The Cape is blessed with a plethora of dynamic historical wineries. But unlike many wine regions around the world, there is a constant evolution of wines, wineries and winemaking that keep the South African wine scene exciting, cutting edge and vital. The Thamnus winery in the Overberg Region is just one such new up and coming wine farm. Founded in 2019, the winery’s first vintages were produced from the 2020 harvest using Chardonnay, many from the CY95, CY76, CY96 clones. Traditionally, winemaker P.J.Geyer makes two different styles from each clone which are then evaluated and potentially blended.
Thamnus cultivate 10 tons of fruit for themselves and currently bottle only circa five tons of this fruit. The estate’s total production is currently 90 tons of which they sell off 60 tons of fruit and keep a mere 30 tons, vinifying 10 tons, keeping 5 tons and selling off 5 tons in bulk wine. Approximately 75% of the vineyards are 10 years old and 25% were planted in 2015.
Thamnus Chardonnay 2021, WO Overberg, 13% Abv.
Aged in new, second fill and 4th fill French oak barrels. The 2021 is surprisingly rich, creamy and leesy, super concentrated, almost unctuous with a big piercing lemon and lime depth, biscuit, grapefruit preserve, with a generous lick of vanilla pod and savoury oak spice. A very impressive expression from a great vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Thamnus Chardonnay 2022, WO Overberg, 13% Abv.
Aged in a mix of old and new French oak with fruit from a warmer year. The 2022 is more reserved and mineral, classical and restrained, showing hints of spicy lemon, white pepper, pithy lime peel and yellow grapefruit. Incredibly sleek and refined, mineral laden, pure and compact. Currently showing lovely youthful wound spring tension but also great cellaring potential. Ironically, I’d probably pick this wine as a 2021 if tasted blind.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The rugged Overberg Region.
Thamnus Chardonnay 2023, WO Overberg, 13% Abv.
Aged in 1st, 2nd,3rd and 4th fill French oak barrels with the fruit coming from a wetter year in the Overberg. This 2023 vintage is embryonically youthful and vibrant with more opulent high tone fruit notes of fresh green honeydew melon, green apple, white pear, and a stony mineral limestone complexity. The palate reveals a sleek, harmonious elegance together with a glycerol fleshy elegance and a long, focused, spicy finish. This wine should evolve beautifully and possibly merit an even higher score in the future.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Winemaker P.J. Geyer.
Thamnus Pinot Noir 2021, WO Overberg, 13% Abv.
The 2021 Pinot Noir displays a classic earthy, brambly, red and black berry fruited aromatics with hints of cranberry, crunchy wild strawberry before a smoky, burnt wood ember nuance. There is a classical sapidity evident on the entry with a chalky, stony, stalky spice complexity melting into a very sleek, polished tannin texture enlivened by crisp linear acids. A fine representation from a cooler, fresher, more linear vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Thamnus Pinot Noir 2022, WO Overberg, 13% Abv.
The 2022 Pinot Noir is at first quite smoky and stony with hints of graphite, struck match and charcoal embers over sour red plum, black berry, curry leaf and bruised ripe strawberry fruits. There is a fullness and ripeness on the palate with a feel of density and extract from the sunshine while remaining stony, flinty and attractively smoky. While there are suggestions of exoticism on the palate, the wine remains unwaveringly elegant, light touch and beautifully focused. Should be at its best in 3 to 5 years time.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Thamnus Wines are currently seeking representation in the UK.
In many of the top wine producing regions of the world, it’s a recurring curse to be the vintage that follows a truly exceptional year like 2021, which in Sassicaia’s case produced a highly lauded 100 point wine. Interestingly, Tenuta San Guido draw several parallels between the 2022 vintage and the 2017 vintage, which also followed a 100 point release. Tasting both the 2022 and 2017 alongside each other illustrated once again what a very special site the Bolgheri-Sassicaia DOC is and why it is designated as its own monopole appellation.
The autumn of 2023 was mostly warm and dry, but in November, temperatures dropped with rainfall that replenished the ground water reserves. Winter began with mild temperatures and intense fog, while February recorded very cold temperatures with lows of around -3°C, accompanied by rain and snow at higher altitudes. Spring started with rising temperatures and moderate rainfall, but in April, cold weather and rain returned, which fortunately did not cause any damage. In May, the seasonal average temperature stabilised, with frequent rains that favoured flowering and fruit setting.
The summer was characterised by above-average temperatures but the good water availability allowed the plants to grow regularly. The intense heat led to thoughts of an early harvest but the rain at the end of August restored the situation and allowed the grapes to reach proper maturity: excellent grape quality, with great consistency; good aromatic extraction and impressive anthocyanins.
After a passage in second and third-use French oak barriques (previously used for Guidalberto), the Le Difese wine is transferred to stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 3-4°C to achieve the proper tartaric stability before bottling.
Tenuta San Guido Le Difese 2023, IGT Toscana, 13.5% Abv.
5.75 TA | 3.48pH
I still remember tasting the maiden 2002 Le Difese release and the 2023 is every bit as exciting, 21 years later. A blend of 65% Sangiovese and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2023, the aromatics show a delicately perfumed red and black berry melange with attractive notes of pressed violets, red cherries, raspberries and crushed mulberries that melt into more subtle hints of black currant and salty black liquorice. There is a thrilling energy and brightness to the palate that resonates with vibrant tart red cherry, sour plum and tangy, salty black berry notes before finishing cool and fresh with a fine grained stony phenolic grip. Lovely concentration and an impressive acid structure make this another seductive ‘must-buy’ wine from the Sassicaia stable. Drink on release and over 10 to 12+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting the 2022 Sassicaia with Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta in London.
The soils for Sassicaia’s vines are located within the unique monopole appellation production area of “Bolgheri Sassicaia D.O.C.” They exhibit diverse and complex morphological characteristics, with the presence of calcareous zones rich in galestro, as well as stones and pebbles (from which the wine takes its name), and partially clayey soils. The production sites are located at an average altitude between 100 and 400 metres above sea level, with a West/South-Westerly exposure.
The 2022 vintage was hot but the favourable microclimate of Bolgheri allowed for a good balance between acidity and freshness. Autumn initially recorded below-average temperatures, with abundant rainfall and a drop in temperature at the end of November, which favoured the vegetative halt of the plants and the natural elimination of pests. Rain continued in winter, ensuring a good water reserve. Spring began with above-average temperatures, interrupted by a sudden and brief temperature drop that led to a reduction of buds in the early vineyards. This reduced the load on the plants and allowed for correct pigmentation and maturation of the grapes.
Summer was characterised by intense heat, but thanks to the microclimate of Bolgheri and the hilltop location of the vineyards, no signs of vine stress were observed. Significant rainfall in mid-August led to a temperature drop, favouring the proper maturation of the grapes. The grape harvest, carried out by hand, began in the first days of September with the grapes from the younger vineyards and continued with the Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyards at lower altitudes, finishing with those from the hillside vineyards at over 300 metres above sea level (Vigna di Castiglioncello). The harvest operations were completed at the end of September.
The barrel cellar at Sassicaia in Bolgheri.
After a careful selection of the grapes, soft pressing is followed by controlled alcoholic fermentation, that was completed by the end of October. The macerations were moderate, lasting from 13 to 18 days, with optimal extraction of polyphenols and aromas. After the spontaneous malolactic fermentation, completed by the end of November, the wine underwent a maturation period in French oak barriques of about 23 months. It was then transferred to stainless steel tanks for the final selection of the batches before blending.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2022, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, 13.5% Abv.
6.15 TA | 3.43pH
The 2022 vintage returned to warmer conditions in Bolgheri making the unique microclimate of the Sassicaia vineyards all the more influential. This 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc blend exhibits a deep, seductive, alluring aromatics packed full of musk, violets, tilled earth, black cherry and saline creme de cassis notes with an incredibly precise purity. The palate is tightly wound and taut with an expressive vein of stony minerality supporting chalky drying tannins. Powerful yet finely poised, the structure is enlivened by a cool crisp acidity and piercing notes of black currant, salty blueberry and subtle hints of graphite and cherry tobacco on the finish. Real intensity and drive backed by an energetic freshness and a notable wound spring tension make this a perfect Sassicaia for the cellar… if you can resist its unquestionable allure and charm. A noteworthy successor to the 100 point 2021 vintage. Drink from 2029 to 2050+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Tenuta San Guido wines are imported into the UK by Armit Wines.
This premium estate in the Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch continues to produce not only exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon based reds but also some incredibly seductive Syrahs. This 2022 single vineyard expression would have still been made by previous winemaker extraordinaire, Rudger van Wyk, who departed the estate at the end of 2023.
The impressive Stark Conde vineyards are located in the picturesque and dramatic Jonkershoek Valley, a site with steep changes in vineyard elevation ranging from 150 to 600 metres making for a range of terroirs with distinct characteristics. At Stark Conde they stick to traditional winemaking methods using open tank fermentation, meticulous sorting of grapes, hand-punch downs, basket pressing and maturation in small French oak barrels.
One of the three pine trees overlooking the Syrah vineyard.
Stark Conde Three Pines Syrah 2022, WO Jonkershoek Valley, 14.5% Abv.
This new release spent 18 months in French oak, 40% new, as well as a portion in concrete. The aromatics are fresh and lifted, packed full of fragrant violets, purple flowers, blueberries, black berries, earthy currants, before deeper notes of hoisin plum sauce and savoury grilled meats. The concentration is notable, the glycerol mouthfeel broad and fleshy with a brûléed vanilla pod spice, a tangy creme de cassis concentration and savoury blueberry fruits over subtle brûléed mocha notes on the finish. Polished and suave, this is an impressive wine for the 2022 vintage. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10+ years. (3,344 bottles, certified organic.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Stark Conde wines are imported into the UK by specialist South African importer Museum Wines.
In the early 18th century, the north of the Médoc peninsular offered exciting investment opportunities for the high society of the time, and Jean-François de Pontet figured prominently among the aristocrats of the day and among the high-ranking magistrates that shaped the vast horizons of the new Médoc vineyards. The Pontet-Canet vineyard, located in the commune of Pauillac right next door to famous neighbour Chateau Mouton Rothschild, covers 81 hectares (200 acres). It is made up of around one hundred plots and 800,000 vines looking out over the Gironde estuary. At the heart of the Pontet-Canet terroir known as the “plateau”, a gentle broad outcrop of Garonne gravel soil dating from the Günz era that sits on a bedrock of limestone – prime terroir for producing elegant yet robust Bordeaux reds.
Pontet Canet is located on prime Pauillac terroir next to some illustrious neighbours.
At Pontet Canet their biodynamic approach has, in the Tesseron’s view – the current owners – brought a new dimension to their wines. It has given them “greater depth while producing more precise and silky tannins. The length of flavour on the palate has also gained in minerality. Our wines are purer and more vibrant.”
So, as one of the top cult Cru Classe wines of the moment, I thought I’d compare and contrast four current vintages customers might be tempted to buy.
Vintage Highlights:
2020 Vintage
The winter was mild, continuing into spring, which was also very wet. There was dry and warm weather for the early flowering in the second half of May. This was followed by very warm and, importantly, arid conditions from 18th June to 11th August. There were then heavy, rapid thunderstorms, often overnight, which dropped huge volumes of water on the Left Bank, but less on the Right Bank. Harvest was dry and very warm, with only intermittent rain after 20th September. From early October, it turned very wet again. Now firmly remembered as an “années solaires.”
2021 Vintage
Bordeaux 2021 will be remembered as an extremely mixed vintage. The challenges faced by producers were very localised and much depended on each individual vigneron’s decisions at key moments. These challenges were: a warm spring; a very rainy spring and early summer; mildew; a cool July and early August; hail; rain in September; and, finally, rot. Yet, despite this litany of problems, many producers were much more positive than they had dared hope during the season. Of course, 2021 is not a warm and sunny (or hot) vintage in the vein of 2018, 2019 and 2020. The harvest was only possible towards the end of September and into October for the Cabernet Sauvignon. But the best wines seem to have captured a natural and classic freshness, elegance, and weightless finesse – for some palates, a welcome contrast to the power of the preceding years. However, the wines were probably still over priced at En-primeur.
2022 Vintage
The word was out early that the Bordelais felt they had something special in 2022, long before the world’s wine merchants arrived to make their own assessments at En-primeur. Heatwaves and drought are not usually parents to high-quality wines. However, the wines in barrel confounded merchants’ expectations, with most agreeing that the 2022 vintage was indeed a special one across Bordeaux. Despite the lack of water, the vines did not seem to suffer terribly, remaining in leaf and in good health right up to the harvest. The berries were small and so yields were restricted. All varieties were beautifully ripe, so much so that some properties felt no need to produce any second wines, many opting rather to increase the proportion of press wine in the final blend, such was its quality. Predictably, release prices were very high!
2023 Vintage
In Bordeaux as in many top wine producing regions of the world, it’s a recurring curse to be the vintage that follows a truly exceptional year like 2022. Consider 2001 and how it was overshadowed by 2000; or 2006 by 2005; or more recently, 2021 by 2020. Overlooked they may have been, but these vintages have since proven themselves to offer years of joyful drinking. It would be a great shame if 2023 sat undiscovered in the shadow of the superb 2022s, with early tastings at various top châteaux revealing it to be indeed a delightful, opulent, fruit laden vintage. While the vintage doesn’t quite have the density and power of the 2022’s, there are many examples of superb Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank and wonderful Merlot, particularly from St Emilion’s limestone. The wines have purity and transparency, beautiful freshness, and a charming immediacy with more intensity than the 2021’s. Prices were more modest but were of course coming down from previous highs in 2022, which somewhat mitigated the markets enthusiasm to buy this charming vintage.
Chateau Pontet Canet 2020, Pauillac, 13.5% Abv.
Dense dark and plush, packed full of blue and black berry fruits, hints of cherry kirsch liquor and brown breakfast toast on the nose. Texture is plush and creamy, with a medium weight and a fine-grained tannin, finishing with a melange of black berry fruits, vanilla spice and delicate soft acids. Undoubtedly rich, opulent and ripe without being hedonistic. Drink now to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Pontet Canet 2021, Pauillac, 13% Abv.
A much tighter broodier aromatics with graphite and iodine, pithy black cherry and saline creme de cassis and a dusting of Pauillac gravel minerality. The texture is light, silky and delicate with dry sultry tannins and a very elegant, stony, black fruited finish with a kiss of cedar spice. Light touch, polished but still very seductive. Drink now until 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Pontet Canet 2022, Pauillac, 14.5% Abv.
From 2022 in a new bespoke branded lighter bottle that still looks the part. The nose shows plush blueberry crumble, black plum and black cherry confit with a kiss of vanilla pod spice. Sweet fruited with a fine powdery chalky tannin texture, the concentration is notable, the finish long, dry and mouth coating but certainly lacking no freshness. This is undoubtably a very impressive wine but priced accordingly! Drink now to 2045+.
A budding fresh barrel sample, interestingly, this bottle is a little further on its journey from examples tasted at En-primeur week. The fruits are dense and ripe, the aromatics unctuous, beautifully layered with black berry compote, salted caramel, warm blueberry crumble and hints of mocha and warm brown toast. The savoury, brûléed hint follows to the plush, dense, opulent palate that shows fine grained tannins, a weightless concentration and a pinpoint fine tannin structure. A bold, ripe Pauillac style expressing the opulence and hedonist nature of the 2023 vintage. Drink now to 2045+.
The Roodeberg label from KWV is one of the South African wine industry’s iconic brands that rose to fame in the 1950’s and 1960’s and then soared to icon status in the 1970s and early 1980s before mysteriously losing its way with the changing of the guard post 1994. The 1949 Roodeberg Red Blend is a return to the original premium Roodeberg tradition and philosophy attempting to create a wine with universal fine wine appeal. The excellent maiden 2017 vintage was produced from premium Stellenbosch grapes grown on the Grondves Farm, one of the primary sites for the development of mother plant material for the South African wine industry decades ago.
Roodeberg 1949 embraces the revival of exciting French and Spanish varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon forms the foundation of the blend supported by Tempranillo, Carignan and Carménère. After fermentation, the different components were left to mature for circa 18 months in new French oak barrels with only the best barrels selected for blending and bottling. If you’ve never tried this KWV Cuvee, seek it out as it offers incredibly consistent high quality at an accessible price point just over £22 per bottle.
KWV Roodeberg 1949 Red Blend 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
This is another enticing 1949 Cuvee with rich nuanced aromatics of sweet black plum, bramble berries, blackberry compote, milk chocolate and delicate herbal hints with a sweet bay leaf kiss. On the palate, the sweet red and black berry fruits are seamlessly balanced by bright tangy black currant acids, soft sweet supple tannins and a medium weighted, creamy intensity. This is an attractive, well constructed red blend that stays true to the 2020 vintage’s supple, elegant, fleshy accessibility. Always excellent value for money, I remain a massive fan of the 1949 Cuvée! Drink on release until 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The KWV 1949 is imported into the UK by North South Wines.
Every year, I look at the wide array of phenomenal new wines being produced by the next generation of Cape young guns and am simply astounded by the ingenuity, attention to detail and precision these producers are able to conjure up often with bought in fruit parcels acting as their blank canvases. For me, no producer personifies this endless striving for excellence and creativity more than Sakkie Mouton, the Weskus maverick.
The eccentric new duo from Sakkie.
With Sakkie’s Revenge of the Crayfish now an established icon Chenin Blanc in the Cape’s annual new release schedule, I am always left wondering what new tricks Sakkie will pull out of his sleeve as his new vintage vinous treasures are revealed. This year, with the 2024 vintage, he has pushed the boundaries even further with not one but two eccentric new releases… a Piquepoul Blanc and a Lledoner Pelut / Agiorgitiko Rosé blend. I recently received samples of both and had a chance to taste these fascinating, paradigm shifting wines.
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Piquepoul Blanc 2024, WO Oliphantsrivier, 12.3% Abv.
3.1g/l RS | 7.9g/l TA | 3.31pH
Produced from Piquepoul vines planted in 2021 on Karoo Sandstone soils 25km from the ocean, the colour shows a deep golden bonze hue with an incredibly enticing crystalline clarity and brightness. On the nose, the aromatics are rich, complex, and exotic as you would expect after two weeks maceration on the skins. There is a seductive perfume of white blossoms before intensely pithy aromas of freshly pealed naartjies, soft waxy orange peel, ripe pineapple chunks and crunchy white peach flow from the glass. There is a faint mineral dustiness and granitic spice lurking alongside hints of green apple, nori seaweed and Sakkie’s signature briney maritime Weskus salinity. The palate is medium bodied and compact in construction with delicious reinforcing tangy lemony acids, hints of tart pineapple, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and a salty, wet stone minerality on the dry, pithy finish. I love the way Sakkie has managed to coax an extra layer of depth and texture out on the palate from 4 months extended gross lees contact, yet he manages to retain the wines majestic purity, freshness, and piercing salinity effortlessly. This is a far more complex and characterful Piquepoul Blanc than many consumers in Europe will be familiar with from the South of France and its deliciousness is simply off the charts. Enjoy the halo vibrancy of these young vines now on release and over the next 3 to 5 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Lledoner Pelut / Agiorgitiko Rosé 2024, WO Oliphantsrivier, 12.5% Abv.
7.5g/l RS | 12.5g/l TA | 3.24pH
A alluring bright orange pink colour in the glass, this young vibrant 2024 Rosé displays a dramatic array of aromatics with seductively complex notes of naartjie peel, orange citrus, sea breeze salinity, pink musk candy, Parma violets, Turkish delight and delicate hints of rose petals and crushed limes. In the mouth the wine shows an incredible balance and symmetry, with an intense concentration of oranges and limes, pithy ruby grapefruit, tart strawberry and chalky, stony cranberry nuances on a vibrant, zippy finish. An incredibly enticing, seductive Rosé that displays a mouth-watering moreishness… one sip swiftly inviting another. The delicate red berry and watermelon hints combined with a stony pithiness make this an incredibly food friendly wine. This innovative blend typifies Sakkie Mouton’s style at the moment as he l continues to flex his winemaking genius. Drink now, preferably with some Cape salmon or yellow fin tuna sashimi or any Asian fusion cuisine, and over the next 2 to 4 years.
As of August 2024, Abrie Beeslaar ended a highly lauded tenure at the Kanonkop Wine Estate, calling time on his position as head winemaker there in order to focus on his own wine brand, Beeslaar, which he initially launched with his maiden 2012 Pinotage vintage back in 2013/14. The Krige family was very accommodating of Abrie and his own little “side hustle” and over the years the wine built up a sizable following around the world not least because Abrie was credited with producing arguably the most impressive modern-styled premium Pinotage in South Africa under the Kanonkop Black Label.
The Beeslaar creation was made in an altogether different style to the Kanonkop Estate Pinotage, possessing a sumptuous elegance, textural softness and harmonious balance of sweet black berry fruits with the most intelligent and sympathetic oaking regime. In many ways, where the Kanonkop expression held more of a fleeting resemblance to a Bordeaux red in style, the Beeslaar always seemed to portray more of a concentrated Grand Cru Burgundy elegance. There are of course many premium styles of Pinotage produced in South Africa today, but there are certainly few that are more impressive than Abrie’s Beeslaar expressions.
Tasting with Abrie Beeslaar in 2024 in Stellenbosch.
From 2020, Abrie started producing small amounts of Chardonnay as well, and with his 2023 release, we see probably his most accomplished expression to date. New vintages are due to land in the UK in early 2025, so keep an eye out for these exceptional new wines.
Beeslaar Chardonnay 2023, WO Western Cape, 13% Abv.
The 2023 Chardonnay from Abrie Beeslaar is the most distinguished expression he has produced to date and offers an enthralling opulence and intensity commensurate with the high-quality reputation of the 2023 vintage. The grapes, 65% from Barrydale and 35% from Banghoek, Stellenbosch, were sourced from vineyards situated on a mixture of shale and high-altitude granitic soils, which impart the wine with an exceptional sense of luxury and textural sophistication. After a period of 48 hours of settling, the juice underwent fermentation in a combination ceramic vessels and 225-litre oak barriques, 20% new, before being barrel aged on its fine lees for 12 months to impart additional complexity, texture, and mouthfeel. On the nose, the aromatics reveal an alluring melange of honeysuckle, white blossom, yellow stone fruits, pithy citrus, lemon peel, crushed granite and delicately leesy, biscuity dried herb nuances. On the palate, there is a beautiful sense of power and poise with mouthwatering layers of sweet pineapple chunks, Braeburn apples, vanilla pod, and yellow grapefruit with an intricate line of crystalline acidity before a final rasping wet stone phenolic mineral grip on the finish. A thoroughly accomplished wine that promises to drink well for at least another 6 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Beeslaar Pinotage 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
Always one of the most impressive premium Pinotages produced in South Africa since its maiden release in 2012, the Beeslaar Pinotage has a style all of its own, boasting a soft, silky, fleshy concentration and lifted perfumed aromatics that are simply to die for. The 2022 release was fermented in open top concrete vessels with punch downs every two hours before being matured for 20 months in 225-litre French oak barriques of which 50% were new and 50% were second passage. The aromatics are rich, intricate, and complex with classical Pinotage notes of sweet violets, bramble berries, black plums, black cherries and notions of savoury cured meats and smoky chargrilled steaks dusted with Chinese five spice and bruleed mocha choc nuances. Abrie always has an expert knack of coaxing out the most seductively silky plush textured mouthfeel from his reds and this 2022 is beautifully soft and supple, sweetly fruited, and impressively concentrated with bramble berry fruits, crème de cassis, black cherry confit topped with picante black chocolate and exotic vanilla oak spice notes. True to the Beeslaar style, the concentration is focused and intense, the acidity refreshingly vibrant and the tannins silky, sweet and luscious. Pinotage of this quality needs a little time to show at its best and this 2022 is just starting to show glimpses of its true greatness. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Beeslaar Wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines. Retail prices are approximately £38pb for the Chardonnay and £48pb for the Pinotage.
After spending a lot of time in Burgundy tasting the 2023 wines in-situ, I took the opportunity to taste, compare and contrast two very big name Burgundy producers in London that many keen collectors MIGHT just be able to source and buy in this tightly allocated environment.
Clos-de-Bèze is certainly one of the most revered Grand Cru appellations in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits sub-region, exclusively dedicated to Pinot Noir of course. Its exceptional terroir, featuring limestone and marl soils, yields Pinot Noir wines with a delicate fruitiness, refined acidity, and elegant tannins. The wines almost always exhibit captivating aromas of red berries, cherries, violets, and earthy nuances, making them ideal companions for roasted game birds, mushroom based dishes, and savoury herby stews.
Always as sought after as many of the great Grand Crus of Vosne Romanee, the Clos-de-Bèze reds have got to be amongst the most desirable Grand Cru wines of Gevrey-Chambertin along side Gevrey’s famed Clos Saint Jacques Premier Cru vineyard of course. While no producer’s Clos-de-Bèze allocation is easy to secure, the slightly more commercial offerings from Domaine Faiveley and Domaine Drouhin are certainly two wines some consumers might be more likely to encounter on fine wine lists. So, as always, read my reviews before you buy!
Domaine Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru 2023, Burgundy
A pretty wine showing seductively accessible sweet fruited aromatics of ripe red cherry, crystallised strawberry and earthy red currant notes. There is a fine palate concentration, a pithy liquid mineral mouthfeel and a soft, fine grained tannin texture. The wine finishes slightly abruptly but the flavours are thoroughly attractive. This will be an early to medium term drinker, with a label and appellation to impress dinner guests but perhaps not quite a wine for connoisseurs or collectors who will surely expect better for the price. Drink on release until 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru 2023, Burgundy
Like the Drouhin, the aromatics on this impressive Faiveley red are seductive, pure and pristine, even exotic, fruit forward and opulent with an underlying lick of new oak which is actually quite attractive. The palate is a little more punchy, delicately saline, and beautifully intense with a maritime sea breeze note, pithy black cherry, oak spice, and a cool veneer dusted with graphite and limestone minerality. Simply put, this is a very attractive wine. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasted at the Howard Ripley Burgundy En-primeur 2023 tasting. Please contact: Adrian Burns adrian.burns@howardripley.com for a full private client offer.
Capensis, meaning “from the Cape,” is a relatively new prestige winery in the Cape that has emerged as a quality leader in bringing South Africa back to the forefront of world-class Chardonnay production. South Africa’s Western Cape can be called both the oldest wine region of the New World and the newest wine region of the Old World and Capensis skilfully combines these two facets — the oldest and the newest — of Western Cape winemaking. It embodies the unparalleled quality that comes from old vines planted in some of the oldest soils in the world, and it represents the young energy of a new generation of winemakers focused on making world-class wines with the help of state-of-the-art techniques.
With the end of apartheid in 1994 and the opening of the world export market, South Africa’s remarkable wine-growing potential slowly became better known outside the country. To realize this potential, top viticulturists brought in by the owners, Jackson Family Wines from California, began researching and selecting the best grape varieties for each site’s soils and mesoclimate. In the search for the best Chardonnay sites, the focus of Capensis has been on the Stellenbosch, Overberg, and Robertson regions in the Western Cape. Philosophically, Capensis say they are not limited to these regions – “the only limitation is the quality of the individual vineyard site.”
Capensis Head Winemaker, Graham Weerts
The Capensis Chardonnays are now made at their new South African winery fully owned by Barbara Banke of Jackson Family Wines in USA after South African partner Anthony Beck’s share was recently bought out and is produced from vineyards that were expertly sourced by renowned viticulturalist Rosa Kruger. The wine, since its maiden Capensis vintage in 2013, has always been produced by Graham Weerts, from vineyards located in Stellenbosch, the Overberg, and the Robertson region. Graham was of course based on the West Coast of the USA for many years, commuting back and forth during vintage time, but over our breakfast tasting at the end of 2024, he assured me that he is well and truly settled back in South Africa overseeing all the Capensis winemaking as well as the new Swartland Dalkeith Winery project, who’s new white release and maiden Syrah red release will be reviewed on the Fine Wine Safari in the coming weeks.
The Stellenbosch estate of Fijnbosch sits at 527 metres (1,729 feet) in elevation on clay soils on the high-elevation, steep terrain slopes of the Groot Drakenstein mountains in the Banghoek Valley with fynbos surrounding the vines, contributing to the Chardonnay’s exceptional natural acidity and complexity. The Kaaimansgat vineyards planted on Granitic soils in the Overberg, lie at an elevation of 757 metres (2,484 feet). Impressively remote and resting up in the mountains of the Overberg, the Kaaimansgat vineyards literally translate to “crocodile’s lair” and have long been used in world class examples of Chardonnay by producers such as Bouchard Finlayson and Leeu Passant.
Situated at 174 metres or 571 feet in elevation, rooted in blistered limestone soil, the 16 rows of vines in the E. Bruwer vineyard in Robertson produce grapes that contribute a rich texture to the Capensis Chardonnay, with abundant notes of peach and other yellow orchard fruits. The vines are trained in a method typically referred to as single cordon sprawl, which suits the site, which was primarily planted to Chardonnay Clone 95. Select additional vineyards located in the Helderberg and the Klein Karoo make up the total grape material available to Graham Weerts at harvest time.
Capensis Silene Chardonnay 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
Wonderfully floral stone fruits laced with lemon and lime peel, white blossom and grapefruit confit over dusty stony granite. The palate boast fresh citrus fruits, fresh pineapple chunks, grapefruit preserve and delicate biscuit leesy notes on the finish. Super elegant, mouth watering and deliciously fresh, pure and precise.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Capensis Silene Chardonnay 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
Sourced predominantly from younger own vineyard Banghoek Valley grapes. Vinified with the same philosophy as Capensis, fermented in oak, a small portion of 25-28% new oak with maturation for closer to 11 months on full gross lees. The aromatics are pure and bright, laced with lemon and lime cordial, dried herbs, lemon grass and a pithy grapefruit hint. Beautiful breadth and depth on the palate with a bold intensity, fabulous green and yellow citrus fruit concentration finishing with a silky, delicate lacy persistence. Light touch but very classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Capensis Chardonnay 2017, WO Western Cape, 14% Abv.
Another very well made, focused, but incredibly intense expression of Chardonnay that is simply brimming with smoky minerality, lemon and lime confit, crushed granite, green citrus, honeycomb, and vanilla pod spice. Beautiful balance, massive intensity of fruit concentration, and a truly delicious symmetry of acid and bright citrus fruit. Very impressive from a great vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Capensis Chardonnay 2018, WO Western Cape, 14% Abv.
50%+ Fijnbosch farm fruit in the blend normally. Displays complex aromatics of savoury waxy lemons, pineapple, wet straw, grilled nuts, vanilla pod, lime cordial and a fine, stony vein of minerality. The palate shows a notable intensity of green and yellow citrus fruits, lovely translucent purity and a powerful but energetic length. Youthful, vibrant and very impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Capensis Chardonnay 2021, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.
Blend of Fijnbosch, Barrydale (Klein Karoo), Robertson and Kaaimansgat fruit. Similar oaking regime with 32-33% new oak and multiple passage barrels. The aromatics show a fabulous lemon blossom and herby, savoury depth with green melon, lemon pastille and a beautifully integrated delicate oak spice that’s almost an afterthought. The texture is world class, polished, sleek, refined and incredibly crystalline and pure. A beautiful expression from a top-class producer.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Capensis Fijnbosch Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2019, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.
Only three barrels of this maiden vintage Fijnbosch were produced. The aromatics reveal a deliciously attractive tangy, sweet and sour white and yellow citrus fruits that are firmly under-pinned by a seriously taut minerality. But the concentration with beautiful precision on the palate is phenomenal, combining intensity of fruit with harmonious balance and textural elegance. Such class and pedigree on display here that leverages the finest qualities of higher altitude cool climate Chardonnay.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Capensis Fijnbosch Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2020, 14.5% Abv.
Total 130 x 12 cases made from a blend of all Chardonnay blocks on the Fijnbosch farm. Mostly sold cellar door, this wine showcases the property and its true terroir of Tukulu and Hutton soils with a sandstone overlay. The aromatics show beautiful lemon oil, sweet herbs, waxy Granny Smith apples and grapefruit confit notes with underlying savoury, leesy nuances. Plush, textural, and mouth-wateringly tangy, this wine shows punchy intensity, a piercing depth but also the most seductive, harmonious balance. Wow, what a wine!
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Capensis Wines are imported into the UK by Jackson Family Wines distributor, John E. Fells. The recommended retail prices are:
Capensis ‘Silene’ Chardonnay 2022, Stellenbosch (new vintage UK release) @ GBP £35pb
Capensis Chardonnay 2021, Western Cape (new vintage UK release) @ GBP £95pb
Capensis ‘Fijnbosch’ Chardonnay 2020, Stellenbosch (new vintage UK release) @ GBP £200pb
As probably the most consistently highly scored Cape Bordeaux red blends from South Africa, Bruwer Raats has earned a global reputation for excellence with his MR de Compostella Cuvee. A wine that has never scored less than 93/100 points from any global critic since its maiden release in 2004, the more recent vintages have all graduated to a 95+ point spectrum of grandeur as the wines push the boundaries of quality and precision with every new release.
However, on the odd occasion the MR de Compostella is declassified and not released, most of the component parts are normally blended into Bruwer’s unofficial second wine, the Jasper Red Blend. First created in 2010 when the MR was not produced, the wine proved so popular that it developed a life of its own in the market as a mini-MR for shoppers on a slightly tighter budget. The MR was only declassified a second time in 2019 and the Jasper Red Blend sold out in quick time again as you’d expect. The Jasper has however been produced every year since 2010.
So, with the 2021 vintage now being rated as one of the best quality red wine harvests in a decade or more, I decided to indulge in a little second wine taste-off between the Raats Jasper 2021 and the new current release 2022, both very accomplished wines. With a retail price well under £30 per bottle, this is a wine that over delivers vintage after vintage… which certainly makes it worth seeking out!
Raats Jasper Red Blend 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
I had the opportunity to taste the impressive Raats Jasper Red Blend several times during Bruwer Raats November tour of the UK to launch the Jasper Big Brother, MR de Compostella 2022. This impressive wine is a blend of 53% Cabernet Franc, 20% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, all arrange in a most tight knit, harmonious assemblage. With the 2021 vintage reputation preceding the wine, this expression of Jasper has got to be one of the most eye-catching Cape Bordeaux Blends produced in SA. The fragrant lift from the 53% Cabernet Franc sets the tone for the wine, layered with black currant, sweet cedar, earthy red currant and lead pencil mineral spice. But it’s on the palate that the fireworks really kick off, tight grained and fabulously fresh, with silky sleek tannins, a weightless concentration of red and black berry fruits and a finish so electrically charge with tart bright acids that the sensors blow a fuse. The harmony and balance are simply astounding, combining with approachability, accessibility and a silky, finessed finish. If I was going to introduce a keen novice to the potential of affordable South African red wine classics, this Jasper Red Blend 2021 would be close to the top of my list. Drink now and over the next 10 to 15 years. (17,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raats Jasper Red Blend 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
As always, the follow up act to a vintage like 2021 is a pretty daunting affair. But then I realise that Bruwer Raats is the king of pulling rabbits out of the hat, happy to declare high quality wines from off vintages and equally declassify wines from vintages like 2010 and 2019 that were fairly lauded in the Cape winelands. With the 2022 Jasper, a blend of 49% Cabernet Franc, 35% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot and 3.5% Petit Verdot, we encounter an incredibly plush, luscious, approachable red blend brimming with earthy red berry fruits, aromatics of violets and sweet lavender, dried baking herbs and subtle notes of graphite and lead pencil. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied and plush, soft textured but also fleshy, creamy and deliciously accessible boasting toasty notes of black currant, damson plum and sour black cherries. A very compact and complete wine on release, this cuvee might not rise to the heights of the 2021, but in a funny kind of way, consumers desiring instant enjoyment now may actually love the 2022’s creamy opulence more than the bracing acid structure of the 2021. This wine simply gets better and better every vintage. Well done Bruwer!
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Raats Family Wines and MR de Compostella Wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.
