Evert-Gerard Rautenbach has a successful day job at the Paserene / Atlas Swift Winery in Franschhoek in the Western Cape. As a side hobby project, Evert makes a small amount of experimental single cultivar Marsanne sourced from a vineyard in Wellington. On a recent visit to Franschhoek, Evert gave me a bottle of the 2025 Marsanne to try, noting that while this vintage is almost sold out, he is even more excited by the quality and styling of the 2026 vintage. As always, I love to champion new wines and young talented winemakers, and Evert is certainly a name to keep an eye on.
The Last Arrow Marsanne 2025, WO Wellington, 13.5% Abv.
This pure 100% Marsanne was whole bunch pressed and then barrel fermented with natural yeasts, being kept on its gross lees for the entire maturation time of 9 months in all neutral oak barrels, before being fined, filtered and bottled, then aged for an additional 3 months before release. The wine possesses a dark golden yellow bonze colour and exotic aromatics of ripe peach stone fruits, hints of quince, yellow apple, bees wax, honeycomb and savoury leesy biscuit nuances. In the mouth the texture is glycerol and fleshy, marked with a pithy, picante spiciness that adds an attractive gentle herbal bitterness, the grape’s naturally lower acidity lending further notions of palate breadth and depth. Overall, a very harmonious, well-constructed wine that would make for a perfect food pairing menu, perhaps matched with a lightly curried Cape Malay fish dish or even more traditional freshly dived scallops. Drink now. (Only 500 bottles produced and released at R180 per bottle in SA.)
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Currently, no UK or European representation that I know of.
Duncan Savage has developed a reputation for his elegant, pure, age worthy and thrilling red and white wines produced in his urban cellar in Salt River, Cape Town. Duncan spent 14 years cutting his teeth as winemaker at Cape Point Vineyards, creating saline Sauvignon Blancs and grapefruit-laden Semillons from the cool coastal sites of Noordhoek. In 2011 he produced his first Savage red vintage under his own label followed by his first Savage White Blend in 2012. Working with coastal and high-elevation single sites across the Western Cape, Duncan has always followed a simple mantra: “do as little as possible, as much as you can” to preserve the purest expression of place.
Over a decade of producing premium quality wines have now made Duncan’s wines some of the most sought-after in South Africa… but also some of the most reasonably priced fine wines. I recently caught up with Duncan in May 2026 in London to taste through his new 2025s pre-release, and then again in August in Cape Town over dinner at Aubergine Restaurant, to catch up on all his latest developments.
Duncan Savage Salt River Sauvignon Blanc 2025, 13.5% Abv.
Made from three Sauvignon Blanc parcels, but soon to be four, this 2025 is a delicious expression with rich layers of white citrus, yellow grapefruit and Cape gooseberry with back grown aromatic hints of cut grass and Granitic mineral spice. Intense, concentrated and beautifully harmonious. This is very classy and one of his best Salt River Sauvignons to date. Drink now to 2032+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Savage White Blend 2025, 13.5% Abv.
The 2025 blend is 71% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Semillon from the Overberg, Stellenbosch and Villiersdorp, matured for 11 months in 500 litre barrels, of which 20% was new, together with some concrete eggs. The wine is bold and aromatic with exotic notes of white peaches, nectarine, lime peel and lemon grass spice. The palate is plush, textured and concentrated with a bright tangy acidity and a real breadth and depth of flavour. Beautifully complex and generous. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Never Been Asked to Dance 2025, WO Paarl, 13.5% Abv.
A wine that has fast developed into one of Duncan’s most sought after wines. Now that he has won the battles against the birds stealing all the fruit, this Paarl vineyard planted in 1956 is delivering some incredible fruit that is fermented and aged for 10 months in 600 litre barrels. The aromatics show a certain savoury mineral depth alongside notes of Granite, dried hay, white citrus, pear and white peach. A Chenin Blanc with great concentration, lovely purity and a real crystalline tangy brightness. Superb as always. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Follow the Line 2025, WO Darling, 12.7% Abv.
Always one of South Africa’s leading premium Cinsaults, the 2025 contains 93% Cinsault and 7% Syrah from Darling, both 50% whole bunch fermented and matured for 12 months in foudre and amphora. The aromatics are taut and focused, showing plenty of Granitic mineral spice before sleek, cool notes of cranberries and wild strawberries with a suggestion of garrigue spice. Plenty of linear tension and precision of a laser-like focused palate. Impressively serious. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Duncan pouring his 2025 releases in London.
Savage Wines Thief in the Night Grenache 2025, WO Piekenierskloof, 14% Abv.
Made from grapes from Piekenierskloof, the 2025 expression includes a 4% splash of Cinsault with 10% being whole bunch fermented before being aged for 10 months in concrete eggs and used 500 litre barrels. The aromatics are delicately earthy and savoury, understated even, before notes of red berries and strawberries, fynbos and Granitic mineral spice. The mouthfeel is plush but very elegant, exotically spicy with a medium bodied weight, finishing with drying, polished mineral tannins. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Girl Next Door Syrah 2025, WO Cape Town, 13.5% Abv.
Made from two Syrah vineyards on the Cape Peninsula, one being in Fish Hoek and the other in Noordhoek, both being matured for 10 months in older 500 litre old barrels. The aromatics are initially very dramatic and deep, showing hints of violets, garrigue, woodsmoke, tar and wood embers before a subtle medley of red and black berry fruits and a sappy peppery spice. The palate shows a broody depth and intensity, structured but elegant, packing plenty of power and poise with a well-integrated vein of acidity. An eye catching wine as usual. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Are We There Yet 2025, WO Malgas, 13.5% Abv.
The blend for the 2025 Malgas red is 56% Touriga Nacional and 44% Syrah with a 10% portion being whole bunch fermented. The aromatics show a subtle perfume of violets, dried herbs and tilled earth with red and black berry fruits in support. The palate is initially quite tight and broody with a pronounced stony, mineral focus and precision before a more plush, rich, exotic fruit complexity follows on the palate. Always structured and powerful, the 2025 has a couple of extra gears as well as a surfeit of buffering dry extract and concentration. A delicious wine with its own unique following. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Savage Red 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
This 100% Syrah red is made from Kuils River and Polkadraai Hills fruit with 15% fermented as submerged cap before being matured in older 500 litre barrels for 13 months followed by a further 10 months in foudre. The aromatics are sweet fruited and exotic showing hints of peach skins, red cherries and apricot pips. The mouthfeel is cool, sleek and minerally charged revealing a beautifully elegant texture, plenty of Granitic spice and chalky tannins on the finish. A very complete and compact wine. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines are offered by Great Domaines in Johannesburg and imported exclusively into the UK by Liberty Wines in London.
Located in South Africa’s maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hamilton Russell Vineyards stands as a South African benchmark for cool-climate viticulture. Planted just 1.5 kilometres from the cold Atlantic Ocean on 52 hectares of ancient, clay-rich shale soil, the estate produces only two wines – a single Pinot Noir and a single Chardonnay. Both wines are designed and assembled not merely to showcase these two Burgundian cultivars, but also to capture the precise personality of their unique Valley terroir.
The 2025 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay is defined by its striking natural acidity, dry minerality, and structural poise. Whole-bunch pressed and grown on low-yielding vines, the style prioritizes tension, length, and elegance over heavy oak or overt fruit nuances. The Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir leans into a classically savoury, Old World profile, characterized by dark spice, subtle primal tones, and firm structural depth, it trades higher alcohols and simple fruit sweetness for more refined, age-worthy classical complexity.
Blessed with near-ideal growing conditions in 2025 – a cold winter, clean bud break, and flawless harvesting conditions, owner Anthony Hamilton Russell considers 2025 to be one of the finest vintages in the estate’s history. Together, these two new releases represent an ultra-sophisticated, Burgundy-inspired craft from one of South Africa’s flagship Pinot Noir producer.
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2025, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.5% Abv.
The 2025 Hamilton Russell production sees a slight volume recovery on the 2024 vintage but remains still well below normal. Fortunately, the 2025 Chardonnay quality, like the 2024, is truly superb, the wine boasting gorgeous notes of fragrant white blossoms and waxy bergamot lemons with delicate salted green pistachio hints. Delicately nutty on the nose and palate, the limestone mineral vein is never far away, combining with intense crystalline notes of lemon and lime cordial, salted caramel, and crunchy green apple fruits, finishing with superb concentration and a vibrantly tangy acidity. This is top notch Chardonnay from an excellent vintage in the Valley. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting the 2025s and 2026s with winemaker Emul Ross.
Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2025, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.5% Abv.
Like in Burgundy, every vintage in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is slightly different, and thankfully after several consecutive small vintages, the Pinot Noir volumes started to recover in 2025 and 2026. Luckily, Anthony Hamilton Russell and Emul Ross have produced one of their finest Pinot Noirs in possibly a decade, the aromatics restrained, delicately perfumed and slightly stony before hints of pink musk, red apple, red and black cherry and notes of small wild strawberries. On the palate, the oak is fully integrated and absorbed by the pure fruit concentration, the terroir minerality showing a steely vein of nervy freshness and the linear acids giving way to tart red berries, cranberries, and bright red bramble berry fruits. A very pretty, triumphant Pinot Noir with stony mineral tannins lining the wine’s textural pathway, finishing with intensity and clarity. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Hamilton Russell Vineyard wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Mentzendorff Wines.
About seven years ago Nietvoorbij, the vine research facility in Stellenbosch, planted a variety of lesser known cultivars on various farms in the Swartland in order to test their draught resistance. The Riebeeck Valley Wine Co. were fortunate to find some of these vines planted in two long rows, one with white cultivars and one with red cultivars, on a farm just outside of Riebeek West.
A decision was made to harvest the red cultivars (Barbera, Carignan, Durif, Marselan, Tannat and Tempranillo) as a field blend, destemming the grapes into an open top fermenter. After a spontaneous wild yeast fermentation the wine was pressed off and aged in three old 300 litre French oak barrels for 8 months prior to being bottled.
Not really knowing what to expect, “the result was surprisingly charming, untamed and full of character. It reminded us of a scruffy streetdog with a questionable family tree but soulful eyes and a heart or gold… and so was born… Straatbrak” according to RVWC winemaker Sheree Nothnagel.
Riebeek Valley Wine Co. Straatbrak Red Field Blend 2025, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
Don’t let the sentimental label put you off, because this is one of the most seriously enticing offerings I’ve tasted to date from the Riebeek Valley Wine Co. An adventurous blend of Barbera, Carignan, Durif, Marselan, Tannat and Tempranillo, these are all the champion cultivars of Europe’s dryer warm climate regions thrown into one stunning blend. The logo on the label sums up the wine perfectly… “no pedigree, just personality” and boy does this wine have personality! First tasted slightly chilled, the aromatics burst with a complex medley of red and black berry fruits, plum spice, black currant compote and lovely wild bramble and hedgerow nuances. The palate is pure, pinpoint and deliciously precise with linear crisp acids, a bright fluid palate with powdery silky tannins supported by mouth-wateringly tangy acids. Perfectly assembled, beautifully characterful, but impressively intense, pure and focused with genuine winemaking prowess. One of the most exciting and juicy wines I’ve tasted all year from the Cape! This is a must try wine, served preferably lightly chilled. Drink now to 2034+.
Located in the soon to be certified new Eerste River ward merely 5 kilometres from the False Bay ocean on the southern side of Stellenbosch along Baden Powell Drive in Lynedoch, Winshaw Vineyards has quietly built a reputation for red wines that capture the soul of this storied Cape wine region. Here, ancient Granite soils and cooling Atlantic breezes create the perfect tension between ripeness and restraint, allowing a cool climate balance and freshness that defines every bottle in their premium red wine collection.
The flagship reds draw on Stellenbosch’s classic varietals, namely bold, structured Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of blackcurrant and cedar; velvety plush Merlot layered with plum and dark chocolate; and elegantly red fruited Cabernet Franc, making expressive Bordeaux-style blends that marry power with elegance. Each vintage is shaped by their meticulous hand-harvesting, low-yielding vines, and extended barrel maturation in French oak, coaxing out an impressive level of complexity.
In the Winshaw vineyards with Pierre Winshaw.
What sets the Winshaw Vineyards premium range apart is a commitment to terroir-driven winemaking, selecting only the very best fruit from their circa 50 hectares of vines and minimal intervention winemaking in the cellar that lets the character of the land speak for itself. For those seeking a taste of Stellenbosch’s world-class red winemaking heritage, the Winshaw Vineyards premium reds offer both artisanal craftsmanship, quality and a genuine sense of place, vintage after vintage.
Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
This must be one of the most consistently high quality Malbec wines produced in South Africa. Year after year the Winshaw brothers make a rich, purple coloured expression packed full of red and black berry fruits, delicate Christmas spices with the cultivar’s archetypal sweet sapidity tightly interwoven into the wine’s fabric. The 2025 shows massive concentration, a silky plush textural luxuriousness framed by fresh acids and a long, effortless black berry laden finish with a delicate kiss of vanilla oak spice. Simply delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Winshaw Vineyards Bill Winshaw 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 63% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, shows seductive perfumed notes of red currants and black cherry with an overlay of salty black liquorice, graphite and sweet salted caramel oak hints. This wine has the depth of a fine Bordeaux blend combined with the elegance of a premium Cabernet Franc. A beautifully classy expression. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Winshaw Vineyards Charles Winshaw 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, this classically styled Cabernet Sauvignon led expression shows archetypal aromatics of violets, black cherry and black currant compote with hints of graphite, sweet cedar and wet loam nuances. The palate is decidedly denser and riper than the Bill Winshaw blend, showing notes of stewed black plum, light silky tannins, caramelised black berries, and a delicately mineral vein that continues with persistence to the finish. Plenty of substance or “gras” as the French would say, making this the stand out wine in the Winshaw range in 2023. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Winshaw wines are imported exclusively into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines based in Salisbury.
The 2025 vintage arrives on the market as one of the most talked-about in recent Swartland memory. After winter rains replenished groundwater and set vines up for a healthy viticultural season, a cool, dry growing period unfolded, often being described as a “Goldilocks” year in contrast to the deluges of 2024.
For the whites, moderate, dry harvest conditions allowed grapes to reach the cellar in excellent health, delivering wines with bright acidity, vivid fruit purity and real textural precision. The reds benefited from the same steady ripening window, with the Swartland’s noble red cultivars like Syrah developing intense colour, concentrated flavours and firm natural acidities, while low yields helped concentrate the wines’ character further.
The result is a premium RAAR range from the Riebeek Valley Wine Co. that captures a vintage of balance and clarity, producing wines that speak honestly of their terroir, a well chosen picking window, and winemaker Sheree Nothnagel’s distinctive, low-intervention style.
Raar Grenache Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.
Both Grenache Noir and Grenache Blanc have been two absolute success stories in the Cape over the past decade, with both cultivars finding a comfortable home in the Swartland region and surrounds. This small batch production white in the RAAR range is an absolute delight, with incredibly intricate aromatics loaded with white flowers, pithy white citrus, green apple, honeysuckle, crunchy peaches and a pronounced mineral undertone of Granitic spice. On the palate, the energy is almost boundless, the palate tart, tangy and deliciously fresh with a succulent lemony acidity supported by pithy lemon and yellow grapefruit notes, green apple, fennel root and a pithy wet stone minerality on the drying saline finish. A wonderful expression to enjoy now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raar Skin Contact Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.
This Old Vine certified bush vine Chenin Blanc was planted in 1979 on decomposed Granite soils. After a cold soak on its skins for six days, the wine was fermented in barrel using wild yeasts before being aged on its fine lees for six months. The aromatics show reductive notes of struck flint, dusty crushed Granite, dried straw, bruised yellow orchard fruits and subtle pithy orange marmalade hints. The palate is pithy and spicy, with a notable wet stone minerality, green apple, white peach and an exotic dried herbal complexity on the finish. A characterful, mineral laden, picante expression of skin contact Chenin Blanc making it the perfect gourmet-styled wine pairing option to drink now and over the next 3 to 5 years. (3,733 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raar Grenache Noir 2025, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
This light to medium bodied red shows a beautiful aromatics of sweet purple flowers, a delicate sapidity, pressed violets, cranberries and savoury red bramble berry fruits. The palate displays the distinction and intensity of a great vintage like 2025, packed with a glycerol fruit concentration, a stony mineral skeletal frame, fresh integrated acids and sweet, soft pithy red berry fruits that linger long on the finish. You might need to give this young wine some time to add complexity, but stylistically, it’s a real beauty! Drink now to 2034+. (5,600 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2025. WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
Few grapes perform as well in the Swartland as Shiraz or Syrah, and this small batch production of 4,436 bottles used intra-cellular fermentation on 100% of the whole-bunches in the style of France’s Beaujolais region, followed by alcoholic fermentation, extended skin contact and then eight months barrel ageing before bottling. Always one of the most impressive cuvees in the RAAR range, this 2025 is certainly no different, bursting with a perfumed aromatics of violets, fresh rose petals, savoury black currants, black olive tapenade, sweet red peppercorns, cured bresaola and delicate hints of leafy sapidity. The texture on the palate is tight knit and creamy with a pronounced mineral chalky tannin structure, a tart bright integrated acidity and a beautifully spicy red and black berry fruited medley on the finish. Wonderful energy and a mouth watering acidity make this a particularly attractive red wine expression suitable for serving gently chilled. Drink now to 2032+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raar Petite Sirah 2025. WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
This Petite Sirah, aka Durif, profiles an opulent cultivar grown in the Swartland, made from dry-grown bush-vine grapes that were wild fermented with 30% whole bunches and extended post-fermentation maceration, then aged in old French oak barrels for eight months. The result is an opulent, ever so slightly hedonistic red expression that is bursting with aromatics of red plum compote, mulberries and earthy black currants. Super ripe and intense, there is a notably picante character on the palate, that’s layered with sweet black and blue berry fruits, hints of molasses and stewed black orchard fruits. The tannins add a drying structural support of chalky minerality and sweet berry fruits to finish with a delicately chewy, grippy persistence. Young, bright and exotic, this could be the perfect wine for a barbeque / braai. Drink now to 2032. (2,490 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration is a regularly high scoring wine, cracking 95/100 GSMW for the 2025 release.
Situated in the heart of prime Stellenbosch terroir, the Hazendal Wine Estate is entering an exciting new chapter in its long history. With a legacy dating back to 1699, this historic property has long been synonymous with traditional winemaking, but under the stewardship of new head winemaker Kiara Scott-Farmer, Hazendal is being reimagined for a new generation of wine lovers.
Kiara assumed the role of Head Winemaker at Hazendal in early 2025, bringing with her from Brookdale Winery, a reputation as one of South Africa’s most exciting young winemaking talents. Born on the Cape Flats, she trained at Elsenburg Agricultural College before rising through the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme, and in 2024 she made history as the first woman of colour to win the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year award.
Kiara Scott – Farmer in London.
At Hazendal, Kiara’s philosophy of minimal intervention centres on the belief that great wines are made in the vineyard, with a deep focus on understanding each block’s soil and character. This philosophy finds its fullest expression in the estate’s celebrated Bottelary Hills ward, whose unique, light Granitic soils lend the wines a transparent, ethereal fruit character not easily found elsewhere in Stellenbosch. Through her debut single-cultivar collection featuring Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Syrah, Carignan and Pinot Noir Rosé, Kiara is giving Hazendal’s terroir a fresh, confident voice, ushering the estate into a compelling new era.
This beautiful Sancerre-styled Pinot Noir Rosé is a very classically elegant wine that shows an intense salmon pink colour and boasts intense, highly seductive, mouth-watering aromatics of red berries, white flowers, white peach, and subtle wild strawberry hints. Medium bodied and cool, the mouthfeel is dry but slightly less mineral than her maiden 2024 release but deliciously fresh and tangy with an enticing assortment of red summer berry fruits, red cherries, and delicate dried herb notes on the finish. A wonderfully sophisticated Rosé expression with real intent and ambition. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate Pinotage 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
This small 3,050 bottle Pinotage cuvée from the superb 2025 vintage has really allowed Kiara to flex her winemaking expertise with South Africa’s own homegrown cultivar Pinotage. Grown, produced and bottled on the Hazendal Estate, the wine was matured for 11 months in 500 litre French oak barrels along with some concrete tanks. Youthful but already a head-turning beauty, this wine reveals a shimmering, perfumed opulence, boasting intricate notes of violets, freshly picked rose petals, a summer medley of red and black berry fruits, mulberries, bramble berries and a subtle whole bunch sapidity alongside delicate cedar wood spice nuances. In the mouth, the wine is vibrant and fresh, the tannins effortlessly silky and soft, adding just sufficient ballast and frame to the wine. The purity and precision on the palate are breathtaking, the multiple layers of fruit, spices and tangy acidity seamlessly interwoven together creating a very juicy, attractively elegant premium Pinotage. Very impressive indeed. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
One of Kiara Scott-Farmer’s signature grapes is of course Chenin Blanc, and the 2025 vintage has offered her the perfect canvas to create a true masterpiece. The aromatics are rich and enticing with complex notes of perfumed honeysuckle, white blossoms, peaches, wet hay and melted honey on warm white toast with a delicate kiss of cinnamon wood spice. The crystalline purity, clarity and complexity follow to a palate that shows an impressive textural density and yellow orchard fruit concentration while at the same time exhibiting a sensation of lightness, elegance and lithe weightlessness. The finish is delicately spicy and mineral with an overt underlying salinity that makes it deliciously mouth-watering. This new wine undoubtedly cements Kiara’s place at the top table of Cape Chenin Producers. Drink now and over the next decade.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate White Blend 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13.11% Abv.
This impressive white blend forms part of the new ‘Estate Collection’ from Hazendal and is carefully crafted by cellarmaster Kiara Scott-Farmer. Made from primarily Roussanne and Marsanne, grown on a tiny 0.4-hectare site with weathered-Granite and Clay soils, the aromatics definitely transport you to the Northern Rhone with notes of apricot, yellow peach stones, dry straw, fynbos, quince and delicately honied chamomile nuances. Handled correctly, Marsanne and Roussanne can produced wines with a delightful acidity and this wine positively bursts forth with a tangy bright freshness, orange peel zest, honey drizzled peaches and delicately pithy wood spice nuances. The minerality is ever present and supportive, adding yet more complexity to this delicious white blend. Beautifully layered, intense, and harmoniously balanced, this wine is another impressive success for Cellarmaster Kiara. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate Syrah 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
The Bottelary Hills is prime red wine territory, and with this maiden release Syrah, Kiara has utilised 22% whole-bunches in the fermentation before being aged for 9 months in 60% older 500-litre French oak barrels together with a 40% concrete tank portion. Bold, wild and exotically perfumed, the aromatics reveal attractive notes of violets, potpourri, rose petals and black pepper before more subtle hints of salty black liquorice, black cherries and black kalamata olive tapenade. In the mouth, the palate is cool, plush and polished with a medium body, silky fine grained tannins and a tangy fresh vivacity that makes the mouth water. The texture is sleek and elegant, showing Kiara’s signature weightless concentration, before finishing gently with a drying mineral persistence. A really majestic Syrah that simply does not put a foot out of place… and of course it is also crazy value for money! Drink now and over the next decade. (10,828 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Hazendal Estate are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines. The range also features a limited release single varietal Carignan 2025 bottled exclusively in magnums.
The Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah label from Sakkie Mouton Family Wines is bold reference to the rise of the West Coast as a new wine region and features a tongue-in-cheek picture of divers picking grapes under the ocean, which contributes to their “salty” taste on 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!
The 2025 vintage in South Africa’s Olifants River region delivered exceptional quality fruit despite some challenges. Heavy July winter rains caused localized riverbank flooding, but ultimately secured vital irrigation. Mild, dry conditions followed, resulting in fairly conservative Chenin Blanc yields but outstanding colour development, perfect pH balance, and intense flavours in the reds like Shiraz / Syrah.
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2025, WO Olifants River, 14% Abv.
This 2025 Syrah from Sakkie Mouton is an attractively constructed expression that oozes character and complexity. There is an extra weight and power to the wine that one has not seen before in Sakkie’s previous vintages, undoubtedly due to a small addition of riper grapes picked at 14.5% Abv. being blended into the cuvée. The nose is classically wild and Rhoney with hints of cured meats, black olive tapenade, black berries, red cherry and delicate incense nuances. On the palate, the extra fruit weight fills the mouth with deliciously succulent red and black berry fruits, the acids and salinity ever present and mouthwatering. The texture is tight knit but fleshy, the tannins beautifully fine grained and mineral marrying with a bright fruit intensity and a delightful purity and precision on the finish. This is a vintage that will undoubtedly broaden Sakkie’s red wine credentials. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Sakkie Mouton Family Wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines and Woodwinters UK.
Sakkie Mouton is one of South Africa’s most exciting, low-intervention winemakers, celebrated for putting the rugged and remote West Coast on the global wine map. Based in Vredendal and Koekenaap, Sakkie champions a forgotten, wind-swept terroir shaped by intense Atlantic breezes and sandstone soils. After studying at Elsenburg and traveling the world, he returned home to champion old vines and distinct coastal identities.
Known for a minimalist, “Weskus” style, his small-production, critically acclaimed wines like the flagship Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc, are famous for their vibrant acidity, complex textures, and unmistakable coastal maritime salinity. While Sakkie’s personal “wine style” is ever evolving, no two vintages are ever quite the same, with each subsequent release showing his own personal growth and evolution. The 2025 style moves yet again, focusing on texture, mouthfeel and concentration of fruit flavours, making a wine that is arguably one of his most “grown up” yet.
Revenge of the Crayfish 2025, WO Koekenaap, 13.81% Abv.
Picked slightly later than usual, this 2025 Chenin Blanc reveals an intricate aromatics of white blossoms, white peach, tinned pineapples, green apples over a delicate yet complex array of dried kelp, oyster shell and Weskus maritime sea spray. The first Crayfish cuvee to undergo 100% malolactic fermentation, the palate does feel a little denser, fleshier and slightly less nervy that early editions, but whatever is lost in terms of tart steely austerity, is more than compensated for by a plusher, more harmonious mid-palate texture and balance, built with compact layers of tangy pineapple fruits, apricot, tart yellow plums and green apple cordial hints with a gentle yet assertive salinity on the finish. This is a serious Chenin that exudes a quiet confidence with plenty of the 2025 vintage concentration, illuminating Sakkie’s continued growth and development as an accomplished premium winemaker. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Sakkie Mouton’s wines are exclusively available in the UK from South African specialist merchant Museum Wines and Wood Winters UK.
Few wine regions in the Cape Winelands are as climatically individual as the Elgin basin. Also home of the cash crop apples, the battle for economic supremacy is an on going battle for wine farmers. But there are producers that have doubled down and focused on producing high quality premium Grape cultivars.
Perched 420 meters above sea level on a mountain plateau that forms the coastal edge of the Elgin basin, sits the Iona winery, renowned as South Africa’s coolest vineyard site. Located in the Elgin Valley, this former apple farm benefits from a unique microclimate shaped by the icy Atlantic Ocean and frequent orographic cloud cover.
These conditions ensure a long, slow ripening period, allowing grapes to achieve physiological ripeness at lower sugar levels. The result is a portfolio of elegant, terroir-driven wines, most notably Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, producing wines characterised by bright acidities, mineral purity, and restrained alcohol levels, often drawing comparisons to the fine European styles owner Andrew Gunn is so fond of.
I recently caught up in London with Andrew Gunn’s son-in-law Rob Macdonald, to taste through Iona’s exciting new releases.
Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Chardonnay 2024, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.
This shows a cool, pithy elegance on the nose with pristine aromatics of lemon and lime cordial tightly interwoven with a pronounced stony minerality. The purity and crystallinity continue to a wonderfully bright palate that is fleshy, concentrated and fully charged showing an electric brightness, tangy green apple and lemon confit notes with a slightly phenolic, herby grapefruit-tinged finish. Surprisingly, this 2024 has wonderful flesh and midpalate stuffing, plenty of concentrated yellow citrus fruits and a delightfully long tangy acidity. A really impressive cool climate Chardonnay. Drink now to 2040+.
A blend of 92% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Semillon fermented and aged in older 300 and 500 litre French oak barrels. The first impression on nosing the wine is one of impressive complexity but also mouthwatering exoticism with the barrel ageing offering hints of quince and waxy orange peel, dried mango and subtle guava notes before a vein of more savoury, leesy white toast and biscuit kicks in. The palate is full and mouth filling, with the dried mango and papaya notes coming to the fore but certainly not in an obtrusive manner. The balance is simply spot on and the concentration and tangy acidity delicious, finishing with hints of dried herbs and lemon iced tea. This is serious Sauvignon Blanc kit for people who perhaps struggle with Sauvignon’s pungent character. Certainly, a benchmark style in the context of Elgin and the Cape. Drink now to 2038+.
This 2025 Sauvignon Blanc also features 8 to 10% Semillon which is all barrel fermented on top of around a 5% portion of the Sauvignon Blanc to add extra complexity and texture. This wine, from an admittedly superb Cape vintage, has intense, characterful aromatics of grassy gooseberry, yellow citrus and green apple pastille with delicate hints of guava and papaya. The palate is pitch perfect, striking a superb balance between tangy freshness, intense concentrated yellow and green citrus fruits and a subtle, slightly veiled minerality that lurks ever present. Harmonious, elegant and a true delight to drink without being too pungent or tropical. This is certainly a wine to go long on and enjoy over the next two to three summers! (Bottled under screwcap.)
This is an enticing Pinot Noir offering from Iona displaying an impressively classical, Old World Burgundian elegance and focus, with delicious black berry and strawberry fruit notes, damson plum, black currant and a delightful Cotes de Nuits limestone mineral nuance underpinning the wine. The palate fruits are pithy and incredibly restrained and stony, adding handsomely to the feel of tension and linearity in the wine, before a finish of gravelly, powdery tannins, bramble berry spice and a smoky granitic austerity. Really quite superb. One for the Burgundy lovers out there! Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Iona One Man Band Red Blend 2021, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.
An eclectic blend of Petit Verdot, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Mourvedre and Viognier. Normally led by Syrah at 35% to 45%, but in 2021, the Syrah from Rosie’s Elgin Brocha Farm performed so well that most of it went into the award-winning Solace Syrah 2021. Spicy and broody on initial sniff, the aromatics boast deep dark notes of dried violets, bramble berries, red currants and red plums. There is a hint of sapidity and stalky spice but also delicate herbal mineral nuances. The palate is a little more punchy and imposing, showing notable power and muscle, a dense core of damson plum, blue berries and bramble berry fruits, before a finish that is notably stony, mineral, and picante. Superbly dense, compact and tight knit with a harmonious mouthfeel, this is an accomplished red blend that shares many similarities with the finest reds of the Southern Rhone. Drinking on release but you can expect this to hit its straps at 8 to 10 years old and then go on further.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Iona Solace Syrah 2022, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.
Sourced purely from 100% Syrah fruit from Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm, following on from the block buster, high scoring 2021, this 2022 is really quite a piece of work, with intensity, purity, and superb focus. The aromatics boast cool restrained black fruits, saline black currant, savoury bresaola cure meats, liquorice and a fresh pepper corn spice that follows on to the palate. Compact yet deliciously fresh, the palate displays a firm hand of structure and focus, supported by cool, sleek linear acids that are ever present yet notably integrated, balanced and subtle. This is another masterpiece for Syrah in the context of Elgin and the vintage, just perhaps a touch more restrained than the iconic 2021. Drink this on release to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Iona wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.
