South Africa: New releases

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

From a 0.7ha vineyard on a ridge, planted on red clay with a base of granite, the 2016 Steepside Syrah is a floral, perfumed example of the grape, that wouldn’t look out of place in Côte-Rôtie. There’s real drive on the finish, which lasts an age. This is grown up, and brilliant.

Alex is also passionate about the Cabernet Franc produced on the estate, and is making a single vineyard wine, the Pondokrug Cabernet Franc. From deep clay soils, this is an intense, ripe and powerful wine, but one that benefits from Alex’s delicate winemaking. Really savoury, floral, and very delicate, too. Lovely length here. This is outstanding with plenty of tension. Really Cabernet Franc in character, with clear terroir definition.

This is a real contender for South Africa’s finest Grenache. She calls Grenache “South Africa’s Pinot Noir”, and is always looking to make as elegant and precise an example as possible: this comes in at just 13.5% abv, yet is perfectly ripe. It comes mainly froma farm on the Paardeberg, next to Eben Sadie’s farm, with a drop of Voor Paardeberg and Bot Rivier fruit in 2018, from young vines and carefully selected clones.

This Tinta Barocca, meanwhile, is a real labour of love. She loves the grape variety, and this comes from three different, old vine sources: one in Bot Rivier, one in Stellenbosch, and then a parcel on the same farm on the Paardeberg as the other two wines. This is a bottling that benefits from a couple of years in bottle: with that it develops wonderful smoky notes, and hints of blood orange.

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.

There are just 1,800 bottles of the Wellington Old Vines Basson Cinsault, from a plot planted in 1900.

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.

Named after Donovan’s young daughter, it comes from schist soils, from a farm just outside Riebeek Kasteel, that Donovan and his team farm themselves. Tiny yields and incredibly hard work account for the higher price point. Incredibly peppery on the palate, there’s notes of violets and core of intense, ripe, yet not overbearing fruit. The texture is stunning here, and the finish seems to last an age. This is really very impressive.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.