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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Huilkrans comes from the Oudam farm on the Skurfburg, and produces pitiful yields. The vineyards were planted between 1974 and 1989 on a gentle south-facing slope, at 450m above sea level. Notes of burnt orange peel and apricot kernel on the nose, while the palate is zingy and so, so focussed. There’s none produced in 2020, and Chris can’t be sure that the vineyard will ever produce a meaningful quantity again.

Nautical Dawn comes from a Stellenbosch vineyard, facing east and in sight of the ocean, planted in 1978. Here, the shallow granite soil warms fast, and the resulting wine has a breadth, volume, and ripeness that’s not found in Chris’ other wines. There’s notes of yellow fruit, and plenty of spice here. It’s mouth filling and silky, with a long and voluminous finish.

Magnetic North comes from a high mountainous ridge at 520m elevation, with two parcels quite close together on a gentle south-east facing slope. One was planted in 1984, the other in 1981, and the wine is taut and incredibly explosive: a legend in the making. Notes of grapefruit oil, and an almost tonic-like character.

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.

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.

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 Metis Sauvignon Blanc was inspired by Matt’s time in Sancerre. It comes from a single plot at high altitude, with more granite in the soil than the single vineyards. Treated naturally in the cellar, with as little intervention as possible, Matt leaves this on the lees for longer than when he started, and is putting more and more of the blend into oak. The result is a wine that impresses with its tension and sizzling energy, but that doesn’t lack breadth, or mouthfilling texture.

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.

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.

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.

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 Reserve White is a Sauvignon Blanc, that’s vinified and aged in 95% new French oak barrels. It’s as serious as this grape variety gets: it astonishes with its texture, depth, and length.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.