Cap Classique has emerged as one of the sparkling wine world’s most compelling success stories. Produced using the same traditional method as Champagne – secondary fermentation in the bottle, or “méthode cap classique” – these wines undergo extended lees ageing of minimum 12 months that develops the complex, toasty, brioche-like character prized by connoisseurs worldwide. South Africa’s diverse terroirs, from the cool coastal vineyards of Robertson, Walker Bay and Elgin to the historic slopes of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, provide the ideal conditions for growing the classic varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, that form the backbone of exceptional Cap Classique wines.
What sets this category apart is its remarkable combination of Old World craftsmanship and New World vibrancy and precision. Winemakers here have spent decades researching and refining their techniques, and the results speak for themselves: bright steely acidities, fine persistent mousse, and layered autolytic complexity that rivals wines costing a great deal more.
International recognition has followed accordingly and Cap Classique producers now regularly claim top honours at global sparkling wine competitions, while exports continue to climb as sommeliers and consumers discover the category’s exceptional value proposition. With over 100 producers now crafting these wines and quality standards continuing to rise, the Cap Classique category represents not just a regional specialty, but a genuine contender on the world sparkling wine stage.
Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira
As a long time lover and aficionado of both top Champagne and Cap Classique sparkling wines having done my Master of Wine dissertation on Cap Classique production in Constantia Valley, I relish every opportunity to taste new releases as the wines seem to simply get better and better. Hot on the heels of Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira retiring from Graham Beck as head winemaker and cellar master to focus on his own eponymous Cap Classique venture, Pieter and his wife Anne were in London recently firstly for Pieter to receive the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Lifetime Achievement Award and secondly to present, on behalf of the Cap Classique Association, an impressive line up of current release Cap Classique sparkling wines over a stunning breakfast.
Springfield Estate Garuzis Brut NV Cap Classique
Zippy and zesty aromatics, crisp, saline and incredibly elegant with an understated intensity.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2024 Cap Classique
Rich bold toasty aromatics with honeycomb, brioche and leesy biscuit length. A classic.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Babylonstoren Sprankel Brut 2019Cap Classique
Fulsome and creamy in the mouth, expansive mousse, very fine bubbles with a saline, oyster shell finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
L’Ormarins Brut Classique Rose 2022Cap Classique
Delicate rose petals and cherry blossom perfume with hints of ginger and cranberry, finishing with a nutty, creamy length. Very impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paul Rene Wines Pinot Noir / Chardonnay Brut Rose 2022Cap Classique
Strawberries and cream top notes with pink musk and delicately savoury nuances. Fulsome palate with zesty fresh medley of red fruits. Very classy, accomplished Cap Classique.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine des Dieux Rose of Sharon Rose 2016Cap Classique
Orange copper colour, aromatics show tertiary depth, brioche, macerated strawberries, blood orange and a delicately savoury saline finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Krone Twee Jonge Gezellen Blanc de Blancs 2021 Cap Classique
Chalky, stony, lemon sherbet bon bons notes, the palate taut and nervy, crisp, steely and focused with a salted brioche length.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Pieter Ferreira Blanc de Blancs Brut 2020 Cap Classique
Sleek, spicy lemon grass and grapefruit citrus, super fresh after 5 years on lees, tight knit, saline with a steely focus. Such incredible precision.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Jacques Bruere Bon Courage Blanc de Blancs Brut 2015 Cap Classique
100% Chardonnay, shows rich, leesy, smoky aromatics, with apple strudel, brioche and sourdough complexity. Tart tangy acids rest comfortably alongside, lemony, leesy tertiary hints.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Steenberg Lady R 2019 Cap Classique
Delicate, subtle aromatics of lemon peel, limestone and dried herbs follow to a leesy, biscuity palate with salted pistachios and kelpy, saline apple strudel nuances.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Graham Beck Cuvee Clive 2019 Cap Classique
Deep complex aromatics show salted brioche, leesy biscuit and delicate kelpy oyster shell nuances. Pinpoint and precise, incredibly focused and fine, a dreamy creamy mousse with such elegance, tension and finesse.
A steely, saline, oyster shell aromatics with briney, kelpy nuances. Palate is plush and broad, creamy and intense with salted brioche, apple strudel pastries and a long, leesy nutty finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Krone Twee Jonge Gezellen Borealis Vintage Cuvee Brut 2024 Cap Classique
Lemon and herbs, spicy brioche and lemon peel notes, salted pistachios with a picante fine mousse and a persistent salinity.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Neetlingshof Brut NV Cap Classique
Bready, biscuity doughy aromatics, with hints of wild strawberry and peach skins before a creamy, zesty explosive saline finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Des Dieux Claudia Brut 2021Cap Classique
Delicately earthy and savoury with macerated red berries, brioche and stewed strawberries. Complex autolytic notes with a crisp, energetic mousse, finishing with a tangy vibrant finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Krone Twee Jonge Gezellen Rose Cuvee Brut 2024Cap Classique
Dense and complex, this shows real depth and precision, macerated strawberry, savoury hints, ginger and potpourri spice. Tangy, intense and impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Villiera Tradition Brut Rose NVCap Classique
Complex nose of wet tobacco leaf, cranberry and rose petal hints with limestone mineral nuances. Full in the mouth, plush and creamy with an enticing candied red cherry fruit length.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Graham Beck Pinot Noir Rose 2019Cap Classique
Macerated strawberries and red berry fruits, with hints of musk and limestone. Cool, linear and precise, an explosive mousse and real energy and precision.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Steenberg 1682 Chardonnay Brut Cap Classique
Lemon and lime peel zest, pure fresh and taut, the mousse delicately sappy and smoky with a savoury, creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paul Rene Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NVCap Classique
Complex oyster shell notes with limestone, kelpy nuances, lemon and lime characters coming through on the savoury finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
L’Ormarins Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2022Cap Classique
Wonderfully fresh and zesty, sleek and precise with lime peel, waxy lemons, chalky minerality and a compact, energetic mousse. Youthful but impressive pedigree.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Many thanks to Clare Malec at Island Media and the Cap Classique Association for organising this excellent event. For more information, contact:
Stellenbosch’s 2022 Chenin Blanc vintage stands out as one of the region’s most balanced in recent memory. A cooler, more temperate growing season allowed grapes to ripen slowly and evenly, preserving the natural acidity that gives Chenin Blanc its signature steely freshness. Winemakers reported healthy yields and excellent fruit concentration, with old bush vines, many decades old, producing wines of remarkable depth and texture. The result is a vintage marked by vibrant citrus and stone fruit notes, layered with honied complexity and a distinct minerality drawn from Stellenbosch’s Granite and Sandstone soils. Overall, 2022 has been praised as a near benchmark year, showcasing why Chenin Blanc remains South Africa’s flagship white cultivar.
Having been a little bit quiet lately, I manage to catch up with Ian Naude in Cape Town in August 2026 (well, on the beach in Melkbosstrand actually) to discuss his new impending releases. Ian Naude is obviously renowned for holding back vintages and releasing both his reds and whites with considerable time in bottle.
Tasting with Ian Naude in Melkbosstrand near Cape Town.
But of course, Ian’s steely, early picked, low pH style of winemaking demands this extra bit of bottle ageing to allow the wines to settle, fully integrate and lose an element of their youthful nervousness while still allowing the wines to age gracefully for a further decade of more from final release. The 2016 Chenin Blanc from Ian is only just coming into its prime and currently drinking exceptionally well on its 10th birthday. Finally, don’t miss my upcoming review of his long awaited Old Vine Werfdans 2018 Cinsault published soon.
Naude Wines Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.
The Naude Wines 2021 Chenin Blanc was an incredibly taut, steely, focused white wine from a cool 5 star vintage and the 2022 seems to pick up squarely where the phenomenal 2021 left off. A pale straw colour in the glass, the aromatics speak with an incredible clarity and purity, showing a subtle, intricate array of white peach, green apples and pear drop fruits with an overlay of dried hay and dusty Granitic minerality. The palate is every bit as steely, crystalline and intense with classical hints of yellow stone fruits, honeycomb and crunchy green pear fruits with a kiss of wet river pebble stony minerality on the drying saline finish. Laser focused, texturally quite angular still with an impressive palate balance and symmetry. This is a grown up Chenin Blanc for connoisseurs. Drink from 2027 to 2038+.
Le Riche Wines, based in Stellenbosch, is undoubtedly one of the country’s most respected Cabernet Sauvignon specialists – a producer whose entire identity has been built around a single premium grape variety. The estate was established in 1996 by Etienne Le Riche, an “estate-winemaker-turned-garagiste” who spent two decades making wine at the historic Rustenberg Estate before striking out on his own. His son Christo, who began helping with punch downs at the winery’s open-top concrete fermenters as a young teenager, is now head winemaker, continuing a deep family knowledge of Stellenbosch’s varied Cabernet terroirs sourced from over a dozen growers.
At the heart of the Le Riche range sits the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, the coveted flagship of the portfolio, blended exclusively from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes drawn from the estate’s best-performing vineyard blocks around Stellenbosch. Reserve status is only awarded when the grapes and finished wine reach an exceptional standard, making it a limited quantity, allocation-only release. The wine undergoes extended maceration to boost age-worthiness, followed by up to two years in a generous proportion of new oak with further bottle ageing before release. The results speak for themselves… earlier vintages have earned accolades such as John Platter’s Red Wine of the Year, while the 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards, cementing Le Riche’s reputation among South Africa’s Cabernet elite.
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14.38% Abv.
1.3g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.72pH
This is another excellent 2023 Stellenbosch red that is proof that the vintage did indeed produce several exceptional wines. As usual, the Reserve is comprised of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from 13 different vineyard components located in several Stellenbosch wards (Helderberg Coastal, Helderberg North, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Jonkershoek Valley) that were aged for 24 months in French oak barrels, 75% new. The aromatics are beautifully ripe and lifted showing layers of sweet violets, earthy black currant, tilled earth, cigar wrapper and subtle baking spices alongside sappy cedar oak notes with a dusting of graphite. Impressively elegant and silky on the palate revealing medium bodied layers of crème de cassis, blueberry and picante black cherry fruits that melt away into a supple, creamy mouthfeel with soft plush tannins and a well-integrated mellow acidity, finishing with a seductive chocolate orange nuance. An accomplished wine that is already generously accessible now but offers a decade or more of beneficial cellaring potential.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Le Riche wines are imported into the UK by Boutinot Wines. The Cabernet Reserve 2023 was offered retail in South Africa at circa R1,050 per bottle.
Brookdale Estate is undoubtedly a winery that rewards the curious. Founded by UK-born proprietor Tim Rudd, who saw immense potential in what was once overgrown, underutilised land in the Klein Drakenstein Valley, the estate was built with a clear vision: to craft world-class blends from varietals rarely seen in South African vineyards. Set beneath the Granite peaks of Paarl, this is terroir explored in unconventional ways — a growing range of maverick wines each harvest.
Since its first vintage in 2017, the estate has built a reputation for character-driven, elegant wines, guided today by rising winemaker star Xander Sadie alongside Shanice du Preez, following a period of early consultation from Duncan Savage, one of South Africa’s most respected cellar minds.
Tasting in Cape Town last year with winemaker Xander Sadie.
Across the Brookdale and second label Mason Road ranges, you can expect Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, and Syrah worked with old-world restraint and new-world daring, boasting honeyed stone fruits, saline Granitic minerality, and long, textured finishes rather than obvious fruit-forward simplicity. This is a wine estate for connoisseurs drawn to provenance and experimentation in equal measure: minimal intervention, thoughtful farming, and a genuine sense of place and terroir. Brookdale Estate doesn’t chase trends so much as quietly redefine what Paarl can do, one unusual and deliberate bottling at a time.
Brookdale Estate Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Paarl, 13% Abv.
This is the wine that started the whole Brookdale story almost 10 years ago with the release of the 2017 Chenin Blanc. Today, this Old Vine Certified Heritage vineyard planted in 1985 is widely recognized for its premium quality and unique Paarl terroir. With the 2024 release, you have yet another classically imposing Chenin Blanc expression showing evocative aromatics of white peach, ripe quince, honey and pineapple pastille before intricate terroir notes of fynbos, wet straw bales and herbal spice nuances. The palate is explosive and intense, deliciously glycerol and concentrated with textural layers of peachy flesh, honeycomb and subtle hints of salted caramel that melt away into apple puree notes. The acids are exceptionally well integrated, delectably tangy, supporting the palate breadth and depth admirably. This is a substantial 2024 offering that perhaps has more in common stylistically with the more concentrated expressions of the 2025 vintage than the more ethereal, crystalline styles that typify 2024. Undoubtedly a triumph for Brookdale and a triumph for Old Vine Chenin Blanc pedigree. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Bradbourne Estate White Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 13.5% Abv.
In 2025, the Estate White blend features 59% Grenache Blanc, 23% Roussanne, 12% Marsanne, 4% Palomino and 2% Vermentino aged for 10 months in large-format oak barrels. This Mediterranean meets Rhone blend shows plenty of stone fruit characters with aromatics of lemon grass, crystalised stem ginger and sweet herbs over a lemon citrus and lemon biscuit complexity. As expected from 2025, the palate is majestically focused and intense, richly textured and characterful, packing plenty of tightly wound pithy fruit concentration, bright tangy acids and a long, savoury, leesy, delicately stony mineral finish with a notable phenolic grip. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Grenache Blanc 2025, WO Paarl, 13% Abv.
This is my first encounter with the Grenache Blanc from Brookdale after walking the young newly planted vineyards multiple times over the years. Listed under Brookdale’s “Rare & Unusual” range, Grenache Blanc is slowly building up quite a quality performance record in the Cape winelands and this delightful 2025 continues this trend. The aromatics are incredibly pure and precise with focused aromas of pithy lemon and lime citrus, lemon grass, dried baking spices and subtle Granitic mineral stony nuances. The palate shows an equally pure crystalline character with delicate candied ginger notes emerging alongside crystalised lemon slices, Schweppes bitter lemon and yellow candied bon bon confectionary notes. Delicately spicy, deliciously tangy and beautifully refreshing. What a cracker! Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Sixteen White Field Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.
Always one of the most intriguing wines in the Brookdale range, this 2025 is an absolute superstar made up of sixteen different bush vine cultivars interplanted in a single vineyard. The aromatics are bold and bright, brimming with pithy yellow citrus, white peach, honeysuckle floral perfume, before green pear, dried herbs and a strong, stony mineral vein. The palate is fleshy and textural while retaining a certain crispness, refreshed by tangy bright acids alongside a big fruit concentration of peaches, quince and delicate stone fruits. Very expressive and confident, this could be the finest Sixteen produced to date. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Grenache Noir 2025, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.
Also a first tasting for me of the Brookdale Grenache Noir, which in 2025 was 20% whole-bunch fermented before being matured for eight months in 2,500 litre foudre. On the nose, plenty of exotic notes emerge with hints of potpourri, rose petals and Asian five spice over a medley of red and black berry fruits which retain a certain bloody, irony spiciness and a seductively wild hedgerow bramble berry earthiness. In the mouth, there is plenty of succulent red berry fruit with a comfortingly fleshy, generous texture, fine creamy tannins and long, warming glycerol finish with yet more exotic spices. A ripe, bold style of Grenache that manages to retain a sense of grace and elegance. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Twenty Red Field Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.
Following in the footsteps of the Sixteen White Field Blend, the Twenty does exactly what it says on the tin, being a field blend of twenty red cultivars interplanted as bush vines in a single vineyard. Matured for around a year in concrete eggs and 500-litre barrels, the aromatics are explosive with high toned perfumed violets and cherry blossoms bursting from the glass, complemented by black cherries, blueberries and earthy black currant fruits. On the palate, there is a cool, refined elegance, the texture satin soft and creamy, before layers of succulent blue and black berry fruits emerge, cushioned by soft integrated acids, a warming alcohol and silky tannins. A truly fascinating, seductive offering that harks back to the classical field blend reds of yesteryear produced in Spain and Portugal. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Brookdale Estate and Mason Road wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Hallgarten Wines.
The Welbedacht Wine Estate is a historic property in Wellington, in the heart of South Africa’s Cape winelands. Though the farm’s roots trace back to the 1830s, its modern chapter began in 1997 when former Springbok lock Schalk Burger Sr. acquired the estate, later building a 1,000-ton cellar completed in time for the 2005 harvest. Today, Welbedacht is recognised as one of the Wellington region’s leading producers, blending old vine vineyards, some over 40 years old, with new plantings guided by generations of winemaking experience.
At the heart of the estate’s portfolio stands its flagship wine: Die Afrikaanse Patriot Kaapse Versnit, a Cape Blend crafted as a tribute to the Afrikaans-speaking community and its contribution to South Africa’s cultural landscape. The wine draws its name and meaning from the historic Groenberg school on the Welbedacht farm, a site closely tied to the early movement for the recognition of Afrikaans as an official language. Carefully composed from classic varieties in the tradition of award-winning Cape reds, the blend reflects the depth, complexity, and character of the Boland’s vineyards.
More than just a wine, Die Afrikaanse Patriot 2024 Cape Blend is a bottled piece of heritage, connecting Welbedacht’s terroir to the deeper story of language, identity, and culture in the Cape.
Welbedacht Estate Die Afrikaanse Patriot 2024 Cape Blend, WO Groenberg, 14% Abv.
A blend of Pinotage, Mourvedre, Syrah and Petit Verdot creates a plush luxurious expression with opulent hedonistic aromatics of hoisin plum sauce, mulberries and macerated earthy black currants with a dusting of vanilla pod spice. In the mouth, the palate is broad and lush, medium to full bodied with a seamlessly elegant texture, compact creamy tannins and a pronounced undertone of cassis leaf and boiled black currant rock candy. Impressively elegant with a harmonious mouth coating intensity, this red is undoubtedly one of the jewels in the Welbedacht crown. Drink now and over the next decade.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Welbedacht wines are available in the UK from importer The Sporting Wine Club.
Diemersdal Estate sits on the cool, wind-swept slopes of the Dorstberg in Durbanville, just outside Cape Town, on land granted by Simon van der Stel to free burgher Hendrik Sneewind in 1698, later passing to Captain Diemer, whose name the farm still bears. The Louw family purchased the estate in 1885, and today the sixth generation manages the vineyards and winemaking. Though historically celebrated for Pinotage, it’s Sauvignon Blanc that has carried Diemersdal’s reputation onto the world stage, recognising the potential of the variety in the Cape’s cool-climate conditions, the estate released its first Sauvignon Blanc in a decision that would go on to define its identity.
A trio of new UK releases.
Central to that story is winemaker Thys Louw, who joined Diemersdal as the sixth generation to farm the land, releasing his first wine, the Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc, from a small parcel of premium vines entrusted to him. The estate’s point of difference is its commitment to dryland viticulture rather than irrigation, which forces vines to dig deeper roots and toughen up against the Cape’s unpredictable seasons, a philosophy that has made Diemersdal one of Durbanville’s defining Sauvignon Blanc voices, alongside its innovative Winter Ferment style.
The 2025 vintage continued this trajectory, with the flagship blend drawn from ten different vineyard blocks varying in age, clone and site and earning a Silver medal at the 2026 International Wine Challenge. The 2026 vintage made headlines of its own: just over a month into harvest, Diemersdal bottled and released its Sauvignon Blanc 2026, one of the first from that year’s Cape vintage to reach shelves, despite warm, windy and dry conditions from November through January that nonetheless produced above-average yields and beautifully ripened fruit — a fitting showcase of the estate’s dryland resilience and its enduring race to be first to market each season.
Cape Cloud Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Cape Town, 12.5% Abv.
This special Sauvignon Blanc cuvée produced exclusively for the M&S supermarket, is sourced from cool climate coastal vineyards located close to Cape Town grown on decomposed Granite soils. The aromatics bristle with verve and energy, bright fragrant tones filled with crunchy white citrus, green apples and pear fruits laced with pronounced notes of crushed rocks, sappy cut grass and delicate white pepper hints. On the palate the freshness and crystalline fruit characters shine, the complex layers of green mango, guava fruit, Cape gooseberries and green fig deliciously concentrated and tightly interwoven. A refreshingly dry Sauvignon Blanc from a 5 Star Cape vintage. Drink now to 2028+.
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc 2026, WO Cape Town, 12.5% Abv.
This delightfully vibrant young 2026 Sauvignon Blanc is a true masterclass in pure, vivacious Sauvignon Blanc typicity, with attractive aromatics bursting with zesty lemon pith, gooseberries and a medley of tropical passion fruit nuances. Deliciously pure fruited and concentrated, the crystalline mouth watering intensity reveals a steely mid-palate tension in perfect synergy with a piercing tangy acidity, finishing with a delicately saline lemon-lime zest persistence. A Sauvignon Blanc lovers dream wine. Drink now to 2030.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Diemersdal Estate Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2025, WO Durbanville, 13.5% Abv.
Thys Louw represents the 6th generation to be farming and making premium wines in the Durbanville ward within the Cape Town district. Now regarded as one of the most renowned Sauvignon Blanc specialists, this Reserve cuvée epitomizes the estate’s focus on quality, innovation and experimentation. Impressively pure and refined, the 2025 Reserve is made from the highest vineyard block on the Diemersdal Estate, merely a stone’s throw away from Table Mountain and the cooling influence of False Bay. These premium dryland-farmed Sauvignon Blanc grapes are hand harvested, preserving the fragrant aromatics of passion fruit, waxy green apples, black currant leaf, crystallised fig and classical Cape gooseberry characters. The palate displays a harmonious glycerol textural depth, full, broad and fleshy, layered with hints of white peach, green mango and lime cordial, supported by impressively integrated tangy fresh acids. This is a wine of substance and intensity, well-constructed with classical power, purity and persistence. Drink now to 2032+.
This inviting bottle of 20 year old Vina Gravonia Rioja Blanco had been pulled from my cellar and had been sitting in my fridge for several months waiting for the right moment (and the right company) to enjoy it. With a fellow wine trade colleague joining me for dinner, this seductively complex white served as a perfect aperitif, simply too delicious to drink too quickly.
I will always remember Tondonia owner Maria-Jose Lopez de Heredia presenting a large Vina Gravonia vertical back to 2001 that I organised. Her excitement was palpable… which to be honest, I found a little strange, as surely she got to taste these and much older and grander white bottlings at the winery in Haro all the time. Then she explained that they did not keep back vintage Vina Gravonia stocks in their archive cellar. It would all be released and once it was sold out, that was it. Very few collectors or merchants ever kept back older Vina Gravonia bottles, preferring instead to age the Reservas or Gran Reserva Blancos for many years. So tasting old white Vina Gravonia whites was always a special occasion for her.
This 20 year old white, originally aged for 4 years in American oak barrels, displays a fabulous bronzed brilliant yellow golden colour, shining with a complex aromatics of waxy orange peel, bruised apples, honeysuckle, bees wax and enticing honeycomb, vanilla pod and chamomile nuances. While there is a thread of tertiary complexity on the nose, the palate is far more dialled in and pure, showing taut yellow citrus fruits, candied ginger, salted caramel, baked apples and honied peaches all underpinned by fresh precise acids and a dry nuttiness. Obviously, the Tondonia whites are made in an oxidative style, but you can’t help feeling that this wine has hardly evolved since it was bottled. These traditional oxidative styles of Rioja Blanco are perhaps not your average consumers’ forte, but like oysters and caviar, once you have acquired a taste for these wines, there is simply no looking back. One of the most individual, complex and enticing white wines on the market. Drink now and over the next 15 to 20+ years.
Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance stands today as one of South Africa’s most compelling fine wine stories, a modern revival of an 18th century legend once favoured by Napoleon and European royalty. Crafted entirely from unfortified Muscat de Frontignan grapes left to naturally raisin on the vine, it channels historical prestige into a contemporary, technically precise expression with vibrant acidity balancing opulent apricot, honey, and citrus-peel sweetness. No longer a curiosity, Vin de Constance now commands serious fine wine attention alongside Sauternes and Tokaji on global wine lists, prized by collectors and sommeliers for its ageability, distinctive terroir, and its role in restoring Constantia’s wider reputation as a world-class sweet wine region.
The 2023 vintage stood out for its unique character of balance and precision, shaped by a cool, slow ripening season and an extended harvest window. A warm, dry winter that led to early budbreak and strong initial growth, was followed by steady canopy development and slightly uneven flowering, naturally regulating the yields. Cooler summer conditions slowed ripening and preserved vibrant acidity, while late season rains added both pressure and opportunity, requiring highly precise vineyard selection. Despite lower yields and smaller berries, the vintage delivered fruit of excellent concentration, freshness and structural balance.
The 2023 harvest was one of the latest and most extended in recent years, with picking carried out from 14th February to 18th April, owing to close to 25 passes through the vineyards. The fruits were selected at different stages of ripeness, from fresh ripe berries to naturally raisined grapes, ensuring a layered and complex final blend.
In the cellar, the grapes underwent two weeks of skin contact before pressing, followed by a slow fermentation over approximately two months, which stopped naturally to preserve balance and purity. Each component was vinified separately with continuous blending trials to unlock the unique DNA of this vintage. The wine was matured for 18 months in 500L barrels (50% new) of French, Austrian and Hungarian oak, followed by a further year in 4,200L French oak foudres. This dual ageing approach enhanced both structure and refinement, allowing the components to integrate while maintaining freshness and vibrancy. Only the finest elements were selected for the final blend, reflecting the vintage’s precision and layered character.
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2023, WO Constantia, 14.2% Abv.
162g/l RS | 5.9g/l TA | 3.7pH
A beautifully deep honied gold colour, this 2023 looks every bit as substantial as it smells, with complex lifted aromatics of orange marmalade and crystallised lemon peel, freshly baked warm apple strudel pastries, cinnamon spice, subtle butterscotch and vanilla pod nuances. The finesse, harmony and elegance on the palate are simply astounding with seamlessly interwoven flavours of cinnamon and nutmeg spice, ripe apricot, dried mango and quinces in syrup coating the mouth. While incredibly concentrated, there is the archetypal Vin de Constance weightless intensity of crystallised yellow orchard fruits, the sweetness perfectly tempered by a well-integrated tangy acidity. Quite simply, this is a benchmark sweet wine style that never puts a foot out of place. Bravo. Drink now to 2045+.
Evert-Gerard Rautenbach has a successful day job at the Paserene / Atlas Swift Winery in Franschhoek in the Western Cape. As a side hobby project, Evert makes a small amount of experimental single cultivar Marsanne sourced from a vineyard in Wellington. On a recent visit to Franschhoek, Evert gave me a bottle of the 2025 Marsanne to try, noting that while this vintage is almost sold out, he is even more excited by the quality and styling of the 2026 vintage. As always, I love to champion new wines and young talented winemakers, and Evert is certainly a name to keep an eye on.
The Last Arrow Marsanne 2025, WO Wellington, 13.5% Abv.
This pure 100% Marsanne was whole bunch pressed and then barrel fermented with natural yeasts, being kept on its gross lees for the entire maturation time of 9 months in all neutral oak barrels, before being fined, filtered and bottled, then aged for an additional 3 months before release. The wine possesses a dark golden yellow bonze colour and exotic aromatics of ripe peach stone fruits, hints of quince, yellow apple, bees wax, honeycomb and savoury leesy biscuit nuances. In the mouth the texture is glycerol and fleshy, marked with a pithy, picante spiciness that adds an attractive gentle herbal bitterness, the grape’s naturally lower acidity lending further notions of palate breadth and depth. Overall, a very harmonious, well-constructed wine that would make for a perfect food pairing menu, perhaps matched with a lightly curried Cape Malay fish dish or even more traditional freshly dived scallops. Drink now. (Only 500 bottles produced and released at R180 per bottle in SA.)
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Currently, no UK or European representation that I know of.
Franschhoek is of course better known as the “French Corner” of the Cape winelands, and as such, has built up an internationally respected reputation for boutique wine quality to accompany its world-famous culinary tourism and boutique hotel and spa scene. Working in co-ordination with the Franschhoek Vignerons’ membership, and in particular Gerard Holden of Holden Manz winery fame, I was able to put together an incredible in-depth, deep-dive line-up of wine tastings, vineyard walks and winery visits over a three-day visit to the Franschhoek Valley in August 2026.
The mountains of the Franschhoek Valley
The Franschhoek Valley and its vignerons are certainly not short on brand strengths and general unique selling points when it comes to promoting their wider reputation. They already possess a brand equity built on quality and heritage, with their unique Huguenot founding story and French lineage intertwined with a well-established food-and-wine tourism identity helping to set them apart from other nearby regions such as Paarl, Wellington, and indeed Stellenbosch.
Vines on the Holden Manz Estate
This distinct narrative advantage over other generic “South African wines” has given the Valley a valuable differentiated positioning in the UK market where South Africa is already a familiar, trusted Wine of Origin for international consumers. Crucially for the Franschhoek Valley, South African wine exports have been shifting from bulk to value added, an export strategy that has been prioritised by multiple wine industry trade bodies for some years now, where market diversification and strategic positioning have become all important.
As global wine consumption continues to soften, the data reveals that volumes shipped to the UK declined by 7% in the most recent reporting period, while export value rose by 4%, underscoring the growing competitiveness of South African wine in retail and on-trade channels. For Franschhoek’s largely premium wine producers, this “value over volume” trend plays directly to their strengths as they are not competing on bulk pricing but on quality, story and provenance, which the market is rewarding even as overall demand contracts.
As someone who has bought, sold and drunk the best wines of Franschhoek for many decades, after three deep dive days tasting and travelling around the Valley’s various terroirs, I’m very pleased to report that the Franschhoek’s winemakers, often led by a new generation of young ambitious vignerons, is focusing on quality and precision like never before. Franschhoek is a small Ward, and production is largely boutique within the context of the Western Cape wine industry, with 71% of producers considered small-scale, crushing between 1 and 500 tons of grapes annually.
The luxury Spa at Terre Paisible winery.
Another overlooked benefit of decades of luxury tourism to the Valley is how this now plays directly into the fast growing Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales trend, with these channels now emerging as very lucrative alternative revenue streams for wineries at higher-than-normal retail margins. Despite sales volume pressures, the UK remains the anchor market in which South Africa cannot afford to lose momentum, and to my mind, there is still plenty of room for Franschhoek’s producers to leverage market share more aggressively through premiumisation, positioning single-estate, terroir-driven wines above the generic South African category, in specialist independents, fine-dining lists, and DTC subscription models.
The lawns at Lynx Winery.
Wine tourism – while not a be-all and end-all opportunity in itself – remains an underused lever for converting cellar-door visitors into meaningful customers, and a realistic path to continued success for Franschhoek’s wineries will be value-led, premiumising the Franschhoek Valley name, expanding direct-to-consumer and hospitality channels, and better exploiting the very well establish fine dining and culinary USP of the Franschhoek Valley, tying the boutique wines of the Valley more closely into a premium virtuous food and wine circle.
Finally, on a more practical winery level, there are still many basic winemaking levers available to producers to further develop niche wine sales categories.
Some of these categories that can and should be championed more confidently include:
* The White Blend category, specifically as it relates to Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon “White Bordeaux Blends”.
* Continuing to champion the old vine heritage of the Valley, in particular the famous old vine Semillon wines that are becoming more and more sought-after globally.
* Being more confident in promoting the excellent quality of the Valley’s Cabernet Sauvignon and red Bordeaux Blends, as has been championed by producers such as Boekenhoutskloof in the past with their famous Franschhoek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
* The continued development of Cabernet Franc single cultivar wines as the category continues to gain popularity worldwide.
* Making more of the exceptional potential of the Valley’s Syrah vineyards, some examples perhaps needing to be reined in a little with regards to ripeness levels, picking dates and alcohol levels, but the fruit quality is undoubtedly clearly evident.
* For single cultivar white wines, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc continue to offer excellent potential, and producers would be wise to continue building on the quality reputation that already exists globally for these cultivars. While there isn’t a lot of Chenin Blanc planted in the Valley, the quality potential is also excellent.
* Finally, Franschhoek Valley has become very well known for its excellent Cap Classique traditional method sparkling wines and this represents a lucrative ongoing, scalable opportunity for producers.
Franschhoek Vignerons Tasting:
(Winemakers were invited to present several of their top wines to the other attending Franschhoek Valley winemakers with constructive open discussion being welcomed.)
Cap Classique:
Wildeberg Cap Classique Météorique Blanc de Blancs 2023, WO Franschhoek
Harvested from 5-year-old vines, super rocky soils, fermented in older 6th fill French oak barrels, kept on lees for 24 months, zero dosage. Creamy biscuit, salted brioche, (8-9,000 bottles) brine and maritime salty kelp hints. Creamy, plush and broad in the mouth, vibrant, steely, linear, with a delicious white citrus finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Haute Cabrière Cap Classique Pierre Jourdan Blanc de Blancs 2021, WO Franschhoek
100% Chardonnay, 4.5 years on lees, with 1 g/l dosage, leaving a 3g/l RS. Apple pastille, lemon cordial, creamy mousse, lemon peel, baking spices and a creamy textural finish with a kiss of rock salt salinity.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terre Paisible Cap Classique Vivre Blanc de Blancs 2019, WO Franschhoek
Aged 36 months on its lees, zero dosage, an opulent rich style made from pure Chardonnay off the property. Earthy nuances, savoury root veg, citrus and explosive mousse on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
L’Ormarins Cap Classique Private Cuvée 2017, WO Western Cape
First vintage 2012. A regional blend of fruit including Robertson and Darling shows steely white citrus, chalk and talc notes. Energetic, vibrant grippy mousse, lovely saline edge with a punchy persistent finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Madáme Millésime Blanc de Blancs 2017, WO Western Cape
Pure Chardonnay aged 8.5 years on its lees with zero dosage. Intense, leesy, sourdough and brioche character with a hint of brine and lemon cordial. Energetic mousse, fine grained, creamy and chalky with a delicately savoury finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Vintage Cuvée 2016, WO Western Cape
Aged 8 years and 8 months on its lees. Only the third release after 2012 and 2013, this is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, lovely depth and breadth, the mousse very fine grained and creamy, the purity and sublte richness lingering on the long persistent finish. Characterful, hints of truffle and lovely length. Classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Rosé 2019, WO Western Cape
57% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 3% Pinot Meunier aged 6.5 years on its lees, disgorged in March 2026 with a 3.3 g/l RS. Delicate copper pink the aromatics are very red fruited, rose petals, cranberry, and more creamy mousse. Savoury but subtle and perfumed, a lovely benchmark Rose Cap Classique.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
White Wines:
Terre Paisible Les Dames de 1987 Sauvignon Blanc 2023, WO Franschhoek
Intense aromatics, powerful, lifted and quite profound. Grapefruit, gooseberry, green apple and limestone minerality. Textural, complex, multi-layered with a lovely long finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Rickety Bridge Regna Loca Semillon 2025, WO Franschhoek
A new wine range. Franschhoek 1905 old vine Semillon grown on sandy well-draining soils. Low vigour vines yield a steely, mineral, cool classical aromatics from the Landau Vineyard that was so famous. Tightly wound, mineral and white citrus. Very serious expression. Love it.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Old Road Wine Co. La Colline Single Vineyard Grand Mere Semillon 2024, WO Franschhoek
7,000 vines per Ha planted in 1936. Whole bunch pressed into 500 litre oak barrels and clay amphora aged for 9 months, sometimes with partial malo. Beautifully waxy, yellow orchard fruits and hints of peach. Honied, textural and delicately mealy and savoury with a touch of lanolin and butter on the finish. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Holden Manz Semillon Reserve 2023, WO Franschhoek
25- to 30-year-old vineyard with a good vigour. Complex nose of green apple, white citrus and delicate sapidity. Cool, stony and rich, beautifully textured, creamy and tangy with a fine vein of stony minerality. Impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chamonix Old Vine Steen Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Franschhoek
Decomposed Granite and Greywacke soils with clay. Planted in 1965 on the coolest pocket on the farm, packed full of peach and quince with dried herbs, hay, thyme and mint leaf. Rich, textured and glycerol with impressive concentration, orange peel, tangerine, and sweet honeycomb and peaches.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Old Road Wine Co. Single Vineyard Stone Trail Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Franschhoek
Planted in 1982, 400 metres above sea level on Table Mountain sandstone, unirrigated. A more dusty, spicy, dried straw and herbal expression. A more mineral, flinty, linear style with circa 2g/l RS. Steely, lean and delicately savoury with a peachy, stony finish. Serious class.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lynx Winery Viognier 2021, WO Franschhoek
Graves and pebbles on old alluvial soils. Rich and honied, showing plenty of peachy stone fruits, mealy savoury notes, wet straw, honey, bees wax and delicate wood spice notes. Plush and textured, with bright acids, a creamy, glycerol, honied palate texture. A very classy example aging well for a 2021.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wildeberg White Blend 2023, WO Franschhoek
Started in 2018 with first vintage. 100% Semillon from the Landau Vineyard. Semillon and 5% Semillon Gris harvested and vinified together. Fermernted and aged in 600 litre Stockinger barrels, 20% new. Steely, ripe, tangy with a dusty Granitic minerality, tangy bright acids and a cut apple, peachy concentration on the finish. Very classy and sophisticated.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Haute Collection Amphora Chardonnay 2024, WO Franschhoek
Creamy, talc, lemon curd, dusty, from a 1983 vineyard on alluvial valley floor soils. Early picked, then fermented in Amphora. Stony pithy aromatics, flinty reductive hints, pure lime and citrus, light, finessed elegance in a very pure, hands-off expression. Delicately leesy, steely acidity and vibrantly fresh.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Bri Barrel Select Chardonnay 2024, WO Franschhoek
Young vine 8-year-old Chardonnay with three specific clones. (548, 277 and CY95). Delicately malty, mealy, biscuity top notes before savoury spicy lemon peel, a bright tangy sweet – sour acidity with a delicate vanilla pod kiss on the finish. Very expressive, complex and delightfully fleshy and long. Impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Motte Reserve Chardonnay 2024, WO Franschhoek
Cool, smoky and classical with a pronounced struck flint reductive character. Fermentation started in stainless steel before being transferred to barrel. Intense, vibrant and very gastronomic. Steely, lemon and lime focus.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chamonix Reserve Chardonnay 2023, WO Elgin
A complex mineral, lemon and lime complexity, layered with herbs, stony minerality and a hint of orange blossom. Lovely lift of lime citrus, salted caramel, zippy intensity and a really delicious energy. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Great Heart Chardonnay 2022, WO Stellenbosch
Classic Stellenbosch Chardonnay with depth, earthy nuances and mineral spice. Quite a pronounced vein of leesy mealy biscuit notes from 7 months ageing on its lees. Classic peaches in honey, lemon cordial and a cool, creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paserene Chardonnay 2019, WO Elgin
A touch reductive still with a hint of honey, chamomile and kerosene, with a delicate oak footprint from 30% new French oak. Rich and green fruited, toasty, mealy with complex savoury wood spice nuances. Ageing well, this has plenty of legs to go further. No rush.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terre Paisible Vigne d’Or Chardonnay 2022, WO Franschhoek
UC Davis 1 clone with thick skins, whole bunch pressed, racked into barrel for an inoculated Champagne yeast fermentation with circa 10 months ageing. Delicate reduction shows struck flint, lime peel, smoky nuances. Steely, mineral chalky and wet stone minerality and a lovely classical old-world finish. Classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stony Brook Ghost Gum Chardonnay 2025, WO Franschhoek
548 clone shows bright and zesty with a hint of pyrazine leafy spice, wet chalk, grey slate and subtle white citrus. Palate is steely, bright and nervy, full of tension, linearity and coolness, displaying hints of pear drops, lemon citrus and delicate vanilla notes. 50% new French oak, 11 months in barrel. Lovely.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Red Wines:
Rickety Bridge Regna Loca Cinsault 2025, WO Paarl
1954 Old Vine Cinsault, incredibly lifted and perfumed, Granitic soils, this has lift, concentration and intensity. Violets, rose petals, Turkish delight, dried cherries. Taut, vibrant and fresh, nervy, intense and superb complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Great Heart Pinot Noir 2022, WO Elgin
Dusty aromatic lift, touch of whole bunch spice, savoury, smoky brambly and delicately Granitic and earthy. Paul Cluver fruit, the red and black fruits are brambly and pithy, spicy and supple with good length.
(Wine Safari Score: 90+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Haute Collection Pinot Noir 2023, WO Franschhoek
Circa 4 to 5 tons per hectare, 4-day cold soak, 11 months in barrel. Minty choc spice lift with eucalypt, peppermint crisp, and wild strawberry spice. Intense concentration, piercing, tangy and focused. Impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chamonix Reserve Pinot Noir 2024, WO Franschhoek
14 months in French oak blond toast barrels, 50% new. Bright and pure, crystalline, sour cherry, lovely purity, elegance and precision with just a delicate hint of mint and eucalypt on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lynx Winery Grenache 2023, WO Franschhoek
Vines are 25 years old with a regrafting from Cabernet Sauvignon in 2009. There is a broody black cherry, Granitic, wet slate complexity. Wild and candied on the palate, exotic, spicy and red fruited with a cherry cola kiss on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Bri Syrah 2023, WO Franschhoek
Planted on alluvial sands with the use of circa 5% Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah, all picked together in mid-March. A very harmonious style, in barrel for two years, 18% new, yielding balance, black berry fruits, pepper, spicy charcuterie and juicy, tangy fruit length. A very accessible wine with lovely approachability. Delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Old Road Wine Co. Single Vineyard Pepper Wind Syrah 2024, WO Franschhoek
Fermented in small 1-ton fermenters, then basket pressed, with a portion in 600 litre ceramic pots. Delicate tarry notes, black currant, blue berry and black cherry. Picante, fresh and focused. Impressive and enticing.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Motte Reserve Syrah 2024, WO Cape South Coast
A vineyard lost in a flood so incorporates circa 30% Elim with the 60% Franschhoek Syrah and a splash of Stellenbosch Cabernet. Very cool and kelpy, liquorice, with a long linear, polished finish. Yum.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wildeberg Red Blend 2023, WO Franschhoek
100% Syrah from Bo-Hoek in Franschhoek. 30% Whole bunch fermented is older 600 litre old barrels with ageing for 9 months. Dried herbs, thyme, garrigue, savoury black berry fruits. Creamy, polished and very attractive with wet slate, black cherry and creamy tannins. Truly classy!
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stony Brook The Max Red Blend 2022, WO Franschhoek
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Pithy, black berry fruited expression with graphite, creating an opulent, ripe, picante, accessible fleshy texture with delicately spicy, kelpy, sappy, tobacco leaf notes. Cool, mineral and restrained layered with saline black current with a maritime finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Antonij Rupert Optima Red Blend 2022, WO Coastal Region
38% Cabernet Sauvignon, then Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Cool, savoury and elegant, the 30% new oak is well integrated, showing black currant, black plum and an earthy note. Sleek, vibrant creamy palate, lovely balance, that’s compact and fine grained. Wow, really delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paserene The Union Red Blend 2016, WO Tulbagh
Shiraz, Carignan and Mourvedre. All from Tulbagh fruit, the aromatics a broody medley of red and black fruits, savoury, earthy and delicate charcuterie notes with a hint of salinity.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lynx Winery Spirit of Lynx Red Blend 2019, WO Franschhoek
Bordeaux blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, savoury, toasty, tilled earth aromatics, leafy, mulberry fruits. Full, textural and plush, silky, velvety, tannins with a lovely long creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paserene The Marathon Red 2019, WO Tulbagh
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Tulbagh, 30% new oak, aged for 24 to 30 months ageing with another year in barrel. Plush, creamy, powerful blue – black fruits, a touch lactic with a full, velvety finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Rickety Bridge Regna Loca Cabernet Sauvignon 2024, WO Franschhoek
Pretty, blue black fruits, tart, steely, saline and bright, delightfully cool, creamy and bright, fresh and crystalline with a black berry finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Motte Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Stellenbosch
From Helderberg fruit, only 7km to the sea on decomposed Granite soils. Show classic cool, kelpy, saline, black currant and black cherry with oyster shell. Fresh acids, a harmonious 13.85% Abv. with 40% new oak used, makes for a serious wine.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Bri Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Franschhoek
Gunpowder, spice, graphite, salty black currant with white flower hints. Plush, attractive and deliciously accessible, bright acids, glassy texture and a pure, linear finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stony Brook Ghost Gum Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Franschhoek
Earthy, black currant, touch of tertiary, diesel rag, mulberry, plush sweet fruited and complex with a maritime hint. Super expressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Holden Manz Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Franschhoek
A deep earthy tilled earth note, plush earthy Cabernet, black currant, black chai tea with a hint of tobacco leaf. Plush and full in the mouth, expansive, accessible with a kiss of coffee bean brûléed oak complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Great Heart Cabernet Franc 2021, WO Franschhoek
Spicy and saline, this shows graphite, black cherry and salty liquorice, coffee bean spice and a picante finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Holden Manz Cabernet Franc Reserve 2022, WO Franschhoek
Picked mid-April, this shows cool, creamy black berry layers and a nose with hits of cedar, graphite spice and picante lead pencil. Plush, velvety, full and harmonious, this has breadth and depth, plushness and subtle, understated power. Very classy, powerful with a tight grained tannin expression. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Antonij Rupert Cabernet Franc 2020, WO Franschhoek
Sweet red fruits, perfume, red currant, sappy sweet cedar, fleshy red currant melange. Super creamy, lactic and elegant, silky, supple, soft and accessible. A very classy expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
(On my recent trip, I want to thank all the Vignerons who generously gave me their time to taste and chat about the current state of play in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley: Anthonij Rupert Wines, Babylonstoren, Chamonix, Great Heart, Haute Cabrière, Holden Manz, La Bri, La Motte, Le Lude, Lynx, Old Road Wine Co., Paserene, Rickety Bridge, Stony Brook, Terre Paisible, and Wildeberg.)
