As if there wasn’t enough interest and excitement encircling winemaker Abrie Beeslaar after his departure from Kanonkop Estate to focus on his own winery label Beeslaar Wines, then he goes and launches his maiden vintage of his Beeslaar The Sacrament, an impressively constructed Cape Bordeaux red blend. With the first vintage of Beeslaar Pinotage already a distant memory, released back in 2012, and his first Chardonnay released in 2020, here, with the Sacrament red blend, we see Abrie getting serious… seriously classical, with a Bordeaux blend built around 60% of premium Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. And they don’t call Stellenbosch the ‘Kingdom of Cabernet’ for nothing!
I drank this bottle over two days to witness not only its gentle evolution in the glass but also to see its various blend component parts start to flex their individual muscles as the wine fully opened up. The Cabernet Sauvignon was most definitely dominant on day one before making way for some enticingly seductive Cabernet Franc aromatics and flavours on day two… while the stoical Merlot band played on in the background over both days.
This maiden release is currently on the water to the UK along with new vintages of Abrie’s Pinotage and Chardonnay and will definitely be worth making space in the cellar for. No doubt many bottles will be pulled in the name of curiosity and experimentation, but this wine will certainly benefit from at least 3 to 5 years in the cellar before another re-examination.
Beeslaar The Sacrament Red Blend 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
This new Bordeaux blend from Abrie Beeslaar has certainly got a lot of collectors and connoisseurs excited after Abrie’s incredible run of success with the Paul Sauer Bordeaux Blend at Kanonkop Estate, where he concluded his tenure in August 2024. Made from a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Merlot using 30% whole-berry fermentation, the wine was matured for 19 months in 100% new French oak barriques. Initially, on opening, the aromatics are deep, dark, and broody with a definite leaning towards black berry and black plum fruits. Given a little more air, this rich dense Bordeaux blend eventually starts to open its broad shoulders to reveal a more delicately perfumed florality of violets and white blossoms, lead pencils, sappy cedar spice, autumnal leaves, and notes of freshly tilled earth. The palate is medium to full bodied and packs in a fair amount of fleshy black and red berry fruits that are ably supported by sweet well-extracted creamy tannins, a bright tangy acidity and complex maritime hints of nori seaweed, iodine and an overt salinity before the long, mineral laden, graphite-tinged finish. The 14.5% alcohol adds breadth and glycerol depth with the spicy Cabernet Franc portion in the wine becoming more pronounced the longer the wine sits in the glass. Perhaps not quite the fine-boned textural refinement you can see on similar producers’ styles in 2017 and 2021, but this is undoubtedly another fabulous premium addition to the Cape’s wonderfully varied Bordeaux blend offerings. Drink from 2026 and over the next 15+ years. (Total production of 5 barrels.)
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Beeslaar Wines are imported into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.