Chris Groenewald is a polymath of the South African wine scene, weaving together his background in theology, a deep expertise in blind wine tasting, and a “New Wave” approach to winemaking. Based in the Western Cape, Chris’s personal project, Pounding Grapes, reflects his philosophy of “naked, raw, and natural” wines that emphasize joyful character over any kind of technical rigidity.
As the captain of the South African World Blind Wine Tasting team, Groenewald possesses a world-class palate in anyone’s language, yet his own wines are anything but academic. His portfolio, which includes vibrant releases like the Bringing Back The Joy Skin-Contact Sauvignon Blanc and the Heart Candy Pinotage, focuses on minimal intervention. These wines typically undergo natural fermentation, often utilizing concrete eggs or old oak barrels to maintain fruit purity and texture without the mask of heavy wood.
Chris Groenewald from Pounding Grapes Winery.
Sourcing grapes from premium cool-climate sites like Durbanville, Pounding Grapes celebrates the “natty” wine culture – sometimes cloudy, often pithy, grippy and alive, while maintaining a high level of purity, cleanliness and technical precision. Whether he is reviving boutique labels like Terracura or crushing small batches for his own label, Groenewald’s work remains at the forefront of the Cape’s artisanal revolution, proving that serious wine doesn’t always have to take itself seriously.
Chris was recently in London and hosted an enlightening and informative tasting lunch at Noble Rot Mayfair, where we got to enjoy his new releases which are coming to the UK very soon through his importer, Wood Winters.
Bringing Back the Joy Skin Contact Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Durbanville, 12.5% Abv.
Malmesbury Shale soils facing table mountain. 7 days skin fermented, basket pressed into 1 x 500 litre Egg and 1 x 300 litre old oak barrel. Naturally fermented with malo fully completed. The aromatics are dusty and pithy, delicately grassy and herby with crushed Granite, lemon grass, pear and yellow orchard stone fruits. Delightfully fresh and tangy with an excellent fleshy mid-palate core of fruit, finishing with a zesty, intense salinity. Quite superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terracura Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
Chenin Blanc from vines planted in 1998. Basket pressed into one 525 litre egg. Lovely complex bruised yellow orchard fruit aromatics with hints of wet straw, waxy peaches, orange peel and savoury fynbos notes. Delicious weight, fleshy but beautifully characterful with excellent persistence on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Unicorns in the Sky Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
Sourced from the ‘Sky’ Vineyard 75% Chenin Blanc planted 1998 and 25% from Kweperfontein Farm Chenin Blanc planted in 1964. Skin Fermented for 6 days, the Sky portion as per Terracura. Classical, waxy, savoury bruised yellow orchard fruit notes of the Paardeberg but this also has an intense Granitic hit of dusty, stony minerality, dried herbs and peach stone fruits with wet straw and fynbos hints. Incredible balance and restraint, with lovely orange blossom, and tangerine peel complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Fairies in the Garden Semillon Gris 2025, WO Swartland, 12% Abv.
Semillon Gris from the Kweperfontein Farm in the Paardeberg, with 7 days on skins, the big grapes packed with plenty of juice, open fermented and then into an egg and a 225 litre old oak barrel. A more natural leaning expression with delicious savoury notes, sapidity, orange peel, quince jelly and hints of yellow orchard fruits. So effortlessly juicy, tangy and bright, incredibly zippy, energetic and inviting. What an umami tinged complex stunner of a wine!
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine writer Dr Jamie Goode merched up with his Pounding Grape cap.
Just Leave Me Flowers on My Grave Blend Chenin Blanc, 15% Abv.
65% left 3 years under flor (2023), 35% from fresh 2026 fruit. Blended a month ago and due to be bottled end May 2026. Saline and niche, nutty, tangy and umami salty without the cutting intensity of Sherry but with a salty, savoury complexity. The finish lingers – powerful and imposing with a pleasing walnut skin bitterness on the loooong finish. Idiosyncratic but also very delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Heart Candy Pinotage 2024, WO Durbanville, 13% Abv.
North facing vineyard, aged in two 225 litre oak barrels, the wine shows a lifted perfume intricacy and an exotic pink musk complexity, violets and red cherry rock candy notes. Super pure, bright and crystalline, this is delightfully translucent, energetic and vibrant with a smashable drinkability, tangy tart acids and a fabulous juicy length. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Where the Lines Bend 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 10.8% Abv.
100% Cabernet Franc from the Bottelary Hills, 10 days cold soaked and fermented before being basket pressed into a concrete egg. The aromatics highlight the perfume and crunchy red fruit intensity, sweet cedar, crunchy red cherry and red currants. The delicate cedar spice sapidity follows to the palate with real energy and tension, tart linear acids and a cool, steely, taut focus with a hint of bay leaf spice on the finish. (1,300 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terracura 2025 Syrah, WO Swartland, 13.2% Abv.
100% wholebunch Syrah, then basket pressed into eggs and 300 litre barrels. Incredibly stalky, smoky, sappy and peppery over a dark fruited black berry, brambly fruit core. This is incredibly Oldy Worldy Rhone style Syrah with a super sleek creamy texture, incredibly finessed tannins with an attention to detail second to none. Wow!
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Contact Andrew@woodwinters.com for allocations and pricing.
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+.
And just like that, what started out 10 years ago as a serious but fun effort by a group of passionate wine trade professionals and wine collectors to taste and benchmark some of the best Grenache wines in the world has evolved into one of the most respected annual blind Grenache assessments organised anywhere in the world. Year by year, more and more effort has been channelled into sourcing the rarest, the finest and the purest terroir expressions of Grenache produced. Much of this positive momentum and passion must be attributed to the Judgement of Wimbledon’s Convenor of Judges, Riaan Potgieter.
A Historic 10th Anniversary Tasting
Year after year, Riaan has painstakingly scoured the new releases and global reviews with the sole mission of tracking down any new fine Grenache expressions whether produced in the USA, South Africa, Australia or Spain. So, it seems only fitting that Riaan’s efforts and considerable financial outlay annually, are acknowledged and recognised. As soon as one Judgement tasting ends, Riaan can be seen planning the next line-up by tracking down and tasting numerous new pretenders as well as organising multiple preliminary blind tasting rounds to whittle down the final selection.
67 Pall Mall – the 2026 tasting venue.
In its 10th year, the Judgement of Wimbledon 2026 departed slightly from previous editions by assembling an array of wines mostly from producers who had performed well in previous years, but this time using vintages with some additional bottle age. The New World participants were chosen primarily from the 2019 vintage and the Old World producers from the 2018 vintage, allowing for some wines to shed their youthful reductive veil and show their true terroir and pedigree as their winemakers intended.
The 18 wine blind Grenache line-up.
The final 18 wine line-up for the 2026 Judgement of Wimbledon blind tasting featured 3 wines from Australia, 3 wines from South Africa, 11 wines from Spain (1 x Aragon, 1 x Costers del Segre, 3 x Gredos, 2 x Montsant, 3 x Priorat and 1 x Rioja) and 1 from the USA. Due to the older vintage categories chosen, this naturally excluded some newer start-ups such as Dylan Grigg from the Barossa Valley in Australia as his first Vinya Vella Old Vine Grenache vintage was only produced in 2021. The other notable change to the format was moving the venue from Wimbledon to the mecca of London fine wine, 67 Pall Mall, where a professional team of sommeliers could organise optimal glassware and perfect pouring temperatures.
With guest judge Dominik Huber from Terroir Al Limit in Priorat. With last year’s winner, Juanan Martin from Rico Nuevo in Gredos.
In 2024, the judging panel was joined by Vinous.com lead critic Neal Martin, and in 2025, the panel was positively thrilled to have world renowned wine critic and Grenache / Garnacha specialist Luis Gutierrez from The Wine Advocate join proceedings. For the 10th anniversary, two top producers were invited to join the Judgement panel, namely Dominik Huber from Terroir Al Limit in Priorat and Juanan Martin, who’s own wine Rico Nuevo La Quebra 2021 won the Judgement tasting in 2025. In all, there were 14 judges this year and two bottles of each wine were poured blind.
The 2026 pouring order of wines.
As is customary, below you can find my personal BLIND tasting notes and scores.
Typing up my blind tasting notes.
Judgement of Wimbledon 2026 Blind Tasting Notes:
Wine 1: Alvaro Palacios Quinon de Valmira 2018, Rioja, Spain
Sweet and sour red and black fruits on the nose with clear savoury hints, stewed red plums, dried baking herbs and bramble berry spice. The palate is sleek and taut, fine grained, mineral yet delicately sappy with bramble berry fruits, silky soft compact tannins and a spicy, stony mineral finish with a delicate kiss of dried thyme on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 2: Torres Mas de la Rosa 2018, Priorat, Spain
Deeper, darker broodier aromatics with notions of sweet damson plum, black cherry, cinnamon and clove spice with a hint of mixed dry baking herbs and mint leaf. On the palate this is a real Peter Pan wine packed full of blue and black berry fruits, pithy cherry and saline cassis on the dense, compact finish. Wonderful composure, balance and harmony on this young, vibrant, fruit forward expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 3: Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat 2019, Swartland, South Africa
A tighter, fresher, mineral driven aromatics with hints of crushed granite, bay leaf and whole bunch red berry spice. The palate is subtle and understated, compact and pithy with hints of vermouth spice, Seville orange peel and pithy black cherry persistence. A more classically framed, Old World leaning expression that you expect would have been reductive in its youth but that is now finally drawing the curtains and letting in the light. A very pretty, stony, terroir driven expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 4: Frontonio El Jardín de Las Iguales Garnacha 2018, Aragon, Spain
A more lifted, exotic aromatics with notes of cherry cola and stewed strawberry but also some subtle early tertiary notes of bramble berries, tannery leather and strawberry compote. The colour shows some age and development, the palate too is equally sweet and sour, slightly evolved and showing savoury cured Serrano ham notes over pithy stewed red berry hints. An intriguing expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)*
*It should be noted that some tasters who know the Frontonio well thought that the 2018 bottles might have suffered some heat damage or poor storage. While the wine still performed relatively well, judges wanted it noted for the record that the bottles may not have shown at their best.
Wine 5: Rico Nuevo La Quebra 2018, Gredos, Spain
A darker fruit profile is dominant in the glass with a dusty, stony minerality and some smoky, spicy wood smoke and blueberry fruit opulence. The youthful depth and blueberry opulence follows to the palate that shows chalky grippy tannins, a fabulous piercing black cherry and black fruited intensity with a searing saline oystershell maritime edge to the finish. Very impressive indeed.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 6: Lagravera Ciclic Negre 2019, Costers del Segre, Spain
A richer, riper aromatics with notes of cola syrup, red cherry candy and caramelised brown sugar. The palate is cool and sleek, slightly understated but retaining the cola candy mouth coating “dry” sweetness. Plenty of glycerol weight, the tannins are stony and slightly rasping, the finish drying, picante and slightly curtailed at the moment.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 7: Mas Martinet Els Escurcons 2018, Priorat, Spain
Exotic aromatics suggests pink musk, rock candy and Wrigley’s chewing gum. Underneath, there are herby spicy notes with subtle medicinal medicine chest nuances. The palate is fleshy and generous, cool and chalky with a certain harmonious accessibility and chalky, candied approachability. Silky tannins, beautiful finesse and a fine youthful freshness on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 8: Alkina Polygon No. 5 Grenache 2019, Barossa Valley, Australia
A taut, tight, broody aromatics with defined notes of granitic tension and dusty minerality over sappy red fruits and pink musk. Compact yet fleshy, there is good glycerol weight, savoury broody, earthy red and black fruits and a fine-grained chalky limestone mineral finish. Tight, youthful overall impression but certainly not lacking any class.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 9: Terroir Sense Fronteres Guix Vermell 2018, Montsant, Spain
The aromatics are stand alone with unique hints of caramelised brown sugar, wood smoke, roasted caramelised nuts and cola syrup hints. Tight grained, chalky and deliciously mineral on the palate, there is that invigorating salinity that raises its head, with creamy talcum tannins, tight grained tension and a real pedigree on display here. True class.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 10: Venus la Universal Venus de La Figuera 2018, Montsant, Spain
The aromatics show a unique mix of baking herbs, cinnamon and clove spice over notes of cola, pithy red cherry and delicate reductive black currant nuances. The palate is a little looser knit than some examples, with savoury strains, clove and vermouth spices, dried herbs and pithy red and black cherry spices over cured meats on the chalky mineral finish that coats your palate with energetic grippy tannins. An enticing expression of Grenache.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 11: Terroir al Limit Les Manyes 2018, Priorat, Spain
This shows hints of tertiary complexity before notes of cinnamon and cedar oak spice, bramble berries, cola and top notes of thyme. The picante, spicy, lipstick lift continues to the palate that is incredibly tight grained, chalky and mineral, with a fascinating texture. The acids are fresh and lift the wine on its long finish. Another wine with a real terroir feel.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 12: Comando G Tumba del Rey Moro, Gredos, Spain (Magnum)
A complex expression that combines aromatics of musk, talc and dried herbs with notes of dried cherries, potpourri and pressed violets over a subtle granitic undertone. The vermouth spices and red liquorice notes rise on the palate with more pink musky fruits, red cherry, and the ever present drying chalky granitic spice from some formidable tannins. Despite its age, this is an infant in nappies, promising a phenomenal future of fine wine drinking.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 13: Naude Wines Grenache 2019, Western Cape (Swartland), South Africa
This feels a leaner, tighter, more mineral expression on the nose with an earlier picked translucent, mineral brightness to the bramble berry and wild strawberry fruits. The palate is vibrant and plucky, fresh, light on its feet but certainly lacking no intensity, as the acids reverberate across the mouth, the cranberry and red apple fruits lingering for extra effect on the finish. A pristine, focused, classical expression of note.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 14: Thistledown Sands of Time 2019, McLaren Vale, Australia
A rich, expressive aromatics boasts notes of caramelised sugar, toffee apples, red currants and bramble berry spice with a hint of cherry cola. The exotic aromatics translate into a delightfully approachable expression on the palate with generosity and opulence, tangy acids with crystalline red cherry and red plum fruits and an altogether more serious length and power on the saline finish. Very long, intense and piercing! Wow.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 15: Momento Grenache Noir 2019, Swartland, South Africa
Another complex, broody example with slight cola-tinged red cherry hints over delicate wild strawberry spiced fruits. The palate is a little wild and bloody, like fresh game birds bleeding on the chopping board as they are dusted with herbs and spices. With plenty of minerality on the finish, this is yet another artisanal Grenache that speaks of its terroir.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 16: Yangarra High Sands Grenache 2019, McLaren Vale, Australia
This shows a compact, dense black fruited aromatics with youthful complexity, black plum layers, and blueberry and mint leaf nuances. If the nose was fanning the proverbial peacock’s tail, the palate is positively in full dance mode, plush, fresh, compact and youthful with rich and intense black berry fruits that remain restrained and never err on the side of vulgar sweetness, always carefully ringfenced by chalky mineral tannins with just the most delicate vermouth herbal nuance on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 17: Clendenen Rancho La Cuna Grenache 2019, Santa Maria Valley, USA
An exotic, overt aromatics showing a slightly more medicinal, herbal array of spice and macerated red berry fruits over barley sugar and molasses hints. While the medicinal notes dissipate, the slightly caramelised molasses black stewed fruits persist long on the palate, giving this wine a feel of ripeness, some early development and a warmer climate feel. The finish is intense, long and decidedly savoury.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 18: 4 Monos Viticultores La Isilla 2018, Gredos, Spain
A beautifully lifted aromatics displays notes of talc and pink musk, red cherry, strawberry candy and fresh pink bubble gum nuances. The tension and linearity on the palate are palpable, strict, focused and rasping with chalky limestone tannins, tart piercing tangy acids and a fine-grained texture that is so beautifully polished. Very impressive, mineral expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Judgement of Wimbledon Blind Scoring Procedure:
All judges are required to offer their final rankings from their favourite to least favourite, numbered from 1 to 18, with the largest score tally going to the top ranked wines which are then all added together to get a final 1 to 18 group ranking by “preference points”. So, a slightly different dynamic to that of the judges’ favourite to least favourite choices by score alone, which of course could easily see 3, 4 or even 5 different wines sitting on the same score of 94 or 95 points etc. However, judges are then required to retaste the matching scored wines and order them in a subjective preference to complete a final 1 to 18 without actually being required to change the wines final blind score. This method can sometimes lead to wines scored slightly higher, perhaps on 96.9/100, ranking lower than a wine on 96.3/100, because of judges final “preference points” tally.
Riaan Potgieter, Convenor of Judges for the Judgement of Wimbledon.
Judgement of Wimbledon Convenor of Judges 2026 Executive Summary – By Riaan Potgieter
The 10th anniversary always had to be something special, and while I knew we wanted to open some back vintages, selecting the right vintage(s) was far from straightforward. These wines are typically made in small quantities, and with many producers still relatively new, sourcing bottles was always going to be a challenge. Naturally, the further back I looked, the fewer options were available. In the end, I settled on 2018/19: old enough for the wines to be drinking beautifully, yet recent enough to ensure a compelling lineup from two excellent vintages.
Dominik Huber deep in thought mid tasting.
Armed with a selection of wines ready to drink, we were all exhilarated by the prospect of experiencing them a bit closer to their peak. What we didn’t anticipate was just how challenging that would make the tasting. Given we normally use wines from the latest vintage release, judges are used to wines being closed off initially but continuing to evolve over the course of a tasting session, but this time the wines took “evolution” to an entirely new level. They were playful and unpredictable in the best possible way. Every sip brought something new and exciting, and returning for another pour often felt like encountering a completely different wine.
Trying to rank the wines in any sort of order was equal parts delight and agony. Each wine demanded your full attention, yet the ticking clock kept dragging us back to reality and the serious business of attempting to record something remotely coherent on our tasting sheets. One thing is certain: I’ve never seen Judgement of Wimbledon judges so quiet, and for so long, before finally erupting into the inevitable excited post wine tasting chatter.
The final results revealed.
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Juanan Martin of Rico Nuevo and Dominik Huber of Terroir al Limit for joining us at this year’s event. It felt only right to share the 10th anniversary with some of the people who made it possible and who continue to bring us so much vinous joy. It was a true honour to have them both with us for the occasion. We did, of course, do our best to persuade them to have a guess which wine was their own, but they steadfastly rebuffed even our most determined efforts.
In the end, these wines more than delivered on the brief — doing so in a way that goes far beyond anything a simple 100-point score could ever capture. The 2026 Judgement of Wimbledon provided an experience that will resonate for a very long time, far exceeding even our wildest expectations when we took our first tentative steps into this new world of light, edgy Grenache way back in 2017.
The Judgement of Wimbledon 2026: Group Blind Ranking Results
All judges were required to submit their final rankings, from favourite to least favourite, numbered from 1 to 18. Points were allocated accordingly, with higher-ranked wines receiving more points. These scores were then aggregated to produce a final group ranking from 1 to 18 based on total preference points. Under this format, first place was awarded to Terroir al Límit Les Manyes—an old favourite and a first-time winner—which secured the largest winning margin in the history of the Judgement of Wimbledon. Second place went to Marelise Niemann’s Momento Grenache, improving slightly on last year’s maiden entry and finishing in the top three for the second consecutive year. Rico Nuevo rounded out the top three with his maiden vintage of La Quebra, another strong performance following his win at last year’s event with the 2021 vintage.
The Judgement of Wimbledon 2026 Final results (by judges’ preferences).
When the results were recalculated using a straight score ranking—by averaging all judges’ 100‑point scores—the order shifted slightly, with a tighter distribution among the top wines. Les Manyes remained firmly in first place, while second and third positions were taken by Álvaro Palacios Quiñón de Valmira and Sadie Family Soldaat, respectively.
Final results by straight averaged judges’ scores.
Final Conclusions…
The 2026 tasting line-up featured an incredible array of mature Grenache wines, all representing the finest expression of terroir and winemaking from around the world. Also, it cannot be overstated that many preliminary tasting rounds took place during the course of the year with view to choosing the final line-up of wines. Merely having your wine selected for the final Judgement of Wimbledon tasting line-up should be regarded as a massive accolade in itself.
The 2026 Grenache line-up.
For the 2027 Judgement of Wimbledon Blind Grenache Tasting, the younger 2023 vintage will be assessed. If you would like to potentially have your wines included in the tasting, please message me directly through the A Fine Wine Safari contacts page. Until next year, keep drinking Grenache!!
Fine organisation by the sommeliers at 67 Pall Mall Private Members Club.
The first quarter of the year always sees the Liberty Wines Portfolio tasting at the Oval in Vauxhall, London, which features an incredible array of wines from around the world. This year I decided to focus on tasting the exciting crop of new and current release wines from South Africa in their range. Many in the UK will be aware that several key South African premium producers have recently moved over to the Liberty Wines portfolio, making it now one of the most exciting line-ups with any importer in the UK. As always, it was fantastic to catch up with the producers in person like John Seccombe, Marelise Niemann, Craig Wessels, Peter-Allan Finlayson, Chris Mullineux and others.
The Restless River New Releases from Craig Wessels will be featured in a separate write-up on A Fine Wine Safari coming very soon.
Dr Jamie Goode tasting with John Seccombe.
Thorne & Daughters:
Thorne & Daughters Paper Kite 2024, 13% Abv.
Semillon planted in 1963 on Granite soils. Rich leesy aromatics with lemon and herbs, lanoline and buttered white toast. Crisp, fleshy but beautifully saline and textured on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
John Seccombe
Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse White Blend 2023, 13.5% Abv.
Rich and waxy with lemon and peaches, lactic leesy hints and some marzipan nuances. Fleshy, and pithy, packing a nice bit of power on the long finish. Impressive as always.
This Skurfberg vineyard delivers a pithy, waxy yellow orchard fruit characters that balance the slightly oily notes of the Sauvignon Blanc phenolics. The palate is chiselled and fresh with a vibrant saline acidity and a cool, pithy, mineral finish. Classy grown up Sauvignon!
A Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre blend. Shows exotic sweet spices, layers of red fruits and bramble berries. Acids are crisp and saline, the minerality adding extra crunch, definition and tension. Lovely textured red Rhone blend with weightless concentration.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Momento Wines:
Momento Chenin Blanc / Verdelho 2022, 13% Abv.
Complex leesy, herby, savoury aromatics before a more fleshy palate packed with granitic minerality and a yellow orchard fruit complexity. Serious effort as usual.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Momento Grenache Blanc 2023, 13.5% Abv.
Pithy, dusty aromatics with grated apple skins, pear drops and granitic minerality. Beautifully balanced, the palate shows freshness, citrus pithiness, dried herbs and a crystalline wet river pebble finish. Top class example.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Myself and Marelise Niemann
Momento Grenache Gris 2023, 13% Abv.
Waxy green apple cordial and wet grey slate aromatics. Lovely intensity on the palate, a pronounced salinity and a cool, crystalline, mineral finish. Impressive!
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Momento Paardeberg Grenache Noir 2023, 13% Abv.
Distinct bramble berry fruit aromatics, delicately perfumed with potpourri and rose petals. Beautifully cool, mineral and restrained in the palate, taut, crystalline and pure with crunchy saline chalky red berry notes on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Peter-Allan Finlayson
Crystallum and Gabrielskloof Wines:
Crystallum The Agnes Chardonnay 2025, 13.5% Abv.
Embryonic, pithy and fresh with white citrus, green melon and delicate fruit salad and cream notes. Lovely concentration, flinty stony reductive hint with a wet river stone finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Crystallum Clay Shales Chardonnay 2025, 13% Abv.
A little more citrus, peaches and cream with leesy hints and buttered brioche nuances. Dense, compact and textured, the concentration is punchy, the toasty melon and citrus fruits intense and long.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Gabrielskloof Elodie Chenin Blanc 2024, 13% Abv.
From 40- and 45-year-old Swartland Chenin Blanc vineyards. Taut stony mineral expression with apple, peach and pear drop aromatics. There’s impressively delicate weightless green apple notes, with a cool, crystalline, easy drinking finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Crystallum Peter Max 2024, 13.5% Abv.
Beautifully aromatic nose laced with potpourri, violets, and bramble berry spice. Incredibly intense and vibrant with piercing red berry fruits, cherry and a salty finish. Wow!
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Gabrielskloof Syrah Whole Bunch 2024, 13% Abv.
A deliciously brambly, earthy peppery aromatics ps led full of smoky black berries, tar and burnt wood embers. Palate is soft and supple, cool, elegant and vibrant with crunchy acids and a long finish full of Christmas spices.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Gabrielskloof Cabernet Franc Landscape Series 2022, 14% Abv.
Beautifully expressive aromatics of sweet cedar, liquorice, tar and salty black currant. The elegance and salinity follows to a juicy, vibrant palate, finishing with graphite minerality and herbal spice.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Wines:
Mullineux Old Vine White 2024, 13.5% Abv.
Still circa 70% Chenin Blanc with some Quartz vineyard but mostly low yielding Paardeberg Chenin Blanc. Aromatics are full of sweet herbs, crushed Granite and white peach with a weightless concentration, delicately pithy fruits and a yellow orchard fruit concentration on the finish. Punch and impressive for the vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Terroir Series Granite Chenin Blanc 2024, 13.5% Abv.
Lovely tangerine and white peach notes with hints of green apple, deep veins of liquid minerality and concentrated apple and white citrus on the finish. Layered, fleshy and intense, this packs a real punch.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chris Mullineux
Mullineux Syrah 2023, 13% Abv.
A very pretty fragrant aromatics with red and black berry fruits, violets, lavander and sweet herbs. The tannins are cool and stony, pithy and mineral with notes of saline black currant, black liquorice and Granitic spice. Tangy, fresh and beautifully intense.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Terroir Series Schist Syrah 2023, 13.5% Abv.
A beautifully fragrant and exotic aromatics showing violets, lavander, musk and stony minerality. The delicately perfumed nose gives way to a power packed palate, dense, savoury and spicy, packed full of black pepper, cured meats and smoky wood embers. A substantial wine indeed.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Leeu Passant Wines:
Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, 14% Abv.
Intricate aromatics of sweet cedar, lead pencil, graphite, sweet Chai tea over black currant fruits. Silky and sleek in the mouth, cool, mineral and classically framed, this is really elegant and restrained for old world wine lovers.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Leeu Passant Chardonnay 2023, 14% Abv.
Exotic aromatics of perfumed peach and apricot, honeydew melon, green apple and buttered white toast. Massive concentration on the palate with candied citrus, lime cordial and a fleshy green apple finish. Wow, this has a lot of stuffing.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Adi Badenhorst, a new agency for Liberty Wines.
Also on taste: Restless River from Craig Wessels, AA Badenhorst Family Wines who’s sample bottles were mostly finished before I could taste them due to popular demand, the Bosberaad Wines from Paul Jordaan and Pauline Roux which I recently reviewed on A Fine Wine Safari, as well as a selection of Fairview Wines and Spice Route Wines.
In South Africa, the Old Vine Project (OVP) exists to protect the heritage of old vines and to ensure that old vineyards continue to thrive. Old vines are living history. Wines made from them embody decades of care, skill, and dedication. In South Africa, the OVP affords producers the opportunity to certify their old vine vineyards and wines. That it can do so is largely thanks to the South African Wine Industry Information Systems (SAWIS) database, and its records dating back to 1900. This database enables the OVP to verify planting dates and gives South Africa a unique global advantage – traceability and credibility. Members of the OVP may apply for the Certified Heritage Vineyards seal that clearly states the planting date for wine made from vineyards of 35 years or older.
When consumers think of the majority of Old Vine wines, chances are they will reference Chenin Blanc or Colombard, cultivars planted on mass years ago mostly for distillation. However, when it comes to red cultivars, the diversity of Old Vine wines on offer is a little more restricted. But among the leaders of the pack has to be Cinsault and Pinotage, two work horse varietals in the South African wine landscape.
Fuselage Wines Staggerwing Old Vines Cinsault 2021, WO Paarl, 12.5% Abv.
Danie Morkel is the acclaimed winemaker for Roodekrantz who also happens to make wines under his own boutique label called Fuselage – his family owns the Diemerskraal airfield between Wellington and Malmesbury which obligingly lends Danie’s brand the aviation link. Planted in 1954, Danie finds beauty in the mundane workhorse of Cinsault that has stood the test of time, endearing it to its operatives and taking it to an elevated status, to one of a classic and collectable wine.
This 2021 is a charming expressive Cinsault red displaying intricate aromatics of fragrant pink flowers and rose petals, tart cranberries and red cherries over a savoury, earthy base of wet loam. The palate is cool and well defined, the crisp acidity lending a fine frame over which sleek, crystalline, translucent red berry fruits are elegantly draped. The fruit sweetness is subtle and sophisticated allowing a wet stone pithy minerality to shine through on the finish. Elegant, delightfully easy drinking and utterly charming. Drink now to 2032+.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Welgegund Heritage Wines Old Vine Cinsault 2024, WO Wellington, 12.5% Abv.
Established in 1777 and lovingly restored by the Brimacombe family since 2014, Welgegund – a Dutch word meaning “well bestowed” – regards their Heritage range of wines as a key part of their legacy with their Certified Heritage Vineyards a source of great pride. Their Certified Heritage Vineyard that produces their Cinsault grapes was planted in 1974. It is a dryland, bush vine and low yielding vineyard that produces top quality fruit. This Southwest facing vineyard has ancient, decomposed granite soils that add to the minerality in the wine and the vines are packed with hay bales at their feet to retain moisture and as a natural way of keeping weeds at bay. The fruit is harvested by hand in the early morning and cool grapes are delivered to the winery where the grapes go to open top fermenters, in mostly whole bunch clusters with stalks intact, and are then aged for 12 months in 500 litre French oak barrels before being bottled unfiltered in June 2025. Only 1,400 bottles were produced.
Wellington is of course home to the oldest Cinsault vineyard in South Africa (Basson Vineyard), so unsurprisingly, this 1974 Old Vine expression also shows plenty of pedigree loaded with attractive aromatics of wild strawberries, mulberries, and Pink Lady apples with a delicate dusting of cracked pepper spice and Granitic minerality. On the palate, the wine is soft, supple and approachable with a harmoniously fleshy mid palate that reveals cool, well integrated acids, a hint of salinity, silky powdery tannins and a pithy, red cherry fruited finish. Open, generous and beautifully approachable. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Heritage Pinotage 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
Bellevue Stellenbosch is the oldest commercial producer of Pinotage in South Africa having produced South Africa’s first bottled Pinotage. Bellevue’s story is one of bold decisions and forward thinking. When Pieter Krige (P.K.) Morkel couldn’t find Gamay vines in 1953, he embraced a pioneering South African cultivar: Pinotage. This decision not only shaped Bellevue’s identity but also contributed to the global recognition of Pinotage as a uniquely South African wine. Bellevue currently works with the oldest average vine age in Stellenbosch with their youngest block 25+ years old and their oldest 73 years old.
Bellevue winemaker Wilhelm Kritzinger.
This 2021 Pinotage is another special heritage wine with a profound sense of place from one of the oldest commercial Pinotage vineyards in the world. A registered single vineyard planted in 1953, this 1.85 hectare sustainably farmed old bush vine vineyard reveals an incredibly complex and exotic aromatics that’s multi-layered with red and black bramble berry fruits, hints of dark chocolate and peppermint crisp, and an infusion of sage and bay leaf dried herbs. The palate is full bodied but supple with a broad, creamy, luxurious opulence that is embellished with lashing of sweet black currant and mulberries, Christmas spice and a deliciously sweet and sour acidity that slowly melts away on the long concentrated finish. Deliciously accessible but super serious as well. Drink now to 2036+.
In South Africa, the Old Vine Project (OVP) exists to protect the heritage of old vines and to ensure that old vineyards continue to thrive. Old vines are living history. Wines made from them embody decades of care, skill, and dedication. In South Africa, the OVP affords producers the opportunity to certify their old vine vineyards and wines. That it can do so is largely thanks to the South African Wine Industry Information Systems (SAWIS) database, and its records dating back to 1900. This database enables the OVP to verify planting dates and gives South Africa a unique global advantage – traceability and credibility. Members of the OVP may apply for the Certified Heritage Vineyards seal that clearly states the planting date for wine made from vineyards of 35 years or older.
The OVP journey began in 2002 when ex-lawyer and vineyard manager Rosa Kruger started documenting old vines. In 2016, the Old Vine Project was formalised as an Non Profit Company. Since then, awareness and momentum have grown steadily. Today, with more than 5,000 hectares of old vines and over 350 Certified Heritage Vineyards wine bottled each year, the OVP has become a leader in both preservation and innovation. The OVP is committed not only to preserving existing old vines, but also to advancing research on old vines, developing the skills of those who care for them, and fostering climate-resilient practices; ensuring that today’s young vines have the opportunity to mature into the heritage vineyards of the future.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Achievements to date include:
Old vineyard hectarage in South Africa has increased from 2,952 ha in 2016 to 5,159 ha in 2024 — a 75% increase in eight years.
OVP membership has grown from 8 members in 2017 to over 130 members in 2025, with more than 350 Certified Heritage Vineyard wines per vintage.
The Certified Heritage Vineyards seal provides consumers and trade with proof of authenticity, quality, and traceability, increasingly required in international markets.
Launch of the Certified Heritage Vineyards Grape Trading Platform, connecting old vine growers with winemakers.
Development of the Old Vine Pruning Course with FELCO Africa, training pruners in specialised vineyard care.
Establishment of the Old Vine Academy, an online learning platform for the wine industry, trade, and media.
Partnership with Vititec since 2008 to develop clean plant material from old vines, resulting in ‘Heritage Selections’.
Collaboration with InterLoire confirming that some South African Chenin Blanc selections are extinct in France, and are now safeguarded in clonal gardens in France.
Research breakthroughs with various local and international research projects.
Recognition in international works such as The World Atlas of Wine.
Dedicated old vine wine sections in leading retailers and restaurants locally and internationally.
Recognition at leading wine competitions and wine guides.
At its 22nd General Assembly, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) adopted Resolution OIV-VITI 703-2024, formally recognising the work of initiatives such as the Old Vine Conference, Old Vine Project, Old Vine Registry, and Censimento Vecchie Vigne. The resolution defines an old grapevine as a documented vine at least 35 years old (with grafts undisturbed for the same period), and an old vineyard as a legally defined block where at least 85% of vines meet this definition.
Donkiesbaai Steen 2025, WO Piekenierskloof, 13.37% Abv.
Donkiesbaai is a brand that was started by Jean Engelbrecht, owner of Stellenbosch estate Rust en Vrede, with the name based on a familiar family holiday spot up the Cape West Coast. Made from Chenin Blanc (or Steen in Afrikaans) fruit from the Piekenierskloof from old vines planted in 1986 and 1988, 70% of the wine was barrel fermented and matured in 500 litre French oak barrels and 30% naturally fermented in concrete eggs on its fine lees with monthly batonnage to enhance the richness and texture of the wine.
On the nose, there is a complex melange of fragrant white lemon blossoms, Granitic stony minerality over white citrus fruits and crunchy pear with a delicate sprinkling of dried herbs and fynbos. Youthful and energetic, this wine really shows the power, clarity, and intensity of the superb 2025 vintage, with layers of crunchy pineapple, green apple, white peach, and lemon crumble nuances. There is so much energy with a juicy tangy acidity that makes this wine a true mouth-watering treat. Still very fruit forward and primary, I suspect with a little more time in bottle, this impressive Chenin Blanc will slowly reveal its true Weskus salinity and underlying maritime influence, offering evolving drinking pleasure from release and over the next 10 to 15+ years. A true testament to the quality potential and pedigree of Old Vine Chenin Blanc.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Roodekrantz Donkermaan Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 12.6% Abv.
Roodekrantz Wines focuses primarily on the production of single-vineyard, site-specific wines from certified old vineyards. Their vision is to understand and nurture the vineyards they work with, doing everything possible to preserve their longevity and keep them rooted in the soil. Simply put, their winemaking philosophy is to capture the essence of the vineyard in the bottle with minimal intervention. Working exclusively with old barrels, their Chenin Blancs often undergo spontaneous malolactic fermentation, adding further complexity and texture to the wines. The Donkermaan vineyard’s vines planted in 1984 are 42 years old and sit at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level. Located in Stellenbosch’s Helderberg area, the old bush vines are dry land farmed in soils of deep red clay, a mix of Sandstone and Granite with a high iron content formed through the weathering of the surrounding mountains.
The aromatics on this young Chenin Blanc show more lifted pear drop-style esters alongside exotic notes of honey drizzled peaches, lychees, guava and green apples. Lurking beneath the rock candy nuances are dusty, Granitic mineral hints, touches of wet straw and white peaches. The palate is intense and fresh yet moderately phenolic with the 2024 telltale effortless crystalline intensity that so many white wines possess. Super lithe and sleek textured, medium bodied and beautifully supple and fine, this is another very classy Chenin Blanc that thrives more on its ethereal qualities than mere brute force power. Earlier drinking than either the 2021s or 2023s, this delicious example is good to savour now and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Kaapzicht Kliprug Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
The Kliprug vineyard was planted in 1982 on a stony ridge of decomposed granite in the Bottelary Hills, where tough, dryland conditions shape the character of the wine. These old bush vines, farmed sustainably and without irrigation, produce small, flavour-packed berries that yield naturally low crops of exceptional concentration. The soils are shallow and rocky, forcing the roots deep in search of moisture, while cooling afternoon breezes from False Bay preserve the grapes’ freshness and balance.
The aromatics on this Old Vine Chenin Blanc show lovely intensity and focus and are truly evocative of the sun-baked Cape winelands – complex and layered with pithy yellow citrus, green apples, honey and white peach fruits over an earthy, wet Granite minerality that mingles with herby fynbos nuances. In the mouth, this youthful white is vibrant and zippy with a well-defined acidity, a crystalline apricot fruit purity and an elegant, effortless intensity. The wine’s light, airy, weightless characters on the palate are juxtaposed with its flavour intensity from the Old Vine fruit. This is a wonderful introduction to archetypal Stellenbosch Old Vine Chenin Blanc. Drink now to 2032+.
With the Riebeek Valley Wine Co. increasingly featuring on many collectors’ best value fine wine lists of late, each new vintage release from winemaker Sheree Nothnagel seems to command significant attention. The pithy Skin Contact Chenin Blanc is characterful and quirky, and the Grenache Blanc and Palomino whites are benchmark examples from the Swartland. But it is undoubtedly the Carbonic Maceration Shiraz and the Grenache Noir reds that have performed exceptionally well, with the former regularly scoring in the 94 to 95 point range in the Winemag.co.za Prescient Blind Shiraz Category Awards. In my final review from the Raar range, I look at their new 2024 Grenache Noir that is currently on sale in the market.
The Riebeek Cellar Wine Co. was established in 1941 and is today owned by 30 shareholders, with some 900 hectares of vineyard under cultivation. Under the watchful eye of Sheree Nothnagel, who was previously at Wildehurst Cellar, who moved across at the end of 2019 to head up the Riebeek Valley Wine Co.’s boutique cellar with the Raar range of wines being the small production “jewel in the crown” at this Swartland winery.
RAAR Grenache Noir 2024, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
Light fresh ethereal aromatics reveal hints of cranberry, pomegranate, bramble berry and sour plum. The palate is deliciously fleshy, tangy and energetic, beautifully fresh and mouth wateringly intense. Overall, very impressive balance and restraint on the delicately herby, pithy, mineral laden finish. Another cracking wine from Sheree Nothnagel that represents incredible value for money. Drink now to 2030+.
I have known Paul Jordaan for many years, primarily through his role as the Sadie Family Wines’ lead winemaker, where he held this position for 12 years. It was during this tenure that he co-founded the Paulus Wine Co. in 2018, with first vintages released to great acclaim in as early as 2019. Founded alongside Pauline Roux, who I have not had the pleasure to meet yet, the Paulus Wine Co. was created “to reflect their shared passion for the Swartland, organic viticulture, low-intervention winemaking and site-specific Chenin Blanc” Paul explains.
To complement Paul’s enviable decade plus of winemaking experience at arguably South Africa’s most famous and respected premium boutique winery – Sadie Family Wines – Pauline too has a commensurate amount of experience having worked vintages at Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, at Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley in Australia, as well as having served stints at local wineries in the Cape including Mullineux Family Wines and AA Badenhorst Wines, both situated in the Swartland.
At the moment, the range consists of two wines – the Paardeberg Bosberaad Chenin Banc and the Bartas Helderberg Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch. Having now departed his winemaking role at Sadie Family Wines, this dynamic duo are free to devote their full time and energy to promoting and developing this exciting new boutique wine brand. I recently tasted their two new release cuvees from the 2023 vintage that have just arrived in the UK and was suitably impressed.
Paulus Wine Company Bosberaad Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
The grapes for the Bosberaad Chenin Blanc are sourced from the heart of the Siebritskloof Valley in the Paardeberg, on the southern border of the Swartland. The vineyard is owned by their good friend and third generation grower, Franziska Wickens of Waterval Farm. The old dryland grown bush vines were planted in 1980 and produce low yields of intensely concentrated fruit. Located on an east-facing ridge, the site benefits from afternoon shade, tempering the region’s warm climate. The site’s decomposed deep Granite soils also result in excellent balance, minerality and freshness. The vines are farmed organically, without certification. 2023 was a challenging vintage in the Swartland. Winter was warm and dry, followed by a dry growing season. Rain in mid-December helped to reduce vine stress and extend the ripening. Fortunately, the region did not experience prolonged heatwaves, only short 1-2 day heat spikes. However, yields were still relatively low. Paulus’s harvest began in mid-January and finished at the end of February 2023.
The Bosberaad 2023 is yet another benchmark old vine Chenin Blanc from Paul Jordaan made from Paardeberg grapes grown on decomposed Granite soils. The aromatics are true to the Swartland terroir with intricate notes of dry bushveld after the first rains, wet hay, white peach, crunchy pear, and crushed granite with just the most subtle top notes of white toast and honeycomb. The palate is packed with concentration and intensity with confident yellow orchard fruit flavours, yellow apples and pear puree all concertinaed between a pithy wet stone minerality and deliciously bright, taut tangy acids that lend great persistence, focus and clarity to the finish. The 2023 Swartland vintage was a bit of a slow burner on release but with a little extra time in bottle has revealed a veritable feast of flavour and freshness. Swartland Chenin lovers are going to want some of this gem in their cellars. I certainly do! Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paulus Wine Company Bartàs Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
The grapes are sourced from a vineyard block located on a small hill on Rustenhof Farm in the Helderberg, the southernmost coastal region of Stellenbosch. Planted in 1978, the bush vines are rooted in shallow decomposed Granite soils, contributing to the wine’s distinctive mineral character. The site faces a prevailing south-easterly wind and is located roughly five kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean resulting in a notable precision, purity and tension in the wine. The 2023 vintage produced elegant wines in Stellenbosch. The Helderberg region experienced a cooler winter than average at the end of 2022, allowing the vines to effectively rest and recover from the previous harvest. Berries were slightly smaller than average resulting in excellent flavour development and intense concentration. The grapes were harvested at the end of January 2023.
Paul Jordaan and Pauline Roux’s Bartàs 2023 is sourced from a stunning old vine parcel of Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc planted in the Helderberg in 1978, and like its sibling from the Swartland, the Bosberaad Chenin Blanc, is grown of decomposed Granite soils. This coastal Chenin Blanc shows a pronounced dusty crushed Granite minerality over notes of green apple, crunchy pear, dried herbs, fynbos, and delicate, pithy grape skin phenolics. Beautifully pure and delineated on the palate, the acids are noticeably bright, tangy, and lemony, melting seamlessly into tart green apple, sweet quince, and salty lemon peel nuances. This is another very impressive Helderberg Chenin Blanc with a surfeit of mineral intensity and precision, fabulous fruit purity and a terroir driven complexity. Drink now and over the next 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Paulus Wine Co. wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Liberty Wines.
This old vineyard for the Treinspoor Old Vine Series red was planted in 1974 and lies on the western side of Malmesbury, on route to Darling. Historically Tinta Das Baroccas (the earlier pronunciation) has always had a good, prominent place in the Swartland region (who doesn’t love Allesverloren’s Tinta Barocca with an artisanal pizza!?) This vineyard is located next to the old railway line (treinspoor) and was named accordingly, grown on decomposed Granite and Table Mountain sandstone soils with yields of circa 18 hectolitres per hectare. (In the early days, I was told Eben found this vineyard when he was driving past and saw heavy JCB diggers about to rip up this venerable old vineyard. After discussions with the owner, he offered to farm it offering a considerably higher grape price and so the farmer decided to save the vineyard. But I stand to be corrected on this!)
The very fragile thin skin of Tinta Barocca is prone to sunburn, but in this case, the old bush vines have formed a great framework to keep the bunches sheltered from the intense Swartland sun. The good colour and firm acidity of this variety have made it a favourite component in blends from the outset. However, once a Tinta Barocca vineyard has grown into old age, it has all the complexities and qualities to be bottled on its own. On the Sadie Family website, Eben Sadie suggests this wine can easily age up to 18+ years. On the current showing at almost 13 years old, I would suggest this is a fairly conservative assessment.
The Sadie Family Ageing Guide:
Treinspoor VERSION 1: 1-4 years; VERSION 2: 10 – 18 years
“The reality is that Tinta Barocca is a big temperament grape with the demeanour and makeup to age. The entire being of this grape and liquid construction is made for the future. It drinks well young with a big steak and a plate of triple-fired potato chips, but as a wine on its own or down a white tablecloth and some fine dining, it requires the wait.” – Eben Sadie
Sadie Family Wines Die Ouwingerdreeks Treinspoor 2013, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
This is a really impressive wine that shows an incredibly vibrant red cherry and red plum skin colour in the glass. Tasted from a Zalto Universal glass, the aromatics continue to evolve over one, two, three hours with top notes of gentle spicy leafy sapidity, hints of crushed Granite dust, red currants, red plum skins, dried herbs, and freshly sawn oak notes. On the palate, the wine shows an intricate juxtaposition between a gently mellowing textural savoury bottle age alongside fresh, vibrant, pithy cherry fruits, red plums, and salty red liquorice candies. You get the sense that the tannins were once fairly rustic, but now with the benefit of time, show a chalky liquid minerality – fine grained, creamy and soft but still an imposing element of the wine’s structure. This is a beautiful expression of Tinta Barocca. If you are lucky enough to still have a few bottles in your cellar, start drinking now and over the next 10 years. But certainly no rush! I am very pleased I managed to “lose” a case of this wine in my cellar. This was my first bottle of six.
I first met Donovan Rall at the Cape White Blend Conference in 2009 at Forest 44 in Stellenbosch where Ian Naude had assembled 80+ of South Africa’s greatest winemakers to listen to Eben Sadie, Peter Fischer and myself, talk about the farming, production, and marketing of world class white blends. During one of the intermissions, this giant Viking came up to me and introduced himself. Donovan had worked for several months in London with an ex-colleague of mine at the Harvey Nichols department store fine wine section in Knightsbridge, London.
Offering me two bottles of his by then long sold-out maiden release Rall White Blend, he asked me to drink one and let him know what I thought, and also if I could please take the other bottle back to London for his old colleague to enjoy, which I of course obliged. The maiden vintage turned out to be the first of three consecutive 5 Star Platter Guide wines that he eventually went on to produce. Donovan’s white blend became a cult wine over a handful of vintages and is still today established as one of the best on the market, as was confirmed by this vintage 2012.
Donovan Rall pouring his wines in London.
Rall White Blend 2012, WO Coastal Origin, 14.5% Abv.
The second of three bottles I found in my cellar, this bottle represents an even fresher and more vibrant expression of this flagship white blend from Donovan Rall than previous bottles. A nine barrel blend of Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, Chardonnay and Viognier, the aromatics are focused, crisp, cool and incredibly vital with hints of buttered popcorn, lemon biscuits, and savoury leesy notes before a crushed Granite, sweet quince and yellow orchard fruit complexity emerges. Despite the 14.5% alcohol, the palate is fresh, pure and intense with a tangy layering of orange peel, passion fruit, honeycomb, guava roll and an enticing, piercing liquid minerality on the finish. An astonishing bottle with harmony and textural finesse, that goes a long way in explaining why top Cape White Blends are such a successful global phenomenon!
