Owner Jose Conde and the Stark Conde Winery often describe themselves first and foremost as a premium Cabernet Sauvignon producer. Why wouldn’t you when you have some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards and terroir in the Cape winelands? But there are other strings in Stark Conde’s bow, producing some outstanding white wines from single cultivars as well as a field blend.
As for the vintage, South African winegrowers showed characteristic pluck in the face of difficult 2023 harvest challenges. Despite a relatively wet season capped by disruptive late-harvest rains which affected some red late ripening cultivars, the vintage was generally hailed by respected winemakers and viticulturists for its quality, in particular for whites, which show intensity, freshness, concentration, and purity of varietal character. Two new whites are about to hit the UK market, and both are absolute stunners.
Stark Conde Monkstone Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
The wines from the 2023 vintage continue to surprise with their exceptional quality and concentration, and this impressively complex Chenin Blanc from Stark Conde is no exception. The aromatics are intricate and wonderfully expressive, packed with hints of white peach, green honeydew melon, Granny Smith apples and delicate sweet citrus notes over subtle savoury fresh fennel root and dried herb nuances. The palate is particularly mouthwatering and tangy, bright acids well balanced by the vibrant white peach and yellow apple pastille fruit concentration. A wine that always spends almost a year on its fine lees, the palate showing the resulting textural depth and breadth, finishing with great intensity, energy and a tangy fruit persistence. Another masterclass in serious Chenin Blanc from the Jonkershoek Valley’s most revered winery. Drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stark Conde Field Blend White 2023, WO Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
A perennial favourite in the Stark Conde white range, this impressive 2023 is a blend of 42% Roussanne, 30% Chenin Blanc, 20% Verdelho, and 8% Viognier. Fermented in neutral oak, the aromatics are stunningly pure and precise, boasting notes of dry summer hay, crunchy white pears, green apple, pithy white citrus, and complexing stony granitic mineral notes. On the palate the wine is strikingly fresh and intense, deliciously mouthwatering displaying a notable concentration of white peach and green pear fruits, with a beautifully crystalline purity, perfectly integrated tangy acids and a long, juicy finish. As with many field blend wines, the whole is simply greater than the sum of its parts, with each component marrying seamlessly to create a truly majestic, organically certified white blend. This is good to go on release but will certainly reward 3 to 5+ years of additional ageing in bottle.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Stark Conde wines are imported into the UK exclusively by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
Established in 1982, the Cape Winemakers Guild is a collective of some of South Africa’s greatest winemakers. These 41 winemakers have been recognised as excelling at their craft by their peers within the Guild. Membership of the Guild is by invitation only and is extended to winemakers who have been responsible for the production of wines of excellence for a minimum of five years and who show promise of not only consistently exceeding industry standards, but also promoting the values of the Guild.
Over the last 42 years, the Guild’s winemakers have demonstrated a commitment to developing the local wine industry, through innovative practices and the sharing of knowledge. The Guild and its members are investing in the future of winemaking by nurturing young winemaking talent through the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust and the CWG Protégé Programme.
JD Pretorius, Gary Jordan and Samantha O’Keefe at the London CWG presentation.
The CWG meets regularly as a technical tasting group, providing its members with an opportunity to evaluate wines from around the world and to share their knowledge and ideas – ensuring that CWG members remain leaders in the art and science of winemaking.
Graham Beck CWG Extra Brut 2019 Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cap Classique (Pieter Ferreira)
Beautiful tension, precision and aromatic complexity with a very smart underlying structure, purity and freshness. Top drawer Cap Classique.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Silverthorn Big Dog Ten Cap Classique 2019 (John Loubser)
Sweet apple blossom, lemon cordial and delicate savoury red fruit aromatics. Beautiful creamy mousse, pin point structure and a dreamy finessed length. Stunning! Chapeaux John!!
Pungent gooseberry, vibrant green fruits, hints of leafy green herbs, fennel, green peas and capsicum hints. Rich, savoury style full of texture and fleshy yellow and green fruits.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Saskia-Jo White Blend 2022 (Miles Mossop)
An 85% Chenin Blanc / 15% Clairette Blanche blend, the nose is packed with bruised yellow orchard fruits, honey suckle and savoury oatmeal biscuit nuances. Full yet fresh, fleshy yet deliciously tangy, with a leesy oak spice complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Beaumont Family Wines GG’s Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2023 (Sebastian Beaumont)
A fine stony mineral expression of Chenin Blanc with a dusty gravel minerality, fynbos, white peach and dried herbs. Lovely precision and tension harmonising with a seductive taut line of acidity. Super classy and classical.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Wines Swartland “The Gris” Old Vines Semillon 2023 (Andrea Mullineux)
Pink musk, dusty talc, sherbet Bon Bons, crunchy white peaches and green apple hints. Fabulous balance and depth with freshness, purity and pristine precision. A truly impressive fine wine with a seductively complex finish. Wow!
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Warwick Auction Chardonnay 2022 (JD Pretorius)
Honeysuckle, lemon cordial, savoury lees and lemon biscuits. Plush, fleshy and round with a deliciously tangy acidity and a long green apple creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Ataraxia Under the Gavel Chardonnay 2023 (Kevin Grant)
Aromatics of salted butter on warm popcorn with hints of lemon biscuit. Full, cool, fleshy and pure with a seductively premium kiss of oak, delicate toffee apple hints and a cool, restrained white citrus and herbal spice finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Gottfried Mocke Wine Projects Chardonnay 2023 (Gottfried Mocke)
Dusty and mineral with pithy lemon and herbs, dry bush veld and fynbos hints. Cool, spicy and picante with a delicately savoury lemon & herb butter finish.
Wild brambly, earthy, wild strawberry, red berry fruits nuances on a savoury nose. Beautifully elegant texture, fine boned and sleek with very impressive attention to detail, silky sappy tannins and an earthy focused finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lismore The Sheltering Sky Syrah 2022 (Samantha O’Keefe)
Sweet savoury black berry fruits loaded with perfume, musk and violets. Very detailed and seductive with a meaty red berry fruited finish. Super impressive texture and focus.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Auction Syrah 2022 (Duncan Savage)
Deep, seductive and alluring aromatics packed full of red and black berry fruits, red currant confit, and a wonderfully perfumed creamy depth. Silky tannins, incredibly fine grained texture with a fabulous balance and length. Wow!
A fleshy, perfumed, lifted expression with red and black fruits, fleshy savoury meaty notes, sweet cherry confit and a strawberry compote finish. Silky tannins and weightless concentration combine with beautiful purity. An accomplished wine by anyones standards!
Savoury, dark fruited and alluring with exotic Christmas spices, incense and potpourri notes. Dreamy, seductive and elegantly textured with an understated power and intensity.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Luddite Tonto 2012 (Neil’s Verburg)
Sweet and spicy with savoury black berries, wild garrigue and fynbos hints. Powerful and assertive but also shows a tender, elegant textural underbelly with a weightless concentration.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raats Family Wines Stella Noval Cabernet Franc 2020 (Bruwer Raats)
Intensely perfumed and lifted with capsicum, sweet cedar, shaved pencil spice, with a crushed grey slate dusty lift. Fabulously sweet fruited, sappy and intense revealing a creamy, alluring textural harmony. Top effort.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Strydom Family Wines The Game Changer Cabernet Franc – Merlot 2020
A plush dark fruited palate with blue and black berry fruits, sweet cherry tobacco and hints of graphite and tannery leather. A super elegant expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Jordan Wine Estate CWG Sophia 2022 Red Blend
Sweet blackberry and herbs, fynbos and spice. A textural masterclass. Really seductive with an enticing cool leafy complexity and a long finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Riche CWG Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (Christo le Riche)
Made from a 26 year old vineyard which shows a deep, dark and broody aromatics packed with sweet plum and cassis, perfumed violets, cinnamon stick and vanilla pod spice with a kiss of dried mint leaf. The palate is plush and creamy, weightlessly concentrated yet vibrant, tangy and deliciously fresh. Class act! Stunning!
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Rock of Eye CWG Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (Coenie Snyman)
Sweet Red and black berry fruits, brown toast and a stewed black tea complexity. An incredibly fine textured creamy elegance, with chalky silky tannins and a weightless concentration on the finish. A textural dream wine!
A complex aromatics of roasted coffee beans, brûléed oak, brown toast with black currant confit. The acids are fresh, the fruit intensity tangy and bright, with an underlying salinity, a sweet and sour acidity and the most silky, seductive tannin texture with a minty, herby, chocolatey kiss of oak.
The annual Cape Winemakers Guild auction takes place on the 4th and 5th of October with the Protégé Programme Auction also officially underway, with bidding taking place virtually from 6pm the 7th Oct on the @StraussFineWine website. Coveted auction lots include unique collections, rare verticals & tasting experiences with Guild members.
Please contact: kate@capewinemakersguild.com for more details on how to obtain some of these world-class, ultra rare wines!
One of the true wine gems in the Mullineux portfolio, the Olerasay sweet wine now stands alongside Vin de Constance as one of South Africa’s greatest sweet wine creations. Only in its fourth edition, this latest multi-vintage release from the Mullineux’s Chenin Blanc straw wine solera system is again a world class stunner that will leave the fussiest of global fine wine lovers speechless.
Mullineux Olerasay 4º Straw Wine is made from 100% Chenin Blanc and was bottled on the 16th of January 2024, with a total production of 4,472 bottles or 372 cases of 375ml bottles. The vineyards chosen to make this balanced, yet very sweet and incredibly special Straw Wine are naturally very high in acid, flavour and good physical structure. To achieve these qualities, the calibre of the old vine Chenin Blanc planted on the decomposed Granite based soils of the Paardeberg are fundamental. The grapes were hand-harvested between 2008 and 2023 with a yield on average 4 to 6 tons/ha, which translated to 24 to 33HL/ha before the desiccation process. The average post-drying recovery was 10-20%, translating to 2.4 to 6.6 HL/ha. By picking the grapes at normal ripeness and then drying them in the breezy outside conditions for the desiccation process, the Mullineuxs are not just concentrating sugar and flavour, but also increasing the intense, zesty acidity that they feel is so important in making a balanced Straw Wine.
Tasting the Olerasay 4º in London with Chris Mullineux.
After drying for several weeks, the grapes were crushed and pressed to 225L barrels where a long, slow natural fermentation took place. Each year the fermentation stops at a natural balance after 8 to 12 months. A vintage Straw Wine is always bottled however a few barrels were selected to go into a complex Solera system of barrel-aging that was started with the first Mullineux vintage in 2008. The Mullineuxs decided to bottle the first iteration of OLERASAY 1º which was a fractional blend of 2008 to 2014 when it was different enough from the vintage Straw Wine, followed by the 2º in 2020 and the 3º in 2022. The respective fractionally blended OLERASAY 4º comprises of the 2008 through 2023 vintages, which is incredibly complex, bringing unstoppable length and freshness.
Mullineux Olerasay 4º Straw Wine, WO Swartland, 8% Abv.
365 g/l RS | 11.4 g/l TA | 3.33pH
A deep alluring golden honeycomb yellow colour, this deliciously sweet, opulent blend boasts a vital and complex aromatics of dried apricots, peach skins, fynbos spice and orange marmalade nuances before subtle notes of wet hay, honeycomb, bees wax, grilled cashew nuts and caramelised yellow grapefruit emerge. For all the unfurling complexity on the nose, it’s the incredible intensity and balance on the palate that really sets this wine apart, with a concentrated zingy depth of dried apricots and passionfruit harmonising perfectly with a searing, tangy acidity that lightens the sugar sweetness and leaves your palate salivating for another sip. The finish is long, delicately saline and truly multi-dimensional, with lingering notes of candied oranges, crystallised figs and stem ginger. This is not only one of the greatest sweet wine expressions in South Africa, but undoubtedly, one of the most beguiling, complex and intellectually engaging sweet wines in the world of fine wine. A wine not to be missed. Drink on release and over the next 20 to 30+ years.
Following the atypically long and cool 2021 vintage which made for some iconic red wines, the Swartland weather seems to have returned to its more usual pattern of hot and dry growing conditions for 2022. The region saw good winter rains and then the return of some heat spikes during verasion from January to March… “intermittent spikes more than heat waves” Chris Mullineux explained, followed by cooler evenings which helped mitigate some of the earlier daytime heat. Generally picked later than average – late February compared to early February due to the later start – the vintage is widely regarded as a great success in the Swartland.
All wines were tasted from Zalto Bordeaux glasses and reviewed over the course of three days.
Mullineux Granite Jakkalsfontein Syrah 2022, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
2.2g/l RS | 5.5g/l TA | 3.67pH
The fruit for the 2022 GRANITE Syrah hails from bush vines planted in the decomposed Granitic soils of the Paardeberg and this wine has become the Single Terroir red most synonymous with gorgeously perfumed aromatics, freshness and length. These characteristics are mainly driven by each vine having to work intensely hard to get to the water source seated deep within the GRANITE soil structure. The GRANITE Syrah was hand-harvested on 21st and 22nd of February 2022 with yields of five tons/ha, which translated to 28HL/ha. In the cellar, the whole bunches benefitted from the protection of a cool early morning picking and were put into 500L French oak open top fermenters. Once crushed by foot, the indigenous fermentation process started, and very gentle extraction was achieved by doing punch-downs by hand. To accentuate the refined tannin structure of its GRANITE terroir origin, the wine was given skin contact for 28 days before being gravitationally drained and then pressed back into the same vessels for malolactic fermentation and further maturation. The 2022 was matured for 12 months in French oak 500L barrels of which 50% was new, followed by 10 months in 2000L Foudre. Once bottled, the wine was aged for another eight months before it was released.
Made with fruit from a warmer vintage, Chris Mullineux says it was a ripe year but certainly nothing unusual for the Swartland – certainly more normal than the 2021 vintage conditions. On these deeper granitic soils, the vines grow larger, and the canopies are bigger and wider, shading the fruit, resulting in a more perfumed offering. The aromatics are certainly wonderfully fragrant and lifted with exotic notes of violets, lavender, and potpourri spice with a lovely melange of red and black berry fruits, pink musk, red peppercorns, and subtle orange rind hints. The palate is sleek and super elegant, pithy even, with plenty of dry extract, a chalky tannin grip and a harmoniously intense finish. Plenty of richness and creamy elegance but perhaps a little less taut, severe, and mineral than this vineyard normally presents in youth. Another very pretty expression. (405 cases produced)
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Iron Kasteelsig Syrah 2022, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
1.6g/l RS | 5.1g/l TA | 3.82pH
Grown on the IRON soils of the rolling red hills surrounding Malmesbury, this organic vineyard is well-established on the clay and gravel-rich Koffieklip soils that are good at holding water. The soil-bed becomes generous during primary growth in the spring, but then around veraison time the clay in the soils stops releasing moisture and the vine compensates during this quick ripening phase by making the smallest grapes of the three terroirs. This factor, combined with the lush canopy and medium-thick skins of the berries play a very important role in the natural construct of a Syrah with round tannins, an incredible complex palate and deep fragrance. The grapes were hand-harvested on 8th of February 2022 while the morning was still cool and yielded 4.5 tons/ha, which translated to 22HL/ha. In order to accentuate the IRON terroir, the grapes were foot-stomped as 100% whole- clusters into open top 500L barrels where hand punch downs took place to encourage natural and very gentle extraction. The fermentation cycles completed with indigenous yeast and after a further four weeks of maceration, the wines were racked and pressed to these original vessels for its maturation period. This wine was aged for 12 months in French oak 500L barrels, of which 50% was new, followed by another 10 months in 2000L Foudre and eight months of aging in bottle before its release.
The first thing I noticed about this wine is the incredibly small production volume, a mere 210 cases in 2022, which Chris confirms is the smallest production volume to date. Much of this was due to very strict grape selection as well as the vineyard still struggling in general to come to terms with the hangover and long-term effects of years of drought. Like the Granite Syrah, this cuvee shows a slight departure from is normal broody, earthy, meaty, bloody Northern Rhone style. Instead the aromatics are gracefully peppery with layers of damson plums, black berries, violets, lavender, and red bramble berry notes. Finally, after time in the glass, a slight undertone of blood and iron emerges, but they are by no means as dominant as normal, with the palate decidedly round and fleshy, layered with blue and black berry fruits, sleek integrated acids, and delightfully firm, polished tight grained tannins. The finish shows hints of salty liquorice, coffee bean, a subtle sapidity, and chargrilled charcuterie nuances. A rather riper, more elegant expression of the Iron cuvee that retains a critical amount of its archetypal old-world charm.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Schist Roundstone Syrah 2022, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
1.8g/l RS | 5.2g/l TA | 3.80pH
These very special and characterful grapes grown on the Schisty slopes of the Kasteelberg or “Castle Mountain”, showcase the Mullineux’s estate Roundstone, and its tremendous ability to define Syrah grown on SCHIST soils. These rocky soils limit vine size and so the clusters and individual grapes in turn remain smaller with a higher skin to juice ratio, offering denser, more brooding tannins. The grapes were hand-harvested between 14th and 15thof February 2022 with a yield of 4.3 tons/ha, which translated to 26HL/ha. Safeguarded from the high-summer Swartland sun in February, the SCHIST Syrah was picked during the cool morning and the 100% whole bunches were immediately foot-crushed into 500L barrels. Only natural yeasts took the wine through its fermentations and only hand plunging were performed for completely gentle extraction – just enough to keep the cap wet. After four weeks it was racked and pressed back to the same open top barrels. This completed the tannin development and allowed its dark perfume to flourish. The SCHIST Syrah 2022 spent 12 months in 50% new and 50% 4th fill 500L French oak barrels and then another 10 months in 2000L Foudre before being bottled unfiltered.
The production quantity of the Schist 2022 was closer to the long-term average with 482 cases produced. The aromatics are wonderfully seductive and sophisticated, showing complex red and black berry fruit notes, violets, rose petals, fynbos, white pepper, before subtle hints of salted caramel, black berry compote and vanilla pod spice. Often a wine that is very showy in its youth, this 2022 has a certain purity, elegance, and classicism to it, but as Chris points out, also “a certain appealing Rhoney wildness that you don’t always find on the Schist”. An incredibly balanced and complete wine, there are complex notes of fynbos, garrigue, dried herbs, black berries, cured meats, and black peppercorns tempered with a seductively generous vanilla pod spice. This wine is a pyramid of elegance, power, and precision, with its massive textural stone construction blocks just slotting into one another that little bit more tightly and more precisely than with the Granite or Iron cuvees, revealing an architecturally detailed wine with a very impressive fruit-acid balance, flavour purity, and a notable palate intensity. A very serious and accomplished benchmark effort for the vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Wines are imported into the UK by Liberty Wines and are available retail on request from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.
After the atypical vintage conditions of 2021, the Swartland seems to have returned to its more usual pattern of hot and dry growing seasons for 2022 and 2023. In 2022, the region saw good winter rains and then the return of some heat spikes during verasion from January to March… “spikes more than heat waves” as Chris Mullineux explained, followed by cool spells which helped mitigate the earlier heat. Generally picked later compared to average, late February compared to early February due to the later start. But as Chris points out, “Chenin Blanc, and to a certain degree Syrah as well, are more drought avoiding cultivars rather than drought resistant, being able to ripen their fruit earlier and quicker as opposed to just coping well with a long, dry hot harvest.”
The 2023 season also saw good winter rains above average and the season started pretty late, leading to a warm, dry vintage. From Veraison, the days were mostly over 30c, and every day was warm, but the evenings were cooler. A classic Swartland vintage. All reds were picked long before the storms hit the Cape when some Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek producers still had some late ripening red varieties hanging on the vines.
Tasting with Chris Mullineux
All wines were tasted from Zalto Bordeaux glasses and reviewed over the course of three days after opening.
Mullineux Granite Eikelaan Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
1.8g/l RS | 6.5g/l TA | 3.3pH
Hailing from a 47-year-old dry land bush vine vineyard named Eikelaan (“lane of Oak trees”), the GRANITE Chenin Blanc, is the Mullineux’s highest altitude Granite soil vineyard on the Paardeberg. Due to its root formations being able to travel quite deep in the decomposed granite terroir, the canopies remain full and provide cool shade to both the fruit and the vines, thus safeguarding them from temperature fluctuations and sun. This in turn culminates in a Swartland Chenin Blanc with great elevated freshness, retention of perfume and linear ageing. The grapes were harvested on the 16th of February 2023 with a yield of 4 tons/ha, which translated to 24HL/ha. Grapes were harvested by hand in the cool early morning hours, the grapes were then whole bunch pressed to barrel and the juice handled oxidatively, ensuring longevity of the wine once in bottle. Primary and secondary fermentation completed its natural respective cycles without any interference, after which minimal SO2 was added and, in line with their ethos, no further additions were made. The wine was left on the lees in its respective barrels until spring, then racked and blended just before the 2024 vintage and bottled unfiltered. The GRANITE Chenin Blanc wine was matured for 10 months in 225L French oak barrels.
This beautiful 1976 old vine Chenin Blanc serves up a wonderful array of flavours in this “classic Swartland vintage” in 2023. Normally lean, reductive and incredibly tight grained and mineral, this year’s expression of the Granite Chenin Blanc boasts a wealth of rich yellow stone fruits and plenty of white flowers, fynbos, sour plum, peach and yellow citrus perfume. There is definitely more density, palate breadth and depth while retaining its telltale linear, taut, mineral demeanour. Despite being a turbo charged expression, the 2023 Granite Chenin Blanc still has the highest acidity of the three single terroir wines, finely balancing intense bruised yellow orchard fruit and orange marmalade notes on the palate. The finish is super pure and concentrated, deliciously tangy and superbly balanced. A real beauty to drink now and over the next 10 to 15+ years. (469 cases produced)
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Iron Rondomskrik Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
1.9g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.4pH
The ripening phase of the IRON Chenin Blanc bush vine vineyard is always ahead of their other single terroir Chenin Blancs and the 2023 vintage was no exception, producing the steadfast natural extract, balanced acidity, and alluring texture that they’ve grown accustomed to receiving from the Koffieklip soils where these vines live. This very special vineyard, now exclusively farmed for the IRON Chenin Blanc by the Mullineux team, is situated on the rolling hills outside of Malmesbury, enjoys cool nights and mild days during the growing season, which further contributes to the small and concentrated grapes of this Chenin Blanc. The grapes were hand-harvested on 2nd and 3rd of February 2023 with a yield of 4 tons/ha, which translated to 24HL/ha. This vintage being only the third ever release of the IRON Chenin Blanc, was managed in the cellar with the same attention to detail and careful handling of the delicate and tiny yield, as all our other wines. Both the primary and secondary fermentations spontaneously started and finished with indigenous yeast and a very small amount of Sulphur was added once the natural settling of the wine had completed. The wine was matured for 21 months in 225L French oak barrels.
Only the third vintage of the Iron single terroir Chenin Blanc produced (with the Quartz vineyard still going into the Old Vine White blend), this vineyard grown on a little knowl or hill, with persistent winds making for naturally small berries with a notable richness and ripeness, and also making this the earliest ripening of all the single vineyard sites. The aromatics are once again loaded with plenty of stone fruit complexity, beautifully perfumed with fragrant white flowers, honeydew melon, waxy orange peel, pineapple rock candy and a seductive soap stone minerality. A very confident wine showing great palate symmetry, a tight core of yellow fruits and hints of savoury lees, finishing with a lovely cool, lime lemon peel pith on the tangy fresh finish. A vibrant, harmonious wine that once again shows the highest levels of dry extract. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years. (506 cases produced)
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Schist Roundstone Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
1.9g/l RS | 6.3g/l TA | 3.35pH
The home of Mullineux, Roundstone Farm, has become synonymous with their SCHIST soils, where these Chenin Blanc bush vines flourish due to the well-suited appellation, as well as being consistently sustainably farmed by the Mullineuxs. The rocky soils limit vine size and so the clusters and individual grapes in turn remain smaller with a higher skin to juice ratio. This contributes to the structure of this wine, and with each vintage, mirrors the freshness and pure sunshine that define their SCHIST Chenin Blanc. The grapes were hand-harvested between 7th and 8th of February 2023 with a yield of 5 tons/ha, which translated to 30HL/ha. Carefully picked during the cool daybreak, the fruit was whole bunched pressed into barrel where fermentation started spontaneously. Once all the natural yeasts and microbes completed their predestined purpose, the wine was left to voluntarily settle on its own. This Chenin Blanc spent seven months on its lees in barrel, ensued by racking, blending and unfiltered bottling to further showcase its Swartland SCHIST characteristics. The wine was matured for 21 months in 225L French oak barrels.
Produced from grapes grown in a vineyard just below the Mullineux’s main house on the Roundstone property on shallow rocky soils, with much smaller “bonsai-style” bush vines yielding small grapes loaded with extra phenolics and more exposure to the sunlight. The aromatics are rich, exotic, and intense, packed full of white and orange citrus, fynbos, nectarine, honey, white peaches, and juicy honeydew melon nuances. As Chris says, you can definitely taste the sunshine on the grapes with this 2023 Schist. The palate is equally intense and concentrated, boasting layer upon layer of peach, tangerine, and sour yellow plum fruit before a zesty, vibrant acidity kicks in to add freshness and extra frame to the mouthfeel. Finishing with a subtle leesy, buttered white toast complexity, this is definitely a very special premium Chenin Blanc release from the Mullineuxs. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years. (361 cases produced)
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Wines are imported into the UK by Liberty Wines and are available retail on request from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.
The Old Vine Conference is a non-profit organisation co-founded in 2021 by Sarah Abbott MW, a Master of Wine contemporary of mine, Alun Griffiths MW (previously of Berry Brothers & Rudd) together with Leo Austin. Its aim is to bring together a global network and create a new category for wine from old heritage vineyards. The organisation shares the belief that old vines are a beacon for talent, innovation, and connection and that the best old vines yield uniquely transcendent wines, incomparably rich in savour, symbolism, and heritage.
The genetic material of ancient varieties, often retrieved from forgotten old vineyards, is now proving vital in adapting to climate change and old vines have their valiant and inspirational champions in pockets around the world. But the global wine market does not yet structurally value old vines or treat old vine wine as a premium category of rich and enduring worth. As a result, healthy old vineyards of cultural resonance and unique qualitative potential are lost because they can’t be made to pay.
The Old Vine Conference is an attempt to change the path for old vines and their wines and in its first three years has contributed exponentially to the awareness, understanding and support of the global old vine movement. The London tasting at 67 Pall Mall in June 2024 was one of the largest selections of old vine wines from around the world, representing old vines from 19 countries including a phenomenal selection of 21 white and red wines from South Africa, drawn from the Old Vine Project’s membership. My scores for the South African selection are noted below:
Wines from the Old Vine Project:
Bellingham Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc Limited Release 2023 – 95/100 GSMW
Le Grand Domaine, The Pledge Our Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2023, Stellenbosch – 94+/100 GSMW
Always exciting to taste and review new producer’s wines. I’d heard of the Dorper wines but until now had not yet tasted any, so was very pleased to sit down with their white Chenin Blanc and their Pinotage red both from the newly released 2022 vintage.
Dorper is the own label started by winemaker Reg Holder, previously of Delheim winery but who is now also running Lautus De-Alcoholised Wines. The name comes from the Afrikaans word for “dorp” or small town following a philosophy to use small old vine vineyards in and around Stellenbosch town itself that reflect a certain sense of terroir and place.
Dorper Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
This is impressive Chenin Blanc from a blend of vineyards in and around the Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch that were fermented and aged in old oak barrels. The aromatics show an archetypal wet river stone, granitic mineral aromatics intertwined with notes of crunchy pear, white peach, wet hay, and dried herbs with subtle hints of dry bushveld after early summer rains. With a modest 13% alcohol, the palate displays a very decent depth of fruit and glycerol weight in the mouth with yet more wet stone liquid minerality, green pear, pithy apple skins and delicate white citrus nuances. One of the highlights is undoubtedly the wine’s deliciously vibrant tangy acids that carry the mineral laden fruits with notable length on the finish. Quite a serious, grown-up expression of Chenin Blanc for sure. Drink on releases and over 8 to 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Dorper Pinotage 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
1.8g/l RS | 5.3g/l TA | 3.75pH
This is another Pinotage expression that helps trumpet the stylistic revolution that this cultivar has undergone over the past decade. Made from fruit sourced from two old vine parcels, one grown on decomposed granite soils in the Helderberg and the other on shale soils in the Bottelary Hills, the grapes were destemmed but not crushed, using a portion of whole bunches, this is a lively, perfumed, energetic Pinotage with complex floral aromatics of black and blueberry fruits, hints of black cherry, cranberry and saline crème de cassis nuances. A real cornucopia of flavours and texture, but always siding with fine grained, elegant tannins supported by the most delicious tangy sweet-sour acids. A wine very much centred around the purity of the fruit and the mid-palate harmony with just the most subtle wood spice notes on the dry mineral finish. A complete pleasure to drink! Drink now and over 5-8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines are imported into the UK and are available to trade from Graft Wines.
After world Drink Chenin Blanc Day on the 8th of June, it’s important to sit back and reflect on just how far the South African wine industry has come in the past two decades with regards to producing quality Chenin Blanc from unique terroir sites, using incredible old vine vineyard fruit. Some of the expressions being produced in South Africa now by producers like Sadie Family Wines, Alheit Vineyards and others, represent the pinnacle of what is possible quality wise with this cultivar, that was once regarded as a simple work horse variety only worthy of high yields for the purposes of distillation, or at a stretch, bulk white wine production.
The Chenin Blanc Day Taste Off…
So, what better way to celebrate this truly unique cultivar than by tasting two wines from 2022 that have recently captured the imagination and interest of fine wine buyers and collectors the world over. Firstly, the Rotsbank Chenin Blanc 2022 that represents the maiden release under the Sadie Family Wines label of this Swartland vineyard.
Eben walking the Rotsbank vineyard thick with cover crops.
The Rotsbank vineyard is located in the Paardeberg in the Aprilskloof on a rock shelf just behind the back entrance of the Sadie Family farm that barely has 30 – 50 cm of soil in most parts. It is incredible to think that this vineyard survives year after year. Many of the roots in the soil have found cracks in this rock shelf, and the limited natural growth of this vineyard makes for incredibly concentrated fruit. Since 2008 Eben Sadie has wanted to produce a pure Swartland Chenin Blanc, but the 2022 vintage materialised as the first after he was very fortunate enough to get the opportunity to purchase the vineyard.
The Rotsbank Chenin Blanc vineyard in the Paardeberg, Swartland.
After harvesting, the Rotsbank Chenin Blanc grapes are placed in a cooling room to reduce the temperature since the average temperatures at harvest are often 35 degrees C or more – pressing warm grapes comes with a series of problems. They then do whole bunch pressing, a process that takes about 3 hours, during which time there is a margin of settling of the juice in the collecting tank. The juice is then transferred to two old foudres for fermentation. The wine is left in a cask on the fermentation lees for the first 12 months and is bottled directly from the fine lees. Only about 60ppm of sulphur is added two weeks before bottling.
The declassified Magnetic North 2022
The second wine tasted comes from the other great white wine maestro, Chris Alheit, who has over the past decade and a half, established himself as one of the most sought after premium white wine producers in South Africa. Magnetic North is also, like the Rotsbank, a single origin Chenin Blanc wine. Since its maiden vintage in 2013, this wine has become a perennial star in the Alheit line-up with an almost mythical reputation. Every vintage the wines manages to combine power and finesse in a way very few other Chenin Blanc vineyards from anywhere (not just the Cape) are able to do. So when Chris Alheit decided to “declassify” the Magnetic North for the 2022 vintage on account of it not having the requisite power and structure expected of a Magnetic North Chenin Blanc, a lot of eyebrows were raised.
But did the Magnetic North 2022 merit declassification? The grapes come from two ungrafted Skurfberg vineyards which Chris Alheit felt weren’t quite up to standard in 2022 and subsequently decided to release the wine as “Gone South” selling for almost half the price of a bottle of Magnetic North. For many, like Christian Eedes, the editor of Winemag.co.za in South Africa, it was considered Chris was perhaps being a little too overcautious, and a mega score of 98/100 was bestowed on the declassified Gone South 2022 regardless. So, what better two wines to examine in minute detail and put through their paces in a head-to-head, sighted, taste-off!?
Alheit Vineyards Gone South Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Citrusdal Mountain, 13% Abv.
A profound expression of Chenin Blanc that boasts complex aromatics of dried herbs, fresh hay, fynbos, crushed gravel, grated lemon peel and pithy yellow orchard stone fruits. A beautifully elegant harmonious creation with delicacy and finesse, incredible balance and harmony, and an impressive concentration of white peach, honied pear, and a beguiling liquid minerality with a classical saline maritime kiss on the finish. A very fine wine that is so deliciously mouthwatering and drinkable now. Outstanding.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Rotsbank Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
A thoroughly compelling offering from Eben that justifies his passion to make this his first single varietal Swartland Chenin Blanc in his range. Showing a hint of flinty reduction, the stony mineral characters give way to notes of wet hay, wet wool, quince puree, peach and honey, and the typical savoury bruised yellow orchard fruit character so common in Swartland. The massive concentration suggests a higher RS than the 1.5g/l level but obviously it’s simply the incredible dry extract that highlights the wines intensity, power and persistence. A flirty, opulent offering of old vine Chenin Blanc that has found a perfect home in Eben’s famous old vine series collection… the first new addition in 13 years. Bravo Eben!
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Alheit Vineyards Gone South was only released cellar door to the local South African market for circa £20pb (R495) but the other Alheit wines are available in the UK on allocation from Dreyfus Ashby. The Sadie Family Wines are available on allocation from FMV, the wholesale trade arm of Berry Brothers & Rudd for circa £50pb.
It’s always exciting visiting producers in the Swartland, whether it’s Eben at Sadie Family Wines, the Mullineuxs at Roundstone, or Adi Badenhorst at Kaalmoesfontein. But I certainly love how Jasper Wickens continues to beaver away producing some of the most exciting white and red wines on the market at the moment. Of course, there is plenty of competition in the Swartland, but Jasper’s wines continue to represent incredible value for money in an era when prices of the top wineries’ wines have continued to rise and rise.
If we are honest, Jasper is still a genuine Swartland young gun… not just being under 50… but under 40 years old! Full of energy, ideas and ambition, Jasper’s Swerwer brand is an incredibly exciting array of wines that continues to improve year after year, as he fine tunes and experiments in the winery to make ever more exciting wines. There are few more exiting Old Vine Chenin Blancs on the market than his Tiernes and with the Wolwekop Old Vine Semillon 2021 about to be released in the UK market, I thought I would take another look at these two exceptional white expressions that typify the supreme quality of premium fine wines in the Swartland.
Tasting the 2022 Tiernes with Jasper in March 2024. More excitement to come!
A visit to the Swartland Waterval farm of Jasper and Franziska Wickens is always enlightening. But it is only when you walk around the upper reaches of the farm, high up in the old vine Tiernes Chenin Blanc vineyard planted in 1983 that you see, smell, and taste the true terroir of the decomposed Granite-rich soils of the Paardeberg. Planted on deep granitic deposits, these vines yield an exceptional expression of Chenin Blanc that in cooler, fresher, more crystalline vintages like 2021, reveals the true majesty of this cultivar. Bright, fragrant and notably mineral on the nose, the aromatics display a complex interwoven array of white blossom, peach stone, green pears, waxy green apple skins, wet hay, sweet baking herbs, fynbos, crushed granite and dried lemon peel nuances. In the mouth this medium-bodied wine simply shimmers, illuminated by its fresh vibrant acids and an intense, concentrated, harmonious melange of nectarine, peach and pear fruits infused with a salty liquid mineral essence that grows incrementally in the glass as the wine continues unfurls. This is an incredibly special wine graced with a real presence, finesse and stand apart greatness. But you do need an extraordinary vintage like 2021 to realise this kind of exceptional quality and also an agile, skilled, artisanal mastermind like Jasper to capture its essence and bottle it for others to experience. Drink this beauty on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
JC Wickens Swerwer Wolwekop Old Vine Semillon 2020, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
This enticing Swartland single vineyard old vine Semillon planted in 1963 shows a brightly polished bronze colour in the glass before delightfully lifted aromatics of sweet yellow honeysuckle, lemon custard, lemongrass, iced tea, white pepper, lanolin, dry bushveld and a dusty granitic mineral spice. Like the nose, the palate also reveals an incredibly plush, harmonious integration with seamless layers of textural and flavour complexity. In true old vine Semillon fashion, the flavours coat the mouth from corner to corner, lingering to display a cornucopia of honied yellow fruits, lemon pastille, pineapple confit, glacé orange peel and a subtle savoury, buttery, pithy white citrus spice on a long, dreamy finish. This really is an astonishingly delicious and profound expression of old vine Semillon that comfortably rubs shoulders with some of South Africa’s greatest expressions, most notably from the Swartland and the Franschhoek Valley. Definitely a savouring, cerebral style of Semillon but also one that every connoisseur will want to have in their cellar. Drink on release or cellar for 10 to 12+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Swerwer wines are imported into the UK by specialist wine merchant Museum Wines and retail for circa £36pb.
With every new vintage release from Sakkie Mouton, you just never know what to expect other than that the boundaries of quality, texture and complexity will once again be pushed a little further as he learns from every consecutive vintage put in bottle. Undoubtedly, the Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc from Koekenaap, which in 2018 was his first wine produced, is now in 2023 nearing a point where the vision for his individual Weskus terroir style is starting to be cemented into something quite substantial and lasting. I probably say it every vintage, but this 2023 for me represents the finest and most grown-up expression of the Crayfish cuvee produced to date.
The 2023 Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin blanc was harvested on two separate dates, the 9th of February and the 16th of February, as the vineyard in Koekenaap ripens in two distinctive stages. Grapes were hand harvested early in the morning, then taken to a cold room and cooled down for one night. The next day the grapes were whole bunch pressed in a membrane press, with the juice being taken to a stainless steel tank for natural cold settling and no enzymes were added except for a little sulphur. Clear juice was racked off the next day into a stainless steel tank and some 500 litre barrels for natural Fermentation to start. Fermentation took about 40 days to complete. Afterwards, all the finished wine was moved to old 500 litre barrels to age for a further 10 months on their gross lees before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. No malolactic fermentation took place.
Sakkie Mouton Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Koekenaap, 13.2% Abv.
3.4g/l RS | 7.3g/l TA | 3.16pH
Already in its sixth vintage, this new Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2023 once again pushes the boundaries of intensity, clarity, and purity of characterful Weskus Chenin Blanc fruit sourced from the unique Koekenaap coastal vineyards located about five kilometres from the cold Atlantic ocean on well drained Sandstone soils. This latest release shows a wonderfully complex aromatics of taut lime peel, freshly grated green apple, white blossom, apricot pip, fresh fennel leaf, and a subtle hint of under ripe green pears. The evolution of the Crayfish style is most evident in the way Sakkie has learnt to tame the Weskus briney maritime rock salt salinity and integrate it into a more complete, classy, layered expression while retaining plenty of liquid minerality and the kelpy, nori seaweed nuances. The larger format 500 litre oak barrels also seem to bring out the very best characteristics of the Chenin Blanc fruit, exposing a more glycerol, textured mid-palate packed full of pithy lime peel, white peaches, and savoury apple notes. This wine is not only one of Sakkie’s finest whites bottled to date, but also one of the most delicious and mouthwatering whites I have drunk all year. My admiration for this young winemaker grows with every subsequent vintage release! Well done Sakkie. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Sakkie Mouton wines are imported into the UK by South African fine wine specialist Museum Wines and are available strictly subject to allocation for circa £39 per bottle.
