This is the story behind South Africa’s first bottled single varietal Merlot. Upon discovering the Merlot vines he planted in 1973 were infected with leafroll virus, Braam van Velden set out to find healthy virus-free vines. After an extensive search, new Italian clone Merlot vines were obtained and planted in 1979.
Braam explained … “Our first vintage from this block was in 1982. The wine was so impressive that we deemed it worthy to be bottled on its own. This also prompted us to extend the wine’s time in the small oak barrels to nine months, which was a long time in those days.”
When the Merlot was bottled in 1983, it was the first single varietal South African Merlot on the market. There were many raised eyebrows: “I remember being asked why we were bottling a blending wine on its own” Braam van Velden would exclaim.
David van Velden
The Overgaauw estate, like many of South Africa’s famous historic wineries, has seen its fair share of ups and downs and financial challenges as the family generations have transitioned, but successor David van Velden, in recent times, has put in a proper shift to help return the business to the glory days of the past. The latest three releases to return to the UK market suggest the future is indeed bright for this historic Stellenbosch wine brand.
Overgaauw Estate Merlot 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
They say Merlot can be one of the most temperamental of all the Bordeaux red cultivars. But this juicy expression is as classical as they come, plush, soft textured with red and black berry fruits, ripe black plums and spicy undertones of coffee beans and wet tobacco leaf. The palate is plush and approachable, medium bodied with a juicy, tangy plumy acidity shrouded by fine powdery tannins and a core of black berry fruits with a notable red cherry kiss on the finish. The has all the balance and polish you would hope for from a textbook Merlot. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Overgaauw Estate Reserve Merlot 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
As the first Estate bottled Merlot in South Africa, the burden of expectation rests heavily on the shoulders of the Overgaauw winery. Where the Estate Merlot is sleek, modestly complex, and textbook supple and elegant, the Estate Reserve opens more avenues of complexity and intricacy. Remaining classical and elegantly restrained in a true Stellenbosch style, the Reserve reveals complex aromatics of freshly tilled earth, fleshy plum and black currants, hints of mulberry and sweet tannery leather. On the palate, the sweet sappy cedary oak spice melts seamlessly into layers of fleshy plummy black fruits, black chai tea, delicately herbaceous dried baking herbs, graphite, and crushed granite minerality underpinned by dense creamy soft tannins. Undoubtedly a wine with substance and depth that will appeal to drinkers looking for something substantial but also slightly less challenging than Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Overgaauw Estate Tria corda Cape Bordeaux Blend 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 15% Abv.
A classical blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, this 2020 shows overt creamy blue and black berry fruits, crème de cassis, sappy cedar, graphite, and gentle hints of brûléed coffee beans and moist pipe tobacco. The palate is impressively compact, dense and concentrated with savoury black currants and black cherry notes, sweet velvety tannins, and bright tangy acids that lend great palate energy and vibrancy. A well-balanced Cape Bordeaux blend that has a real feel of class and pedigree to it remaining unhindered by its 15% abv. Drink now and over the next 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Overgaauw Estate are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
With Abrie Beeslaar departing the Kanonkop Estate in August 2024, we are nearing the end of his winemaking stewardship. The 2022 vintage offered up a cold and wet winter which was ideal for late but even vine budding. The wetter and cooler weather in the Cape persisted through Spring, with a slight heat spike towards the end of January. Later veraison and cooler growing conditions made the 2022 vintage a memorable one for the Kanonkop team with structured, elegant, age worthy wines produced.
Grapes for the Paul Sauer were fermented in open top concrete fermenters at 29c, the floating skins punched down by hand every 2 hours during fermentation. The juice was drawn off the skins after 5 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was matured for 24 months in 100% new 225 litre French Nevers oak barrels before bottling.
Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer 2022 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Simonsberg, Stellenbosch, 13.35% Abv.
I tasted this new release Paul Sauer several times at Cape Wine 2025 in September but finally found a quiet moment on my return to London to open a sample bottle that had been settling in my cellar for several weeks. This is a big, powerful cuvee and young vintages are easily interfered with and often suffer bottle shock. But on opening, this classy blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc and 18% Merlot was absolutely singing. Plush, textured, and multi-layered, the aromatics showed a newfound clarity, purity and intensity boasting saline crème de cassis, back cherries, blueberry, maritime kelp, iodine, and black liquorice with an underlying new French oak kiss. Sourced from six older blocks on the estate, the palate shows a vibrant freshness together with an opulent accessibility before tightening up on the long, saline finish that’s layered and harmonious with tart black currant, damson plum and spiced cranberry nuances. Elegant, seamless, and pretty profound, this is undoubtedly another must-buy vintage for Paul Sauer lovers. Drink from 2026 to 2048+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Kanonkop Estate wines are imported into the UK by exclusive agent Seckford Agencies.
The De Schepper family owns five wine estates in Bordeaux as well as the De Mour negociant firm that is tasked with distributing their wines, more often than not, direct to international merchants and retailers. In my experience of tasting and reviewing their wines for the past decade, this is a firm that prides itself on its values, based on human expertise passed down through generations, technical mastery of all stages in the winemaking process, as well as upmarket product ranges developed via exclusive partnerships.
Within their product range, the special pure Cabernet Sauvignon cuvée of Château Haut Breton Larigaudière was created and named “Le Createur”, a literal translation of the family name of the owners “De Schepper”, a name of Flemish origin, in honor of Emile De Schepper, who bought the estate in 1964 and started the extensive renovation of the château. “Le Créateur” is an endless and tireless search tor the perfection of the personality of a specific vintage. I recently cracked a bottle of their 2015 vintage to assess how this pure Cabernet Sauvignon is looking after 10 years from vintage.
Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere Le Createur 2015, Margaux, 13.5% Abv.
This pure 100% Cabernet Sauvignon shows a beautifully complex and intricate aromatics of fresh violets, black cherry, dried bay leaf spice, red currants and black plum with hints of tilled earth, black tea and fresh tannery leather. The palate displays a beautiful crunchy freshness and definition with powerful linear tannins and a stony minerality supported by layers of creme de cassis and black berry fruits, a delicate wood spice, freshly brewed tea and delicate herbal notes on the long creamy finish. Drink this classy wine now and over the next 10+ years.
The Winshaw brothers, Pierre and JP, are well known for combining traditional beef and chicken farming with grape growing on their prestigious Stellenbosch property Klein Welmoed, selling fruit from their 50 hectares of vines to some of Stellenbosch’s most notable producers as well as making their own wines under their superb Winshaw Vineyards label.
Alongside a premium range of Cape Bordeaux blends, the line-up also includes a delicious straight talking varietal Malbec and a pristine pure fruited Cabernet Sauvignon. The two red blends honour their great-grandfather Dr William Charles Winshaw, founder of Stellenbosch Farmers Winery (SFW), and their grandfather Bill, another key figure in the history of the SFW. With a growing collector following in both South Africa as well as in the UK, their wines still represent excellent value for money in an over heated fine wine market. The 2021 blends are certainly not to be missed.
Winshaw Vineyards Charles Winshaw 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
This impressive Cape Bordeaux blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot is incredibly complex and intricate displaying aromatics of dried potpourri, spicy red currant, earthy black berries, dried herbs, hints of charcoal, graphite and dusty granitic spice. The palate is medium bodied and incredibly harmonious with fine grained mineral tannins and a bright, crunchy acidity that adds plenty of vitality and energy. This is a delightful text book Cape Bordeaux blend with notable precision, tension and accessible drinkability. Drink now to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Winshaw Vineyards Bill Winshaw 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
This beautifully styled Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 20% Malbec, 20% Merlot was matured for 12 months in used French oak barrels. The aromatics are elegantly perfumed, brimming with fragrant violets, sandalwood, dried thyme and a vibrant melange of red and black berries with a sappy, cedar spice complexity. This Cabernet Franc lead blend is incredibly sleek and lithe, silky textured with fine grained powdery tannins underpinned by deliciously bright vivacious acids and a real persistence of black berry, red currant and pithy brambly fruits with a granitic liquid minerality that punctuates the seamless finish. This is true class personified. Drink now to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Winshaw Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
The focus of all Winshaw red blends is based around either Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc, but with this pure Cabernet Sauvignon that was matured for 12 months in French oak barrels, of which 30% were new, the essence of Stellenbosch terroir is laid bare to see. The aromatics are archetypal, revealing lifted perfumed notes of pressed violets, sweet black cherries, crème de cassis over subtle notes of dried herbs, wet tobacco, and subtle graphite hints. On the palate, the sumptuous, fleshy opulence of the warm and dry 2022 vintage are expressed with ripe glycerol layers of black berry fruits, black plum and delicately tart mulberry hints that fades into more savoury, earthy cedar spice nuances. The texture is dense, plush and mouth filling, retaining enough acid vibrancy to invigorate the soft, creamy, compact mineral tannins and carry the wine to an accessible, sleek well-balanced finish. An impressive expression of pure Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon that you can drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Winshaw Vineyards wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
The Tesseron family, owners of Château Pontet-Canet and Tesseron Cognac, purchased Pym-Rae, a 7.5-hectare vineyard at Mount Veeder in Napa Valley, in January 2016. Named by late actor Robin Williams after his children, the vineyard’s limestone soil and 550 metre altitude bring depth and freshness to the wines. Using a natural, vineyard-focused approach and adapting certain biodynamic practices, the Tesseron family produces distinctly plush, opulent wines from this unique terroir.
The 2021 vintage reveals grapes of great concentration, developed during a dry yet steady season, which allowed for a beautiful balance between ripeness and freshness. In the vineyard, there was low intervention: nature guided the vines with precision. The harvest unfolded calmly, offering grapes of great intensity. At Pym-Rae, this vintage unveils the power of its Napa Valley terroir, shaped by the balance between tension and control.
The wines are typically a composite blend mirroring vineyard plantings which currently stand at 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and are made by winemaker Jérôme Ledit who previously worked with the Tesseron family at Château Pontet-Canet in Bordeaux. Michel Rolland serves as consultant.
Tesseron Estate Pym-Rae 2021, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, 15% Abv.
Aged 50% in new oak barrels and 50% in concrete vats, the 2021 vintage displays fragrant blue and black berry fruit aromatics with hints of Christmas spices, chocolate praline and sweet hoisin plum sauce nuances. Classical elegance on the palate with silky fine tannins, notes of graphite and liquid minerality alongside ripe red and black berry fruits, black cherries, creme de cassis and a spicy, pithy plum skin phenolics on the delicately saline finish. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.
It’s that time of year again! Tasting the unique micro expressions from some of South Africa’s top producers is no easy task. It used to be a real expose of some really unique wine styles of the ever evolving South African wine industry, but now, it feels like producers are evolving, maturing, and certainly playing it a little safer. Is that a bad thing? No, not at all!
Speaking to tasters, collectors (at the tasting) and producers, the feeling was very much that ALL wines were impressive and worthy of praise. But, many did feel that the innovation had been slightly dialled down in the name of premiumisation and in order to offer the wider global fine wine market a unique selection of wines that can be offered to incredibly fussy international merchants and collectors in a congested fine wine market place – wines that can’t be compared and contrasted to anything already available on the market.
Some will reflect on these wines and feel that they are not sufficiently “different” from the regular cuvées offered on the commercial market, but one has to bare in mind that many of the buyers engaging in the CWG auction are not in a viable position to access workable / commercial quantities of wines from these top producers now that European allocations have become so tightly controlled and limited. The CWG breaks that mould and expands the market for South African fine wine, bringing some incredibly high quality wines to a wider, new generation of collectors and connoisseurs. That alone should surely be celebrated. I for one remain a MASSIVE fan of the CWG concept and auction process and encourage enthusiasts to buy with confidence whether bidding directly or buying through a merchant channel like Bordeaux Index.
Scores at the doors…
AA Badenhorst Family Wines ‘Out Of The Strong Comes Forth Freshness’ Carignan 2024 – 93+/100
The Saldanha Wine & Spirit Co. Saldanha Pale Dry SEA, SALT, SAND AND WIND N.V. – 95/100
Ataraxia ‘Sympathy For The Pinot’ Pinot Noir 2024 – 94/100
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+.
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 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.
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+.
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 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. (Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted December 2017.
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 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 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 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 Van Biljon boutique winery owned by Anton and Julia Van Biljon lies on a small farm situated in the Polkadraai Hills ward of the Stellenbosch region, neighbouring other highly esteemed producers such as Reyneke Wines, Raats Family Wines and De Toren Private Cellar. The region is well known for its deep, fertile and well drained decomposed granite soils and the moderating cool sea breezes that blow in off False Bay, lying directly to the South of the winery. Meticulous viticultural practices yield pristine grapes with intense colour, concentrated fruit flavours and firm structured tannins.
The wines have been produced by Bordeaux Blend specialist winemaker Chris Keet since 2011 and during my recent trip to the Cape, I popped in to taste and was treated to a rare bottle of the maiden vintage alongside the current release 2019. Also, knowing my intense fascination with the atypical, cool, 2021 vintage conditions, I managed to persuade Anton van Biljon to dig a bottle out of storage to let me get a sneak peek at what could be Chris’s most accomplished Van Biljon Cinq cuvee to date. With plenty of chatter on the wines of Stellenbosch and specifically the stand apart premium styling of Polkadraai Hills wines in particular, I perhaps made a sturdy case for Van Biljon to include this designation on their front or back label in future, as all five components of fruit are only sourced strictly from the Polkadraai Hills Ward.
With Chris Keet at the winery in July 2025.
As one of the few “single wine wineries” in the Cape, Van Biljon’s Cinq cuvee is definitely a wine classical Bordeaux lovers should seek out. Aside from its affordable pricing under £50 per bottle, the wine must also have one of the most consistent scoring track records in Stellenbosch, with the Cinq blend usually cracking the magical 95 point mark time and time again.
Van Biljon Cinq 2011 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
The maiden 2011 Cinq is a blend of majority Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with supporting components of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine is incredibly pure and spicy with a mineral integrity, showing layers of dried herbs, thyme, mint leaf, and wet stone minerality over black berries, black cherry and black plum notes. The palate is unbelievably energetic and fresh, vibrant and supremely classy, ageing incredibly well from a vintage that was taut, linear and possibly slightly understated on release. Still showing impressive palate depth, power and stony mineral graphite tannins that are maturing and resolving beautifully, coming together to make a very impressive blend. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Van Biljon Cinq 2019 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
The 2019 is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. 2019 was a more mixed vintage, cooler than 2018 but quite a muscular vintage making picking dates and extraction timings very important. There is incredible power and broody depth with aromatics full of black berry fruits, damson plums, black currant, white pepper and delicate bay leaf and sage herbal spice notes. The palate is fabulously polished, piercing and structured with a stony tannin frame, classical styling, and a finish kissed with mint leaf and chocolate peppermint crisp nuances. Really majestically power packed, compact and distinguished! Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The micro Van Biljon Cinq production in the cellar.
Van Biljon Cinq 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
On the eve of the Van Biljon Cinq 2020 release, I sat down with winemaker Chris Keet and persuaded him to allow me to also taste a very early pre-release sample of the 2021 Cinq blend. In keeping with this cooler, slower ripening year, the aromatics show a delicately fragrant perfume of violets and rose petals, sweet cedar, black cherry, saline creme de cassis and a pronounced undertone of graphite and granitic minerality. The oaking is already very well integrated allowing the cool, taut, linear black berry fruits to shine through on the palate. Delicately stony, this 2021 shows all the classical restraint and structure you’d expect from this cooler, slower ripening vintage, with a sinewy mid-palate tension and a tightly wound weightless concentration that seems certain to flesh out further ahead of its official release in perhaps 2026 or 2027. The Cinq 2021 is a wonderful representation of this unique Polkadraai Hills Stellenbosch vintage and definitely one to watch out for in future. I look forward to tasting this wine again on its official release.
(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Van Biljon wines are imported into the UK by Woodwinters. Contact: andrew@woodwinters.com
The Glenelly Estate is a beautiful winery buried in a little corner of the Idas Valley in Stellenbosch. The property was famously bought in 2003 by Madame May de Lencquesaing of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande fame in Pauillac, Bordeaux, with a vision to transform the property into one of the preeminent fine wine producers in Stellenbosch. With vineyards planted on near virgin granitic rich soils, Glenelly Estate had the opportunity to map out a varietal path that completely suited the style of wines they were looking to make.
With May Lencquesaing celebrating her 100 birthday in 2025, I thought it would be a good time to pay another visit to the winery. With previous cellar master Luke O’Cuinneagain now settled in at Vergelegen Estate in the Helderberg after taking over from a retiring Andre van Rensberg, the mantle was passed to the talented winemaker Dirk van Zyl to pick up where Luke left off and take the Glenelly Estate into a new decade of premium wine production. Along with the below Lady May mini-vertical, Dirk also kindly let me taste through multiple barrels of the phenomenal quality 2025 vintage to plant the seed for the exciting wines to come.
Glenelly Estate Lady May Vertical: 2017 to 2021
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2017, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The aromatics are incredibly pure and precise with finely integrated notes of herbal spice, graphite, black currant and hints of chocolate and spearmint complexity. The palate is tight and restrained, silky, focused and very tight grained, with incredible fruit concentration, a light touch mineral intensity and a notable harmony. An incredibly accomplished wine still in its shell, that’s hardly evolved in the past two years. One for the cellar!
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting with Dirk van Zyl, Glenelly head winemaker and cellar master.
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
“Simply the true essence of Bordeaux in a glass…”
A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Merlot. Incredibly restrained aromatics with intense notes of graphite, cedar spice, delicate black currant, sweet black cherry, creme de cassis complexity. So incredibly fine grained texture, pin point focus with a fantastic mineral vein. Fabulous velvety tannins but held in place by a bright steely framing acidity. This is probably one of the most accomplished reds produced in the entire 2018 vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly barrel maturation cellar.
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. This shows a more classical Stellenbosch feel with layers of black currant fruits, black fruit, tilled earth, sweet tannery leather and black tea. The palate is sleek, cool, focused, quite muscular but steely and stony, with a notable underlying power and intensity but with polished corners, a creamy velvety chalky tannin grip and a well integrated acid freshness. Tangy and bright on the finish, this is a beautifully focused wine that just needs a few more years in the cellar.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. From a relatively warm early vintage yielding ripe, accessible, forward wines that many winemakers feel has been forgotten as the covid year. An intricate wine that offers accessibility with structure, allowing the wine to age for many years. The aromatics are intense and fresh, loaded with creme de cassis, black cherry and blueberry hints, with dried mint leaves, baking herbs, and curry leaf spice complexity. The elegance is very clear and apparent, the silky finesse and accessibility complimented by effortless tannins. This should be good to drink on release but comfortably age worthy for 15-20+ years. (32,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Lady May 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Dense dark and opaque in the glass with incredibly potent and pure fruited aromatics of creme de cassis, saline black currant, cherry tobacco, grilled herbs and subtle vanilla pod spice nuances. The palate embraces power and density showing fine chalky tannins, a real black and blue fruited intensity with just the most classically restrained, harmonious and elegant finish. This is a phenomenal red wine that registers quality wise in the highest of echelons of Cape Bordeaux Blends.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tasting the 2025 vintage barrels with cellar master Dirk van Zyl.
Six months on gross lees in stainless steel tank. Shows lovely clarity and purity, earthy waxy citrus, hints of lime peel, peach and grapefruit pulp. Delicious crystalline expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
A portion of the wines was settled in tank but a portion went straight into barrel. 22% new French oak, on the lees in barrel for 10 months. 18% underwent malolactic fermentation. Shows a classy creamy lemon butter character, complex green herbs, fresh fennel, yellow grapefruit and tangy lemon cordial nuances. Very impressive purity and poise with a delightful kiss of passion fruit on the finish. Very nice.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Fermentation cellar at Glenelly
Glenelly Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.1% Abv.
Six months in barrel of which 12% was new oak. Bottled beginning 2024. Aromaticly lifted with green dried baking herbs, sapidity and hints of white peach. The wine shows a fine texture and a light weight buttery citrus fruit character, with plenty of elegance and a long subtle finish. Fine boned but very classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Glenelly Estate Le Rose de May Rose 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
Delightfully sappy and fragrant showing strawberry fruit notes with hints of red currant and red cherry fruits. The Syrah lends a linearity, focus and purity with a cool, polish finished. Lovely freshness and a finessed accessibility. Top drawer Rose.
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The 2021 Lady May will be released in May 2026. The Glenelly wines are imported into the UK and distributed to trade by Seckford Agencies. Contact: pippa@seckfordagencies.co.uk
The 2022 vintage in Stellenbosch was smaller than usual but widely considered to be very good if not excellent for some. In general, the growing season was on the cooler side but there was little in the way of wild weather to cause much disruption. The winter was cold but saw enough rainfall to rebalance depleted water within the soil, while a chilly spring also brought rain, delaying both budburst and flowering.
Eventually summer brought some much-needed heat with some grapes even affected by sunburn. However, rain still fell in certain areas, which, combined with the summer heat, raised humidity and the risk of both disease and rot. Overall, the mishmash of weather led to a delayed harvest and varied yields – sometimes dramatically depending on the region – with some having larger harvests than usual, while others having a far smaller one. Regions like Stellenbosch however produced some fantastic wines, with the reds in particular looking to be very good indeed.
With most premium Bordeaux Blend and Cabernet Sauvignon producers such at Thelema currently releasing and selling their 2022 reds, the style of the wines has become clearer after barrel maturation and bottling. The consensus appears to be that the 2022s will be remembered as a stylistic mix between the ripe, warm, opulent flavours of the 2020 vintage embellished with some more noteworthy similarities from the 2017 vintage – namely its elegance, finesse, weightless concentration and intensity of fruit purity.
The 2022 Rabelais sticks to the tried and tested blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. A dense, dark, and opaque purple-black colour in the glass, this young, powerful Cape Bordeaux blend shows a relatively restrained, classical aromatics that require more than a little coaxing out of the glass. For a warm year, the nose is modestly fruity, dominated in youth by notes of crushed granite minerality, graphite, fynbos, cigar smoke and dried herb spices. On the palate, the wine is notably cool, saline, structured and chiselled, slowly releasing pockets of black currant, black cherry, blue berry and damson plum fruit at a very gentle, measured pace before delicate hints of sweet cedar, thyme and capsicum spice emerge. The tannins are dry and stony but very fine-grained adding to an overall tight knit texture that’s incredibly classy and grown up. This is another very impressive flagship blend from the Webbs. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Thelema The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
18.g/l RS | 5.5g/l TA | 3.56pH
The source of the “mint” character in this wine is attributed to the airborne transfer from the Eucalyptus trees which border this specific Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard, to the grape berries. As the berries adsorbs Eucalyptol, a compound responsible for the aroma, this compound subsequently becomes dissolved in the wine during the fermentation process, giving the wine a “minty” character unique to this vineyard. The grapes were de-stalked, hand sorted, crushed and pumped into stainless steel for a 6-day cold soak on the skins before fermentation. The wine was then aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels. The aromatics are deep, alluring and complex boasting notes of bruleed coffee beans, minty black chocolate, picante black currants and pithy black cherries with a subtle kiss of padrón pepper herbaceous spice. The palate is medium bodied, silky soft and lithe, the tannins incredibly fine grained and polished, with notes of saline black berries, mulberries, milk chocolate and black plum with a light dusting of dried baking herbs and green tea notes. In its youth, the minty character of the wine is fairly subdued, slightly obscured by a chocolatey coffee bean spice. Give this wine 2 to 3 years to flesh out further and fan its peacock tail, and then drink over 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Thelema Wines are distributed by Enotria Wines in the UK.
