Chardonnay

Elgin Valley’s Iona Vineyards Championing Cool Climate Elegance with their New 2024 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Few wine regions in the Cape Winelands are as climatically individual as the Elgin basin. Also home of the cash crop apples, the battle for economic supremacy is an on going battle for wine farmers. But there are producers that have doubled down and focused on producing high quality premium Grape cultivars.

Perched 420 meters above sea level on a mountain plateau that forms the coastal edge of the Elgin basin, sits the Iona winery, renowned as South Africa’s coolest vineyard site. Located in the Elgin Valley, this former apple farm benefits from a unique microclimate shaped by the icy Atlantic Ocean and frequent orographic cloud cover.  

These conditions ensure a long, slow ripening period, allowing grapes to achieve physiological ripeness at lower sugar levels. The result is a portfolio of elegant, terroir-driven wines, most notably Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, producing wines characterised by bright acidities, mineral purity, and restrained alcohol levels, often drawing comparisons to the fine European styles owner Andrew Gunn is so fond of.

I recently caught up in London with Andrew Gunn’s son-in-law Rob Macdonald, to taste through Iona’s exciting new releases. 

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Chardonnay 2024, WO Elgin, 13% Abv. 

This shows a cool, pithy elegance on the nose with pristine aromatics of lemon and lime cordial tightly interwoven with a pronounced stony minerality. The purity and crystallinity continue to a wonderfully bright palate that is fleshy, concentrated and fully charged showing an electric brightness, tangy green apple and lemon confit notes with a slightly phenolic, herby grapefruit-tinged finish. Surprisingly, this 2024 has wonderful flesh and midpalate stuffing, plenty of concentrated yellow citrus fruits and a delightfully long tangy acidity. A really impressive cool climate Chardonnay. Drink now to 2040+. 

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

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2024, WO Elgin, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 92% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Semillon fermented and aged in older 300 and 500 litre French oak barrels. The first impression on nosing the wine is one of impressive complexity but also mouthwatering exoticism with the barrel ageing offering hints of quince and waxy orange peel, dried mango and subtle guava notes before a vein of more savoury, leesy white toast and biscuit kicks in. The palate is full and mouth filling, with the dried mango and papaya notes coming to the fore but certainly not in an obtrusive manner. The balance is simply spot on and the concentration and tangy acidity delicious, finishing with hints of dried herbs and lemon iced tea. This is serious Sauvignon Blanc kit for people who perhaps struggle with Sauvignon’s pungent character. Certainly, a benchmark style in the context of Elgin and the Cape. Drink now to 2038+.

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

Iona Monopole Monopole Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.

This 2025 Sauvignon Blanc also features 8 to 10% Semillon which is all barrel fermented on top of around a 5% portion of the Sauvignon Blanc to add extra complexity and texture. This wine, from an admittedly superb Cape vintage, has intense, characterful aromatics of grassy gooseberry, yellow citrus and green apple pastille with delicate hints of guava and papaya. The palate is pitch perfect, striking a superb balance between tangy freshness, intense concentrated yellow and green citrus fruits and a subtle, slightly veiled minerality that lurks ever present. Harmonious, elegant and a true delight to drink without being too pungent or tropical. This is certainly a wine to go long on and enjoy over the next two to three summers! (Bottled under screwcap.)

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

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Pinot Noir 2024, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

This is an enticing Pinot Noir offering from Iona displaying an impressively classical, Old World Burgundian elegance and focus, with delicious black berry and strawberry fruit notes, damson plum, black currant and a delightful Cotes de Nuits limestone mineral nuance underpinning the wine. The palate fruits are pithy and incredibly restrained and stony, adding handsomely to the feel of tension and linearity in the wine, before a finish of gravelly, powdery tannins, bramble berry spice and a smoky granitic austerity. Really quite superb. One for the Burgundy lovers out there! Drink now to 2034+.

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

Iona One Man Band Red Blend 2021, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

An eclectic blend of Petit Verdot, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Mourvedre and Viognier. Normally led by Syrah at 35% to 45%, but in 2021, the Syrah from Rosie’s Elgin Brocha Farm performed so well that most of it went into the award-winning Solace Syrah 2021. Spicy and broody on initial sniff, the aromatics boast deep dark notes of dried violets, bramble berries, red currants and red plums. There is a hint of sapidity and stalky spice but also delicate herbal mineral nuances. The palate is a little more punchy and imposing, showing notable power and muscle, a dense core of damson plum, blue berries and bramble berry fruits, before a finish that is notably stony, mineral, and picante. Superbly dense, compact and tight knit with a harmonious mouthfeel, this is an accomplished red blend that shares many similarities with the finest reds of the Southern Rhone. Drinking on release but you can expect this to hit its straps at 8 to 10 years old and then go on further. 

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

Iona Solace Syrah 2022, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

Sourced purely from 100% Syrah fruit from Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm, following on from the block buster, high scoring 2021, this 2022 is really quite a piece of work, with intensity, purity, and superb focus. The aromatics boast cool restrained black fruits, saline black currant, savoury bresaola cure meats, liquorice and a fresh pepper corn spice that follows on to the palate. Compact yet deliciously fresh, the palate displays a firm hand of structure and focus, supported by cool, sleek linear acids that are ever present yet notably integrated, balanced and subtle. This is another masterpiece for Syrah in the context of Elgin and the vintage, just perhaps a touch more restrained than the iconic 2021. Drink this on release to 2040+.

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

The Iona wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Tasting the New 2026 Restless River Releases in London with Winemaker Craig Wessels…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

It seems almost implausible that what feels like only a few years ago, Restless River proprietor Craig Wessels, t-shirt and baseball cap adorned, was running around the London wine trade proposing his unique new style wines from his farm in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. But of course, it wasn’t ‘just a couple of years ago’. Having just barrelled down his 22nd vintage, winemaker Craig will soon be back in London again to present 10 significant vintages which will chart the history of his acclaimed Cape Cabernet Sauvignon, Main Road & Dignity. How time flies!

While Craig’s Cabernet Sauvignon is undoubtedly the most unique and individual red fine wine to emerge from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley since Tim Hamilton Russell bottled his early 1980 versions of Cabernet Sauvignon, or Grand Vin Noir as he called them, from his newly established Hamilton Russell Vineyards estate, it is Craig’s premium Chardonnay, the Ava Marie, named after his daughter, that has made waves around the fine wine world as it quickly took a seat at the table of some of the greatest Chardonnays produced anywhere. Again, it also seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in a wonderfully buzzy Cape Town restaurant with Cathy van Zyl MW and Lynne Sherriff MW, forming a rare in-situ trio of South African Masters of Wine, sipping on Craig’s maiden 2012 Ava Marie produced from some of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in the Cape, which was touted at the time as one of the most exciting new Chardonnays on the market.

The Restless River wines are more “formal jacket and tie” in quality these days, but the odd baseball cap still lurks…

Time has indeed moved on, and those Chardonnay vineyards planted in 1998/1999 are still producing some of the Cape’s most iconic Chardonnay. Large parts of the two vineyard blocks of the Main Road & Dignity have also recently been replanted, and I look forward to hearing a full update from Craig as he shares the defining moments, challenges, and his evolving understanding and knowledge that has shaped his winery and vineyards over the last two decades. 

A great lunch tasting with Craig Wessels at London’s premier South African eatery… Kudu on Moxon Street.

At the end of January 2026, I caught up with Craig on one of his lightning tours of Europe, and had the pleasure of his time, mano-a-mano over lunch, to taste through his range of new releases, including his incredibly exciting new ‘baby cuvees’ of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, bottled under the newly adopted “Klein Hemel” label. 

Restless River ‘Klein Hemel’ Pinot Noir 2024, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.5% Abv.

Using a 20% new oak portion, this is made in exactly same way as the bigger brother ‘Le Luc’ cuvee. A mix of vineyards, 60% on Granite and 40% on Shale, sourced from four different sites with vine age ranging from five to nine years old. Subtle and fragrant, this shows beautifully elegant ethereal notes of sweet red cherry, bramble berry and cranberry spice. This wine has a texture of silk, sultry and elegant with soft tight grained tannins and a compact, red berry fruited Granitic finish enlivened by a bright acidity. This is undoubtedly more Cote de Beaune than Cote de Nuits in style and absolutely delicious already. Drink now to 2032+.

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

Restless River ‘Le Luc’ Pinot Noir 2023, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13% Abv.

With 30% of new oak barrels used, this 2023 Pinot is a seriously mineral, spicy expression packed full of struck flint, crushed gravel and limestone minerality. Underneath, there are complex notes of bramble berries, wild strawberry, and tart cranberry with a light ethereal concentration with an effortless shakshuka mixed spice note on the finish. Very classy indeed. Drink now to 2034+.

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

Restless River ‘Main Road & Dignity’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.7% Abv. 

The 2023 will be the last use of Main Road vineyard grapes before its grubbing up. The 2022 utilises a 30% new oak portion also using fifth and sixth fill barrels for 24 months before an extra two years aging in barrel. This 2022 is very similar in character to the fresh 2013 vintage with a cool, sleek elegance, aromatics full of sweet cedar, dried herbs, tea leaf and graphite. The palate is sleek and silky, beautifully supple and elegant with soft silky tannins, crisp intricate acids, and fabulously accessible fleshy black berry fruits. If this silky 2022 ages as well as the 2013, drinkers are in store for another classically styled blockbuster. Truly classy. Drink now to 2040+.

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

Restless River ‘Klein Hemel’ Chardonnay 2024, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13% Abv. 

Using a 10% new oak portion in 500 litre barrels, the same as for the Ava Marie cuvee, this wine is made from a blend of three Granitic Chardonnay vineyards planted in 2020. The aromatics are lush and expressive with layers of lemon cordial, lime peel, fresh green apple, and white peach. Incredibly cool and crystalline on the palate, this wine shows precision, purity, and a mineral under vein with vibrant tangy acids and real persistence on the finish. Yet again, a wine that totally over delivers. Drink now to 2034+.

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

Restless River ‘Ava Marie’ Chardonnay 2023, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 12.7% Abv. 

This flagship wine is now made from the oldest Chardonnay vines in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley at 29 years old, lending the wine an extra concentration, weight and intensity. Full of lemon and herbs, lemon cordial and white peach notes that intermingle with fabulous stony mineral nuances. Beautifully full and expressive on the palate, concentrated, this wine is characterful and classy, precise and impressively complex with an overriding supple ease and accessibility. Undoubtedly one of South Africa’s finest Chardonnay expressions produced in the Cape. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting with Craig and the Somm team at Kudu Restaurant, London.

The Restless River wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Liberty Wines.

An Inside Look at Some of Meerlust Estate’s New 2025 Red and White Component Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Wim Truter is the current Cellar Master and Head Winemaker at the historic Meerlust Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, taking over from Chris Williams in 2020. He oversees the production of their renowned wines, including the famous Rubicon Bordeaux blend, working alongside winemaker Altus Treurnicht and long time owner Hannes Myburgh.

The iconic Meerlust Estate Rubicon Cape Bordeaux Blend.

So when Wim Truter and Deidre Taylor, the Meerlust head of sales and marketing, landed in London for a flying visit enroute to the Prowein trade fair in Germany, we caught up over lunch to taste two exciting new component wines – a Chardonnay 2025 and a pure Petit Verdot 2025 – as well as taking another look at the delicious new Rubicon 2023. 

Wim has brought an exciting new level of precision, focus and renewal to all the wines in the Meerlust range, preparing this iconic Stellenbosch estate for a new era of global fine wine fame.

Meerlust Estate Chardonnay RT13 2025, 12.5% Abv. (Bottled component)

This vineyard Chardonnay component is planted alongside the Meerlust driveway next to the cemetery and is grown on rocky Greywacke and Shale soils. Fermented in concrete tanks and aged on its fine lees for 8 months with no malo, this wine is deliciously cool, crisp and crystalline, showing white blossoms, yellow citrus, crunchy pears and a hint of honeydew melon. But it’s on the palate you experience its zippy freshness, wound spring tension with a tangy yellow citrus fruit showing impressive glycerol weight and superb intensity and precision on the finish. Now bottled as a 10% portion of the 2025 Meerlust Estate Chardonnay blend.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Meerlust Estate Petit Verdot 2025 (Bottled component)

One small concrete fermenter, basket pressed into 100% new Quintessence barrels, drawn off at 10 months, to make up around 4% of the Rubicon blend. Majestically rich and creamy, packed full of blue and purple fruits with a brûléed savoury plum compote component. Plush, cool and textural, the full dense palate shows incredible balance and harmony but never loses its bright, delicately tart underlying acid frame. Such perfect ripeness and balance, this could have been bottled on its own. Now there’s an idea for the Meerlust range! 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cellar Master Wim Truter and Deidre Taylor.

It should be noted that 2025 was an exceptional red and white wine vintage in South Africa, so collectors should start drinking up back vintage bottles to make space in their cellars – there are going to be a wealth of “must have” releases coming soon! 

The ribeye steaks we ate for lunch at top South African restaurant Kudu, were perfectly matched with a superb bottle of new release Meerlust Rubicon 2023 that is mellowing beautifully in bottle. 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 earning a worthy 96+/100 GSMW score. A big thank you to Wim and Deidre for sharing these delicious Meerlust treats.

The Meerlust Wines are distributed in the UK by Maison Marques et Domaines (MMD).

From the Fine Wine Safari Cellar – Part 7: Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2013 from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Cracking open a bottle of 13-year-old white Burgundy these days is probably slightly less risky than it was a few years ago when white Burgundy was mired in its very own premature oxidation crisis. But what about an aged South African Chardonnay? Firstly, many (or even most) examples are not really made for long-term ageing but of course there are a handful of premium expressions from top producers such as Hamilton Russell Vineyards that can improve with plenty of bottle age. While their estate’s Chardonnay quality is exceptional every year, some cooler, more structured vintages are certainly capable of ageing incredibly well. I recently pulled a bottle of their 2013 from my cellar and was pleasantly surprised by its youthful vigour. This was a wine critically appraised on release by numerous commentators at 93-94/100 points.

2013 was a standout vintage in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley with rich, generous, sumptuous wines displaying great depth of fruit and structure. The reds in particular benefited from the 2013 harvest conditions, with dark, complex fruit at moderate alcohol levels. A cold winter was followed by a cold wet spring almost up to flowering, while cool strong Southeasters with some rain during flowering and berry-set contributed to very low yields. In general bud-break was later than usual and for the first time Sauvignon Blanc ripened before Pinot noir and Chardonnay. A drier, breezy December and January contributed to healthy disease-free ripening. The average of the maximum temperatures for December, January, February and March was, at 25.33 Centigrade, a touch higher than the long-term average of 25 Centigrade – warmer than 2012, 2010 and 2009, but cooler than 2011. 

As far as I remember, this 2013 would have been vinified by Hannes Storm, Hamilton Russell’s winemaker until the 2014 vintage, after which current winemaker, Emul Ross, took over.

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2013, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13% Abv.

This 2013 Chardonnay displays a stunning old yellow gold colour in the glass. Crisp, clear and bright, the aromatics are exotic and complex but incredibly measured and pinpoint pointing to the clarity and precision of a cooler vintage. Open and fragrant from first pour, the nose boasts honied herbal tea and lemon cordial, dried mango, salted dried pistachios, toasted almond flakes and hints of salted creme caramel. On the palate the oak is seamlessly integrated, adding a delicately pithy note of phenolic grip along side taut crystallised citrus peel, candied fig, crisp linear acids and a long saline oyster shell finish. A superb expression from a cooler Hemel-en-Aarde Valley vintage. Drink now and over the next 5+ years. 

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

Premium South African Producers Descend on London for the Liberty Wines Portfolio Tasting…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The first quarter of the year always sees the Liberty Wines Portfolio tasting at the Oval in Vauxhall, London, which features an incredible array of wines from around the world. This year I decided to focus on tasting the exciting crop of new and current release wines from South Africa in their range. Many in the UK will be aware that several key South African premium producers have recently moved over to the Liberty Wines portfolio, making it now one of the most exciting line-ups with any importer in the UK. As always, it was fantastic to catch up with the producers in person like John Seccombe, Marelise Niemann, Craig Wessels, Peter-Allan Finlayson, Chris Mullineux and others.

The Restless River New Releases from Craig Wessels will be featured in a separate write-up on A Fine Wine Safari coming very soon.

Dr Jamie Goode tasting with John Seccombe.

Thorne & Daughters:

Thorne & Daughters Paper Kite 2024, 13% Abv.

Semillon planted in 1963 on Granite soils. Rich leesy aromatics with lemon and herbs, lanoline and buttered white toast. Crisp, fleshy but beautifully saline and textured on the finish.

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

John Seccombe

Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse White Blend 2023, 13.5% Abv.

Rich and waxy with lemon and peaches, lactic leesy hints and some marzipan nuances. Fleshy, and pithy, packing a nice bit of power on the long finish. Impressive as always.

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

Thorne & Daughters Snakes & Ladders Sauvignon Blanc 2024, 14% Abv.

This Skurfberg vineyard delivers a pithy, waxy yellow orchard fruit characters that balance the slightly oily notes of the Sauvignon Blanc phenolics. The palate is chiselled and fresh with a vibrant saline acidity and a cool, pithy, mineral finish. Classy grown up Sauvignon!

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

Thorne & Daughters Wanderers Heart 2022, 13.5% Abv.

A Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre blend. Shows exotic sweet spices, layers of red fruits and bramble berries. Acids are crisp and saline, the minerality adding extra crunch, definition and tension. Lovely textured red Rhone blend with weightless concentration.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Momento Wines:

Momento Chenin Blanc / Verdelho 2022, 13% Abv.

Complex leesy, herby, savoury aromatics before a more fleshy palate packed with granitic minerality and a yellow orchard fruit complexity. Serious effort as usual.

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

Momento Grenache Blanc 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

Pithy, dusty aromatics with grated apple skins, pear drops and granitic minerality. Beautifully balanced, the palate shows freshness, citrus pithiness, dried herbs and a crystalline wet river pebble finish. Top class example. 

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

Myself and Marelise Niemann

Momento Grenache Gris 2023, 13% Abv.

Waxy green apple cordial and wet grey slate aromatics. Lovely intensity on the palate, a pronounced salinity and a cool, crystalline, mineral finish. Impressive! 

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

Momento Paardeberg Grenache Noir 2023, 13% Abv.

Distinct bramble berry fruit aromatics, delicately perfumed with potpourri and rose petals. Beautifully cool, mineral and restrained in the palate, taut, crystalline and pure with crunchy saline chalky red berry notes on the finish.

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

Peter-Allan Finlayson

Crystallum and Gabrielskloof Wines:

Crystallum The Agnes Chardonnay 2025, 13.5% Abv.

Embryonic, pithy and fresh with white citrus, green melon and delicate fruit salad and cream notes. Lovely concentration, flinty stony reductive hint with a wet river stone finish.

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

Crystallum Clay Shales Chardonnay 2025, 13% Abv.

A little more citrus, peaches and cream with leesy hints and buttered brioche nuances. Dense, compact and textured, the concentration is punchy, the toasty melon and citrus fruits intense and long.

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

Gabrielskloof Elodie Chenin Blanc 2024, 13% Abv.

From 40- and 45-year-old Swartland Chenin Blanc vineyards. Taut stony mineral expression with apple, peach and pear drop aromatics. There’s impressively delicate weightless green apple notes, with a cool, crystalline, easy drinking finish.

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

Crystallum Peter Max 2024, 13.5% Abv.

Beautifully aromatic nose laced with potpourri, violets, and bramble berry spice. Incredibly intense and vibrant with piercing red berry fruits, cherry and a salty finish. Wow!

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

Gabrielskloof Syrah Whole Bunch 2024, 13% Abv.

A deliciously brambly, earthy peppery aromatics ps led full of smoky black berries, tar and burnt wood embers. Palate is soft and supple, cool, elegant and vibrant with crunchy acids and a long finish full of Christmas spices.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Gabrielskloof Cabernet Franc Landscape Series 2022, 14% Abv.

Beautifully expressive aromatics of sweet cedar, liquorice, tar and salty black currant. The elegance and salinity follows to a juicy, vibrant palate, finishing with graphite minerality and herbal spice.

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

Mullineux Wines:

Mullineux Old Vine White 2024, 13.5% Abv.

Still circa 70% Chenin Blanc with some Quartz vineyard but mostly low yielding Paardeberg Chenin Blanc. Aromatics are full of sweet herbs, crushed Granite and white peach with a weightless concentration, delicately pithy fruits and a yellow orchard fruit concentration on the finish. Punch and impressive for the vintage.

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

Mullineux Terroir Series Granite Chenin Blanc 2024, 13.5% Abv.

Lovely tangerine and white peach notes with hints of green apple, deep veins of liquid minerality and concentrated apple and white citrus on the finish. Layered, fleshy and intense, this packs a real punch.

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

Chris Mullineux

Mullineux Syrah 2023, 13% Abv.

A very pretty fragrant aromatics with red and black berry fruits, violets, lavander and sweet herbs. The tannins are cool and stony, pithy and mineral with notes of saline black currant, black liquorice and Granitic spice. Tangy, fresh and beautifully intense.

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

Mullineux Terroir Series Schist Syrah 2023, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully fragrant and exotic aromatics showing violets, lavander, musk and stony minerality. The delicately perfumed nose gives way to a power packed palate, dense, savoury and spicy, packed full of black pepper, cured meats and smoky wood embers. A substantial wine indeed.

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

Leeu Passant Wines:

Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, 14% Abv.

Intricate aromatics of sweet cedar, lead pencil, graphite, sweet Chai tea over black currant fruits. Silky and sleek in the mouth, cool, mineral and classically framed, this is really elegant and restrained for old world wine lovers.

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

Leeu Passant Chardonnay 2023, 14% Abv. 

Exotic aromatics of perfumed peach and apricot, honeydew melon, green apple and buttered white toast. Massive concentration on the palate with candied citrus, lime cordial and a fleshy green apple finish. Wow, this has a lot of stuffing.

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

Adi Badenhorst, a new agency for Liberty Wines.

Also on taste:  Restless River from Craig Wessels, AA Badenhorst Family Wines who’s sample bottles were mostly finished before I could taste them due to popular demand, the Bosberaad Wines from Paul Jordaan and Pauline Roux which I recently reviewed on A Fine Wine Safari, as well as a selection of Fairview Wines and Spice Route Wines. 

Pauline Roux, partner in Bosberaad Wines.

Reviewing One of the Most Coveted New Producers in Burgundy – Tasting Through the Full Kei Shiogai 2023 Range of Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Travelling to Burgundy to taste the previous vintage’s creations can be a somewhat tricky affair especially when producers across the region, in the Cotes de Nuits, Cotes de Beaune and the Maconnais all experienced such incredibly difficult vintage conditions in 2024. So, perhaps tasting through their more plentiful 2023 range serves as a timely distraction for a producer. I was very fortunate to be introduced to Japanese young gun Kei Shiogai several years ago and have gratefully been granted access to taste his wines every year from barrel and bottle since his maiden 2020 commercial releases. A relative newcomer to the Burgundy region, Kei is understandably quite protective about his winemaking philosophy, his pristine cellar and his overall privacy. Quite rightly, he prefers to let his wines do the talking.

In complete contrast to 2024, the 2023 harvest will be remembered for a plentiful, abundant harvest with generous yields, ample ripeness, and notable concentration usually commensurate with the quality of the wines’ individual terroir and level of appellation classification. While 2022 saw easy conditions for vignerons across the board, the weather circumstances in 2023 perhaps posed a few more questions, but ultimately yielding energetic, crystalline Chardonnays with a notable minerality and freshness alongside the fruit ripeness, and Pinot Noirs with delightfully sweet strawberry and red cherry-laced berry fruits that display plenty of clarity, a bright translucent purity together with linear fresh acids. Overall, the across-the-board vintage quality for red and white wines was incredibly consistent across villages with excellent balance, moderate alcohols, and elegant fruit purity.

While the 2023 vintage was neither cool and wet like 2021 or hot and dry like 2022, the season was marked by an initial warm, dry winter with a meagre amount of sunshine. The rains returned in March while the months of April and May were bright and sunny but relatively cool. Excellent flowering in May and June with perfect conditions, sealed the requirements for a potentially very generous crop. If June was warm, unseasonally cooler conditions in July and August prolonged the ripening somewhat before several heat spikes arrived in late August and early September to bring the fruit to full ripeness. Some are calling 2023 another solar vintage, or années solaires, but this description perhaps simplifies conditions unnecessarily. 

The Charmots 1er Cru has been in new oak barrels for 25 months when I tasted it again in December 2025. This wine will be bottled and released in 2026. Not to be missed. Could possibly be one of the most exciting red Burgundy releases of 2026?

The general wine merchant consensus is that 2023 is a very generous, fruit forward vintage with joyfully fresh whites that will even appeal to the classicists, and reds that range from lighter-bodied, fresh, and remarkably drinkable examples already through to more structured, riper, denser wines where producers clearly made a conscious effort to coax a little more structure and tension from their wines in light of the potential dangers of dilution from higher yields. 

Being one of the most sought after and collectable producers in Burgundy at the moment undoubtedly carries with it a few added headaches for Kei – from endless new requests for primary first release allocations in new and historical markets to highly inflated secondary market prices that always seem to benefit speculators rather than the producers themself. Nevertheless, fame at this level understandably always comes at a price, but so far, Kei is keeping his head down and focusing (or more like obsessing!) over the purity, precision and focus of his incredibly ethereal, elegant “new style” Burgundies that have captivated the global market.

Kei Shiogai Gevrey-Chambertin Village 2023

An enticingly perfumed aromatics bursting with violets and lilac, luscious red berry fruits, red plum, red cherry, pink musk and sweet strawberry confit. Silky, wonderfully fine boned and supple with incredible purity and precision with soft powdery tannins and a crystalline red berry purity, this is signature Kei Shiogai that finishes with a hint of sapidity and spice.  A very pretty wine indeed. Drink from 2025 to 2035.

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

Kei Shiogai Gevrey-Chambertin “Baraques” 2023

The Baraques cuvee shows a deeper, darker, bolder black plum colour in the glass with a broodier aromatics of black cherry, ripe strawberry, and black plum. Inviting notes of saline creme cassis and pink musk follow to the palate that shows a regal finesse and clarity as well as all Kei’s hallmark purity and pinpoint precision. Spectacular translucent fruit purity, weightless silky tannins and a long, intense brambly finish. Quite sublime. Drink from 2025 to 2036+.

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

Kei Shiogai Pommard Poisot 2023

A sleeping giant of a wine packed with dark broody purple and black berry fruits, black cherry, strawberry and saline creme de cassis. Taut and stony on the palate, this shows the power and tension of Pommard with a vein of graphite and limestone minerality, yielding tight grained polished marble tannins, pithy black berry fruits and a chalky dry extract grip on the finish.  A classic “iron fist in a velvet glove” expression. Youthful but already magnificent. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

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

Kei Shiogai Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cherbaudes 2023

An intricate floral aromatics with fabulous poise and precision, boasting violets and cherry blossom, creme de cassis, wild strawberry, graphite and piquant mineral spices. The clarity and purity are mesmerising, the light touch intensity and focus simply astounding. No shortage of piercing red and black berry 1er Cru power here, with notable concentration and creamy mouth coating tannins. True Gevrey class on display. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

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

Kei Shiogai Echezeaux Grand Cru 2023

A broody beast of a wine offering an aromatic depth of Asian spices, graphite, violets, wild strawberry, earthy cured meats and savoury Christmas spices. Full, broad and fully loaded in the mouth, the concentration is rich, glycerol and intricately textural but supremely powerful, distinguished, yet beautifully precise. The Kei Shiogai signature style applied with classical winemaking. Surely a true unicorn wine of the future. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Kei Shiogai Bourgogne Blanc “Les Famelottes” 2023, 13% Abv.

Located in the commune of Puligny Montrachet, the Les Famelottes shows a beautiful melange of wet limestone, yellow stone fruits, pear and green apple, roasted nuts with delicate dried herb nuances. So supple, soft, and fleshy in the mouth with a generous depth and subtle balance. Really very impressive and also truly delicious making this a good introduction to Kei’s precise winemaking style. Drink from 2025 to 2032+.

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

Kei Shiogai Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes 2023

Cool, taut mineral aromatics reveal the true class and majesty of this great appellation. The aromatics are full of pithy lemon peel, pear, waxy green apples and a pronounced limestone mineral vein. The balance and textural precision are second to none, crystalline and beautifully focused, showing purity with immeasurable intensity and effortless elegance. Truly sublime. A great expression of this 1er Cru terroir. Drink from 2025 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Kei Shiogai Puligny Montrachet Village 2023

Taut and broody, this is 100% new oak expression shows no overt oak characters on the nose but merely the faintest complexing hints of dried herbs, lemon grass and lemon herbal tea before more classical notes of grilled nuts, salted pistachios, and dusty limestone minerality. Power packed and pithy, but also quite a taut, classical Puligny expression. Drink from 2025 to 2035.

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

Kei Shiogai Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chalumeux 2023

Fabulously cool, pure, and crystalline, this barrel sample reveals incredible wound spring tension, a stony limestone core, lemon rind, lemon grass, and toasted almonds. Precision personified on the palate, the concentration is weightless and harmonious, the finish long, glycerol and delicately savoury and nutty. Wow! Another stunner from Kei. Drink from 2025 to 2036+.

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

Kei Shiogai Chassagne Montrachet Village 2023

This Chassagne shows beautifully attractive aromatics of lemon cordial, wild herbs, pithy wet limestone, and yellow stone fruits. Plenty of “gras” or weight on the mid-palate but still deliciously fresh, creamy, and harmonious. This is another delicious addition to the repertoire of great Chassagne whites! Drink from 2025 to 2035.

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

Kei Shiogai Puligny Montrachet Les Petit Grands Champs 2023

This lieu dit Puligny shows an intense, lemon and lime saline intensity with tangy bright acids. Beautiful balance and harmonious mouthfeel. Also great length with just a kiss of white toast and freshly baked brioche on the long, persistent finish. Drink from 2025 to 2035+.

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

Kei Shiogai Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2023

This fabulous terroir really shines in Kei’s hands, showing liquid minerals, wet limestone, lemon grass, sweet baking herbs, and warm buttered white toast. Plush textured and densely layered with notable dry extract but also a seamlessly creamy texture and an incredibly harmonious, balanced equilibrium on the palate. A decidedly more terroir driven, linear, minerally infused expression of Corton-Charlemagne than some of the more unctuous, buttery examples produced. Undeniably a profound wine and simply drop dead gorgeous. Drink from 2025 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines of Kei Shiogai are imported into the UK exclusively by Musigny Wines. Contact Andrew Pavli to request an allocation.

andrew@musigny.wine

The Capensis Winery Finally Releases Its First Stellenbosch Red – Tasting the Silene Cabernet Sauvignon 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

I have been a big follower and fan of the Capensis Chardonnay wines since their maiden release in 2013. South African winemaker Graham Weerts, based in the USA for many years but now firmly back in Stellenbosch, is of course the driving force behind the label with undoubtedly a firm hand of support for many years from Jackson Family Wines US owner Barbara Banke. 

On one of my last trips to the Cape winelands in 2025, I finally managed to catch up with Graham at the Capensis winery in the hills above Stellenbosch where we toured the vineyards around the tasting room and then shared a lovely sunset braai and several bottles of delicious Capensis Chardonnay – always one of my favourites in South Africa. 

Myself, Michelin Star chef Roger Jones and Graham Weerts in the Capensis vineyards.
The incredible views of Stellenbosch from the Capensis vineyards.

Other than a delicious bottle of Graham Beck Yin 2016 Cap Classique (the sibling of the Yang 2016 special release pair), we also enjoyed an impressively youthful bottle of the Capensis Chardonnay 2013 (94/100 GSMW) that somehow seemed to have shed much of its previous new oak character to reveal a more detailed citrus fruit purity. This 2013 was tasted alongside a current release Capensis Chardonnay 2021 (96/100 GSMW) that was taut, vibrant and coiled like a wound spring as you would expect from this excellent cooler vintage. Then we were treated to a real surprise – the first Stellenbosch red produced at Capensis from Helderberg fruit – Graham’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2023.

Capensis Silene Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

This first red release from Capensis is a classy and classical Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon from the Helderberg that is varietally labelled but also draws on the salt and pepper complexity of a 9% Merlot and a 6% Cabernet Franc addition that was matured in French oak, 30% new, for 14 months before bottling. Picked before the rains, this 2023 displays perfumed aromatics of violets and rose petals, sweet cedar and smoky Christmas spices, lead pencils, red and black berry fruits, and subtle notes of graphite and oystershell. In the mouth there is a deliciously fresh acidity that supports lush, supple sweet tannins and a medium weighted, concentrated black berry fruited finish that slowly recedes to reveal a stony, classically dry mineral finish. An excellent debut effort. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

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

Ending 2025 with a Big Burgundy Bang – Two Epic Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot Tastings in London: Part 2 – China Tang at the Dorchester…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Always one of the absolute highlights of visiting Burgundy, tasting at the Domaine Bizot cellar is undoubtedly one of the most coveted appointments a wine professional can attend. Unfortunately, the slightly later December visit schedule this year did mean that I would miss seeing Jean-Yves Bizot in person at his cellar in Vosne-Romanee when tasting the 2024 wines from barrel as he would already be in Asia on tour. We were expertly guided through the sublime barrel tasting by Jean-Yves’s right-hand man, Victor Mignardot, who would also be in London the following week to help tutor two sensational private client collector tasting dinners featuring some of Jean-Yves’s finest wines. The first of these tastings was in the private room at Chez Bruce, one of London’s most famous Michelin stared restaurants. The second tasting dinner took place in one of my favourite restaurants in the whole of London, China Tang at the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane.

Originally owned by Sir David Tang until his passing, this Chinese restaurant has come to exemplify top quality food and service over the years. Knowing Jean-Yves own personal penchant for Asian culture and cuisine, it was a fitting venue for the second Domaine Bizot private client tasting dinner. After preparing our palates with a couple of glasses of Champagne Petit & Bajan Promise Brut Grand Cru, a seductive blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with a 4g/l RS dosage based around the 2019 vintage, we kicked the dinner off in proper style tasting the revelatory maiden release Le Charlemagne 2022 Grand Cru white. For any Domaine Bizot follower, this is certainly a wine that needs no introduction, representing the absolute pinnacle of white Burgundy quality. If I took the liberty to highlight one of my top reds of the year in Part 1, namely the Domaine Bizot Clos de la Bidaude 2023 red, then I would be remiss for not pointing the spotlight on this incredible white that was without doubt my favourite white wine of 2025, having tasted it from barrel and then from bottle three more times.

Domaine Jean Yves Bizot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2022

The two specific single vineyards of En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne make up half of this famous appellation, while white grapes grown in seven other vineyards may also be sold as Corton-Charlemagne. As a result there can be a wide divergence in styles between earlier picked south-facing locations and cooler, later picked western slopes around Pernand-Vergelesses. Jean-Yves’s 0.14 hectares of vines are only located in the prestigious Le Charlemagne vineyard and in 2022 produced a meagre two new French oak barrels, or 600 bottles, of this golden Grand Cru nectar. A wonderfully sophisticated wine, it reveals a rich vinous tapestry tightly packed with savoury aromatics of leesy yellow citrus, fresh rain on limestone, wet straw, baking herbs and glacé lemon rind. The concentration on the palate is astonishing – glycerol, piercing, fresh and beautifully crystalline and saline with intense layers of lemon and lime cordial, green apple pastille over an electric laser-like acidity with just a subtle kiss of lemon butter and vanilla pod spice on the finish. An astounding wine of incredible power, focus and precision.

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

The Le Charlemagne 2022 was mind blowing the first time I tasted it from barrel and continues to impress with each subsequent tasting. The 2023 vintage was another exceptional wine from a slightly more generous vintage that yielded three barrels. Sadly, just as this astonishing benchmark white Burgundy is gaining its own global cult following, the volumes have cruelly been restricted to only a single barrel in both 2024 and 2025 due to low yields and obsessive fruit selection. 

The dinner tasting line up.

After a brief interlude, the red flights started to be poured by the China Tang sommelier team. As a special treat, Jean-Yves’s Le Clos des Fées ‘100 Phrases Pour Eventails’ Pinot Noir 2023, the fourth release from this IGP Cotes Catalanes project, was poured to illustrate the fluidity and flexibility of Jean-Yves’s winemaking brilliance. From a riper vintage than 2024, the 2023 was sumptuous and generous, fleshy but incredibly silky, pure and precise, finishing with a brambly, damson plum and black berry intensity with a subtle sapidity. (95/100 GSMW) This is a fascinating project in Southwest France and one that is well worth keeping a close eye on if the new 2024 I tasted at the cellar is anything to go by!

For anyone that drinks Jean-Yves’s wines regularly will know, the mantra of “less is more” sits comfortably when tasting both his Domaine Bizot Marsannay Clos du Roy 2023 and his Domaine Bizot Le Chapitre 2022. While the Clos de Roy vineyard was renowned for its quality potential, Jean-Yves has brought his winemaking magic to this appellation and, perhaps with a little help from global warming, has helped elevate this vineyard to a quality level making wines only ever previously seen in the Grand Cru vineyards of the Côte de Nuits.

Myself, Victor Mignardot and China Tang’s Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer Igor Sotric.

Le Chapitre is a regional appellation site, squeezed in between high buildings in the middle of Chenôve whilst Clos du Roy, despite being located in the commune of Chenôve, is a village appellation Marsannay and is the northern continuation of the vineyards around the village of Marsannay. Compared with the lieux-dits sites considered for Premier Cru status in Marsannay, Le Chapitre is just a small 5.5 hectares in size owned by around ten growers including illustrious names like Sylvain Pataille, Laurent Fournier, Domaine Gagey and Drouhin. Always one of my favourites in the Bizot range, the Clos du Roy 2023 is an incredible success for the vintage with a perfumed lift, a textural fluidity, and the most crystalline, finessed finish imaginable (96/100 GSMW). The Le Chapitre too is all about elegance and subtlety, effortless concentration with an earthy, brambly finish – the power of the 2022 vintage making itself felt on the palate (94+/100 GSMW).

For the next flight, we moved back down to Vosne Romanee and Morey St Denis where Domaine Bizot produces several village appellation cuvees. At the first Chez Bruce dinner, Jean-Yves’s Vosne Romanee 2020 proved one of the stars of the night. This time, we were treated to the delightful Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanee Village 2023 vintage, with its pristine and impactful aromatics, lashings of black cherry and raspberry fruits and its beguiling Asian five spice complexity. A benchmark wine within Jean Yves’s range (95+/100 GSMW). Accompanying the Vosne Romanee, we were treated to a repeat showing of the incredible Clos de la Bidaude 2023 Monopole red that continues to seduce collectors globally with its intensity, majestic concentration and fruit purity (98/100 GSMW).

For the grand finale, a surprise Domaine Bizot Echezeaux Grand Cru 2015 was slipped into the lineup to accompany the outstanding Echezeaux 2023. This was quite simply a Grand Cru pairing made in heaven. The 2015 showed incredible depth, power and concentration, fruit ripeness without being overbearing or disrespectful to the appellation’s terroir complexity. Incredibly youthful and harmonious, this wine was indeed a real highlight, showcasing the effortless purity, intensity and precision Jean-Yves has so masterfully perfected (97+/100 GSMW). The Echezeaux 2023 was all charm and elegance, packed with complex red and black berry fruits, whole bunch sapidity and phenolic dry extract, finishing with an alluring minerality on the finish. Another true Bizot star in the making (96+/100 GSMW).

This sensational lineup of iconic Domaine Bizot wines certainly reminded all the private client attendees why they love and covet the red and white Burgundy’s of Jean Yves so much. With last desserts accompanied by the obligatory Jean-Yves sweet wine favourite, the Vin de Constance 2017 from South Africa, the second Domaine Bizot tasting dinner was brought to a close with a few words of thanks from Victor Mignardot and Domaine Bizot’s exclusive UK importer, Andrew Pavli from Musigny Wines.

The Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Contact Andrew Pavli to request an allocation.

Andrew@musigny.wine

Creation Wines – Leading the Quality Charge with their Premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs Produced in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge Ward…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

It has become practically a tradition for Caroline Martin from Creation Wines to travel to London to present the new vintages of their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to the who’s who of the UK wine media circle with husband JC Martin normally on a Zoom video link from the cellar in Cape Town. However, this year we were in for a treat with both JC and Caroline in attendance to present the new releases along side a spectacular vertical of back vintages.

Originally hailing from Switzerland, JC Martin together with his South African wife Carolyn (nee Finlayson), bought their original 22 hectares of virgin land in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and completed their impressive cellar in time for their 2007 harvest. Their Walker Bay estate now encompasses 50-plus hectares of vines planted with over 11 cultivars, but focusing primarily on premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

JC Martin and Caroline Martin in London.

I have spoken for many years about the quality glass ceilings in the South African wine industry. For a long time, Chardonnay tried but just couldn’t quite break through until possibly five years ago, when the industry saw some incredible new releases find a new lease of energy to raise the quality stakes and break the glass ceiling that had been in place for so long. Among these producers were Richard Kershaw, Leeu Passant, Paul Cluver, Uva Mira, Hamilton Russell, Newton Johnson and of course Creation Wines. While Pinot Noir still has a little more work to do to make examples comparable to the very best of Burgundy, I feel confidant, based on my tasting of Creation’s new releases that big fireworks are just around the corner and over the horizon. 

Creation Chardonnay Vertical:

The Creation Chardonnay grapes are whole bunch pressed, inoculated with neutral Champagne yeasts to emphasise purity and encourage a quick and efficient fermentation process. The Glenn’s Chardonnay grapes come from the same vineyard as the Art of Chardonnay but use only wild yeasts for the fermentation process which also helps with a little more natural struck flint reduction character in the finished wine. The Art of Chardonnay cuvee is normally a combination of wild and inoculated yeast portions that are ultimately blended together before bottling.

Creation Reserve Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

Bronzed golden colour, the aromatics speaks with an exotic accent, full of plush ripe yellow fruits, passionfruit, pineapple, and hints of dried guava roll. The entry is crystalline and juicy and vibrant with an expressive natural acidity, tangy orange peel, passionfruit and naartjie fruit concentration. An impressive vintage with heart stopping fruit intensity, a delicate minerality and fabulous length. Drink now to 2034. 

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

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

Pale gold in the glass, the Glenn’s Chardonnay reveals flinty, slightly reductive aromatics with hints of limestone, lemon and lime peel, dried herbs, wet straw, tinned pineapple and savoury leesy biscuit nuances. Strikingly taut and linear on the palate, the acids are tangy and mouthwatering showing a finely balanced texture and concentration but certainly not lacking any generosity. A steely fresh finish leaves you ready for another sip. A really beautiful expression of premium cool climate Chardonnay.

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully precise expression with aromatics brimming with sweet passionfruit, pineapple, dried herbs, thyme, and tangerine peel. The focus and precision is impressive with a tangy bright acidity, a piercing mouthwatering yellow citrus fruit concentration with a delightful spicy, vanilla pod and granadilla finish. A wine with such presence and pedigree.

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

The aromatics show a pronounced flinty reductive note over wet stone minerality, crushed limestone, white citrus pith and green pear. There is a real energy and vivacity magnified by a piercing salinity that raises the perception of the tart acidity and linearity. There is a fine mid palate concentration and polished phenolics, making for a taut, focused tightly wound wine.

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2018, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

Hints of reduction with subtle tertiary notes revealing fennel root, lanolin, curry leaf, vanilla pod and wet straw bales. There are layers of waxy citrus, pineapple, waxy green apples, and pear with savoury notes, a crystalline freshness, acid linearity, and a very fine tension that’s holding the palate together very nicely.

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

Creation Art of Pinot Noir Vertical:

A very natural expression with only the whole bunch portion manipulated during extraction. 100% Whole bunch used in 2021, 60% in 2022 and 50% in 2023. The higher the portion, the lower the floral aromatics on the wines tend to be according to JC.

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

A young embryonic Pinot Noir packed full of cinnamon and clove aromatics over bramble berry, wild strawberry and smoky graphite spice. The palate shows pithy rasping tension, salinity and limestone minerality, phenolic spice, dried herbs, over red cranberry, red currant and red apple spice. A wine looking forward to 10+ years of age ability.

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

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

The find expression showing delicious spicy bramble berry aromatics with wild strawberry, damson plum over savoury cured meat nuances. The whole bunch portion is evident, flaunting its spicy sapidity but well balanced by a red and black berry fruit length. Ready to go now… or drink over the next 5 to 8 years.

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

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2021, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

With a 100% wholebunch used, the spicy sapidity is surprisingly well integrated already with red and black berry fruits, earthy red currant and spicy fig and quince nuances. The palate shows spice and tension, a mineral texture and fine grained mineral stony tannins delicately balanced by savoury red and black fruits and a real whole bunch complexity.

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

Flight 1:

Creation Ridge Chardonnay 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge

The Ridge used to be called the Reserve range. Fermented with DV10 Champagne yeasts, using 100% malolactic fermentation in barrel adding elegance and texture with no batonnage. The aromatics are beautifully floral and perfumed with white blossom, honeysuckle and lemon verbena. Texturally very fine and creamy but with zippy nervy underlying acids with bright lemon and lime peel notes and a very gentle fleshy finish with a distinct vein of stony minerality raising its head. Drink now to 2035+.

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge

Oldest block that is over 22 years old now. Aiming for a very steady, consistent stylistic steer, the 2024 Art show slightly more restraint and classism, white blossom, crushed granite, sweet green baking herbs and lemon herbal tea nuances. The palate is gently smoky and mineral with subtle savoury leesy hints over green apple, lemon and yellow grapefruit concentration before a real kick of wet stone minerality on the dry, rasping fresh finish. Beautiful tension and restraint that will slowly unfurl over the coming years. Drink 2026 to 2036+.

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

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge

Sourced from the same block of grapes as the Art of Chardonnay, this wild ferment expression really shines in a cool, taut mineral driven vintage like 2024. The aromatics show a little more honied richness with honeysuckle, lemon blossom, oatmeal and lemon biscuit notes that combined with green herbs and a subtle bay leaf spice. The wine shows a beautiful texture, full and fleshy mouthfeel with crisp sour mouthwatering acids and a creamy, honied savoury finish. A wine with superb complexity. Drink now to 2034+.

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

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

Pale gold in the glass, the Glenn’s Chardonnay reveals flinty, slightly reductive aromatics with hints of limestone, lemon and lime peel, dried herbs, wet straw, tinned pineapple and savoury leesy biscuit nuances. Strikingly taut and linear on the palate, the acids are tangy and mouthwatering showing a finely balanced texture and concentration but certainly not lacking any generosity. A steely fresh finish leaves you ready for another sip. A really beautiful expression of premium cool climate Chardonnay.

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

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2021, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

Shows a very complex nose with earthy, savoury slightly wild aromatics with hints of root veg, dried herbs, fennel root, waxy lemon, grapefruit marmalade. The palate shows impressive depth and breadth, an incredibly creamy gently oaky salted caramel length that never overwhelms but simply lingers on the palate. Still an inner tension in the wine but drinking beautifully now. 

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

The aromatics show complex savoury leesy notes that melt away into white blossom, waxy lemon peel, sweet herbs green apples and subtle stony mineral nuances. The palate is sleek, dense and fleshy, the acids fresh but incredibly well integrated, balanced with the citrus fruit flesh and concentration. Powerful, harmonious but intense and tangy. Drink now to 2034+.

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2020, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully elegant wine that is showing incredibly well, as it should as the Platter White Wine of the Year. Gently smoky and savoury and complex with crushed gravel and smoky reductive flinty notes. The palate is raspingly mineral and stony, underpinned by pithy lemon and grapefruit nuances with a restrained, herby, dry finish. Super taut, compact and seriously youthful. Astonishing wine. Drink now to 2035.

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

Flight 2: Pinot Noirs 

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13% Abv.

From a Southeast facing block, 50-60% whole bunches are used on the Art with a gentle wetting of the cap once or twice a day. Malolactic in barrel, 30% new, released after approximately 2 years. The aromatics shows incredible intensity with piercing aromatics of black cherry, black berry and wild strawberry. The fruit berry purity follows to the palate but is tempered by a fresh, pure mineral palate with real precision and stony length. Superb fine grained texture, harmonious texture with a weightless concentration on the finish. Drink now to 2035+.

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

Creation Emma’s Pinot Noir 2024, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13% Abv.

A selection from a different block more West facing than the Art of Pinot Noir, that’s also more tannic so only 30% whole bunch is used. The aromatics are luxurious and deep, slightly less exotic and perfumed than the Art, which JC puts down to the lower whole bunch portion. The palate shows creamy chalky depth, black cherry, black raspberry, salty kelp notes and a deep, tense, broody power packed depth laced with incredibly stony minerality on the finish. Simply stunning and super serious expression. Drink 2026 to 2034+.

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

The Creation Wines are imported into the UK by Hallgarten Wines.

From the Fine Wine Safari Cellar – Part 4: Donovan Rall’s White Blend 2012 Revisited…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

I first met Donovan Rall at the Cape White Blend Conference in 2009 at Forest 44 in Stellenbosch where Ian Naude had assembled 80+ of South Africa’s greatest winemakers to listen to Eben Sadie, Peter Fischer and myself, talk about the farming, production, and marketing of world class white blends. During one of the intermissions, this giant Viking came up to me and introduced himself. Donovan had worked for several months in London with an ex-colleague of mine at the Harvey Nichols department store fine wine section in Knightsbridge, London. 

Offering me two bottles of his by then long sold-out maiden release Rall White Blend, he asked me to drink one and let him know what I thought, and also if I could please take the other bottle back to London for his old colleague to enjoy, which I of course obliged. The maiden vintage turned out to be the first of three consecutive 5 Star Platter Guide wines that he eventually went on to produce. Donovan’s white blend became a cult wine over a handful of vintages and is still today established as one of the best on the market, as was confirmed by this vintage 2012.

Donovan Rall pouring his wines in London.

Rall White Blend 2012, WO Coastal Origin, 14.5% Abv.

The second of three bottles I found in my cellar, this bottle represents an even fresher and more vibrant expression of this flagship white blend from Donovan Rall than previous bottles. A nine barrel blend of Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, Chardonnay and Viognier, the aromatics are focused, crisp, cool and incredibly vital with hints of buttered popcorn, lemon biscuits, and savoury leesy notes before a crushed Granite, sweet quince and yellow orchard fruit complexity emerges. Despite the 14.5% alcohol, the palate is fresh, pure and intense with a tangy layering of orange peel, passion fruit, honeycomb, guava roll and an enticing, piercing liquid minerality on the finish. An astonishing bottle with harmony and textural finesse, that goes a long way in explaining why top Cape White Blends are such a successful global phenomenon! 

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