Elgin

Elgin Valley’s Iona Vineyards Championing Cool Climate Elegance with their New 2024 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Few wine regions in the Cape Winelands are as climatically individual as the Elgin basin. Also home of the cash crop apples, the battle for economic supremacy is an on going battle for wine farmers. But there are producers that have doubled down and focused on producing high quality premium Grape cultivars.

Perched 420 meters above sea level on a mountain plateau that forms the coastal edge of the Elgin basin, sits the Iona winery, renowned as South Africa’s coolest vineyard site. Located in the Elgin Valley, this former apple farm benefits from a unique microclimate shaped by the icy Atlantic Ocean and frequent orographic cloud cover.  

These conditions ensure a long, slow ripening period, allowing grapes to achieve physiological ripeness at lower sugar levels. The result is a portfolio of elegant, terroir-driven wines, most notably Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, producing wines characterised by bright acidities, mineral purity, and restrained alcohol levels, often drawing comparisons to the fine European styles owner Andrew Gunn is so fond of.

I recently caught up in London with Andrew Gunn’s son-in-law Rob Macdonald, to taste through Iona’s exciting new releases. 

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Chardonnay 2024, WO Elgin, 13% Abv. 

This shows a cool, pithy elegance on the nose with pristine aromatics of lemon and lime cordial tightly interwoven with a pronounced stony minerality. The purity and crystallinity continue to a wonderfully bright palate that is fleshy, concentrated and fully charged showing an electric brightness, tangy green apple and lemon confit notes with a slightly phenolic, herby grapefruit-tinged finish. Surprisingly, this 2024 has wonderful flesh and midpalate stuffing, plenty of concentrated yellow citrus fruits and a delightfully long tangy acidity. A really impressive cool climate Chardonnay. Drink now to 2040+. 

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

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2024, WO Elgin, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 92% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Semillon fermented and aged in older 300 and 500 litre French oak barrels. The first impression on nosing the wine is one of impressive complexity but also mouthwatering exoticism with the barrel ageing offering hints of quince and waxy orange peel, dried mango and subtle guava notes before a vein of more savoury, leesy white toast and biscuit kicks in. The palate is full and mouth filling, with the dried mango and papaya notes coming to the fore but certainly not in an obtrusive manner. The balance is simply spot on and the concentration and tangy acidity delicious, finishing with hints of dried herbs and lemon iced tea. This is serious Sauvignon Blanc kit for people who perhaps struggle with Sauvignon’s pungent character. Certainly, a benchmark style in the context of Elgin and the Cape. Drink now to 2038+.

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

Iona Monopole Monopole Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.

This 2025 Sauvignon Blanc also features 8 to 10% Semillon which is all barrel fermented on top of around a 5% portion of the Sauvignon Blanc to add extra complexity and texture. This wine, from an admittedly superb Cape vintage, has intense, characterful aromatics of grassy gooseberry, yellow citrus and green apple pastille with delicate hints of guava and papaya. The palate is pitch perfect, striking a superb balance between tangy freshness, intense concentrated yellow and green citrus fruits and a subtle, slightly veiled minerality that lurks ever present. Harmonious, elegant and a true delight to drink without being too pungent or tropical. This is certainly a wine to go long on and enjoy over the next two to three summers! (Bottled under screwcap.)

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

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Pinot Noir 2024, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

This is an enticing Pinot Noir offering from Iona displaying an impressively classical, Old World Burgundian elegance and focus, with delicious black berry and strawberry fruit notes, damson plum, black currant and a delightful Cotes de Nuits limestone mineral nuance underpinning the wine. The palate fruits are pithy and incredibly restrained and stony, adding handsomely to the feel of tension and linearity in the wine, before a finish of gravelly, powdery tannins, bramble berry spice and a smoky granitic austerity. Really quite superb. One for the Burgundy lovers out there! Drink now to 2034+.

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

Iona One Man Band Red Blend 2021, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

An eclectic blend of Petit Verdot, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Mourvedre and Viognier. Normally led by Syrah at 35% to 45%, but in 2021, the Syrah from Rosie’s Elgin Brocha Farm performed so well that most of it went into the award-winning Solace Syrah 2021. Spicy and broody on initial sniff, the aromatics boast deep dark notes of dried violets, bramble berries, red currants and red plums. There is a hint of sapidity and stalky spice but also delicate herbal mineral nuances. The palate is a little more punchy and imposing, showing notable power and muscle, a dense core of damson plum, blue berries and bramble berry fruits, before a finish that is notably stony, mineral, and picante. Superbly dense, compact and tight knit with a harmonious mouthfeel, this is an accomplished red blend that shares many similarities with the finest reds of the Southern Rhone. Drinking on release but you can expect this to hit its straps at 8 to 10 years old and then go on further. 

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

Iona Solace Syrah 2022, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

Sourced purely from 100% Syrah fruit from Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm, following on from the block buster, high scoring 2021, this 2022 is really quite a piece of work, with intensity, purity, and superb focus. The aromatics boast cool restrained black fruits, saline black currant, savoury bresaola cure meats, liquorice and a fresh pepper corn spice that follows on to the palate. Compact yet deliciously fresh, the palate displays a firm hand of structure and focus, supported by cool, sleek linear acids that are ever present yet notably integrated, balanced and subtle. This is another masterpiece for Syrah in the context of Elgin and the vintage, just perhaps a touch more restrained than the iconic 2021. Drink this on release to 2040+.

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

The Iona wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Sutherland Winery Excels with Another Cool Climate Rhone White Blend 2023 Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Understandably, much of the international Cape white blend wine hype has justifiably been focused on Chenin Blanc based wines which often incorporate portions of Semillon, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Semillon Gris, Palomino, Verdelho and even Chardonnay. These blends have created a unique white fine wine ‘space’ that few, if any, other wine producing nations can compete in. This category has been one of South Africa’s great wine success stories globally along with, arguably, pure varietal Old Vine Chenin Blanc.

The 2023 release was awarded 5 Stars in the Platter’s Wine Guide 2025.

But we should not forget that many producers have long been looking at alternative white varieties that have historically performed well in warmer European regions like the Rhone Valley and the Languedoc, which have far more in common with the Cape’s more Mediterranean climate than either Burgundy, Bordeaux or the Loire Valley’s more continental climates do. 

Sutherland Vineyards in Elgin is owned by Stellenbosch icon, Thelema Mountain Vineyards, being established in the early 2000s by owner Gyles Webb, to focus on small-scale, cool climate wine styles. With vineyards located just 9km from the cooling Atlantic Ocean at altitudes between 140m and 250m, the conditions are ideal for aromatic cultivars such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and their new release Viognier Roussanne. (RRP R250 per bottle in SA.)

Sutherland Viognier Roussanne 2023, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.

Sutherland was always established to pursue cool climate expressions and this Rhone blend of Viognier and Roussanne is an aromatic white that was fermented in seasoned barrels for 10 months in order to add complexity, texture and mouthfeel. On the nose, the wine boasts aromatics of yellow stone fruits, pear, summer orchard fruits, white peaches and apricots over an intense and well-defined crushed gravel mineral dustiness with a sprinkling of white pepper and dried baking herbs. The creamy, gently glycerol palate is enlivened with a deliciously tangy fresh acidity with layers of white peach, lemon grass, marzipan, spicy herbs, and a pronounced nutty wet stone minerality, finishing with real drive and persistence. This is an impressive Rhone blend with the verve and vigour of the 2023 vintage and a delicious concentration to match. Drink this energetic beauty on release or age for 2 to 3 more years under screw cap to develop the peach and marzipan characters. 

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

Draaiboek Wines Reveal a Stunning New Pair of Chardonnays – Tasting the 2023 Onskuld and Kinkel Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Draaiboek wines may be a name new to many, but it shouldn’t be. Since its maiden release Chardonnay in 2019, this boutique brand created by five friends who met while studying at the University of Stellenbosch in the early 2000s, has grown to be one of the most respected non-brand brands flying under the radar in South Africa, known mostly to the fine wine cognoscenti, the SA wine trade, and fine wine buyers (who mostly buy it for themselves!)

Draaiboek means script in Afrikaans, and as Pieter Lemmer, one of the London based partners tells me, “…we believe every wine has a story to tell. We released our first wine in September 2020, a 2019 Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge Chardonnay. We chose the name Onskuld (meaning innocence) for our first wine, to represent our innocent naivety in starting this journey (and many lessons have been learnt in the process!) We operate essentially as a negociant, buying in fruit, and so far for the Onskuld cuvée, we’ve sourced all our grapes from two single blocks of 10-year-old north-east facing Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge vines at 300 metres altitude planted on Bokkeveld shale with a high clay content. However, in 2023, the Onskuld fruit comes from just one single block of around 14 years old” according to Pieter Lemmer.

Tasting with Stephanie Wiid in London recently.

The Draaiboek wines are made by another good friend of theirs, Stephanie Wiid, from the well know Thistle and Weed winery, who they have also known for many years. Stephanie, along with viticulturalist Etienne Terblanche, have sourced and selected the fruit from La Vierge in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge to create one of the most impressive Chardonnays produced in the Cape. The 2023 expressions are simply astounding and well worth tracking down.

Draaiboek Wines Kinkel Chardonnay 2023, WO Elgin

A bright brilliant crystalline pale gold in the glass, this is another tantalising expression of cool climate Elgin Chardonnay. The aromatics are wonderfully subtle yet sophisticated, just that little bit more ‘grown up’ than most other regional Chardonnays from the wider Cape, displaying seductive notes of wet stone minerality, waxy lemon peel, yellow grapefruit, fennel root, dried baking herbs, lemon biscuits and enticing savoury, leesy nuances. The palate resonates with the same purity and clarity as the nose, showing a bright, energetic crystallinity with impressive linearity and focus on the palate and a precise, polished, fine-tuned texture that is primarily shaped by fresh, cooling acids and a fine array of concentrated pithy white citrus and green apple fruit notes. This Chardonnay represents a masterclass in classical elegance, focus and precision. Another stunner to drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.

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

Draaiboek Wines Onskuld Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge

The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley has been a market leader for premium Chardonnay in South Africa for over two decades, with Elgin slowly starting to muscle in on this dominance in the last 8 to 10 years. The Onskuld Chardonnay, sourced from two single vineyard blocks in the higher altitude Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward, combines the magical mix of power, purity, and intensity to deliver a wine that has all the crystalline purity of cool climate Elgin but with a greater fruit concentration, mineral focus, and tangy fresh piercing acid intensity. A fabulously complex wine on the nose with notes of fennel root, bay leaf, honeydew melon and green citrus, following on to a resonating palate with deliciously tangy acids that are resplendently sleek and glassy, supporting crystalline yellow citrus pastille fruits. This is a rare example of a cool climate South African wine with effortless class and precision, pinpoint focus, but also a bold, racy finish. If this wine was attempting to seduce me, I admit, I am well smitten. A true beauty to drink on release and over the next 10 to 12+ years. 

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

Draaiboek Wines are imported into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.

Exploring the Exciting New Elgin Releases from Iona Vineyards with Rob Macdonald…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Andrew Gunn’s middle daughter has been living with her partner Rob Macdonald in Brixton for the past 9 years, but they are both heading back to the Cape to take up positions within the family business. Rob looks set to take care of a portion of sales and marketing duties in the Cape, but before he headed off down south, I caught up with him in London to take a look at some of their new 2024 releases. 

The 2022 vintage experienced a typical cold Elgin winter, with snow on the high mountain peaks and above average rainfall, which enabled good vine dormancy. Spring was characterised by cold and wet conditions, resulting in later bud break. The cold, wet and windy conditions continued into October and November causing uneven flowering resulting in smaller berries that have good concentrated flavours. From January to April Elgin experienced exceptional weather for the ripening of quality grapes.

Iona Monopole Pinot Noir 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 13.8% Abv.

An incredibly pure and perfumed aromatics greet you with a fragrant embrace, showing lifted notes of cranberry and bramble berries, cracked red peppercorns, wild strawberry and red currant fruits. Wonderfully delicate and intricate on the palate, the purity and precision of fruit is once again front and foremost in the mind with a pithy bramble berry spice, silky black raspberry and cherry fruits before stony, mineral, fine-grained tannins coat the palate. The mouthfeel and textural harmony on the wine are next level, enlivened by bright tangy acids and a long, mouthwatering, juicy fruited finish with just the faintest of savoury, earthy nuances. A wine that tastes slightly riper than previous vintages but also more complete in many ways. Very classy indeed. Drink now to 2030+. 

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

Iona Monopole Fynbos Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 12.5% Abv.

A blend of CY95 and CY 96 clones planted in 2003 on gravel beds with underlying clay. One sniff of this wine reveals something quite distinguished and complex indeed, with teasing aromatics that carry off a showy interplay between bright yellow citrus, lemon lime notes and a vibrant stone fruit complexity that hides intricate Burgundian nutty, vanilla pod and cinnamon wood spice hints. Indeed, the nose is so seductive its hard to move past it to the palate! The first sip is fresh and vibrant, deeply seeded with a stony limestone’esque minerality and a bright grapefruit and lemon citrus fruit intensity. Texturally near perfect in the mouth, the balance and harmony simply exquisite. An incredibly fresh, complex, and seductive Chardonnay with fruit purity that trumpets the very finest terroir notes of Elgin. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years. 

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

Iona Monopole Chardonnay 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 12.9% Abv.

A blend of the four single Chardonnay vineyards on the estate including large portions of Kloof, Kraal, F4 and Fynbos, from vines planted in 2003 and 2009. On the nose, the aromatics are seductively picante and spicy, dusty, and mineral, laden with top notes of crushed gravel, subtle struck flint reduction, lemon cordial, grated limes, and subtle white pear pastille nuances. The palate shows a deliciously tangy acidity over a subtle savoury, leesy, phenolic lemon peel pithiness. This is a very grown up, mineral driven Chardonnay that trades on a nutty, stony, pithy citrus intensity rather than overt fruit and oak spice notes. Tense, lean and linear in frame, this is a very sophisticated offering that Old World Burgundian Chardonnay lovers will savour. Drink on release an over 4 to 5+ years.

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

Iona Monopole Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 13.1% Abv.

Made from Sauvignon Blanc fermented with indigenous wild yeasts in large oak barrels results in an incredibly complex expression of this cultivar. Cool climate Elgin is indeed a true home for this variety and this 2022 expression is a rich, bold interpretation with aromatics packed with ripe heady, savoury aromatics of lemon biscuits and savoury lees, delicate black currant leaf, mint leaf and mojito syrup before rock salt, fresh fennel root and bruised green mango nuances. The palate is intense, focused, and incredibly vibrant, simply brimming with a delicious sweet and sour acidity, sweet gooseberry, stem ginger and finishing with a delicately grassy, fig preserve complexity. The richness and glycerol, textured mouthfeel is to die for and the finish, so long you lose sight of it crossing the finishing line. Savoury and slightly wild, this wine opens up a proverbial pandora’s box of exoticism, intrigue and excitement for the Sauvignon Blanc cultivar. Drink now on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

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

Iona Solace Syrah 2021, WO Elgin, 13.6% Abv.

Sourced from Syrah vineyards planted in 2003 on Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm just down the road from the main Iona winery, this 2.5-hectare site planted on fertile Tukulu soils with a rich vein of gravel, clay and sand, make for a wine with power and depth but also elegance, freshness and pure varietal character. True to form, the aromatics on this fabulous 2021 red are vibrant and pure, with pristine notes of black raspberries, black currants and bramble berries that gently melt into more spicy, peppery, red berry hints showing strawberry compote, melted tar, and salty red liquorice. The 2021 vintage was an exceptional year and the fresh, energetic palate on this wine personifies the tension, pristine purity, and intensity a winemaker simply dreams about achieving in a truly great Cape vintage. Drink on release to enjoy this wine’s youthful Syrah electricity, or cellar for 10 to 15 years.

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

The wines of Iona are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Jessica Saurwein’s Continued Success On Her Pinot Noir Voyage – Tasting Her New 2022 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Jessica Saurwein set off on a pretty difficult mission a few years ago… to try and conquer Pinot Noir in the Cape winelands and produce some noteworthy examples. She of course was not expecting an easy ride from this heart break cultivar. But these are not just wines with pretty labels, they are excellent artisanal examples of premium Pinot Noir that have cultivated a growing and committed following.

The 2022 vintage releases are another pair of beauties, with very little to separate the two wines quality wise. The vintage offered all the building blocks for some quality wines from these Cape South Coast vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde and Elandskloof. Jessica herself was very pleased with the vintage and the resultant wines and I am sure followers are going to be well impressed once again.

Saurwein Om Pinot Noir 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 14% Abv.

Another attractive Walker Bay Pinot Noir from Jessica Saurwein made from top pedigree fruit sourced on the Place of the Gods Farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward at 300 metres altitude. The wine was aged for 10 months in 228 litre French oak barrels with a 16% new barrel portion. Always a little more savoury and earthy than the Kaaimansgat vineyard expression, this 2022 reveals expressive notes of stewed strawberries, sweet bramble berry spice, red plum, wet peat, and delicately fragrant sweet rose petals. The palate displays impressive concentration of earthy red cherry, red currant, and raisined cranberries with a delicate dusting of sweet exotic spices and pomegranate complexity. A very pretty wine that shows more pure fruited fragrance and finesse over muscle and power while retaining a well-defined, elegant structure with beautifully refined acids. A truly delicious wine to drink over the next 3 to 5+ years to enjoy its purity and precision.

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

Saurwein Nom Pinot Noir 2022, WO Elandskloof, 14% Abv.

The ‘Nom’ cuvee from Jessica Saurwein always seems to lift and carry the extra perfume and aromatics of the Elandskloof Pinot Noir fruit to another level. This 2022 is no exception with a nose packed full of pressed rose petals, musk and sappy spice, iodine, wild strawberry, cherry, and a definite earthy, bramble berry spice nuance. The palate is broad, full and finely textured boasting a delicate weight of fruit and dry extract together with fine mineral tannins enlivened by a bright, crisp acidity and a taut, determinedly focused finish. A very well-crafted expression of this cultivar that as always, will appeal to true lovers of Burgundy. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

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

The Saurwein wines are imported into the UK by Swig Wines and retail for circa £45pb inc.

Sam Lambson and Minimalist Wines Releases a New Single Site Elgin Syrah – Tasting the No Place Like Home Syrah 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Sam Lambson is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s rising star producers and after only four vintages (2018 to 2021), has introduced another exciting single site Syrah to his growing range. The 2020 Minimalist Wines ‘Experimental’ Syrah was produced from this same Elgin vineyard but was made differently, showing a more accessible, crunchy, fresh, herbal fruity expression compared to this very fine, focused, cool fruited 2021 bottling that is greatly elevated in stature, joining Sam Lambson’s Stars In the Dark Syrah among his more premium range of wines.

The grapes all come from Niemandsrivier, a beautiful 3 hectare vineyard in Elgin that are leased from Johan and Milanie Vosloo and farmed by the Minimalist team themselves. Planted in 2006, the vineyard features three Syrah clones on a geographically complex mix of Sandstone and Shale soils and is the perfect canvas to produce fine premium Syrah wines. Vines located in the same block can react to their environment in unique ways, says Sam Lambson, and No Place Like Home is an exploration of the variation that exists within a single vineyard. Using a mix of drone technology (with a Near Infrared Camera flying 80m above the vineyard) and good, old-fashioned soil analysis, Sam and his team identified four distinct pockets across the 3 hectare parcel, then harvested and fermented them separately before marrying them together for this unique wine.

I met up with Sam in the UK in the Autumn of 2022 and was thrilled to taste this new, premium expression of Elgin Syrah. I was one of the first wine trade professionals to taste a barrel sample of his 2018 Stars in the Dark way back in late 2018 and knew from that moment that this was the beginning of a new exciting wine. When I tasted the maiden No Place Like Home 2021 Elgin Syrah with him in September 2022, I experienced a similar feeling and felt confident that this was also the beginning of something special. Track down an allocation now before the hype goes mainstream!

Minimalist Wines No Place Like Home Syrah 2021, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

An alluring and instantly impressive classically styled wine aged in neutral 228 litre French oak barrels for 16 months, reveals complex aromatics of ripe black plum, boysenberry, potpourri, sweet black peppercorns with a hint of sweet grilled herbs and black berry reduction. The intensity and precision of this 2021 are notable and follow to an elegant, medium-bodied palate that coats the mouth with sumptuous, saline cassis fruit layers, sweet smoky black currant and subtle hints of kelp and oyster shell minerality. This is another delightfully vibrant expression that will seduce many Syrah obsessives, with its 20% whole bunch portion adding an extra little complexing sapidity on the long finish. Undoubtedly a wine that is going to cause a stir… but that is exactly what Sam Lambson has become famous for! Start chasing an allocation now and drink this beauty on release and over the next 6 to 10+ years.

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

Wines available in the UK from Museum Wines from February 2023. http://www.museumwines.co.uk or email sales@museumwines.co.uk to secure an allocation. Retail price is circa £32.99 inc per bottle.

Lismore’s Samantha O’Keefe Comes to London to Launch Her Phenomenal New Releases – Part 2: Reviewing her Lismore Age of Grace Viognier 2020…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

In a second instalment to my new release tasting with Samantha O’Keefe, the owner of Lismore Winery in Greyton, who was recently in London for the first time in over two years, I tasted the highly acclaimed 2020 edition of her ‘Age of Grace’ Viognier.

The grapes for this release were sourced in the Bot River, Elgin and Stellenbosch. The wine was matured in a combination of concrete eggs and used oak barrels of which 10% were new for the 2020 cuvee. The Age of Grace is a wine that actually helped establish the Lismore brand globally in the mid to late 2000s. With so little top quality Viognier being grown and produced in the Western Cape, what Sam has achieved with both this wine and previous vintages of her Viognier Reserve is truly remarkable.

Viognier Age of Grace Viognier 2020, WO South Coast, 14.5% Abv.

Rich, soft and fleshy, this unique, aromatically expressive Viognier is packed full of struck flint, white peaches, tart yellow plums, yellow apple purée and delicate musky, lychee nuances with a hint of buttered white toast. Beautifully textured, fleshy and glycerol, this wine is so expressive, individual and complex with sufficient pithy phenolics, bright peach stone fruits and a luxuriously long, persistent finish in a most mouth watering way. Whether produced from the Northern Rhone or the Cape, it is not easy to make Viognier this attractive and refreshing. Bravo Sam! Drink now to 2028+.

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

Samantha Suddons Hits the Big Time with Her New VineVenom Cap Classique Thriller…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The world of wine, like life itself, can be a topsy turvy world of highs and lows. Perhaps it’s simply the yin and yang of life? So, after a few tumultuous years of change, Samantha Suddons, the once partner and shareholder in the now temporarily mothballed Terracura Wines project, has finally released her very own labour of love – a Method Cap Classique sparkling wine aged for over 5 years on its lees before disgorgement.

I met up with Samantha in London recently to unpick the mystery behind her new VineVenom label that was launched recently in South Africa. Her first wine under the brand is a killer Cap Classique sparkler from the 2015 vintage that she has labelled Serenade. 2015 you may ask? Well, if you know anything about Sam, you will know she is a Champagne and sparkling wine obsessive and while some have questioned how she managed to suddenly release a six year old MCC, the answer is simply that this was a passion project that was never really meant for commercial day of light, producing a wine made from the 2015 vintage which was originally intended for home consumption and sharing with friends.

But having recently disinvested from the Terracura Wines business, and looking for a new project, the VineVenom brand seemed the obvious next step. The maiden wine, a MCC blend of 68% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Noir and 14% Pinot Meunier from grapes bought in cool climate Elgin, the wine spent five years on its lees and received zero dosage. The wine was disgorged in November 2020, saw no malolactic fermentation and no oak treatment and was bottled with a 2.5 g/l RS.

VineVenom Serenade 2015 Cap Classique, WO Elgin, 12.3% Abv.

The wine shows a lovely creamy explosive mousse with a fine bubble, lovely bright tangy acids and a complex bouquet of green apple skins, grilled almonds, cardamom and spicy white citrus. The palate is full and expansive, tangy and fresh with sweet and sour acids, layers of citrus, yellow grapefruit, lemon cream biscuits, crunchy green apples and a long, dry, saline picante finish. Very impressive depth of fruit but also beautiful complexity, electric vibrancy and a stony cool climate minerality on the finish. A thoroughly accomplished wine that will titillate fellow Champagne and sparking wine devotees. (1,600 bottles produced.)

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

Sadly, as yet, there is no follow up Cap Classique to the 2015 maiden vintage. But fear not! Samantha has been busy at work producing an impressive dry Carignan / Touriga Nacional 2020 Rose, a rather premium tasting Swartland Flor Contact Chenin Blanc 2020 as well as a delicious, Vin de Soif styled Swartland 60% Syrah / 40% Touriga Nacional Rosado 2021. I tasted newly bottled samples of all of the above and they were seriously impressive. I look forward to reviewing them properly in due course closer to release. The empire building has begun in earnest.

Another Sutherland Vineyards Stunner – Tasting their 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s when you taste wines like this that you realise that Elgin can do no wrong. Whether Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah or Petit Verdot, this little cool climate pocket is just simply a viticultural garden of Eden. Unfortunately for the grape vines, this cool microclimate oasis also produces some of the most incredibly high-quality apples that I have tasted from anywhere in the world, making vineyards compete for space and economics.

If vitis vinifera is going to fight back, it is going to be with wines like this Sutherland Cabernet Sauvignon that hearts and minds will be converted. Grown on classic Tukulu-Glenrosa soils, these 12-year-old vines seem to be in a very happy stage of development yielding 9.7 tons per hectare. The fruit was destemmed, hand sorted and fermented in stainless steel tanks with a pump over one a day. After fermentation, the wine was racked into 30% new French oak barrels and aged for 18 months before bottling.

Sutherland Cab Sauvignon 2017, WO Elgin, 13.98% Abv.

2.1 g/l RS | 3.56 pH | 5.3 g/l TA

Elgin always seems capable of producing some of the most beguiling expressions of wine whether made from Pinot Noir, Syrah, Petit Verdot or Cabernet Sauvignon. The aromatics of this beauty show a nuanced complexity of pressed violets, sweet black tea, saline black currant, sweet herbs, wet tobacco and subtle hints of black cherry preserve. True to the vintage, the palate is fabulously elegant with silky tannins, a fine-grained crushed stone minerality, a weightless intensity and a long, cool, fresh finish that is simply mouth-watering, all delivered in such an effortless style. This is surely one of the most enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon reds you will experience from the 2017 vintage. Drink now and over the next 10 to 12+ years.

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

Tasting a Stunning Pair of Whites from Sutherland Vineyards…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

I have always known about the exciting Sutherland Vineyards winery in Elgin owned by the Webb family of Thelema fame but it was really only when their 2015 Chardonnay was rated 95+ points in a blind Decanter Magazine panel tasting for South African Chardonnay a few years ago that I started to pay a lot more attention to both the brand and the wines.

I was of course on that Decanter panel that rated this wine so highly along with other South African greats like Ataraxia 2015, Neil Ellis Whitehall Chardonnay 2015 and Rustenburg 5 Soldiers 2015. So it was a real pleasure to taste not only their new release Chardonnay 2019 recently but also their delicious 2017 Viognier Roussanne Rhone-style white blend.

Also, another one of my guilty pleasures has always been the copious amounts of their Sutherland Grenache Rose that I drink when I visit South Africa. Great value, dry, vibrant and expressive, it too has become one of my perennial summertime favourites. Elgin is definitely not just about cool climate Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling. This fiddle plays an array of fabulous tunes.

Sutherland Chardonnay 2019, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.

This is another wonderfully expressive Chardonnay from Elgin that always seems to show a really individual character. The aromatics balance enticing nervy yellow citrus nuances with seductive vanilla pod spices all underpinned by a bold stony minerality and delicate struck match reductive complexity. The palate is joyfully concentrated with sweet tangy pineapple and lemon pastille candied notes, a sweet and sour mouth-watering acidity and the pronounced hallmark Sutherland wet river pebble liquid minerality. Subtly savoury and herby but always vibrant and electrically fresh in the mouth, this is a wine that is enviably super individual but always stylistically classically orientated. Drink now or cellar 3 to 5+ years. Certainly a wine for white Burgundy lovers to try!

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

Sutherland Viognier Roussanne 2017, WO Elgin, 14.5% Abv.

3.7g/l RS | 3.29 pH | 6.10g/l TA

This is also a very attractive little white Rhone blend from a region more known for Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. A blend of 70% Viognier and 30% Roussanne, the wine was fermented and matured in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels which lends the aromatics a delicious rich savoury nuance punctuated by leesy notes of white toast, waxy lemons, bruised yellow orchard fruits and quince preserve. The palate has a full, fleshy textural feel not dissimilar to a ripe cool climate Chardonnay but also displays delicious notes of ripe peaches, lanolin, vanilla pod spice and a lovely stony, slatey minerality. This is certainly a wine that is reminiscent to some of the serious northern Rhone white expressions that cost 3 to 4 times the price. The perfect counterfoil to Chardonnay or oaked Chenin Blanc, this will put a very big smile on a lot of people’s faces. Drink now and over the next 3 to 6 years.

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