Tasting the New 2026 Restless River Releases in London with Winemaker Craig Wessels…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

It seems almost implausible that what feels like only a few years ago, Restless River proprietor Craig Wessels, t-shirt and baseball cap adorned, was running around the London wine trade proposing his unique new style wines from his farm in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. But of course, it wasn’t ‘just a couple of years ago’. Having just barrelled down his 22nd vintage, winemaker Craig will soon be back in London again to present 10 significant vintages which will chart the history of his acclaimed Cape Cabernet Sauvignon, Main Road & Dignity. How time flies!

While Craig’s Cabernet Sauvignon is undoubtedly the most unique and individual red fine wine to emerge from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley since Tim Hamilton Russell bottled his early 1980 versions of Cabernet Sauvignon, or Grand Vin Noir as he called them, from his newly established Hamilton Russell Vineyards estate, it is Craig’s premium Chardonnay, the Ava Marie, named after his daughter, that has made waves around the fine wine world as it quickly took a seat at the table of some of the greatest Chardonnays produced anywhere. Again, it also seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in a wonderfully buzzy Cape Town restaurant with Cathy van Zyl MW and Lynne Sherriff MW, forming a rare in-situ trio of South African Masters of Wine, sipping on Craig’s maiden 2012 Ava Marie produced from some of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in the Cape, which was touted at the time as one of the most exciting new Chardonnays on the market.

The Restless River wines are more “formal jacket and tie” in quality these days, but the odd baseball cap still lurks…

Time has indeed moved on, and those Chardonnay vineyards planted in 1998/1999 are still producing some of the Cape’s most iconic Chardonnay. Large parts of the two vineyard blocks of the Main Road & Dignity have also recently been replanted, and I look forward to hearing a full update from Craig as he shares the defining moments, challenges, and his evolving understanding and knowledge that has shaped his winery and vineyards over the last two decades. 

A great lunch tasting with Craig Wessels at London’s premier South African eatery… Kudu on Moxon Street.

At the end of January 2026, I caught up with Craig on one of his lightning tours of Europe, and had the pleasure of his time, mano-a-mano over lunch, to taste through his range of new releases, including his incredibly exciting new ‘baby cuvees’ of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, bottled under the newly adopted “Klein Hemel” label. 

Restless River ‘Klein Hemel’ Pinot Noir 2024, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.5% Abv.

Using a 20% new oak portion, this is made in exactly same way as the bigger brother ‘Le Luc’ cuvee. A mix of vineyards, 60% on Granite and 40% on Shale, sourced from four different sites with vine age ranging from five to nine years old. Subtle and fragrant, this shows beautifully elegant ethereal notes of sweet red cherry, bramble berry and cranberry spice. This wine has a texture of silk, sultry and elegant with soft tight grained tannins and a compact, red berry fruited Granitic finish enlivened by a bright acidity. This is undoubtedly more Cote de Beaune than Cote de Nuits in style and absolutely delicious already. Drink now to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Restless River ‘Le Luc’ Pinot Noir 2023, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13% Abv.

With 30% of new oak barrels used, this 2023 Pinot is a seriously mineral, spicy expression packed full of struck flint, crushed gravel and limestone minerality. Underneath, there are complex notes of bramble berries, wild strawberry, and tart cranberry with a light ethereal concentration with an effortless shakshuka mixed spice note on the finish. Very classy indeed. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Restless River ‘Main Road & Dignity’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.7% Abv. 

The 2023 will be the last use of Main Road vineyard grapes before its grubbing up. The 2022 utilises a 30% new oak portion also using fifth and sixth fill barrels for 24 months before an extra two years aging in barrel. This 2022 is very similar in character to the fresh 2013 vintage with a cool, sleek elegance, aromatics full of sweet cedar, dried herbs, tea leaf and graphite. The palate is sleek and silky, beautifully supple and elegant with soft silky tannins, crisp intricate acids, and fabulously accessible fleshy black berry fruits. If this silky 2022 ages as well as the 2013, drinkers are in store for another classically styled blockbuster. Truly classy. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Restless River ‘Klein Hemel’ Chardonnay 2024, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13% Abv. 

Using a 10% new oak portion in 500 litre barrels, the same as for the Ava Marie cuvee, this wine is made from a blend of three Granitic Chardonnay vineyards planted in 2020. The aromatics are lush and expressive with layers of lemon cordial, lime peel, fresh green apple, and white peach. Incredibly cool and crystalline on the palate, this wine shows precision, purity, and a mineral under vein with vibrant tangy acids and real persistence on the finish. Yet again, a wine that totally over delivers. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Restless River ‘Ava Marie’ Chardonnay 2023, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 12.7% Abv. 

This flagship wine is now made from the oldest Chardonnay vines in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley at 29 years old, lending the wine an extra concentration, weight and intensity. Full of lemon and herbs, lemon cordial and white peach notes that intermingle with fabulous stony mineral nuances. Beautifully full and expressive on the palate, concentrated, this wine is characterful and classy, precise and impressively complex with an overriding supple ease and accessibility. Undoubtedly one of South Africa’s finest Chardonnay expressions produced in the Cape. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting with Craig and the Somm team at Kudu Restaurant, London.

The Restless River wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Liberty Wines.

Assessing a Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc Mini-Vertical: Vintage 2017 to 2020…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Skurfberg Mountain is part of the Citrusdal mountain area and the word Skurfberg (Rugged Mountain in Afrikaans) mainly refers to the edgy and rough appearance of the mountain. The soil is mainly decomposed Table Mountain sandstone formations and tends to be very sandy. It is regarded as a truly great site for Chenin Blanc, and it is most unusual that such a warm and dry area still produces wines with this enormous texture and balancing freshness.

Together, the three low-yielding parcels Sadie Family Wines uses represent the possibilities of the area, each offering something unique to the complexity of the final blend. The one site has huge aromatic fruit concentration; the second offers an earthy character and overt minerality, and the third (the highest, and closest to the Atlantic Ocean) retains amazing acidity and freshness. The three parcels of fruit are vinified separately.

Winemaking: The grapes are picked in small 20kg picking crates and then placed in a cooling room to reduce the temperature. Eben Sadie considers this an essential step in the Swartland where temperatures are often 35 degrees C and more during harvest time; and pressing warm grapes comes with a series of potential challenges. The cooling process is followed up by whole bunch pressing. The process takes about three hours and during this time there is a margin of settling of the juice in the collecting tank. The juice is then transferred to two older foudre where it is left undisturbed until natural fermentation starts. The fermentation process can sometimes take up to 10 or more days to initiate and can last anything from 1 to 6 months, sometimes only finishing during the next spring, by which time the malolactic fermentation would often have come to completion as well. The wine is left in cask on the fermentation lees for 12 months and bottled directly off the lees. They add about 50ppm of sulphur 2 weeks prior to bottling and bottle directly from the cask.

2017 Producer Note: “Skurfberg fruit came in fully ripe in 2017 and produced a very serious wine in the Chenin arena. The aromatics are very spicy, white pepper with some flinty tones that then cross over into again the stone fruit aromas of apples and pear skin. There is also a minerality that is running throughout the wine and not only on the aromatics, but it carries through to the palate. This wine needs a serious plate of food.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2017, WO Olifants Rivier, 14% Abv.

A more creamy expression on the nose, quite leesy and biscuity. Also a bit of delicious pear fruit. Juicy and tangy on the palate, delicately pithy, deceptively grippy but finishes with a cool, vibrant precision. No real rush but keep an eye on it. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

2018 Producer Note: “The Skurfberg up in the Clanwilliam mountains was definitely the area most affected by the drought. Not only did these vineyards receive less rain, but with half the normal rainfall and the extremely well-drained, decomposed Table Mountain sandstone soils the combination was just suicidal. We only managed to pick 30% of the grapes we collect in a normal year. The wine is unbelievably harmonious and poised and it actually does not show much of the drought other than a slightly lower alcohol level and a higher acidity than normal – we picked earlier to try and save as much of the vine reserves as we could. Drinking this wine is the closest we’ll probably get to walking on crystal.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2018, WO Olifants Rivier, 13.5% Abv.

A very saline, tangy expression of Chenin full of white peach, pear and green apple aromatics.  Full and mouthwatering on the palate, packed with pear and peach fruits but essentially a very vibrant expressive and pure focused Skurfberg. Impressive concentration and really no rush if you have in your cellar. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

2019 Producer Note: “Following the trajectory to the northern territories of the Citrusdal Mountain area the Skurfberg yields, just like those of the Soldaat, were suicidally low and we managed to bottle only a third of our usual production. The 2019 displays amazingly concentrated stone fruit and quince flavours with a pronounced mineral note, very good acidity and freshness. In many ways this is one of the purest forms of Chenin we have had in the tank to date.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2019, WO Olifants Rivier ,14% Abv.

A more honied, opulent aromatics with notes of bees wax and melted wax candles. Rich and punchy, this is a block buster from the outset – broad but also fresh and intense but super long on the finish. Wow! A big, big, big vintage. Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

2020 Producer Note: “This 2020 vintage of Skurfberg was a very limited production as yields again dwindled down, the drought in the Cederberg Mountains continued and we opted to reduce the yield in order to save reserves. This 2020 is an incredibly compact and viscus expression of Chenin Blanc and the stone fruit and peach skin aromas are followed up by a very mineral expression and some tropical aromas in the background. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is perfectly nestled in between the fruit and the tannin. Please give wine the time in the bottle.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2020, WO Olifants Rivier, 14% Abv.

Wow, what a beautifully fragrant Skurfberg with hints of yellow peach, honey, and buttered white toast. Full, fresh, and fleshy on the palate, this is a powerful, dense expression. Really amazing, this tops the line-up with its structured, balanced by power. A really sophisticated age worthy success for a vintage that often leans to the earlier drinking side. No rush here however. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Bordeaux En-primeur 2025 – Part 2: The Wines of Martin Krajewski – Chateau Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The 2025 Bordeaux vintage is defined by a paradox of extreme heat yet produced many wines with surprising elegance. After a mild winter, an exceptionally early and uniform flowering in mid-May set the stage for an accelerated growing season. However, the defining characteristic was a series of intense heatwaves in June and August, with temperatures peaking near 42°C.

The result was a year of remarkably low yields but also intense, pure concentration. Small, thick-skinned berries – particularly in the Merlot – produced wines with deep colour and rich phenolic structure. While the heat initially threatened to block ongoing ripening, critical rains in late August combined with cooler night temperatures preserved a “crystalline” acidity that distinguishes 2025 from the more opulent and hedonistic 2022 vintage.

Key Highlights:

• Quality vs. Quantity: Exceptional aromatic intensity and ripe tannins, though volumes are down roughly -15% due to heat-induced berry shrivelling.  

• Terroir Success: Clay and limestone soils (notably in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol) thrived by regulating water stress.  

• Style: Early tastings suggest a “modern classic” – combining the power of solar vintages with a refined, fresh finish and moderate alcohol levels (averaging 13.5–14%).  

For collectors, 2025 stands as a “vigneron’s year,” where precise harvest timing was essential to balance its natural fruit density with graceful acids.

Petit Cantenac 2025, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 13% Abv.

The 2025 Petit Cantenac stays true to the vintage and displays an incredibly intense, lifted, “crystalline” purity and perfume with piercing notes of violets, crushed red cherries, black currants and red currants with a delicate dusting of leafy spice, freshly cut cedar, and subtle notes of Asian five spice. The palate shows a mouthwatering crunchy structure, tightly delineated acids and a steely tension that envelops the bright red and black berry fruit concentration. The tannins are tense and sinewy rather than muscular, holding the ripe fruits in perfect balance. This is essentially a “modern classic” with a cool demeanour, crunchy bright acids together with a potent, focused depth of fruit. Forward and elegantly accessible in style but simultaneously quite a serious expression. Drink from 2028 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos Cantenac 2025, Saint Emilion Grand Cru. 13.25% Abv.

Once again, the 2025 Clos Cantenac Saint Emilion Grand Vin is a 100% Merlot offering that will be aged for 12 months in 40% new oak barriques and 60% in second and third passage barrels. While this wine’s aromatics share an exotic, lifted exuberance with its junior sibling, Petit Cantenac, the perfume and fragrance is that much more intricate, broader, and more intense, showing sweet violets, rich ripe black berry fruits, crème de cassis, blue berries, black cherries and pronounced Christmas gateau nuances. There is a lingering hint of spicy new oak in the background, but this wine is decidedly plush and hedonistic with an impressive classical elegance. The palate is tight knit, cool and incredibly focused revealing a tight grained, stony minerality, hints of cigar box, tobacco leaf, black cherry compote and tart cassis on the finish. This wine possesses all the composure, freshness and seduction of a truly great Bordeaux vintage. Dink from 2028 to 2045+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

L’Innocence de Seraphine 2025, Pomerol, 13.5% Abv.

Many drinkers imagine Pomerol wines being 100% Merlot, but this example is a 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc assemblage. The aromatics are true to form – lush, plush, exotic and hedonistic with fragrant notes of sweet violets, red currants, black cherries and frais de bois wild strawberries. Complexing veins of black chocolate run deep into the wine, complimented by notes of wet tobacco and dried baking spices. The mouthfeel is full, glycerol and textural revealing hints of vanilla pod spice, picante black berries, creamy tannins and a savoury black liquorice finish. This wine has all the power of Pomerol fruit but with a slightly softer, more integrated, harmonious finish. This wine offers great value for Pomerol lovers. Drink from 2028 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Seraphine 2025, Pomerol, 13.5% Abv.

We often like to compare second wines to their Grand Vins but this Seraphine is in a completely different league. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the wine will be aged in a selection of 300 litre new French oak barrels and amphorae. Thereafter, the wine is racked off into French oak barrels (45% new and 55% second and third fill) where it will be matured for 12-14 months to harmonise further. On the nose, this is pure hedonistic joy – vibrant, lifted and enticingly fresh and perfumed showing bay leaf and thyme spice. Notes of fresh violets, savoury black cherries, earthy loam, and damsons plum nuances melt into earthy black currants and a sappy wood spice persistence. The concentration is notable, the acid freshness and creamy fruit concentration simply breathtaking, buffered by incredibly supple, creamy fine grained tannins. An intricate, powerful, complex expression that is sure to impress Bordeaux lovers! Drink from 2028 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 96-97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

EP and back vintages of Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine are available from specialist UK merchant Museum Wines.

Bordeaux En-primeur 2025 – Part 1: The Wines of the De Schepper Family – Chateau Haut Breton, Tour Baladoz and La Croizille…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The 2025 Bordeaux vintage is defined by a paradox of extreme heat yet produced many wines with surprising elegance. After a mild winter, an exceptionally early and uniform flowering in mid-May set the stage for an accelerated growing season. However, the defining characteristic was a series of intense heatwaves in June and August, with temperatures peaking near 42°C.

The result was a year of remarkably low yields but also intense, pure concentration. Small, thick-skinned berries – particularly in the Merlot – produced wines with deep colour and rich phenolic structure. While the heat initially threatened to block ongoing ripening, critical rains in late August combined with cooler night temperatures preserved a “crystalline” acidity that distinguishes 2025 from the more opulent and hedonistic 2022 vintage.

Key Vintage 2025 Highlights:

• Quality vs. Quantity: Exceptional aromatic intensity and ripe tannins, though volumes are down roughly -15% due to heat-induced berry shrivelling.  

• Terroir Success: Clay and limestone soils (notably in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol) thrived by regulating water stress.  

• Style: Early tastings suggest a “modern classic” – combining the power of solar vintages with a refined, fresh finish and moderate alcohol levels (averaging 13.5–14%).  

For collectors, 2025 stands as a “vigneron’s year,” where precise harvest timing was essential to balance its natural fruit density with graceful acids.

Chateau Haut-Breton Larigaudiere 2025, Margaux

A rich, ripe, generous aromatics with an accessible plushness tempered by graphite and wood spice notes. The palate is textbook Margaux – silky soft, seductive, and texturally incredibly fine with a deceptive voluminous breath and depth of fruit. A very harmonious classical rendition that should put on a little more muscle in the barrel. One of the finest expressions I have tasted yet from Haut Breton.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2025, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe

This attractive Saint Emilion packs an impressive 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec alongside a more traditional 70% Merlot component. The nose is creamy, plush and delicately savoury with a wealth of blue and purple fruits, a fragrant brightness and stony liquorice salinity. Creamy tannins are braced by a bright underlying acidity, caressed by the most velvety, creamy limestone minerality. Lovely dry extract, a full plush mid-palate and a very fine-grained finish. Harmony and balance personified.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille 2025, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe

This flagship 4.5-hectare Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and in 2025 shows a luxuriously plush aromatics of black cherry, damson plum and saline black currant fruits with a kiss of liquorice and graphite. Broad and silky on the palate, the power and concentration is clear to see with bright, crisp supporting acids, a delicately picante wood spice and a creamy black currant laden finish with very impressive concentration and depth. A really impressive, well finessed Right Bank expression that shows the true pedigree of the 2025 vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Wines are available direct from the De Schepper Family’s own negociant business ‘De Mour’. For more information and pricing, contact: anthony_crameri@orange.fr

The Majestic Vintage 2024 Burgundy Wines of Jerome Galeyrand Profiled on His Annual London Visit…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Good winemakers can make good wines in great vintages, but only great producers can make great wines in difficult vintages. This is what I saw when tasting Jerome Galeyrand’s 2024 wines at his new cellar in Gevrey-Chambertin in December 2025. I already commented the previous year, that he had produced some of the most serious Pinot Noir expressions in the “lighter and more accessible” 2023 vintage. But 2024 dished up an entirely different buffet of viticultural challenges, all of which Jerome seemingly brushed aside to produce one of the most complete and impressive line-ups of red and white wines of the vintage. 

But for Jerome, the hard work never ends, because as soon as his back breaking toiling finishes in the vineyards, it continues in his new winery in Gevrey-Chambertin where he vinifies all his wines. But that’s not where it stops. For the past several years, Jerome has made an annual pilgrimage to London after harvest to showcase his newly bottled releases with his exclusive UK agent Musigny Wines, alongside a selection of recent back vintages. This year, Jerome and Musigny Wines hosted two superb private client tasting dinners that I was gratefully invited to.

Andrew Pavli from Musigny Wines with Jerome Galeyrand.

The first event was held in London’s Wimbledon Village at Light on the Common restaurant. A relaxed jovial evening, Jerome used this setting to show off a stunning selection of his newly bottled 2024 wines. Tasting through Jerome’s finished bottlings, not only were my enthusiastic En-primeur barrel scores and reviews vindicated, but they started to look almost conservative in nature compared to how the wines were showing in their completed state. Sitting alongside two very big Burgundy collectors for the evening, their reaction to Jerome’s 2024 wines was very insightful – both of them were simply blown away with the quality of the wines, and this was after both had already tasted many of Burgundy’s top domaines’ new releases during January’s En-primeur tasting week.

Below is the stunning selection of 2024s presented by Jerome:

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Bouzerons Cran 2024

A classical expression boasting the complexity of this village, packing in musky talc perfume, limestone minerality, lemon bon bons and a chalky sherbety depth. The acids are intense and tangy, the fruit weight fleshy, concentrated and glycerol.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Marsannay Est-Ouest Rouge 2024

Deep and broody, this shows depth and beautifully perfumed complexity, full of black cherry, saline cassis, and wild strawberry. Super precise, steely and tightly wound with piercing length. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Nuits Saint Georges Vieilles Vignes 2024

The 2024 NSG announces itself from the glass with aromas of damson plums, blueberries, Christmas spices, dark chocolate and delicate woodsmoke nuances. Medium-bodied, this impressive young wine is ample, fresh and perfumed with a sweet core of broody black berry fruits, powdery tannins, and an elegant persistence. This fourth vintage could be Jerome’s best yet.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice 2024

The aromatics resonate with rose petals, pink musk, lavender, and red cherry rock candy over subtle limestone nuances. The focus and the precision marry tart tangy acids, silky tannins and fleshy red and black berry fruits in a seamlessly balanced expression that rides high on its purity and finesse! Simply enchanting.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin En Billard 2024

An enticing aromatics of strawberry candies, violets, and cherry sherbet with a delicate undertone of limestone minerality. The concentration is massive with layers of unctuous black plum, black berry fruits, and strawberry jam nuances. Wow, what concentration and power. This is simply knock out.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin En Croisettes 2024

A seductive aromatics with a blueberry and black cherry lift, violets and saline cassis with a maritime nuance and a bloody, steely strictness. The concentration is intense, piercing with tart tangy acids and a rich, generous fleshy plummy finish. Very classy but also quite classically structured.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Marsannay Clos du Roy 2024

A mere 3 barrels (900 bottles) produced in 2024 of this benchmark expression that shows delicate notes of potpourri pressed violets, rose water and black cherry. The focus, purity and precision are phenomenal, seamless finesse, perfect ripeness, and a magical balance. This is not to be missed.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Cotes de Nuits Village Les Retraits 2024

This iconic vineyard next door to Frederic Mugnier’s Clos de la Marechale Monopole offers an intricacy and complexity almost unmatched. Layered aromatics with limestone, chalk, sapidity, wood spice and black cherry follow to a fully loaded palate packed with bramble berries, blueberries, piercing salinity and a velvety concentration that leaves you gasping for more. Massive concentration, effortless power, and undoubtedly one of Jerome’s finest Retraits expressions to date.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Meursault Village 2024

Aged for 14 months in barrel, 25% new oak, this is another very classy expression of Meursault with complex aromatics of green apple, lemon grass, and wet stone minerality. Youthful and punchy, the depth and power are eye-watering, full throttle tangy acidity, green apple cordial, white peach and a leesy, oatmeal biscuity depth. Phenomenal concentration, precision and harmonious balance. Undoubtedly Jerome’s best example yet.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Jerome’s second dinner in Chelsea featured a similarly stunning array of wines including a tighter selection of 2024 new releases alongside a line-up of slightly older vintages from 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023. As always, Jerome’s opening salvo came from his delicious and highly accomplished Aligote. The Les Blanches 2022 was outstanding and certainly merits being highlighted even when tasted alongside Jerome’s superb Meursault Au Village 2024 white.

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Aligote Les Blanches 2022

Few producers produce Aligote with the verve and vigour that Jerome Galeyrand manages to illicit from this Burgundian white grape. His beautiful Les Blanches 2022 is another evocative examples with pithy aromatics of lemon and lime peel, crushed limestone, lemon grass herbs and hints of saline brine. This 2022 vintage bursts with tangy, salty yellow citrus, delicately savoury maritime notes, a liquid minerality and a finish that’s loaded with zippy sour yellow plum nuances. Such incredible energy in this beautiful expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Three superb Lieu Dit Gevrey Chambertin.

As the Domaine Jerome Galeyrand wines sell out so quickly on allocation, I normally only get the opportunity to taste older vintages when visiting with Jerome at his cellar in Burgundy. The opening line-up of reds commenced with the Galeyrand Marsannay Combe du Pre 2019, a wonderfully characterful wine that possessed all the blue – black fruit power of the best Marsannay reds but with extra sapidity, spice and mineral complexity. After another taste of Jerome’s Nuits Saint Georges 2024 offering, a real treat – tasting a back vintage line-up of his Gevrey-Chambertin En Billard 2020, the incredible La Justice 2020, and a stunningly fresh, mineral and structured En Croisettes 2019, the Cotes de Nuits only producer labelled ‘En Croisettes” lieu dit. After another reprise for the sensational Cotes de Nuits-Village Les Retraits 2024, it was time to enjoy two big guns… Jerome’s first and second vintage of his epic Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru.

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2023

Big and deadly serious, Jerome moves into the big league and knocks it out the park with four barrels of Clos de Vougeot! Packed full of blue and black berry fruits, it shows effortless power, a piercing acid vibrancy and freshness, layered with violets, cherries and pink musk. An incredibly substantial wine with taut power, structure and depth from a vintage associated with accessibility and upfront opulence.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2024 (Tank Sample)

Only two barrels produced with 18 months of ageing in barrel and bottled in April 2026. The aromatics offer up a wealth of depth and breath with plenty of earthy savoury black berries, wood spice and smoky complexity. The palate shows weight and power, creamy mineral limestone mineral depth with chalky tannins and ample black plummy bramble berry length. A very complete wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Magnum of Marsannay La Combe du Pre 2020.

The fine wine market is on an eternal crusade, vintage after vintage, to find the next big thing… and in Jerome Galeyrand, you not only have the next big thing but also the complete real deal. I expect his masterful wines to become some of the most sought-after and allocated wines in Burgundy in the coming years, and rightly so. After the tremendous showing of Jerome’s 2024s, the opportunity to visit him again in Gevrey-Chambertin later this year to taste his 2025s, the first wines he will have produced in his stunning new cellar, will be a tasting not to be missed. Collectors and connoisseurs will be dazzled and delighted when they taste his new 2024 releases – the precision, purity and focus of the wines complemented by impressive structure, acid freshness, and textural polish. These are, quite simply, wines collectors are going to want in their cellar.

The iconic Les Retraits 2024.

The wines of Jerome Galeyrand are exclusively imported into the UK by his agent Musigny Wines. For more allocation and pricing information, contact: andrew@musigny.wine

Anysbos Winery – The Best Kept Secret in the Western Cape’s Bot River Wine Region…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Located in the heart of the Bot River valley, Anysbos is far more than a traditional winery; it is a holistic farm where the wild beauty of the Overberg meets refined, small-batch craftsmanship. Established by Johan and Sue Heyns, the farm takes its name from the Anysboegoe, a local wild anise shrub that dots the landscape. This connection to the land is the winery’s guiding light, emphasizing a deep respect for the indigenous flora and the unique shale-heavy soils of the region.

The winemaking, led by the talented Marelise Niemann, focuses on varieties that thrive in the valley’s dry-land conditions. Anysbos has carved a niche for itself with its Rhône-style blends and exceptional Chenin Blanc. Signature labels like the Tesame (a Grenache-led blend) and the Disdit white blend are celebrated for their elegance, bright acidity, and true “sense of place.” Beyond the cellar, Anysbos is a Mediterranean-inspired sanctuary. The farm is equally famous for its award-winning goat’s cheese and its sprawling olive groves, which produce some of the finest oils in the district. By integrating livestock, fynbos conservation, and viticulture, Anysbos stands as a premier example of the authentic, unpretentious, and high-quality farming that defines the Bot River community. 

I recently caught up with owner Johan for dinner in London while he was on a whirlwind tour of the market. Together we tasted a range of wines that are undoubtedly one of the best kept secrets of the Bot River wine region.

Anysbos Disdit 2022, WO Bot River, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 69% Chenin Blanc, 13% Roussanne, 12% Marsanne and 6% Grenache Blanc. The Chenin shows beautifully with hints of lemon grass, lanolin and waxy lemon citrus peel. There is lovely energy here, cool, creamy and plush with seamless elegance, fantastic balance and deliciously tangy acids. Impressive concentration and focus, this is a beautifully fresh Rhone blend! Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Anysbos Disdit 2023, WO Bot River, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 57% Chenin Blanc, 17% Grenache Blanc, 17% Marsanne and 9% Roussanne. An exotic aroma builds off delightful notes of lemon and herbs, buttered white toast, glazed brioche and lees complexity. The palate reveals a creamy balance with a fulsome mid-palate, a really saline, pithy concentration and a long, cool, seamless finish. The acids are soft but invigorating, beautifully integrated, making for a very smart wine. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Anysbos Tesame 2021, WO Bot River, 12.5% Abv.

A blend of 47% Grenache Noir, 45% Syrah and 8% Cinsault aged for 20 months in old oak. A classically cool, taut, fresh vintage speaks with a soft voice, whispering an aromatic complexity of sappy berries, crunchy red fruits full of dried herbs, fynbos spice and an irony ferrous minerality. Such a pretty wine with a cranberry and pomegranate freshness and purity with a delicate bramble berry hint. A really very special wine with such beautiful texture and freshness at such a meagre alcohol! Love it! Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Anysbos Tesame 2022, WO Bot River, 13% Abv.

A blend of 55% Grenache Noir, 33% Syrah and 12% Cinsault aged for 16 months in old oak using a partial whole bunch portion. Incredibly pristine and bright, this is an evocative wine with crystalline red berry fruits, cranberry, bramble berry and a fynbos herby spice. The palate expertly walks a tightrope between sweet concentrated red berry fruits, stony minerality and a sweet bay leaf herby, silky finish. Drink now to 2036.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Anysbos Tesame 2023, WO Bot River, 13% Abv.

A blend of 56% Grenache Noir, 39% Syrah and 5% Cinsault aged for 16 months in old oak. This is a big, intense, punchy, extroverted style in 2023. Simply put, it takes your breath away. The aromatics are sweet and sappy, layered with dried herbs, fynbos, pithy red plum and red currant berry fruits. The integration and balance on the palate are simply stunning. This is the business! A fabulous wine I’d love a case of in my cellar. Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW) 

The Anysbos wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Wood Winters Wine Merchants. 

Contact: andrew@woodwinters.com for more information on pricing and allocations.

From the Fine Wine Safari Cellar – Part 8: Alheit Vineyards Radio Lazarus 2012 Versus Radio Lazarus 2017…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

In today’s archive cellar examination, we look at not one but two iconic unicorn Chenin Blanc expressions from Chris Alheit, both tasted in December 2025 – the maiden release 2012 Radio Lazarus and then Chris Alheit’s last release. The 2017 represents the final release of Radio Lazarus made from two hilltop sites with stony shale soils: one planted in 1978 at 400m, and the other in 1971 at 450m. Due to the 2015-2019 Cape drought, these old vines finally reached the end of their lifespan and were simply no longer commercially viable. Radio Lazarus is unique in that it is fermented in large clay pots of 600 litres each, made from clay collected from the bottom of the same hill.

Renowned South African Wine journalist Tim James recently wrote a fitting homage to Radio Lazarus in June 2025, commenting… “I’ve previously had bottles of the 2012 Radio Lazarus at ten years that also showed remarkable youthfulness of flavour and freshness, while having the harmony, suavity, deep complexity, and texture of maturity. A great advertisement for the longevity and development potential of fine local Chenin Blanc.”

Tim continued… “The 2012 was the maiden vintage, and the one that preceded the 2014, as all the 2013 grapes went towards the blend for that year’s Cartology. Which means, in fact, that there were only two released vintages of Radio Lazarus that came from a single vineyard on the Bottelary Hills. From 2015 to 2017, there was a contribution from a second, nearby, high-lying Chenin Blanc vineyard (a little higher, a little older, on a hill bristling with even more of the radio masts that gave the wine half of its name).”

Tim concludes, somewhat sombrely… “It wasn’t just the cruel dryness and heat that finished it off; hungry buck, confronted by barren veld, had come like never before to eat what green shoots there were.” Eight final crates of 2018 grapes were picked that year off the other, original vineyard, but no wine was commercially released. In their release notes that year, the Alheits wrote of the glimmering of pleasure in knowing that “both vineyards were on death row, due to be ripped up, and yet they lived on a few more years to make some of the loveliest wines we’ve ever had the chance to work with.”

Alheit Vineyards Radio Lazarus 2012, WO Stellenbosch

This is a truly impressive bottle of Old Vine Chenin Blanc revealing complex regal aromatics of honey and biscuity leesy nuances and a subtle reductive vein before biscuit, quince jelly and buttered white toast. But this wine just keeps on offering up more and more… camomile tea, bees wax, burnt orange peel, apple puree, and oyster shell sea breeze hints. The palate is no less impressive, densely textured, unctuous, and creamy with quince, pineapple puree, more burnt orange, beautifully glycerol and full supported by fresh tangy acids that create a vibrant energy, sweet and sour yellow plum and a kelpy, maritime finish. Wow. A true unicorn wine that’s still firing on all cylinders. Drink now but certainly no rush.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Alheit Vineyards Radio Lazarus 2017, WO Stellenbosch

This vintage keeps going up in everyone’s estimation for both reds and whites and this beautiful drought vintage expression shows complex notes of salted liquorice, pristine refreshing saline nuances, earthy savoury peaches, yellow orchard stone fruits together with hints of wet straw, wet grey slate and green apple puree nuances. The palate is seductively silky and soft yet full and glycerol in the mouth with lovely harmonious chamomile, honey, and white peach notes on the long, characterful silky finish. Beautifully youthful and vibrant still, this wine should continue to put on extra weight and increase in complexity as it ages further. A fitting swansong vintage for this Old Vine vineyard.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vilafonte Releases Their New 2023 Vintage Series C and Series M to a Chorus of High International Praise…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Every year, one can point to the annual release of the Vilafonte Series C and Series M reds as two of the most important and noteworthy new Cape Bordeaux blends to hit the market. These two wines have, since their maiden releases in 2003, cultivated a committed global following among fine wine connoisseurs and passionate collectors alike. With the focus firmly on premium quality, each subsequent vintage is highly anticipated both in the wine trade and among consumers. The 2023 vintage was obviously a much more complicated harvest for many than either 2022 or 2021 due to persistent rain across much of the Cape, necessitating further clarification of Vilafonte’s picking dates from winemaker Chris de Vries.

“The 2023 vintage reminded us how swiftly light can turn to shadow, and how timing alone can separate fortune from misfortune” Chris de Vries opined. “Outstanding early conditions carried us through harvest, our final lots secured only days before March 4th brought a week of rain that might have rewritten the story entirely.” Picking at Vilafonte began on February 2nd and continued until March 1st, a slightly extended window, shaped by a warm first half of February followed by a cooler close. This shift tempered ripening, allowing balance and freshness to define the fruit. 

Berry weights reflected the season: Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc were modestly smaller than average, lending natural concentration, while Cabernet Sauvignon berries were slightly larger, contributing generosity and an approachable tannin profile. Although March delivered over 60 mm more rain than the norm, the Vilafonte harvest was safely picked before the downpours, leaving the Vilafonte team among the fortunate few who carried the season’s promise intact into the cellar. The resulting wines show a poised tension between ripe black fruit and lifted freshness, framed by fine tannins and a classical structure. “Opulence is tempered by clarity, and the 2023s stand as wines of both immediate allure and assured longevity” Chris de Vries concluded.

Vilafonte Series C 2023, WO Paarl. 14.5% Abv.

The 2023 Series C is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 12% Malbec and 7% Cabernet Franc and offers up classic Vilafonte aromatics of sweet black currants, saline crème de cassis, blueberry compote and wet tobacco leaves. Fabulously opulent and exotic on the nose, the wine has all the Series C hallmarks that has made this one of the most desirable Cabernet Sauvignon blends produced in the Cape, brimming with not only intense pure black berry fruits but also complex earthy layers of tilled loam over hints of graphite, dried herbs and warm buttered brown breakfast toast. The palate is sophisticated, silky, and lithe, neither weighty nor muscular, but rather sleek, picante, and spicy with cedar and vanilla pod notes, a dusting of cocoa powder, and a weightless black currant fruit concentration. There is a youthful, sinewy freshness and a tightly wound core of energy that should see this wine age gracefully for a decade or two. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vilafonte Series M 2023, WO Paarl. 14% Abv.

The 2023 Series M is a blend of 41% Merlot, 38% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and displays a seriously opulent, showy Series M plushness and generosity combined with plenty of refinement and purity. The aromatics are vibrant and youthful revealing intense layers of blue and black berry fruits, bay leaf spice, damson plums and black cherry compote with a magical dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. In the mouth, the wine is marked with a fabulously creamy, silky texture, delicate notes of graphite and cocoa powder, saline crème de cassis and mulberry fruits with a pronounced mineral interplay on the complex finish. Once again, I’m super impressed at the intensity, power, and concentration Vilafonte achieves with their Series M cuvee – a wine that epitomises luxury, generosity, and sophistication. Drink on release until 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Vilafonte wines are imported to the UK and distributed to trade by agent John E. Fells.

An Inside Look at Some of Meerlust Estate’s New 2025 Red and White Component Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Wim Truter is the current Cellar Master and Head Winemaker at the historic Meerlust Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, taking over from Chris Williams in 2020. He oversees the production of their renowned wines, including the famous Rubicon Bordeaux blend, working alongside winemaker Altus Treurnicht and long time owner Hannes Myburgh.

The iconic Meerlust Estate Rubicon Cape Bordeaux Blend.

So when Wim Truter and Deidre Taylor, the Meerlust head of sales and marketing, landed in London for a flying visit enroute to the Prowein trade fair in Germany, we caught up over lunch to taste two exciting new component wines – a Chardonnay 2025 and a pure Petit Verdot 2025 – as well as taking another look at the delicious new Rubicon 2023. 

Wim has brought an exciting new level of precision, focus and renewal to all the wines in the Meerlust range, preparing this iconic Stellenbosch estate for a new era of global fine wine fame.

Meerlust Estate Chardonnay RT13 2025, 12.5% Abv. (Bottled component)

This vineyard Chardonnay component is planted alongside the Meerlust driveway next to the cemetery and is grown on rocky Greywacke and Shale soils. Fermented in concrete tanks and aged on its fine lees for 8 months with no malo, this wine is deliciously cool, crisp and crystalline, showing white blossoms, yellow citrus, crunchy pears and a hint of honeydew melon. But it’s on the palate you experience its zippy freshness, wound spring tension with a tangy yellow citrus fruit showing impressive glycerol weight and superb intensity and precision on the finish. Now bottled as a 10% portion of the 2025 Meerlust Estate Chardonnay blend.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Meerlust Estate Petit Verdot 2025 (Bottled component)

One small concrete fermenter, basket pressed into 100% new Quintessence barrels, drawn off at 10 months, to make up around 4% of the Rubicon blend. Majestically rich and creamy, packed full of blue and purple fruits with a brûléed savoury plum compote component. Plush, cool and textural, the full dense palate shows incredible balance and harmony but never loses its bright, delicately tart underlying acid frame. Such perfect ripeness and balance, this could have been bottled on its own. Now there’s an idea for the Meerlust range! 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cellar Master Wim Truter and Deidre Taylor.

It should be noted that 2025 was an exceptional red and white wine vintage in South Africa, so collectors should start drinking up back vintage bottles to make space in their cellars – there are going to be a wealth of “must have” releases coming soon! 

The ribeye steaks we ate for lunch at top South African restaurant Kudu, were perfectly matched with a superb bottle of new release Meerlust Rubicon 2023 that is mellowing beautifully in bottle. This is, once again, the complete package – deep, textured and concentrated yet effortlessly balanced, finishing with a picante brûléed brown toast complexity. A class act that is sure to be one of the standout Cape Bordeaux blends of the vintage earning a worthy 96+/100 GSMW score. A big thank you to Wim and Deidre for sharing these delicious Meerlust treats.

The Meerlust Wines are distributed in the UK by Maison Marques et Domaines (MMD).

Jos Van Wyk Wines Releases Its Maiden Vintage of Le Lit de Franken Antares Field Blend White 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Antares Field Blend is a new wine made by young winemaker Jos Van Wyk of Marianne Winery fame in Stellenbosch and comes from a vineyard established in 2020 on a small farm in the Buffeljags River ward near Swellendam, Western Cape. A field blend of Chenin Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc, it is the maiden release and uses a spontaneous wild yeast fermentation before being maturated for eight months in a combination of old oak, glass demijohns and a stainless-steel tank.

Le Lit de Franken Antares Field Blend White 2023, WO Buffeljags, Swellendam, 12.94% Abv.

There are not too many field blend whites produced in South Africa, but this Antares 2023 is certainly an exciting addition to the category. Made from a blend of 63% Chenin Blanc, 23% Semillon and 14% Sauvignon Blanc, the wine stands crystal clear and star bright in the glass with just a faint pale white gold hue. The aromatics are taut and steely with subtle hints of white pear, lemon citrus, yellow apples, dried straw, and a delicately dusty, mineral wet granite top note. The palate bristles with the same wound spring tension and taut linearity as the nose, showing a texture that’s incredibly pure and chiselled, vibrant, fresh, and delightfully tangy. From my other Field Blend experience, the different cultivars tend to assert themselves at different intensities over time, and at the moment, the palate is steely, mineral and Chenin Blanc focused. If you drink this wine young, enjoy it over a few days to watch it evolve – but you will need strong will power and restraint as it is currently a delicious drop! Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

For further information on availability, contact: josvanwykwines@gmail.com