Van Blommestein Wines is the personal label of Joshua van Blommestein, who grew up in Welkom in the Free State and studied oenology and viticulture at Elsenburg College in Stellenbosch before spending two harvests at the Saronsberg winery in Tulbagh. The label began in 2023 on the conviction that the Cape can produce wines of restraint and clarity, given time and attention and sourced from the right terroir. Each release is a single-block expression, hand-picked and naturally fermented, and held back until ready.
The new release red is the Glansgruis Carignan 2023, from the Coastal Region and was matured for 15 months in old oak barrels. Joshua describes it as a savoury, meaty, dark-fruited expression with fresh mineral notes and a salivating acidity. The name comes from the Schist soils as they look like they have broken mirror pieces in them hence the ‘Glansgruis’ name. For collectors, Van Blommestein Wines represents an emerging, small-production label with a fast growing track record, the Carignan fitting in neatly with the Cape’s growing interest in Old Vine, low-intervention reds made in very limited quantities and his 1984 Old Vine Colombar that’s treading an innovative path previously navigated by iconic producers such as Ian Naudé. These are two new releases definitely worth tracking down.
Joshua Van Blommestein Klipdans Colombar 2026, WO Breedekloof, 11.62% Abv.
These Colombar grapes were picked early morning and pressed in a basket press. The juice was settled for 24 hours and racked straight to old 400 litre and 500 litre oak barrels. The wine fermented naturally over a period of 3 weeks in the old barrels. The wine was then sulphured up to ensure malolactic conversion was avoided to retain the very fresh acidity. The wine was left on its fine lees for 5 months to build the mid palate texture further. The wine therefore spent a total of 7 months in the older oak barrels before bottling.
These Colombar grapes come from a 43 year old Certified Heritage Old Vine Breedekloof vineyard planted in 1984 grown on rocky mountain soils with sand and clay subsoils, and it’s when you nose this wine that you can see why modern commentators often compare this Colombar wine style to the famous Assyrtiko wines of Santorini. The aromatics are delicately stony and herby, intricately interweaving hints of lemon herbal tea, wet stone minerality with crunchy white peach, ginger spice and green apple fruits. In the mouth, the acidity beams, shining brightly with a tangy candied intensity alongside an impressively pure pear and peach fruit concentration, before a long, mouth coating glycerol finish with a subtle saline maritime kiss. Knowledge in action – this 2026 represents an impressive step up in intensity and quality on the 2025 release. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Joshua Van Blommestein Glansgruis Carignan 2023, WO Coastal Region, 13.73% Abv.
The grapes for the Carignan were picked at 04:00 am to ensure cold grapes being received at the cellar. The grapes were de-stemmed into a small stainless steel open top fermenter. 10% of the grapes were left whole bunch for some stem inclusion. This was very small batch as Joshua only had 700kg of Carignan. The fermentation lasted 3 weeks and was mainly focussed on punch downs and a slightly cooler fermentation. After fermentation, the grapes were pressed in a basket press and moved directly to barrel for malolactic fermentation. The wine spent 15 months in an old oak barrel.
This impressive Carignan originates from a vineyard on the boundary of Tulbagh, the vines grown on Schist soils with a sandy loam subsoil. Carignan always offers up fairly dense, robust wines and this impressive 2023 reveals rich, broody, earthy black fruited aromatics with hints of sun raisined black cherries, dried flowers, tree bark, and subtle savoury baking spices. Deliciously full and compact in structure, the wine is medium to full bodied, vibrantly fresh and tangy with a tart line of acidity, lashings of purple and black berry fruits alongside a gently grippy, macerated rooibos tea tannin undertone, with notions of earthy bramble berries before a slightly sulky, fine grained, velvety finish laced with clove and Christmas spices. Joshua has conjured up an impressively harmonious expression with plenty of meaty depth. Drink now until 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
