Last year I paid an excellent visit to see Chris Keet, the winemaker at the Van Biljon winery in Stellenbosch in the Polkadraai Hills, situated just behind the Raats Family Winery. I was fortunate enough to taste a selection of lovely back vintages including the Cinq maiden release Van Biljon as well as their yet unreleased 2021. But with their 2020 blend only hitting the market now, I thought I would take another look at this exciting new release from what was quite a complicated Cape vintage.
In general, it is always difficult to generalise about Polkadraai Hills vintages as so often they depart from the Stellenbosch norm with their cool, south facing vineyards overlooking False Bay, benefiting from cooling breezes off the cold Atlantic Ocean. In 2020, good winter rains in 2019 laid the foundation for a “good, solid” vintage. Fortunately, the grapes were harvested and in the cellar by the end of March before Covid-19 started a mad scurry in the wider Cape winelands. Overall, the growing season was moderate to cool with timely in-season rainfall which laid the foundations for yet another high-quality vintage. A beautifully composed wine, the Cinq 2020 draws on the best elements of each cultivar in the blend and delivers a really distinguished expression that must surely rank among the top Cape Bordeaux blend examples of the vintage. Known for its high scoring consistency, the Van Biljon Cinq is slowly becoming a Stellenbosch phenomenon, and 2020 looks to continue this trend.
Van Biljon Cinq 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
The 2020 Cinq cuvee is a majestic blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, the wine shows an enticingly fragrant, lifted, exuberant aromatics marked with sweet violets, piquant cedar spice, wet tobacco leaf, black currant and pronounced graphite lead pencil nuances. Lifted and airy, the palate is intricate and multi-dimensional revealing an energetic, vivacious character with the most seductive fine grained velvety tannins, cool spicy black currant and black cherry fruit notes, and a most agreeably fulsome and harmoniously textured balance on the spicy finish. It is surely this wine’s classical balance, effortless intensity and elegant concentration that makes it yet another incredibly attractive Cape Bordeaux blend offering. Drink now to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Van Biljon wines are available to trade in the UK from specialist importer Woodwinters, and to consumers from reputable merchants like Museum Wines.
The 2016 Bordeaux vintage was nothing short of dramatic. For those tending the vines, it was a growing season shaped by an extraordinary mix of weather patterns which produced wines of remarkable balance and complexity. At the time, the oenologists echoed what many were feeling: “Bordeaux, by some miracle compared to many French wine regions, is preparing for an exceptional vintage.” Within the context of this historical pronouncement, and a surfeit of high critical scores dished out at En-primeur time, the only thing that can settle the status of this vintage once and for all is a “10 years on” tasting of bottled wines. Many thanks to Bordeaux Index for the opportunity to assess a phenomenal selection of top Chateaux wines.
A wet and cold winter set the stage for the 2016 vintage, with rainfall in the first six months of the growing season matching that of the entire previous year. Then, from mid-June to mid-August, the weather shifted dramatically, bringing a long, hot, and dry summer, followed by just 20mm of rain in early September. For many winemakers, that combination was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the dry heat during July and August was a worry – especially on gravelly soils or younger vines which struggled with water stress.
On the other hand, the soils that had stored the winter’s water, especially clay and limestone plots, proved their worth and sustained the vines throughout the drought. Then came a timely and gentle revival: light rains in mid-September, followed by a long Indian-summer stretch – warm days, cool nights, and slowed-down ripening.
Christian Seely from Pichon Baron and Veronique Sanders from Haut Bailly.
As a result, many of the top estates found themselves harvesting remarkably late, often stretching far into October, allowing grapes the time they needed for full phenolic maturity: deep colour, rich tannins, well concentrated flavours, but without excess alcohol or overripe jammy fruit. As Jacques Thienpont of Le Pin noted, it was the first time in the estate’s history that harvest didn’t begin until October. Overall, the vintage was characterised by a balance of fruit and high (but supremely ripe) tannins with fresh acidity and pleasingly moderate alcohol levels.
Many thanks to Bordeaux Index for the opportunity to assess a phenomenal selection of top Chateaux wines.
The 2016 Bordeaux Selection:
Chateau Cheval Blanc 2016, Saint Emilion
Lifted and perfumed. Silky and utterly sophisticated.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Ausone 2016, St Emilion
Dark tight and broody. More black berry intensity. Chiselled and fresh. Precise.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan
Red fruit, cedar, black berry. Earthy, Xmas spice. Class.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan
Rich, broad expansive aromatics. Black currant and graphite. Incredible depth. Very impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 99+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Margaux 2016, Margaux
Fragrant cassis and saline black fruits. Silky, precise and fine grained.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2016, Pauillac
More savoury and brûléed. Dense and powerful with beautifully chalky tannins. A classic Mouton.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2016, Pauillac
Red and black berry fruits, exotic lifted perfume. Silky soft, pristine and very persistent.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Latour 2016, Pauillac
Complex salty cassis, oyster shell, graphite with a dense seamless palate, impressive power with phenomenal finesse. Bold wine. As close to perfection as possible.
(Wine Safari Score: 100/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Le Pin 2016, Pomerol
Mint chocolate chip, black berry and damson plum. Sweet fruited, generous palate and beautifully exotic.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Lafleur 2016, Pomerol
Beautifully exotic and complex, but also intricate. Brûléed, dark berries, salted cassis with a long luxurious creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Petrus 2016, Pomerol
Dense, creamy and delicately lactic with chocolate praline notes, pithy graphite tannins and a cool finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Angelus 2016, Saint Emilion
Deep dense ripe black fruits, cassis, sapidity, full and powerful. Opulent and accessible.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Belair Monange 2016, Saint Emilion
Smoky chalky nose, graphite and black currant compote. Dense and compact power. Very smart.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Canon 2016, Saint Emilion
Graphite, black currant, sleek, silky, sophisticated. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Canon La Gafaliere 2016, Saint Emilion
Dark, spicy, picante intense fruit, raisined cherries and a chalky finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Figeac 2016, Saint Emilion
Fabulous oak – fruit integration. Complex and classy. Very silky and complete. Sensational.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Clos Fourtet 2016, Saint Emilion
Deep, dark and broody. Spicy mineral tannins, graphite hints and plenty of limestone grip.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau L’IF 2016, Saint Emilion
Touch stewed, raisined black berries. Fleshy, ripe expression. Exuberant.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Gaffeliere 2016, Saint Emilion
Rich and textured. Plenty of ripeness and power. Black fruits are slightly raisined on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Mondotte 2016, Saint Emilion
Warm toasty aromatics, plush and creamy, full throttle but beautifully fresh. A great success.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Pavie 2016, Saint Emilion
Dense and dark, packed with blue and black berry fruits. Chewy tannins, dry grippy limestone length. Serious.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Pavie Macquin 2016, Saint Emilion
Dusty limestone, liquor and creme de cassis. Cool and supple, elegant and vibrant. This is classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Quintus 2016, Saint Emilion
Earthy savoury black fruits. Polished but slightly baked black berry compote style on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Troplong Mondot, Saint Emilion, 15.5% Abv.
Broody black fruited nose, the palate silky, tangy and super vibrant. Very seductive.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Valandraud 2016, Saint Emilion
Earthy savoury black fruits. Dense, mineral grip. Slightly austere on the finish. But classical power.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Conseillante 2016, Pomerol
Brûléed, exotic enticing nose. Creamy and cool, packed with blue and purple fruits. Simply sensational.
(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau L’Evangile 2016, Pomerol
Silky, opulent and utterly seductive! Very polished example.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Lafleur-Gazin 2016, Pomerol
Ripe savoury black berry fruits, pithy, ripe. Chiselled tannins.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Hosanna 2016, Pomerol
Salty, picante black berry fruits. Oyster shell, cassis and a long creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Fleur-Petrus 2016, Pomerol
Graphite, wood smoke and creasote on the nose. Broad creamy palate with polished tannins, silky drying finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Trotanoy 2016, Pomerol
Broody black currant fruits, creamy and mineral. Power packed. Wow.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Violette 2016, Pomerol
Blue black fruits, effortless concentration, light and airy but still substantial.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Clinet 2016, Pomerol
Silky, complex, very complete wine. Cool and mineral. Textured but such class!
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Vieux Chateau Certan, Pomerol, 14.5% Abv.
Juicy red and black berry fruits, graphite, limestone and mineral lift. Dense, creamy and very classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Haut-Bailly 2016, Pessac-Leognan
Lovely melange of savoury earth and black berry. Compact, dense, silky but plenty of power.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan
Intricate, perfumed and exotic, very enticing. Compact but sleek. Silky tannins, fresh and elegant. True class.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2016, Pessac-Leognan
Savoury, truffle, exotic and complex. Creamy and intense.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Domaine de Chevalier 2016, Pessac-Leognan
Ripe red berry fruits, graphite and limestone, densely textured, compact and true class. Wow.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan
Earth, truffle, savoury black fruits. Fabulous creamy depth, intricate acids, and true class.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Clarence de Chateau Haut Brion, 13.5% Abv.
Supple, silky and soft, plenty of earthy minerality, with a taut grippy finish. Punches way above its price point.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau D’Issan 2016, Margaux
Plenty of brûléed black fruit, creamy tannins and earthy black currant compote finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Palmer 2016, Margaux
Cool, pure black fruits, impressive intensity and length. Very elegant with underlying power.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Leoville Barton 2016, Saint Julien
A dense, compact wine with impressive depth and power, tantalisingly structured for the long haul. Yes please!
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Pontet-Canet 2016, Pauillac
This is super juicy, vibrant and textured with a tangy acidity, fabulous saline crème de cassis depth. Really lovely opulence.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Les Forts de Latour 2016, Pauillac
Complex layered wine with tilled earth, black berries and wet tobacco. Super serious.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Carruades de Lafite 2016, Pauillac
Medium weight, elegant and silky with black currant, damson plum and black cherry depth.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Petit Mouton 2016, Pauillac
Creamy black fruited depth, graphite, tilled earth with delicate mint and milk chocolate nuances.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Pichon Comtesse Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac, 13.32% Abv.
A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. This 2016 offers a subtle power with elegance, floral and lifted showing violets, bramble berry fruits, wild black currants and raspberry. A very pure, complete expression, definitely Pauillac at its best.
(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Pichon Baron 2016, Pauillac
Dense, compact, powerful expression full of earthy black berry fruit, sweet tannins. graphite and cedar spice. Plenty of stuffing for the long haul.
With global fine wine markets restricting and consumer consumption continuing to decline, wine connoisseurs and collectors are becoming ever more discerning when it comes to the wines they choose to buy – not only the ones for immediate consumption but also those special bottles they entrust to their wine cellars or professional storage for future drinking. Almost 30 years of industry experience tells me that when times get tough, the consumer migration back to the reliable and proven classic brand names becomes ever swifter. The marketeers call it ‘cocooning’ that features a pronounced switch to trusted comforts. In terms of iconic South African Cape Bordeaux blends, there can be none more famous and trusted than Meerlust Rubicon.
The 2023 Rubicon vintage marked the third full year of Wim Truter’s tenure as head winemaker and cellarmaster where he continues to thrive and impress with his focused winemaking style built around purity, tension, precision and freshness. The 2023 vintage saw very similar cool ripening conditions as with the much-lauded 2021 vintage (rated 96+/100 GSMW). Early phenolic ripening, which is a key attribute of this coastal section of the Stellenbosch region, allowed Meerlust to harvest intense, flavourful, and bright varietal components from the four main terroir units on the farm, with rapid flavour development evident on the majority of their vineyards harvested before the rains began in the latter part of March.
Tasting with owner Hannes Myburgh in 2025 marking this 7th generation estate’s 50th anniversary of their “Estate Bottled” wines.
The Rubicon 2023 is a classical blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. Every parcel of each cultivar was fermented separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300 litre French oak barrels. After 8 months in barrel, the components were assembled, blended and given another 10 months in barrel for harmonization before bottling. The similarities in growing conditions between 2021 and 2023, extends in many ways to the qualitative expression found in the superb Meerlust Estate wines of 2023. The palate is still very tightly curled and opens with power and persistence with gentle decanting. This is a Rubicon that truly expresses the ageability of the style, but with elegance and balance that also allows for earlier drinkability – a characteristic of all truly great modern fine wines.
Meerlust Estate Rubicon 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
The Rubicon 2023 blend shows aromatics of ripe black currants, blue berries, damson plums with a cornucopia of sweet Christmas spices, black tea and melted caramel over fresh cedar and graphite hints. There is an impressive textural presence on the palate – opulent, dense, and fleshy, layered with crème de cassis, black cherry compote, lead pencil spice, and chalky mineral tannins that smother a cool, subtle, beautifully integrated acidity. This is, once again, the complete package – deep, textured and concentrated yet effortlessly balanced, finishing with a picante brûléed brown toast complexity. A class act that is sure to be one of the standout Cape Bordeaux blends of the vintage. Drink from 2026 to 2045+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Meerlust Estate wines are imported into the UK by Maison Marques et Domaines and should be available from all discerning fine wine merchants for circa £40 to £45 per bottle inclusive.
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 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)
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.
