South Africa: New releases

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.

The Family red is predominantly Shiraz, with Grenache, Tinta Barocca, and Cinsault alongside. It’s a wine for Braais and rich stews, with an impressive tannic backbone and tons of depth. So pure and floral, so much texture and fragrance. This gets better and better, with more freshness and precision

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.

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.

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.

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.

BIG is Pieter’s ode to South African Cabernet Sauvignon. It comes from eleven different vineyards, with 8 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 Cabernet franc and 1 Petit Verdot, all from different altitudes. There's so much vivacity and life here: forget about the jammy Cabernets of South Africa's past

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cartology is the backbone of the estate, and is, in Chris’s words, “a vinous exploration of Cape heritage.” It comes from dry farmed bush vines, with a minimum of thirty years old, and most of forty to fifty years old, from around the Cape: from the Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Paardeberg, Bottelary, False Bay and Tygerberg, while in 2019 the 10% Semillon component comes from the 1936-planted La Colline vineyard in Franschhoek. The 2019 is brilliant: on a par with the spectacular 2017. Incredibly textured, with notes of grapefruit oil and a herbal note, too. Brilliant.

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.

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.

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. Slightly shy on the nose at first, this is all about floral detail and texture, and an incredibly mineral, savoury palate. The finish is focussed and very, very long, and the wine seems to blossom with time on the palate. Leave it a few years.

Peter-Allan managed to convince his father-in-law to buy a few grapes from parcels of old vine Chenin Blanc, to make the Elodie Chenin Blanc. It comes from five different vineyards, all of which are over 35 years of age, including Chris Alheit’s Paardeberg farm, and some Durbanville fruit. It's a joyful interplay between bright yellow fruit and crisp acidity: not to be overlooked.

Made‌ ‌with‌ ‌40%‌ ‌whole‌ ‌bunch,‌ ‌the‌ ‌Syrah‌ ‌on‌ ‌Sandstone‌ ‌is‌ ‌floral‌ ‌with‌ ‌stunning‌ ‌purity‌ ‌and‌ ‌loads‌ ‌of‌ ‌strawberry‌ ‌and‌ ‌cranberry‌ ‌fruit.‌ ‌So‌ ‌silky‌ ‌and‌ ‌elegant,‌ ‌it‌ ‌smells‌ ‌so‌ ‌gorgeous:‌ ‌of‌ ‌violets‌ ‌and‌ ‌white‌ pepper. This is such a pure expression of Syrah. Brilliant.

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.

The Hamilton Russell Chardonnay, meanwhile, shows generosity of fruit, and spice that comes from 45% new oak, but also plenty of minerality and focus. It’s a classically styled, Côte de Beaune-like expression of the grape.

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.

For many people, Pinotage is what Kanonkop does best: indeed most winemakers in South Africa view it as the benchmark for this divisive grape variety. The grape variety was first planted on Kanonkop in the 1940s, and this comes from bush vines that are aged between 31 and 65 years old. Fermented in open top concrete tanks, and aged in 80% new barrels, it’s a wine that blossoms with time in bottle, becoming more and more reminiscent of its Pinot Noir roots.

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.

The Terrasse White comes from terraced vineyards, including the old Riverside Chenin Blanc vineyard, planted in 1971, which is also bottled on its own. The Terrasse also has Chenin from two younger vineyards and varying fractions of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, and from 2017 some Roussanne and Marsanne from recently planted vineyards. It’s a white that ages beautifully. This is beautiful perfumed, notes of rose petal and plenty of fresh peach. All about salinity on the finish. Very good indeed.

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 2017 Vin de Constance is another example of how Matt Day has moved the style of this into something that is stunningly elegant, without losing any of its purity and freshness. This is remarkable - explosive on the nose with fresh apricots and thyme, there’s incredible poise and freshness here. The finish is long and savoury - this is sweet but not overbearing. Bravo - a match for the greatest sweet wines of the world.

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 Syrah is a spectacular wine. From decomposed shale soils, from one of the coolest areas in South Africa, it’s a stunningly elegant, defined, perfumed expression of the grape: a truly profound wine.

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.

Kamaraderie was the first vineyard he started with - the farmer was best man at Lukas’ wedding. This Chenin Blanc vineyard is situated in Paarl, in the Klein Drakenstein mountains. The vineyard was planted in 1960, and produces a stunning white, that needs time to unfurl. It’s much more savoury, and tightly wound than the relatively opulent Trust Your Gut. Lots of tension on the palate, so textural and intense. There’s a lovely mouthwatering finish, with notes of fresh peach and honeydew melon, as well as thyme. The name refers to the help that Lukas needed in his first vintage, having broken his leg, as well as the sense of togetherness that he thinks defines the wine trade. Sadly there was no Kamaraderie made in 2020.

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 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.

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

The wine that is perhaps receiving the most attention currently is the Olerasay No.2, awarded 100 points by Neal Martin. Every year since 2008, they’ve held back a barrel or two of their Straw Wine, made from the Chenin Blanc grapes that have the best acidity at harvest, from the Kasteelberg, and the Paardeberg. They refresh a solera each year with the new vintage, and this is the just the second time they’ve bottled a portion. It is spectacular.

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.

The 2019 Family Vineyards Pinot Noir is a stunning wine, that’s all about floral aromatics and focussed energy. It comes from four separate parcels on the estate, and shows incredible balance, purity of fruit, and savoury length. A brilliant Pinot Noir: the best value we know?

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.

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.

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 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.

Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of a berry by berry selection, also from a cool, south east facing slope on the farm. This is a truly spectacular Stellenbosch Cabernet: in a decade, this will be a match for Bordeaux’s greatest names.

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.

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.

The Kokerboom vineyard is some four and a half hours north of the winery, making picking it a real logistical challenge. It’s a Semillon (known as green grape in Afrikaans) plot, planted in the 1930s, and is a mix of both the green (green green grape) and red (red green grape) mutations of the variety.

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.

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.

Pofadder is Eben’s ode to the Cinsault grape, from a 1973-planted vineyard on iron-rich slate soils on the Kasteelberg, in the heart of the Swartland. This is a complex, ageworthy wine: as good as Cinsault gets.

The Mev Kirsten is the oldest vineyard of Chenin Blanc in the Cape. Found in the Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch, much of the plot was planted in the 1920s, and takes its name from the owner, Mrs Kirsten.

The Savage Red started as a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, with grapes from across the Cape. But now it’s morphed into 100% Syrah, all from the same Stellenbosch vineyard. While historically this vineyard was poorly farmed, it’s now seeing biodynamic treatments, and the work seems to be paying off: the 2018 is quite possibly the best yet.

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.

Produced from the only Semillon Gris vineyard in South Africa, from the “Siebritskloof” valley on the Swartland's Paardeberg. Partial skin fermentation gives this a beautiful copper hue, and the nose is stunning, with aromatics of apricots, ginger, and orange peel. A unique wine, this is one to buy every year.

A blend of 36% Roussanne, 25% Semillon, 22% Chenin Blanc, 11% Chardonnay and 6% Clairette Blanche, the 2019 Rocking Horse is another spectacular wine from John Seccombe. It’s a wine to secure on first release every vintage: it won’t disappoint

A new wine in John's range, this comes from 35 year old Sauvignon Blanc bushvines in the Citrasdal mountains, on the Skurfberg itself. This is an impressive, textured Sauvignon: a really serious expression of the grape. All about nuance and the interplay of palate weight and acidity, this is a stunning wine, produced in tiny quantities.

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.