble, spicy flavours carry through to a long, beautiful finish. Really impressive.

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

The 2021 Bosberaad comes from a single parcel on the Paardeberg, planted in 1980. The nose has quince and fresh conference pears, as well as a citrus element, while the palate is arrow straight with incredible texture. This is an outstanding Chenin Blanc: a wine from one of South Africa's best winemakers, that shouldn't be missed.

The 2022 Bosberaad comes from the same vineyard as usual: one of the coolest on the Paardeberg. It's tense and vibrant. Notes of grapefruit pith and anis swirl from the glass, while there's plenty of ginger spice and orange peel on the palate. This is a benchmark Chenin from Paul and Pauline: a bargain at this price.

2021 is the maiden vintage of Bartàs from exciting young winemakers Pauline Roux and Paul Jourdaan of Paulus Wine Company. Floral, with classic Stellenbosch yellow fruit, the Bartàs is a Chenin brimming with intensity and texture. Fruit is sourced from the Rustenhof farm in Stellenbosch where granite soils and a maritime influence from the nearby False Bay lend the wine salinity and a spectacular mineral character. Bright, long, and utterly delicious, this is one to follow from the very beginning.

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.

Quintessa managed to avoid the devastating fires that hit Napa in 2020, and have made a wine with lovely purity of cassis and black plum, with some lift from violet and wild herb aromas. Although bold and rich, this has a silky elegance to it, with polished tannins and a long, fruit-driven finish.

A fantastic vintage from this biodynamic estate in Rutherford. It’s full of complex black fruits, floral notes and an earthy mineral element so typical of this sub region.

Rimapere is the Rothschild's project in Marlborough, New Zealand. Located on the prestigious Rapaura Road in the heart of Marlborough, within the ‘Golden Triangle’, next door to Cloudy Bay, it's producing some fantastic, quintessential Sauvignon Blanc. Rimapere means 'five arrows' in Maori, in tribute to the Rothschild's family emblem. Expect pungent passionfruit and guava, with gooseberry and fresh herbs.

93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. The 2019 from Rudd Oakville Estate is focused with pure, ripe blackcurrant and plum aromas, with more floral notes from the Franc and a stony, graphite finish. There's more blue fruit as time goes on with damson and blueberry, with a juicy, succulent feel on the palate and soft, rounded tannins.

Fresh red and black berry fruit with black cherry and tons of development already in the form of roasted hazlenut, truddle, espresso, earth and tobacco. Fine, ripe tannins are densely packed and create a rich feel on the palate. Lisa Perotti-Brown, writing in the Wine Advocate, awards (96-98) points for this "beautiful" wine.

Bukettraube is likely a grape you don't know brilliantly, but it's found its home in a few small vineyards in the Cape. Hanneke and Pauline are doing something quite special with it, making an utterly delicious Pet Nat. Sometimes likened to Muscat, this is floral and peachy, with very fine bubbles, and a vibrant finish. A delicious fizz.

From an old Palomino vineyard at 670m of elevation, which sees some skin contact, this is an impressive wine from Pauline and Hanneke. It's incredibly complex, with notes of ginger and guava, and also lots of fynbos character on the finish. It's the kind of wine that has you reaching for glass after glass.

The second vintage of this delicious Pet Nat, that's almost muscat like in its aromatics and complexity. There's a simple deliciousness here, with vibrant fruit, intense freshness, and so much joyfulness.

This comes from Piekenierskloof, from a vineyard at 670m of elevation, which ensures that this maintains vibrant acidity and plenty of cool fruit. It's fermented in egg, with a portion of skin contact, and that gives a beautiful texture and just a hint of ginger spice, too. It's spicy, with guava and a slight herbal lift. Delicious.