Cabernet Franc

Another Highly Collectable Rubicon Release – Tasting the New Meerlust Rubicon Cape Bordeaux Blend 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.

The Historic Overgaauw Estate Returns to the UK Export Market with Three Impressive Reds…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.

Kanonkop Estate Produce One of the Wines of the Vintage with Their Paul Sauer 2022 Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.

Stellenbosch’s Winshaw Vineyards Continue to Impress with Their Sophisticated New 2021 Red Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.

Another Blockbuster Release from the Tesseron Estate – Tasting the Pym-Rae 2021 from Mount Veeder…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The 2025 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Wines Reviewed – Scores at the Doors…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

Ataraxia Under The Gavel Chardonnay 2024 – 95/100

Bartho Eksteen Wine Estate Fluister Landgoed Pinot Noir 2023 – 93/100

Bartho Eksteen Wine Estate Vloekskoot Sauvignon Blanc – Op Hout 2024 – 92+/100

Beaumont Family Wines Arturo’s Pinotage 2023 – 94/100

Beeslaar Wines CWG Pinotage 2023 – 96/100

Boschkloof CWG Epilogue Syrah 2023 – 97+/100

Boschkloof CWG Conclusion 2023 – 97/100

Cederberg Black Slate Shiraz 2023 – 93+/100

David & Nadia Veiling Chenin blanc 2024 – 96+/100

De Grendel Wines Op Die Berg Pinot Noir 2023 – 93+/100

De Trafford Chenin Blanc S16 2024 – 96/100

Delaire Graff Estate Banghoek Cabernet Sauvignon – Cabernet Franc 2022 – 94+/100

Dewaldt Heyns Family Wines CWG Chenin Blanc Reserve 2024 – 95/100

Dewaldt Heyns Family Wines Saailand Shiraz 2022 – 94/100

Ernie Els Wines CWG 2022 – 94/100

Frans K. Smit Lamed 2021 – 94/100

Graham Beck CWG Extra Brut Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cap Classique 2018 – 94/100

Graham Beck CWG Extra Brut Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cap Classique 2019 – 95/100

Jordan Wine Estate CWG Chardonnay 2024 – 94/100

Kershaw Wines Ziggurat Chardonnay 2024 – 95+/100

Kershaw Wines Vertiginous Pinot Noir 2023 – 94/100

Le Riche CWG Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 97/100

Lismore Estate Vineyards Valkyrie Chardonnay 2024 – 95+/100

Lismore Estate Vineyards The Sheltering Sky Syrah 2023 – 97/100

Luddite Wines Square Dog Grenache 2024 – 94/100

Miles Mossop Wines Maximilian 2018 – 94+/100

Adi Badenhorst in London for the CWG trade tastings.

Miles Mossop Wines Maximilian 2019 – 95/100

Mullineux ‘The Gris’ Old Vine Sémillon 2024 – 98/100

Neil Ellis Wines Amper Bo Tempranillo 2021 – 92+/100

Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Sandford Chardonnay 2023 – 96/100

Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Windansea Pinot Noir 2023 – 95+/100

Paul Clüver Family Wines The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2024 – 95+/100

Raats Family Wines Fountain Terroir Specific Chenin Blanc 2024 – 96/100

Raats Family Wines Stella Nova Cabernet Franc 2021 – 95/100

Rall Wines Noa Syrah 2023 – 98/100

Rock of Eye CWG Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 94/100

Savage Wines Auction Syrah 2023 – 97/100

Silverthorn Wines ‘Mad As The Mist And Snow’ Brut Nature Cap Classique 2019 – 95/100

Solo Wines Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 – 93/100

Storm Wines Bokkeveld Shale Pinot Noir 2023 – 96/100

Storm Wines Bokkeveld Shale Chardonnay 2023 – 96/100

Strydom Family Wines The Game Changer Cabernet Franc – Merlot 2021 – 94/100

Strydom Family Wines Paradigm 2022 – 95/100

Warwick Auction Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 93+/100

Thorne & Daughters Sand Castles 2024 – 96+/100

Nearing a Decade of Brilliance with the Van Biljon Cinq Cape Bordeaux Blend Made by Chris Keet….

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

Another Two Classic Stellenbosch Reds Released by Thelema Mountain Vineyards – Tasting the Rabelais 2022 Cape Bordeaux Blend and The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.  

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Rabelais Cape Bordeaux Blend 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

2.2 g/l RS | 5.7 g/l TA | 3.53 pH

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.

From the Fine Wine Safari Cellar – Part 1: Vergenoegd Estate Reserve Blend 1995…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Vergenoegd Löw Estate (previously the Vergenoegd Estate) along with the Meerlust Estate and Winshaw Vineyards form a magical trio of unique coastal Stellenbosch terroirs capable of producing some of the most captivating Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends in the entire Cape. Historically famous for their old Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1960s and 1970s, the previous owners of Vergenoegd Estate, the Faure family, released their first Bordeaux blend in 1993 and this third release 1995 vintage was offered to the South African market in late 1997 / early 1998. I recently cracked one of my last four bottles to see how this 30 year old classic was holding up. Stored in a temperature controlled cellar since purchase, this bottle was in pristine condition. But of course, with older vintages, there is no such thing as a great wine merely great bottles. My three remaining bottles have even higher ullages implying they could be even better. Only time will tell.

Vergenoegd Estate Wine Reserve 1995, WO Stellenbosch, 13.01% Abv.

A classical blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this 30 year old wine is holding up beautifully, showing impressively fragrant herbal aromatics of sage, bay leaf, dried violets, fynbos and green tea before hints of raisined cranberry, stewed black cherries and red currants. Opened and allowed to breath for 2-3 hours without decanting, there is a real vibrancy to the wine, one that I have grown accustomed to from some of South Africa’s old red grandes vins.

No rush after pulling the cork! Indeed it’s only after 3+ hours that the splendour of the milk chocolate and peppermint crisp nuances start to show on the nose and palate. The texture is clearly dense, glycerol and textured, the tannins spicy and fine grained now like a well brewed cup of black tea, but underpinned by bright acids and a subtle graphite minerality. A dense classy 1995 that is maybe plateauing but there’s certainly no rush to drink up last bottles. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Holden Manz Estate’s New Red Wine Releases Continue to Impress – The New 2021 and Reserve 2022 Vintages Rated and Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Holden Manz Wine Estate is situated within an eclectic array of Franschhoek wine farms at the top of the Franschhoek Valley where the Holden Manz wine farm is dominated by the spectacular surrounding mountains which stand guard over some of the most scenic vineyards in the Cape. The wine farm lies between Franschhoek and the Stony Brook rivers, where this 22-hectare winery benefits from wonderfully fertile, dark loam soils and state-of-the-art winemaking. 

The Franschhoek Valley is one of the main destinations in the world for fine wine tourists, with farms dotted around the beautiful and quaint Francophile village of Franschhoek. There are no fewer than forty stately wine farms that form an important part of the Cape’s elaborate wine landscape. Here, English owner Gerard Holden has carved out his own little piece of paradise making wines that have earned the brand a global fine wine following. Uniquely plush, opulent and ever so hedonistic in style, the Holden Manz Estate wines are unlike any in the valley, allowing them to establish their own individual brand personality – one that seems to resonate with consumers globally. In July 2025, I managed to taste a tidy selection of new releases from the estate.

Holden Manz Big G 2021, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv. 

The 2021 Big G displays lush layers of black currant compote and cherry kirsch liquor with intricate high tone notes of raisined cranberries. Luxurious, creamy and textured, the breadth and depth on the palate is impressive, the tart tangy black cherry fruits mouth coating and broad. The tannins are wonderfully powdery and creamy, the finish picante, glycerol and incredibly long. A suitably impressive follow up vintage to the lauded 2020. Drink on release and over 8 to 10+ years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Holden Manz Big G 2020, WO Franschhoek, 15% Abv.

The 2020 vintage was incredibly generous and opulent from the start and this Big G shows layers of ripe plum, sweet mulberries, and tilled earth with subtle red currant berry notes. Super sleek, plush, and silky in the mouth yet carries an impressive weight of fruit concentration, finishing with an intense saline creme de cassis twist. An incredibly seductive, polished red blend from Holden Manz. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Holden Manz Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv.

Rich bold and dark fruited, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has a multi-layered structure brimming with aromas of sweet damson plum, ripe black currant and macerated black cherries. Deliciously sweet fruited on the palate, there is a fine vein of bright acidity running beneath the ripe black berry fruits that harmoniously integrate with plush fleshy tannins and well-integrated, measured oaking. An accomplished wine from this noteworthy Cape vintage. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Holden Manz Merlot Reserve 2022, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv.

This Reserve Merlot shows a smoky, broody, black fruited nose with a distinctive granitic mineral spice before hints of damson plums, ripe black cherries and a delicate cedar oak spice. Impressively light on its feet, the palate is cool and classical, finely grippy yet delightfully fresh and bright with notes of black liquorice, salty black currant, and mint chocolate on the long finish. A very sophisticated and polished style with real presence that will undoubtedly impress Merlot lovers internationally. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Holden Manz wines are retailed in the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.