South Africa: New releases

The Klipkop Chenin Blanc is planted next door to the Golden Slopes vineyard. Planted two years earlier, in 1966, it’s a richer, more fruit forward expression of Chenin: there's richness but also delicacy on the finish. So much to like here.

The Family White is a blend of Chenin Blanc alongside Grenache Blanc, Verdelho, Roussanne, Palomino and Semillon. It shows the classic tautness of the Paardeberg’s granite soils, but with a few years in bottle, it flourishes, becoming waxy, mineral, honeyed but yet still savoury. This is stunning. Orchard fruit, grapefruit and a hint of cinnamon. This is so complex, so much tension and a finish that lasts an age. Brilliant.

Just twelve long rows make up the Raaigras Grenache vineyard. Planted in 1952, it’s the oldest Grenache vineyard in the Cape, and faces south east, allowing the longest ripening time possible. Adi jokes that its name rhymes with Rayas, but this is a serious, delicious, ageworthy Grenache in its own right.

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.

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.

Little William is a Syrah from the high-altitude Ceres plateau. It’s as pure and fragrant a Syrah as you’ll find in the Cape: think top-notch St-Joseph, or there’s even a little Cote Rotie about it.

Little William is a Syrah from the high-altitude Ceres plateau. It’s as pure and fragrant a Syrah as you’ll find in the Cape: think top-notch St-Joseph, or there’s even a little Cote Rotie about it.

The first wine that put this estate on the map was the 1997 Syrah, and even today the estate Syrah remains a South African benchmark. Since 2016 it’s been entirely Swartland fruit, benefitting from the minerality of the Porseleinberg, and the rounded fruit from the brown schist of Goldmine. Gottfried has also tweaked the vinification for this, focussing more on larger oak, and a purer expression of Syrah.

A blend of 71% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and just a dash of Viognier, the 2019 Chocolate Block is a wonderfully pure, elegant expression from the heart of the Swartland. Red berry fruit and wild flowers drift from the glass, while the palate shows crystalline purity and a beautifully mineral finish. It punches way above its weight: that they manage to produce this in such quantities is one of the wonders of the wine world.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most exciting wines in the cellar is their Semillon. It comes from some of the Cape’s oldest vineyards, planted in 1902 and 1942, along with a drop of Muscat, also planted in 1902. Gottfried uses eggs, barriques, and now amphorae for this wine, that’s one of the most textured, complex we know. It has to be tried.

The Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon comes from four different sites, including some coming on stream from the estate itself. It’s a wonderfully exuberant yet pure expression of Cabernet, that’s one of the Cape’s finest. A little Cabernet Franc makes it into the blend, too, which gives a touch of floral character.

Reenen Borman’s Epilogue Syrah has fast become one of the legendary wines of the Cape, and this 2018 demonstrates why. Notes of rust and wild berries, with wild flowers giving lift and energy. Incredibly pure, focussed, and long, this is more than a match for the greatest wines of the Rhône. It’s not to be missed.

Awarded 97 points by Christian Eeedes, the 2019 Sons of Sugarland from Reenen Borman is a stunning single vineyard Syrah from the Karibib vineyard in the prized Polkedraai area of Stellenbosch. It's reminiscent of great Northern Rhone Syrah, with peppery fruit and tons of texture, and a blood orange element too. This is complex, long, and delicious. Bravo.

In 2019 this is a one-off: just 5,000 half bottles of a straw wine: Lost & Found. It comes from a Hanepoot (Muscat of Alexandria) vineyard that was referred to as productive in 1900, but which was likely planted in the 1880s. 450+g/l of residual sugar, 7% alcohol, and spectacular acidity make an explosive wine that will last forever, if you can let it. Notes of marmalade and apricot jam, and still a real savoury, saline character. This really is a treat.

A new name, but not a new wine, for 2019, is the Broom Ridge. It was formerly known as Fire by Night, but comes from the farm that Chris and Suzaan bought in 2019, so Chris wanted a new name to tie the wine to that place. It’s a blend of a few different vineyards, planted between 1972 and 1985 on various slopes, and is an incredibly taut, focussed expression of Chenin Blanc. On the Paardeberg, the decomposed granite soils bring a tension to the wine, which has a slightly herbal character, notes of lemon zest, and a long and saline finish.

The Clay Shales is the pinnacle of the white production here, and is a Chardonnay from a single vineyard on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. With tons of tension, as well as breadth of flavour, it’s surely a contender for South Africa’s best Chardonnay.

For David & Nadia, here two grapes reign supreme. Their Chenin comes from seven old vine vineyards planted between 1962 and 1984, on the different soils of the Swartland. It’s a true an expression of Swartland Chenin as you’ll find. This is taut and energetic, with yellow fruit and a lovely, long, pure finish.

The latest addition to the range is the Plat’bos, and this is just the second vintage released. This is a 1981 planted vineyard on decomposed granite, right nextdoor to Skaliekop. North facing, it’s the warmest site, and produces a spicy, ageworthy Chenin Blanc. Very citrus in character, there’s plenty of grapefruit here, and also hints of gunflint and rose petal. Very complex, and very grippy, notes of fennel come through on the finish. This is taut, linear, and profound. Bravo.

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. Deeper on the nose than the Skaliekop, this has notes of peaches and sea spray on the nose. There’s a spicy character to the palate: hints of fresh ginger and plenty of palate weight. Really very impressive.

Here, on the Oudam farm, vines planted in 1961 on deep, sandy soils craft a brilliant white, that would go toe-to-toe with any wine being produced in South Africa today. But here the drought is taking its toll. The 3 hectare vineyard would, ten years ago, produce 8-10tons a vintage. Now it will produce a maximum of 5 tons, and has dropped as low as 1.7tons in the driest years. And that means there’s not very much to go around. What there is, is spectacular. Not to be missed in 2019.

This Chenin Blanc is different from all the other Chenins in our range: it comes from Elgin, one of the coolest grape-growing regions in South Africa. Planted on Bokkeveld Shale - not all that dissimilar to the soils of the Loire’s Savennières - this is as cool and precise as South African Chenin gets.

Paul Sauer is the calling card of the estate, named after the farm’s most famous owner. It was the first South African wine to be awarded a perfect score by a major international critic, with the 2015 receiving 100 points from Tim Atkin MW. In 2017 it’s a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Merlot, from vines of an average of 29 years old. It is, as always, a contender for South Africa’s finest Bordeaux blend.

Made from three vineyards: Steepside, Topside and sweetwater. Nice nose, intense, floral and plenty of texture. Love the density here, there's lots of iron oxide with good length. Lovely purity and texture. Excellent tannins, very pure.

Planted in 1971, this old vineyard creates a linear Chenin that's all about yellow fruit and texture. There's beautiful floral lift on the finish, and just a hint of anis and rooibos. Brilliantly balanced, and very long.

The 2019 Clara comes from three high altitude vineyards, with the Perdeblokke added for richness and intensity. It’s an astonishing Sauvignon. Notes of peach and spearmint swirl from the class, with a textured palate, and real focus on the finish. Matt Day is a brilliant winemaker, and this shows why: this is one of the best Sauvignons we know.

The Syrah is a blend of 30% Greyton fruit, and the rest from a shale and sandstone vineyard in Elgin. These cool vineyards produce a Syrah that’s all about pepper and rose petal: a joy to behold.

The Reserve Viognier shows how this finickety grape suits the cool climate of Greyton, with an incredible sense of balance.

Chenin Blanc from Durbanville just outside Cape Town. The Blouklip shale soils give a real richness to the fruit. There’s lovely purity here. Quite rich and spicy, with lovely energy, too. This is nicely balanced, with plenty of darker fruit on the palate.

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.

Trust your Gut is Lukas’ attempt “to make the perfect western cape Chenin”. In 2019 it’s 73% from the Paardeberg, from next door to Eben Sadie’s farm, which brings texture and tension, and 27% from the granite soils of Stellenbosch’s Polkedraai, which brings intense yellow fruit. The name refers to the importance of the picking date for these grapes: in the 2019 vintage, Lukas has got it spot on. This has lovely green pineapple notes, with loads of savoury elements, plenty of salinity, and a slightly creamy, zesty finish.

Breton is the old Loire name for Cabernet Franc, which are some of Lukas’ favourite wines. This comes from the farm on the Polkedraai where Lukas lives, and is, in his words, “a glass of wine you want to smell the tension on”. This is a baby, but has impressive potential. Lots of graphite and wild berries, and blueberries in particular. There’s lovely energy here: it’s very Loire-like. It will require a few years in bottle: with that, it will be a truly glorious glass of red wine.

This is made from Cinsault fruit from Stellenbosch, and is made in a pale, delicate, provencal style. Wild strawberries and crunchy cherries on the nose give way to a textured, intense palate, that’s simply delicious. This is a wine you can’t stop drinking: from a real star of South Africa. Not to be missed.

Stars in the Dark Syrah comes from Elim, near Cape Agulhas, in the far south of the Cape. In 2019 it comes from two separate vineyards. The first, planted on Koffieklip soils, brings a floral, fragrant element, while the second, on schist, brings much more savouriness and a restrained fruit profile. The interplay between the two makes a refined, impressive Syrah, that is sure to age beautifully.

The Kweekamp Chardonnay comes from a high altitude vineyard, planted on limestone. Limestone, the top pick for Chardonnay plantations throughout the world, is a rarity in the Cape, and this is a tense, mineral yet pleasingly open expression of the grape, with a lovely lick of oak spice. Just five barrels are made. In recent years, as well as being bottled by the Bruwers, this vineyard is also around one third of the blend of Capensis, South Africa’s most expensive Chardonnay, made by Jackson Family Wines.

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

The Granite Syrah comes from the Paardeberg, from 24 year old vines, and is incredibly elegant and floral in style, with real focus.

From a 19 year old vineyard on the iron-rich soils around Malmesbury, the Iron Syrah has a breadth on the palate that’s not found on the other wines, and is stunningly aromatic.

The Schist Syrah comes from the couple’s Roundstone property, allowing full control of the farming. These 21 year old vines give a structured, peppery expression of Syrah.

The Quartz Chenin sits between the Schist Chenin with its ripeness, and the taut and lean Granite Chenin in style, and comes from a 38 year old vineyard, also on the Kasteelberg

The Granite Chenin Blanc is taut and nervy, from a 43 year old vineyard on the Paardeberg. This will need some time.

Chenin Blanc makes up the spine of the Old Vines White, and it’s supported by Grenache Blanc, Macabeo, Verdelho, Clairette Blanche, Semillon Gris, and Viognier. Some of these sites are impressively old, with Chenin of up to 65 years old, and 60 year old Semillon Gris, while even the Viognier, from iron rich soils, is 21 years old. It’s a wine where balance is key, and where taut minerality is juxtaposed with a ripe, fruity, core. It’s a joyful, ageworthy wine.

The culmination of the other wines of the estate is the Dry Red, 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, with grapes from the aforementioned vineyards included in the blend. In its youth, this is structured and intense, but with bottle age it’s sure to flourish.

A single vineyard Pinot Noir, that’s astonishingly good in 2019. Smoky and silky, with amazingly pure red fruit, and a hint of mint on the finish, this wears its 33% new oak beautifully. This is a serious Pinot Noir: produced in tiny quantities, it’s not to be missed.

With softer, slower extraction than previous vintages, Callie Louw has taken what was already a spectacular wine and lifted it to an even higher level. There’s violets and pomegranate on the nose, with an intense and silky palate, and a wonderfully intense and concentrated palate of ripe cherries and a hint of blood orange. The finish is long and savoury, and so complex. Astonishingly good Syrah.

First produced in 2015, his Grenache Blanc comes from 600-650m elevation in Piekenierskloof, and is a taut, elegant expression of the grape. This is really rather beautiful. Notes of apple blossom and ginger spice, and a silky and flowing mouthfeel. There’s an almost tonic feel to the finish. Cleansing and refreshing.

The Rall Red is a blend of 70% Syrah 12% Grenache 10% Carignan and 8% Cinsault, with all the fruit coming from the Swartland. A lovely nose, very southern French in style: this is like a cool and sophisticated Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Notes of lavender and baked earth, and also plenty of mulberry and other wild berry fruit. Very well defined, and very long indeed.

The Main Road and Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon comes from two vineyards, planted 21 years ago. Just 5km from the ocean, and at 1,200 feet elevation, this is one of the coolest spots in the Cape’s winelands. And that results in an elegant, pure, unique style of South African Cabernet. Here, Craig’s been known to harvest grapes as late as May: that’s the equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere. And with baboons and birds seeking out the final grapes on vines in the valley, the yields are pitifully small. But the wine is remarkable: already a Cape cult classic. Lovely energy here, saline and very pure, with grippy tannins and a very long finish.

A pure and juicy Syrah that offers incredible value for money. Long and pure and so focussed: a really delicious wine.

The Reserve Red is 100% Syrah, from a south-east facing block on the farm. It’s a peppery, nervy Syrah, with tons of finesse.

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”).

Made from parcels of Chenin Blanc Bush vines on the decomposed sandy soils of the Skurfberg, the wine that takes this mountain’s name comes from plots that were planted between 1940 and 1955.

This is a blend of 50% Chenin Blanc with 50% Palomino It comes from a rare thing in South Africa: a vineyard planted on pure limestone, just 2km from the ocean, planted between 1958 and 1967.

The Soldaat Grenache vineyard is at high altitude in Piekenierskloof, and that allows the grapes to ripe fully, thanks to plenty of sun, but retain freshness, thanks to the 700m plus elevation. The vines are now 55 years old.

The white equivalent of Columella is Palladius: the Swartland white. It’s a blend of all eleven official Swartland white varieties, and comes from seventeen different vineyards across the region, mainly on the Paardeberg, but with vineyards by the coast in St Helena Bay, and on the Piketberg.

For Eben Sadie, Tinta Barocca might be the best suited red variety for reflecting the Swartland’s terroir. And this, the Treinspoor, from a vineyard planted in iron rich soils in 1974, is possibly the Cape’s greatest iteration. It takes its name from the trainline that runs alongside the vineyard.

From a 32 year old vineyard in Stellenbosch, this is a wonderful example of Cape Sauvignon Blanc, from a master winemaker. On the nose, orange blossom and plenty of grapefruit pith, while the palate is tense, textured, and stunningly long. This would pass for a wine at double the price. A brilliant white: not to be missed.

The Savage White remains as Cape White Blend. A mix of 64% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon and 16% Chenin Blanc, with fruit from Kaaimansgat, Villiersdorp, Piekenierskloof and Stellenbosch, it’s a wine that’s all about texture and finesse.

The 2020 Grenache Blanc is another hit from Chris Williams. Lemon pith and wet stones on the nose, and a long, savoury, beautifully textured palate. Incredibly well balanced, and fine-boned, it’s a simply delicious wine. And it’s one of the best value wines in our range.

The 2007 Syrah from Chris Williams comes from the Helderberg in Stellenbosch, and the wine is an intensely coloured, pure, expressive Syrah from a real master winemaker. Notes of white pepper and dark chocolate, and an intense core of dark fruit, are all supported by lively acidity and a pure, savoury finish. Brilliant.

Made by talented winemaker Miles Mossop, this is an astonishingly good Sauvignon Blanc, with just 15% Semillon in the blend. Notes of green pineapple, as well a sea spray and ginger, and plenty of grip on the palate makes this a simply delicious wine. It’s wonderful now, and just so quaffable (particularly at this price), but will continue to evolve over the next 5-10 years.

A new wine for L&W from John, this is a Chenin Blanc from the Swartland's Paardeberg mountain, from 40 year old vines planted in the Langkloof valley in 1979. The wine is bright and vibrant, with amazing texture. Already delicious, it's sure to age impressively.

The Wanderers Heart is a blend of 66% Grenache from the Paardeberg in the Swartland, 23% Mourvedre from Bot Rivier, and 11% Syrah from shale in the same location. With 60% whole bunches, it's a juicy, fresh, and fragrant red. While John's whites typically get the plaudits, this is getting better and better. Don't overlook it.