And just like that, Sassicaia 100 pointers seem to be like London buses, nothing for 31 years after the legendary 1985 and then finally, the monumental 2016 release which garnered a perfect score from almost every global critic who tasted it, with the 2021 and 2023 following closely behind. Attending the London-based global launch of the Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2023 release, I couldn’t help wondering out aloud if this phenomenon was a case of the market and critics finally catching up with the true Sassicaia style or had the wines really improved / changed markedly over the years?
Anyone who has drunk multiple back vintages of Sassicaia going back to the 1980s and 1990s will know that Tenuta San Guido has forged somewhat of a reputation for making memorable wines in less than memorable Tuscan vintages – a mind-blowing bottle of 1993 Sassicaia drunk a couple of years ago with friends a perfect case in point. I have very fortunately had the opportunity to taste the epic 1985 Sassicaia from bottle and magnum and it undoubtedly remains one of the great 100-point wines of perfection in modern winemaking history. Now, I just need to find a bottle of the infamous 1988 to taste, a wine that was fabled to be even better than the 1985!
Pricilla Incisa della Rocchetta, owner of Sassicaia.
The 2023 vintage in Bolgheri was marked by a cold winter and above-average rainfall followed by severe outbreaks of downy mildew that damaged leaves, forcing Tenuta San Guido into a brutal fruit selection regime that resulted in a -20% reduction in yields overall. Only wineries willing to make these ruthless viticultural sorting sacrifices succeeded in 2023. But they say it in Bordeaux and Burgundy almost every vintage now – that there are great wines produced in almost every vintage, good and bad, and that the best wines can often rank highly amongst the most compelling fine wines. This seems to be the case with Sassicaia in 2023, a vintage that will be remembered for “fruit, salinity and length,” said Tenuta San Guido’s General Manager Carlo Paoli.
As usual, the Sassicaia 2023 vintage was tasted alongside the new releases of Tenuta San Guido’s Le Difese and Guidalberto 2024.
Tenuta San Guido Le Difese 2024, IGT Toscana, 13.5% Abv.
The 2024 Le Difese is a blend of 75% Sangiovese and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and reveals a cool, dark fruited, broody aromatics with a delicately seductive perfume of violets, cherry blossom, black currants, and damson plum with a subtle dusting of vanilla pod spice and aniseed root. The palate is crystalline and pure, fine boned, fresh, and supple with sleek sinewy red berry fruits, red cherry, cranberry and Victoria plum. The acids are linear and bright, the tannins silky soft and pinpoint with a delicate mineral grip on the finish. Once again, almost more Pinot Noir in character and elegance but incredibly seductive. Drink now to 2034+. (375,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2024, IGT Toscana, 13.5% Abv.
A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot, the Guidalberto 2024 shows a noticeably more lifted, perfumed, intense aromatics than its big brother Sassicaia, with fragrant rose petals, pressed violets, and wild jasmine overlayed with red and black berry fruits, black cherry and a br?l?ed savoury brown breakfast toast nuance. The palate is sleek, fresh, and piercing, deliciously bright and mouth-wateringly tart with red cherry rock candy, cranberry, dried herbs, mint leaf, and suave tight grained chalky tannins on the finish. A delightfully exotic, elegant, stylish Guidalberto with weightless concentration and a finessed intensity. Drink from 2027 to 2040+. (400,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2023, Sassicaia-Bolgheri DOC, 14% Abv.
This 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Cabernet Franc blend is fabulous bright in the glass with translucent cherry ruby red. The aromatics are slightly subdued and broody with hints of lavender and violets, tobacco leaf, and tilled earth. There is a real melange of red and black berry fruits with a leafy musk undertone. The palate is brighter and more accessible than the nose – generous, vibrant, and forthcoming with deliciously fine-grained chalky tannins, layers of mineral limestone intertwined with tart red cherry, red currant and sour plum. Plenty of stuffing and dry extract but made all the more overt and mouthwatering by the cool, crisp crystalline acids. This is a very polished, harmonious Sassicaia, supremely balanced and substantial, harmonious yet majestically elegant. Drink from 2028 to 2045+. (280,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Tenuta San Guido wines are imported into the UK by Armit Wines. Sassicaia 2023 was released at £1,250 per 6 Underbond.
The Sonop farm in Koelenhof, Stellenbosch has been in the du Bois family since 1931 and of the 140 hectares under vine around 20 of those hectares are planted to Old Vine Chenin Blanc, some of which have in the past been bought by wineries such as Alheit Family Vineyards, where Gabriel worked with Chris Alheit from 2020 to 2024, as well as by Bellingham who use the fruit in their famous Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc.
Over the years, I have been persuaded by winemaker Ian Naude to do multiple wine lectures at the Elsenburg College in Stellenbosch and have built up a bit of a soft spot for the incredibly talented young students I have encountered there. Fourth-generation Gabriel du Bois also studied at Elsenburg, and this new wine is his first release under the du Bois family label, sourced from two Old Vine Chenin Blanc blocks planted in 1982 and 1986, which were whole bunch pressed, spontaneously fermented and then matured for 11 months on their fine lees in used 400 litre oak barrels. The wine was aged for an extra 6 months in bottle prior to release.
The two single vineyards behind this wine were planted on the northeastern slopes of Sonop hill in 1982 and 1986. These old heritage certified bush vines, rising above Koelenhof at 240 to 280 metres, lie on red and blue shale with fractured clay beneath, allowing deep root penetration, steady moisture uptake, and a natural fruit lift. The 2024 growing season brought heavy rain in early spring, followed by persistent, fierce False Bay breezes that dried out the topsoil and kept vigour in check. The resulting low yields delivered berries with concentration, brightness, and vivid flavour.
Du Bois Vineyards Sonop Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
This Old Vine Chenin Blanc offers up beautifully classical aromatics of warm rain on granite, dried straw, fynbos and lemon blossoms over more seductive white peach, fresh stem ginger and green apple fruit nuances. Initially very nervy, slightly reductive and tight fisted on opening as you would expect with a young 2024 wine, the perfume and fruit slowly unfurl, offering up something extra each time you nose the glass. The steely tension and linearity initially shape the palate but given a few hours to unwind, the wine shows the vintage’s archetypal effortless concentration and seamless glycerol texture with classical restraint. Deliciously saline with mouthwatering acids, the wine remains taut, racy and incredibly precise with a long, persistent honey and pear laden finish. Still embryonic, so lock this Chenin Blanc up in the cellar and revisit with interest in 2 to 3 years’ time. A phenomenal maiden release, Gabriel du Bois is definitely an exciting new young talent to watch very closely. Drink from 2027 to 2038+.
After spending several weeks in December tasting the 2024 Burgundies in barrel with premium UK specialist importer Musigny Wines and their owner Andrew Pavli, including visiting and tasting at several of Musigny Wines’s key UK exclusive agencies such as Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot, Kei Shiogai and Domaine Koji Nakada et Jae Hwa, it became evident during the final tasting with Koji Nakada that he happened to be good friends with Cécile Tremblay, another iconic Burgundy producer that I had not yet had the privilege to visit. But as they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and after some kind introductions by Koji, Cécile Tremblay graciously agreed to host us for a tasting of a selection of her new 2024 wines.
Tasting some icon wines of Burgundy at La Lune restaurant – Domaine Tremblay, Kei Shiogai and Koji Nakada.
Domaine Cécile Tremblay is considered one of the most exciting rising stars in Burgundy at the moment and is recognized for producing wines that beautifully capture the true essence of the Côte de Nuits terroir as seen through the lens of utmost purity, elegance, and weightless concentration – a style I often refer to as “the new Burgundy.” Cécile Tremblay also happens to be the great-niece of legendary Burgundy producer Henri Jayer and has made a name for herself with wines that are crafted with a focus on organic and biodynamic practices.
Winemaker Cecile Tremblay
The domaine’s vineyards, spread across some of the finest terroirs in Burgundy, are meticulously tended to ensure that the grapes express the true character of the land. Tremblay’s wines are celebrated for their purity, finesse, and ability to age gracefully, making them highly sought-after by collectors and connoisseurs alike. Whether it’s her delicately fragrant Chambolle-Musigny or her more robust, muscular Nuits-Saint-Georges, each wine in the Domaine Cécile Tremblay portfolio is a testament to the artistry and dedication of her winemaking skills. “Since I started about ten plus years ago, my aim has been to care for the land, its subsoil, and all the species that live there. Therefore, I chose to work using organic and biodynamic farming methods on the four hectares of vines I cultivate, a large part of which comes from family land” Cécile explains.
Morey vineyards next to the Domaine Tremblay winery.
The slowly growing Domaine Cécile Tremblay range now includes a Bourgogne Cote d’Or Rouge “La Croix Blanche” and village wines from Morey-Saint-Denis Très Girard, Chambolle-Musigny “Les Cabottes”, Vosne-Romanée “Vieilles Vignes” and Nuits-Saint-Georges “Albuca”. Her more ‘elevated’ vineyard sites include Premier Cru parcels from Chambolle-Musigny “Feusselottes”, Vosne-Romanée “Les Rouges du Dessus”, Vosne-Romanée “Les Beaumonts” and Nuits-Saint-Georges “Les Murgers”. Finally, Cécile also cultivates parcels of Grand Cru vines from some of the most sought-after vineyards in Burgundy including Chapelle-Chambertin, Echezeaux “du Dessus”, and from the 2024 vintage, a new parcel of famed Griotte-Chambertin.
But Cécile’s success has been earned through hard work, starting out as a young female winemaker in 2003 and only managing to build her cellar in 2012, with further building work completed in 2021. All the vineyards she cultivates lie between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin, farming organically since 2005 and biodynamically since 2016, thought she has chosen not to burden herself with the paperwork and bureaucracy of certification, rather preferring to let her wines do the talking. Though almost all the 2024 fruit harvested was 100% destemmed (tiny whole bunch fractions were included in the 2024 Grand Cru fermentations), the winemaking at the domaine often involves the use of a portion of stems during vinification, which takes place in wooden vats for up to a month, with some delicate punching down but very little pumping over. The tanks are then pressed at the end of fermentation with a small vertical press, and the wines are then raised in Burgundy barrels with between 33% and 66% new oak, for 15 to 18 months without racking. Cécile’s favoured cooper is Chassin, who works closely with her to select specific types of barrels and toasts of wood to suit her individual wine styles.
In Cecile’s impressive cellars.
The incredibly difficult 2024 vintage has been well document by now with some of the worst flowering and yields seen in decades. While even just setting foot through the hallowed doors of Cécile’s cellar in Morey Saint Denis is considered a highly coveted privilege, this year Cécile took the decision not to taste several of her smaller production wines with any journalists or critics due to the tiny quantities produced and also not wanting to potentially compromise the wines in barrel with repeated opening and closing. For Cécile, the harvest started on September 19th 2024, with vines cropped at between 5 and 25 hl / ha depending on the specific vineyard. The Bourgogne and village level wines were particularly harshly impacted in 2024, more so than the Grand Cru sites.
The Tremblay winery in Morey Saint Denis.
Domaine Cécile Tremblay – Purity and Elegance Shine in 2024:
Domaine Cecile Tremblay Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2024
Racked one week prior before being tasted in January 2026, this is an extraordinarily beautifully fragrant wine showing seductive aromatics, lifted and oh so pretty, bursting with pink musk, black cherry, and saline black berries with a delicate dusting of limestone minerality. The energy and freshness on the palate are palpable, pulsing with energy and intensity, a soft under belly of fine-grained mineral tannins bolstering the elegant, finessed texture. Really very, very pretty indeed. Drink 2026 to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 90-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Cecile Tremblay Morey Saint Denis Tres Girard 2024
A low yielding vintage at around 7 or 8 hl/ha, this is another beautiful wine displaying layers of blue and black berry fruits, and black cherry notes that intermingle with fragrant violets and a delicate sapidity. The palate is rich and concentrated, weightlessly intense with sweet black currants, savoury black cherry with a delicately minty nuance on the finish. With an earthy savoury undertone, this wine packs a lot of depth and complexity with a beautifully spicy finish. A truly enticing offering. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.
Made from grapes sourced from the Aux Commune and Les Jacquines lieu dits sites, this 2024 displays an incredibly intense perfumed aromatics brimming with violets and white blossoms over savoury dark black berry fruits, damson plum, black currant, and blue berries with subtle hints of earthy loam and subtle Asian spices. The palate depth is impressive, creamy, and almost lactic in texture, the tannins sweet and chocolatey with a picante cocoa spicy finish. Full and chalky, this wine is deceptively broad with notable extract and a real understated power. Drink 2027 to 2044+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Cecile Tremblay Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes 2024
The aromatics are intense and striking, piercingly fragrance and intensity, with layers of saline black berry and oyster shell intertwined with violets, red currants, wild strawberry and a hint of tart plum. Beautifully elegant in the mouth, this wine shows a tenderness, a seductive elegance and an understated weightless intensity, finishing with a gently brûléed, velvety oak kissed finish. Impressive intensity and candied, musk-laden complexity. A beautiful expression. Drink 2027 to 2044+.
(Fine Wine Safari: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Cecile Tremblay Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Rouges 2024
Always a fresher cooler site facing northeast, this 2024 shows a bright, lifted, extroverted perfumed aromatics full of pink flowers, violets, musk, and delicately sappy notes over pronounced chalky limestone minerality and peppery spice. The fruit sits on the palate with a gentle glycerol weight, coating the mouth with a weightless intensity, more waves of spice and stony minerality, finishing with delicately tart, bright, savoury red and black berry fruits. Texturally linear and incredibly polished and precise, this wine harbours some real understated power and pedigree. Drink 2027 to 2044+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Cecile Tremblay Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Rouges 2023
When we finished the 2024 En-primeur barrel tasting, Cécile very kindly opened a ‘bottled’ 2023 Les Rouges for comparison. The aromatics are delightfully youthful, complex and broody recalling small, dark, saline black berried fruits, wild strawberry, and savoury bramble berry notes. The tannins are firm yet incredibly polished and precise, framing this elegantly pure cuvee handsomely, the mouthfeel beautifully harmonious and the fruit concentration supple, crystalline and intensely pure. Not the most common 1er Cru vineyard in Vosne Romanee but fast becoming one of my favourites! Drink from 2026 to 2042+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Later in the evening, I shared a phenomenal dinner with importer Musigny Wines’ owner Andrew Pavli at La Lune restaurant in Beaune with another Burgundy sensation, Kei Shiogai, who Musigny Wines import exclusively into the UK, and who also happens to be a massive fan of Cécile’s delicious fine wines. With a short but well-chosen selection of wines on the La Lune list, we sniffed out another two delightful 2021 wines from the Domaine Tremblay lineup which we enjoyed over dinner and who’s notes are included below.
Domaine Cecile Tremblay Chambolle Musigny Les Cabottes 2021, 13% Abv.
This crisp fresh low yielding vintage shares a lot in common with the 2024 styling at many domaines. The delicious Cabottes 2021 is beautifully complex showing cardamom, red currant, wild strawberry and earthy brambly fruits. This wine is all about freshness, precision and energy which really shines on the palate with a bristling acidity, tart nervy red and black berry fruits and taut polished linear tannins. But don’t be fooled, despite the tension, there is plenty of flesh on the bone. Stunning purity, focus and intensity. Drink 2026 to 2042+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Cecile Tremblay Morey Saint Denis Tres Gerard 2021, 13% Abv.
This is a thoroughly classic Morey with intense notes of blue and black berry fruits, violets, black cherry and subtle lactic nuances. On the palate, the tension and acidity slightly mask the fruit depth, but given time in the glass, the power, weightless concentration and fruit power really shine without defeating Cecile’s philosophical mission of finesse and elegance with terroir character. A really impressive wine showing beautifully already. Drink now to 2044+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Many thanks to Andrew Pavli at Musigny Wines for unlocking the cellar doors of some of Burgundy’s most sought-after producers for me to review. Contact Musigny Wines to learn about new release allocations from some of Burgundies most iconic growers.
Jerome Galeyrand has been listed as one of the most exiting producers in Burgundy over the past few years, topping many wine critics’ lists of “winemakers to watch” in Burgundy in the past 5 years. His winemaking style, that is all about purity, precision and focus, has elevated both his whites and reds into the highly collectable ranks. But 2025 saw yet more seismic change when Jerome moved into his newly built winery in Gevrey Chambertin, just next to Brochon.
Jerome has also been a well recognized and highly influential member of Les Aligoteurs, the local grouping promoting everything that’s great about this often under appreciated Burgundian white cultivar. With my long running “Age of Bourgogne Aligote” series running a bit dry lately, it was suddenly revived when I tasted one of the finest expressions of Aligote in a very long time… just unfortunately from, A) a tiny production 2024 vintage, and B) from a vineyard that has now been replanted to Chardonnay. Nevertheless, this is an incredibly exciting, noteworthy example worth seeking out in the up coming Burgundy En-primeur 2024 campaign.
Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Bourgogne Aligote Les Cailloux 2024
The 2024 Bourgogne Aligote Les Cailloux was actually sourced from an old vine vineyard in the Rully appellation that has since been uprooted and replanted with Chardonnay making this Jerome’s first and last creation. But boy, it’s as if that vineyard wanted to go out with a bang as this 2024 is one of the most profound Aligote offerings I’ve tasted in quite some time. Showing impressively intricate aromatics, the nose reveals complex layers of savoury leesy citrus, white blossoms, white peach, and a briney salinity before crushed limestone and lemon peel nuances. Super concentrated, this wine has a punchy, fleshy depth with a palate weight and power more akin to a top terroir driven mineral-laden Chardonnay. Wow, this really is phenomenal wine worth seeking out! Drink from 2026 to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Jerome Galeyrand are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Contact Andrew Pavli for an allocation.
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+.
It has become practically a tradition for Caroline Martin from Creation Wines to travel to London to present the new vintages of their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to the who’s who of the UK wine media circle with husband JC Martin normally on a Zoom video link from the cellar in Cape Town. However, this year we were in for a treat with both JC and Caroline in attendance to present the new releases along side a spectacular vertical of back vintages.
Originally hailing from Switzerland, JC Martin together with his South African wife Carolyn (nee Finlayson), bought their original 22 hectares of virgin land in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and completed their impressive cellar in time for their 2007 harvest. Their Walker Bay estate now encompasses 50-plus hectares of vines planted with over 11 cultivars, but focusing primarily on premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
JC Martin and Caroline Martin in London.
I have spoken for many years about the quality glass ceilings in the South African wine industry. For a long time, Chardonnay tried but just couldn’t quite break through until possibly five years ago, when the industry saw some incredible new releases find a new lease of energy to raise the quality stakes and break the glass ceiling that had been in place for so long. Among these producers were Richard Kershaw, Leeu Passant, Paul Cluver, Uva Mira, Hamilton Russell, Newton Johnson and of course Creation Wines. While Pinot Noir still has a little more work to do to make examples comparable to the very best of Burgundy, I feel confidant, based on my tasting of Creation’s new releases that big fireworks are just around the corner and over the horizon.
Creation Chardonnay Vertical:
The Creation Chardonnay grapes are whole bunch pressed, inoculated with neutral Champagne yeasts to emphasise purity and encourage a quick and efficient fermentation process. The Glenn’s Chardonnay grapes come from the same vineyard as the Art of Chardonnay but use only wild yeasts for the fermentation process which also helps with a little more natural struck flint reduction character in the finished wine. The Art of Chardonnay cuvee is normally a combination of wild and inoculated yeast portions that are ultimately blended together before bottling.
Creation Reserve Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
Bronzed golden colour, the aromatics speaks with an exotic accent, full of plush ripe yellow fruits, passionfruit, pineapple, and hints of dried guava roll. The entry is crystalline and juicy and vibrant with an expressive natural acidity, tangy orange peel, passionfruit and naartjie fruit concentration. An impressive vintage with heart stopping fruit intensity, a delicate minerality and fabulous length. Drink now to 2034.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
Pale gold in the glass, the Glenn’s Chardonnay reveals flinty, slightly reductive aromatics with hints of limestone, lemon and lime peel, dried herbs, wet straw, tinned pineapple and savoury leesy biscuit nuances. Strikingly taut and linear on the palate, the acids are tangy and mouthwatering showing a finely balanced texture and concentration but certainly not lacking any generosity. A steely fresh finish leaves you ready for another sip. A really beautiful expression of premium cool climate Chardonnay.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
A beautifully precise expression with aromatics brimming with sweet passionfruit, pineapple, dried herbs, thyme, and tangerine peel. The focus and precision is impressive with a tangy bright acidity, a piercing mouthwatering yellow citrus fruit concentration with a delightful spicy, vanilla pod and granadilla finish. A wine with such presence and pedigree.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Chardonnay 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
The aromatics show a pronounced flinty reductive note over wet stone minerality, crushed limestone, white citrus pith and green pear. There is a real energy and vivacity magnified by a piercing salinity that raises the perception of the tart acidity and linearity. There is a fine mid palate concentration and polished phenolics, making for a taut, focused tightly wound wine.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Chardonnay 2018, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
Hints of reduction with subtle tertiary notes revealing fennel root, lanolin, curry leaf, vanilla pod and wet straw bales. There are layers of waxy citrus, pineapple, waxy green apples, and pear with savoury notes, a crystalline freshness, acid linearity, and a very fine tension that’s holding the palate together very nicely.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Pinot Noir Vertical:
A very natural expression with only the whole bunch portion manipulated during extraction. 100% Whole bunch used in 2021, 60% in 2022 and 50% in 2023. The higher the portion, the lower the floral aromatics on the wines tend to be according to JC.
Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
A young embryonic Pinot Noir packed full of cinnamon and clove aromatics over bramble berry, wild strawberry and smoky graphite spice. The palate shows pithy rasping tension, salinity and limestone minerality, phenolic spice, dried herbs, over red cranberry, red currant and red apple spice. A wine looking forward to 10+ years of age ability.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
The find expression showing delicious spicy bramble berry aromatics with wild strawberry, damson plum over savoury cured meat nuances. The whole bunch portion is evident, flaunting its spicy sapidity but well balanced by a red and black berry fruit length. Ready to go now… or drink over the next 5 to 8 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2021, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
With a 100% wholebunch used, the spicy sapidity is surprisingly well integrated already with red and black berry fruits, earthy red currant and spicy fig and quince nuances. The palate shows spice and tension, a mineral texture and fine grained mineral stony tannins delicately balanced by savoury red and black fruits and a real whole bunch complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Flight 1:
Creation Ridge Chardonnay 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
The Ridge used to be called the Reserve range. Fermented with DV10 Champagne yeasts, using 100% malolactic fermentation in barrel adding elegance and texture with no batonnage. The aromatics are beautifully floral and perfumed with white blossom, honeysuckle and lemon verbena. Texturally very fine and creamy but with zippy nervy underlying acids with bright lemon and lime peel notes and a very gentle fleshy finish with a distinct vein of stony minerality raising its head. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Chardonnay 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
Oldest block that is over 22 years old now. Aiming for a very steady, consistent stylistic steer, the 2024 Art show slightly more restraint and classism, white blossom, crushed granite, sweet green baking herbs and lemon herbal tea nuances. The palate is gently smoky and mineral with subtle savoury leesy hints over green apple, lemon and yellow grapefruit concentration before a real kick of wet stone minerality on the dry, rasping fresh finish. Beautiful tension and restraint that will slowly unfurl over the coming years. Drink 2026 to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
Sourced from the same block of grapes as the Art of Chardonnay, this wild ferment expression really shines in a cool, taut mineral driven vintage like 2024. The aromatics show a little more honied richness with honeysuckle, lemon blossom, oatmeal and lemon biscuit notes that combined with green herbs and a subtle bay leaf spice. The wine shows a beautiful texture, full and fleshy mouthfeel with crisp sour mouthwatering acids and a creamy, honied savoury finish. A wine with superb complexity. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
Pale gold in the glass, the Glenn’s Chardonnay reveals flinty, slightly reductive aromatics with hints of limestone, lemon and lime peel, dried herbs, wet straw, tinned pineapple and savoury leesy biscuit nuances. Strikingly taut and linear on the palate, the acids are tangy and mouthwatering showing a finely balanced texture and concentration but certainly not lacking any generosity. A steely fresh finish leaves you ready for another sip. A really beautiful expression of premium cool climate Chardonnay.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2021, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
Shows a very complex nose with earthy, savoury slightly wild aromatics with hints of root veg, dried herbs, fennel root, waxy lemon, grapefruit marmalade. The palate shows impressive depth and breadth, an incredibly creamy gently oaky salted caramel length that never overwhelms but simply lingers on the palate. Still an inner tension in the wine but drinking beautifully now.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Chardonnay 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
The aromatics show complex savoury leesy notes that melt away into white blossom, waxy lemon peel, sweet herbs green apples and subtle stony mineral nuances. The palate is sleek, dense and fleshy, the acids fresh but incredibly well integrated, balanced with the citrus fruit flesh and concentration. Powerful, harmonious but intense and tangy. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Art of Chardonnay 2020, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.
A beautifully elegant wine that is showing incredibly well, as it should as the Platter White Wine of the Year. Gently smoky and savoury and complex with crushed gravel and smoky reductive flinty notes. The palate is raspingly mineral and stony, underpinned by pithy lemon and grapefruit nuances with a restrained, herby, dry finish. Super taut, compact and seriously youthful. Astonishing wine. Drink now to 2035.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Flight 2: Pinot Noirs
Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13% Abv.
From a Southeast facing block, 50-60% whole bunches are used on the Art with a gentle wetting of the cap once or twice a day. Malolactic in barrel, 30% new, released after approximately 2 years. The aromatics shows incredible intensity with piercing aromatics of black cherry, black berry and wild strawberry. The fruit berry purity follows to the palate but is tempered by a fresh, pure mineral palate with real precision and stony length. Superb fine grained texture, harmonious texture with a weightless concentration on the finish. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Creation Emma’s Pinot Noir 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13% Abv.
A selection from a different block more West facing than the Art of Pinot Noir, that’s also more tannic so only 30% whole bunch is used. The aromatics are luxurious and deep, slightly less exotic and perfumed than the Art, which JC puts down to the lower whole bunch portion. The palate shows creamy chalky depth, black cherry, black raspberry, salty kelp notes and a deep, tense, broody power packed depth laced with incredibly stony minerality on the finish. Simply stunning and super serious expression. Drink 2026 to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Creation Wines are imported into the UK by Hallgarten Wines.
La Croizille is a wonderfully situated Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé Chateau that was acquired by the Belgian De Schepper – De Mour family in 1996 and whose wines are sold mostly in the Benelux. The 5 hectares of vines belonging to the Château benefit from the same remarkable soils, on the borders of the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion in the commune of Saint-Laurent des Combes, as famous chateaux such as Tetre Roteboeuf, Rocheyron and Troplong Mondot.
After 1996, the De Schepper family commenced on a large investment spree, bringing the estate into the modern winemaking era, combining its sought-after terroir with high-end technology and traditional know-how to create a wine with great opulence, finesse, modernity, and personality under the watchful eye of highly respected head winemaker and technical director, Jean-Michel Garcion.
Technical Director Jean Michel Garcion
I have been following their wines since I was introduced to the chateau in 2014 when I travelled to Bordeaux to run the 30th Bordeaux Marathon, and I can confirm that all the hard work and focus applied by Jean Michel and his team has paid off handsomely with both Chateau La Croizille and the neighbouring property, Chateau Tour Baladoz, also owned by the De Schepper family, being upgraded from Saint Emilion Grand Cru status up to the Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé classification commencing with the 2022 vintage. A hard earned and well-deserved recognition of the continuity of excellence at these two high quality Chateaux.
The Chateau La Croizille on the limestone cote.
So to celebrate this momentous reclassification, I have updated my vertical tasting notes for La Croizille to include not only all the bottles I retasted at the Chateau in September 2023, but also fittingly, to include the latest 2023 Grand Cru Classé vintage release that will be bottled next year. These are wines to seek out, drink and add to your cellar collection while they still offer excellent value for money in the context of the region’s premium Saint Emilion reds.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2007, 13% Abv.
The vineyards on the clay-limestone plateau yielded a spectacularly good offering in 2007. Notes of polished mahogany, earth, tannery leather, cherry kirsch liqueur and black current rise out of the glass. Wonderful berry concentration, elegance and subtle evolution are hallmarks on this expertly crafted wine. It will be hard not to finish the bottle once you open this beauty. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2010, 13% Abv.
From this epic vintage, notes of polished mahogany, boot polish, black cherry kirsch liquer and black current confit rise imperiously out of the glass. Wonderful concentration, elegance and freshness are all wrapped together with a most expertly integrated lick of new French oak. This is everything you would want from an iconic vintage and a real testament to winemaker Jean-Michel’s true skills. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
A blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, like the 2012, this is another impressive vintage showing fabulous depth and complexity with time in the glass albeit from one of the greatest ever vintages bestowed upon Bordeaux! Dense, dark and opaque in the glass, the aromatics boast exotic notes of cherry kirsch liquor, molasses, demerara sugar and black plum. This is, as expected, a very complex, sophisticated expression, with ripeness and plenty of dry extract, chalky mineral tannins and great underlying power whilst retaining a seductive, spicy, seductive finesse. You’d really want to have some of this in your cellar.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle September 2023.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2011, 13% Abv.
The 2011 shows attractive floral perfume aromatics, polished oak, cherry confit, cherry liquer and saline black current leaf intensity. Superb concentration, sleek textured elegance and freshness and a smattering of the most attractive French oak vanilla spice notes. A noble and impressive follow up to the 2010 and a wine that will happily grace the tables of the most discerning connoisseurs. Drink now to 2029+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2012, 13% Abv.
A dark cherry black opaque colour greets the drinker. Initially, the nose is broody and closed. But a little glass swirling and coaxing starts to elicit some of the more classical elements of the bouquet… black berry, black cherry pith, cassis, dusty limestone minerality, hints of graphite and a gloss of buttered brown toast. The oaking is almost imperceptible, revealing a very restrained and quite classical expression from this “drinking” Bordeaux vintage. The palate has all the sleekness, suppleness, and accessibility that you’d expect from a 2012. A soft fine-grained texture with polished powdery tannins, chalky grip and spicy, plummy, peppery black cherry and black berry fruit. It’s all packed into a very classical, medium bodied parcel, that delivers pleasure now but also suggest it is structured enough to be holding back a few surprises in reserve for drinkers in 5 to 8 years’ time.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
Another great vintage from the Chateau, this 2012 shows seductive aromatics of damson plum, juniper and black cherry with hints of liquorice and melted tar. The palate offers the friendly face of generous, opulent, succulent Merlot while retaining a tight knit textural elegance and focus. With just a hint of nutty, savoury tertiary development on the finish, this is undoubtedly a wine that is standing the test of time and defying its age. Great to drink now but certainly no rush.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2014, 13% Abv.
This wine is ripe and rich with beautifully plush classical right bank allure and a soft textured, elegant cassis pastille fruit concentration. A complex wine already in its youth, the layers of mocha, cocoa powder spice and sweet damson plum coat the tongue and thrill the palate. This wine has real depth of fruit, vibrant freshness, and superb length. A class act from some of the best terroir in St Emilion.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2015, 13% Abv.
The neighbour of Francois Mitjavile’s Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf, La Croizille is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. True to the vintage, this wine has a spectacularly profound quality, and indeed the 2015 La Croizille could be among their greatest ever vintages produced. Certainly on par with the epic 2005, 2009 and 2010, the 2015 has a nose that is seductively perfumed, lifted out of the ordinary by cherry blossoms and an exotic undertone of cherry kirsch liqueur. The caramelized oak notes tease like sprinkles on a chocolate cake! The palate too is dark, dense, powerful, and packed full of opulent exotic flavours of Chinese plum sauce, tart cherry confit, sweet cassis and vanilla pod spice. The balance is exceptional, spreading broad and wide across the palate. This is right bank Bordeaux at its seductive, classical best. Plump yet fresh, dense, sweet fruited and gravelly, yet never losing focus. Oh, and the finish goes on and on like a Duracell bunny! What an impressive wine.
From another warm ripe harvest, 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon blend shows impressive classicism and restraint with dark broody notes of juniper and ripe sloe berries, black cherry, and cassis with a pronounced maritime, kelpy salinity. The palate is generously soft textured and elegant, supremely supple yet fresh, showing that this wine is in a very happy place at the moment. Slightly reined in again on the finish, it’s an impressive creation that will appeal to a broad church of Bordeaux lovers.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2016, 14% Abv.
The 2016 Château La Croizille has a dense, opulent profuse blueberry fruited nose, high-toned and showy, with all the mineral limestone complexity of its prestigious neighbours such as Tertre Roteboeuf, Troplong Mondot and Rocheyron. The palate is showing some elegant restraint and class with sweet ripe tannins, surly brambly red and black fruits, and an earthy, foresty, rather masculine, slightly introspective finish. So seductive and noble, this wine speaks of great St Emilion terroir with very intelligent winemaking. A superb effort.
(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasting of barrel sample at En-primeur April 2017.
This is of course a great vintage and on great terroir, iconic wines are produced. This 2016 speaks with a quiet confidence, fabulously focused and intense. On the nose there is a clearly defined purity, clarity, and precision that combines ripeness and restraint, fruit intensity and minerality. A superbly precise wine with pinpoint tannins, a silky finesse, pithy black currant, and black cherry fruits framed by a smoky, chalky mineral tannin veil on the finish. Very impressive indeed.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in bottle September 2023.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2018, 14.5% Abv.
Wonderfully complex aromatics of stewed black cherries, black orchard fruit compote, with hints of liquorice, wood smoke and graphite. The palate is opulent and densely fruited with a pronounced air of ripeness, warmth and sweet fruit, impressively layered in the mouth. On the finish, the flamboyance is reined in, retaining a seamlessly creamy texture but without and obtrusive sweetness. Drink now to 2035+.
Chateau La Croizille 2019 Saint Emilion Grand Cru (Barrel Sample)
Plush, broadly aromatic but beautifully soft toned with dulcet notes pink musk, purple rock candy and black currant with a fabulously generous glycerol concentration, harmonious breadth and depth and a subtle, vanilla dusted, brûléed blueberry muffin finish. Delicious expression. Power with elegance.
Chateau La Croizille 2019 Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe, 14% Abv.
Fabulously spicy and mineral on the nose, the aromatics are tightly packed with limestone spice, tobacco leaf, red currants, blueberry and a delicate cedar wood sapidity. In the mouth, the wine is seductively soft, slightly chalky and mineral, but quite tight grained with powdery tannins, elegance, blue and purple fruits with a long silky length. A fabulous wine that lives up to this vintage’s high reputation.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle July 2026.
Chateau La Croizille 2020, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 14.5% Abv.
The 2020 vintage comes from another warm ripe solar harvest year, and this wine shows impressive depth and breadth of texture, with dark broody notes of cherry kirsch liquor, juniper and ripe sloe berries, rose petals, black cherries, blueberries, and black currant with a signature limestone maritime salinity. The palate is generously soft textured, broad but elegant, supremely supple yet impressively fresh with exotic layers of black currant and salty black liquorice. A remarkably elegant, pure and accessible expression with real gravitas that shows a true sense of Saint Emilion limestone terroir. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Croizille 2021, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe, 13.5% Abv.
A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Bordeaux vintage has been pulled up by some critics for producing wines on the left bank offering lighter, more elegant accessible wines, many patently for earlier drinking. But on the right bank, and especially on top of the limestone Côte in Saint Emilion, some exceptional expressions were produced. With illustrious neighbours Troplong Mondot and Le Tertre Roteboeuf making noteworthy wines, La Croizille joins the party with another seriously delicious wine, the last vintage produced before being reclassified as an illustrious Grand Cru Classé. Dark and opaque in the glass, the rim is vibrant and bright, with aromatics packed with black plums, earthy black currants and macerated black cherries, intermingling with floral hints of violets, lilac, sweet Asian spices, vanilla pod and hoisin plum sauce. The texture is fabulously luxurious and sleek, medium bodied and beautifully polished with soft silky sumptuous tannins underpinned by well-integrated tangy acids. This is a majestic Saint Emilion that offers an abundance of finesse, elegance, and accessible class in keeping with a finer boned, classical vintage. Many consumers, however, will look at the 2021s as a welcomed return to greater vintage restraint and classism. Drink now and over the next 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Croizille 2022, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 14.5% Abv.
The 2022 vintage in Bordeaux is now recognized as a truly great year comparable with the quality heights of 2016 and 2019. This attractive wine shows an intense and expressive aromatics of fragrant violets, ripe plums, blue and black berry fruits, salty black liquorice and delicate brown breakfast toast notes. The palate is impressively ripe and fleshy with the black currant and mulberry fruits caressed by fine grained limestone mineral tannins with hints of cocoa powder and blue berry compote on the long, creamy finish. Power and concentration with a measured elegance. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle May 2026.
Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (Barrel Sample)
Rich, dark and broody with aromatics of purple rock candy, violets, creme de cassis and black cherry confit. The palate is bold and dense, packed full of fleshy, textured fruit extract, dry velvety tannins, and tangy acids, all intelligently coaxed and caressed into a seriously powerful right bank expression that immediately shows its terroir pedigree.
Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2023
This beautiful Saint Emilion displays an enticing creamy, lactic, blueberry fruit intensity on the aromatics combined with subtle brûléed black berries, sweet cedar wood spice, and undertones of dusty limestone minerality. With a couple of years in bottle, the palate has become incredibly elegant and accessible with a seamless, silky texture, a finely integrated acidity, and a delicately stony, linear, tart finish. Not the most lauded vintage on the Right Bank but this wine is certainly one of the true stunners of 2023 and most definitely lives up to its new Grand Cru Classé elevation. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle June 2026.
Chateau La Croizille 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, 14.5% Abv. (Barrel Sample)
A beautifully dark, dense, and seductively opaque in the glass, this 2024 Saint Emilion reveals a deep black berry fruited aromatic underbelly with notes of violets, sweet cigar box, cedar spice, graphite, and blueberry compote with a subtle dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. Notably restrained on the nose, the palate shifts into a higher gear to reveal a plush, silky, harmonious palate with soft supple tannins, seamlessly integrated acids, and soft-toned black and blueberry fruits in the mouth. The extraction has been incredibly gentle, coaxing only the purest and finest characters from this reduced grape harvest. This is undoubtedly a phoenix rising from the ashes of the 2024 vintage weather chaos. A truly standout, classically restrained expression from Saint Emilion’s limestone cote.
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. Samples of their new vintages were received and tasted recently and I kick off with two of my favourites.
Raar Grenache Blanc 2024, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
Fermented using wild yeasts in old French oak barrels and aged 6 months on its lees yields a deliciously fresh, zesty Grenache Blanc with alluring aromatics of pithy white citrus, white peach, dried orange peel, pear drops, dried herbs, and a delightfully dusty, mineral Granitic undertone. The fabulous precision and clarity evident on the nose follow to the palate that is seamlessly textured, fine grained and pithy with a delicate phenolic grip. In the mouth, notes of white peach, quince and yellow citrus intermingle with a gentle tangy acidity, tangerine peel spice and a sleek liquid minerality. There is plentiful concentration and fruit intensity, which is conveyed with delicacy and elegance, making this a moderately sophisticated offering that will definitely appeal to Southern Rhone white wine lovers. Enjoy on release and over 3 to 5 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2024, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
This slightly esoteric Carbonic Maceration Shiraz was created by encouraging the intra-cellular fermentation inside the grapes using 100% whole-bunch fermentation with a coating of carbon dioxide… a la Beaujolais in France. This is combined with extended skin contact before the wine is barrel aged for 8 months. I remember the first time I tasted this wine and thought… Oh yes… this is just the ticket for a warm summers evening around the braai when served fridge chilled. The aromatics are fragrant and perfumed, packed full of raspberries, red plums, macerated strawberries and savoury bramble berry fruits with a subtle undertone of sappy talky spice, dried herbs and fynbos nuances. On the palate, the savoury bramble berry fruits come to the fore supported by hints of strawberry compote, wood smoke, cherry pipe tobacco and pithy, granitic mineral hints. Packed full of juicy berry fruits, vibrantly energetic, this is just the type of wine a new generation of young wine consumers are embracing. Drink on release and over 3 to 5 years.
In celebration of their Bruwer family heritage, cousins Bruwer Raats and Gavin Bruwer Slabbert created Bruwer Vintners in 2014. Their guiding mission was to master South Africa’s heritage varietals, namely Pinotage, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc / Semillon blends to express their heritage and terroir in a modern interpretation.
The Bruwer Vintners’ white and red releases have been incredibly solid, well made, classical expressions from the very beginning, but from the 2024 vintage we see a notable, and quite frankly, unexpected step up in quality, focus and intensity. I visited the winery in July 2025 to taste but sadly Gavin wasn’t available for me to quiz him on how exactly he’s managed to dial up the quality of his entire range. But the quality shift is undeniable. But don’t just take my word for it, seek out these new releases and discover some incredibly exciting new wines.
Bruwer Vintners Haarlem to Hope 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.
A white blend of 75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Semillon, with a portion of the Chenin Blanc fermented and aged in concrete, differentiating the 2024 from previous vintages. The wine is incredibly mineral and smoky on the nose, full of crushed granite, dried herbs, fynbos, tangerine peel and crunchy green apples. In the mouth, this blend is delightfully cool, pure and precise on the palate with a real sense of confidence and harmony, a wine fully at ease with itself. Super tangy, fresh and bright, the crystallinity resonates in the wine with such purity, streamlined tension and focus. This is an incredibly accomplished white blend that benefits from its new maturation tweaking. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Cinsault 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.
Old vine Cinsault from the 1953 Bellevue vineyard, this wine is always a star performer in the Bruwer Vintners range. Aged in two 500 litre barrels for 10 to 12 months, the 2024 is already incredibly perfumed and precise, bursting with violets and rose petals, potpourri, Turkish delight, blood orange and juicy ripe cranberries with an intricate undertone of granitic mineral spice. The oaking is very much an afterthought, the palate deliciously fresh, pure and vibrant with an incredible intensity and concentration that all melts together so seamlessly into a wonderfully complete wine. This 2024 rises to new levels of vibrancy, energy, and vivacity, showing off the very best components of this heritage Cinsault block. Drink now and over the new next 10 to 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bruwer Vintners Liberte Pinotage 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.
This new expression saw a reduction of the whole bunch portion to circa 15% with longer ageing in older barrels, with 18 months maturation allowing the wine to integrate and find a better balance. The results of these small stylistic tweaks reveal themselves on the nose and palate, the aromatics boasting an extra dimension of freshness and bright red berry fruit with hints of cranberry and succulent red cherry, red plums and red currants. Delicious brightness and energy, youthful vivacity and purity that truly champions this modern fruit forward styling of premium Pinotage. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Syrah 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.
The 2024 sees a 100% whole bunch styling, fermented in open top fermenters before being aged in older 300 litre barrels for 12 months. This Karibib block yields and incredibly pure and intense expression of Syrah with dense black berry fruits, sweet black peppercorns, black olive tapenade and savoury, meaty bruleed oak spice notes. The palate is beautifully fresh and vibrant, creamy and mineral with such a beautiful weightless concentration, a deliciously chalky, creamy minerality that melts away into a sweet, savoury, red and black berry fruit concentration with gentle hints of maritime salinity and seashore kelp. The aromatics definitely trade on intense perfume and purity rather than savoury, smoky bruleed notes, which keeps the wine incredibly fresh, vibrant and energetic. A really mouth watering expression of Syrah from Bruwer Vintners that takes the quality up another notch. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Bruwer Vintners wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.
This is the third red release from Sakkie Mouton, one of the Cape’s most exciting winemaking talents who seems to keep going from strength to strength. With a now well-established quality track record for his crisp, complex, saline white wines from the Weskus, his wines have become incredibly sought after including his red wines.
Simply speaking, you can sell a cultish brand once, maybe twice, but if it doesn’t deliver the quality collectors and connoisseurs expect that’s where it will break down. Sakkie’s followers are however true converts, buying and drinking his wines vintage after vintage, standing as a true testament to the authentic character and ever-increasing quality of his wines.
The Dawn of the Salty Tongues label is a reference to the rise of the West Coast as a new wine region and showcases divers picking grapes under the ocean, which contributes to the “salty” taste of the palate. “Salty Tongues” also happens to be Weskus slang for the rather spicy language some of the local farmers and fishermen are known to use on a regular basis!
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2024, WO Oliphants Rivier, 12.86% Abv.
2.6g/l RS | 6.1g/l TA | 3.40pH
The Salty Tongues Syrah 2024 is a 100% Syrah red made from grapes sourced from vineyards in Vredendal located 25 kilometres from the West Coast Atlantic Ocean that were picked early morning to preserve freshness before being destemmed, with 30% of whole bunches lining the bottom of the open top fermenters. After fermentation, the wine was aged for 12 months in 500 litre barrels before being bottled unfiltered and unfined. Planted in 1999, these 26-year-old vineyards are starting to yield some incredible quality with striking aromatics of pressed violets and lavender, bramble berries and pomegranate before hints of black cherry, blood oranges, nori seaweed and bloody raw meat develop. This 2024 shows more dry extract, more substance, and more depth of fruit and oak spice than either of the previous two vintages. With incredible elegance, vivacious tangy acids and a silky plush depth, the palate never loses its mouthwatering red and black berry Weskus salinity that gently melts away into a concentrated, intense, piercing finish. This is a beautifully crafted red wine from Sakkie. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Sakkie Mouton Wines are imported into the UK for retail and private clients by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines and for On-trade and Scotland by Wood Winters.
