Predictably, the Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon often occupies the majority of wine critics’ column inches, garnering high 90+ point scores on a seemingly regular basis… and not just from local critics either. Both the 2020 and 2021 releases have picked up scores from 97 to 99/100 points from UK as well as respected American critics. So, of course it gives me even more pleasure to review the “other” Cabernet Sauvignon produced by this iconic Stellenbosch producer.
The fruit for this “regular” Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from selected vineyard sites within Stellenbosch, with a conscientious mixture of cool gravelly slopes facing the cooling False Bay and rich red granitic soils located around Stellenbosch to ensure a harmonious and accessible balance of aromas and flavours in the final wine.
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.23% Abv.
2.1g/l RS| 5.9g/l TA | 3.77pH
The 2022 Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon is an attractive and sumptuous pure Cabernet Sauvignon expression brimming with perfumed fresh violets and rose petals, grilled herbs, black cherry compote, black tea and creme de cassis. There is a real fleshy tenderness to the wine that shows a deliciously accessible Cabernet fruit typicity, laced with cherry tobacco, mulberries and Black Forest gateau nuances. Medium bodied with a harmonious integrated freshness and a mouth watering salinity following to an expansive finish with majestically subtle sweet mineral tannins, this wine has everything you could possibly want from an affordable, pure fruited Stellenbosch Cabernet. Drink this beauty on release and over the next 8-10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.39% Abv.
1.6g/l RS| 5.4g/l TA | 3.70pH
This quintessential classically styled Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 exhibits attractive aromatics of shaved lead-pencil infused with black berries, black cherry, moist tobacco, iodine and precocious fragrant notes of violets and white spring flowers over graphite and a granitic minerality. The palate is medium bodied with incredibly fine-grained tensile tannins and delectable mouthwatering acids that really bring this wine to life. After a few hours of breathing, the wine unfurls to reveal an incredibly well integrated oak profile, restrained enough to let the inky, saline crème de cassis and black cherry fruits really shine in the glass. There is an effortless sense of power, mid-palate tension and textural precision but also a delicacy and purity. Such a wonderfully fresh, vibrant, elegant expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that celebrates the charm and purity of a cooler, slower ripening vintage like 2021. A stylish classical red wine that will continue to reward the drinker for at least 10 to 15+ years after vintage. A truly affordable luxury fine wine.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Le Riche wines are imported into the UK by Boutinot Wines and are available retail from specialist South African merchants like Museum Winesfor around £22-£24 per bottle.
The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Le Riche Wines represents a veritable masterclass in the art of blending specially selected Stellenbosch terroirs from vines grown on decomposed granitic soils, sandy/loamy duplex gravels and deep clay rich oakleaf soils on the Simonsberg mountain range. Vintage after vintage, the Le Riche family, starting with father Etienne, and now continuing more latterly with Christo, have consistently produced some of the finest and most noteworthy single varietal Cabernet Sauvignons in the Cape… and finally, the world is waking up to this phenomenon.
This year’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a vineyard blend of grapes sourced from around Stellenbosch, including 67% Helderberg, 22% Simonsberg and 11% Jonkershoek Valley, which were matured in 70% new French oak for 24 months. (Helderberg Coastal, three vineyards; Simonsberg-Stellenbosch Single Vineyard; Jonkershoek Valley Single Vineyard).
As Christo reiterates, Reserve status is only endowed if the grapes and the resulting wine measures up to exceptional standards. Hand selected grapes from older, lower yielding vines are generally used and fermentation is done with a selected yeast strain under controlled temperatures. Manual plunging during this period ensures optimal colour extraction. After seven days the tanks are closed and allowed to macerate for a further period, normally 10-14 days. Pressing follows and the wine is transferred to barrel for a natural secondary malolactic fermentation. After a year in barrel, the individual batches are blended to form the final wine and returned to barrel for another year before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wines are matured in bottle for one year before global release.
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
1.9g/l RS | 5.7g/l TA | 3.79pH
This highly anticipated 2021 release comes hard on the heals of the highly rated 2020 and 2019 from Christo Le Riche, and the impressive 2021 completes the trilogy of block buster vintages from this Cabernet specialist. Unwinding in the glass, the aromatics show delicately musky, perfumed notes of white flowers, crème de cassis, blueberries, black berries and freshly tilled earth hints that mingle with notions of dried herbs, thyme and fresh mint leaf, dried peach skins over graphite, granite dust and delicate dark chocolate cocoa spice nuances. The palate is beautifully silky and creamy, full and broad yet velvety soft and plush, voluminous but delicately elegant, finely detailed and weightlessly concentrated. Tight and compact, seductively seamless in the truest sense with an incredibly integrated acid fruit balance, a lively purity, and supple sweet tannins on the long, piercing finish. If 2019 had the muscle and power and 2020 the seductive elegance, balance, and accessibility, the 2021 is a stand apart expression, as unique as the vintage itself. Simply sublime, awesome even, and most definitely a vintage that will come to define premium quality Cabernet for years to come. A true classic that will richly reward bottle ageing. Drink on release and over the next 20 to 30+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Le Riche wines are available to UK wine trade from Boutinot Wines and to consumers from Museum Wines.
As the saying goes, it never rains but pours! Well, that sadly seems to be the case in the Cape at the moment with very unseasonal storms and flooding deluging the winelands at the moment when mild Spring weather is supposed to be arriving instead. But there is another sort of deluging going at the moment as multiple new fine wine releases from South Africa hit the UK and EU marketplace in September and October in a fairly relentless fashion.
One such wine is the highly regarded Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon which is only produced in the very best vintages. After the incredible success of the 2019 Reserve release last year which was named the Platter Wine Guide Red Wine of the Year, stocks naturally did not hang about for long. Then, just when Etienne and Christo Le Riche thought things might be a little easier with the 2020 release which was produced in larger volumes, Tim Atkin MW went and scored the wine an eye watering 99/100 in his latest 2023 South Africa Report, adding to a renewed feeding frenzy in the market.
One thing that is not in doubt is the pedigree and quality that is invested in the brand of Le Riche when it comes to premium Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. The world has already woken up to the fact that it is not just Bordeaux and California that can produced astonishing examples of pure Cabernet Sauvignon, and South Africa is now also in the running albeit at far more competitive consumer prices which especially resonates when you consider the quality in the bottle. I recently cracked the Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 and was once again pleasantly surprised. Could the 2020 live up to the hype of 2019?
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14.97% Abv.
1.6g/l RS | 5.7g/l TA | 3.78pH
The 2020 is a 65% blend of Helderberg Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Simonsberg-Stellenbosch Single Vineyard and 13% Helderberg Mountain Single Vineyard fruit that was aged in 76% new French oak barrels for 24 months. The Le Riche Reserve classification is endowed only on the very finest quality wines that live up to exceptional standards. This 2020 is a deep dark garnet-purple in colour and the aromatics take some time to unfurl in the glass before revealing an impressively flamboyant core of classical Cabernet Sauvignon fruit notes of pressed violets, black cherry preserve, earthy black currant, baked black plums with subtle hints of dark chocolate, graphite, iron filings, pencil shavings and hoisin plum sauce. Medium bodied and noticeably suave and elegant, the palate texture is fine grained and silky with an accessible generosity, creamy plush tannins, chocolate praline, wood spice and a long, showy, piquant salty finish that is compact, polished and impressively persistent. Etienne and Christo Le Riche think this is one of their best Reserve Cabernet’s produced yet, and considering its refinement and precision, they may well be right. Start drinking in 2 to 3 years’ time and over the next 15 to 20+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Le Riche wines are imported into the UK and distributed to trade by Boutinot Wines and are available retail at circa £56pb from South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
A lot of wine producing countries around the world regularly used the word “Reserve” on wines that do not strictly merit the accolade. Perhaps spending a little longer in oak or maybe picked a little riper, there are many representations of what the term means. But for Etienne and Christo Le Riche, Reserve status is only bestowed on a wine if the grapes, mainly from older lower yielding vines, and the resulting wine measures up to an exceptional standard. This is the yardstick collectors and connoisseurs have come to expect when they buy a bottle of this benchmark Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon also represents a masterclass in the art of blending special Stellenbosch terroirs from vines grown on decomposed granitic soils, sandy/loamy duplex gravels and deep clay rich oakleaf soils from the Simonsberg.
Vintage after vintage, the Le Riche family, starting with father Etienne, and now continuing more latterly with Christo, have consistently produced some of the finest and most noteworthy single varietal Cabernet Sauvignons in the Cape. If you don’t know these wines intimately already, I suggest you dive in and see what all the fuss is all about! You will not be disappointed.
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14.19% Abv.
1.6g/l RS | 5.9g/l TA | 3.68 pH
This is a wine I have been looking forward to tasting for some time. Benchmark every year, the 2019 is a truly sublime creation that is totally captivating from the moment you pull the cork. This year’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a vineyard blend of grapes sourced from around Stellenbosch, including 46% Firgrove, 26% Helderberg, 15% Simonsberg and 13% Raithby, which were matured in 92% new French oak for 24 months. The aromatics on this pure Cabernet Sauvignon are incredible – lifted, complex and pristinely perfumed with violets and rose petals over saline crème de cassis, iodine and kelp, blueberry and black currants, sweet cedar spice and subtle mineral graphite undertones. Sometimes you just strike gold on a red wine where you find it difficult to move past the bouquet because it’s so expressive, animated and complex. The palate too has a beautiful density and piercing concentration but is also one of the first 2019 blockbuster reds that makes me think of the top premium 2017 Cabernets with their weightless fruit concentration and ethereal complexity. The fruit is so beautifully pinpoint and focused with hints of oyster shell, black cherry and maritime salinity over black berries, bramble berries and creamy, silky soft ripe tannins that envelop the palate. This is simply a monumental effort from Christo Le Riche and most definitely one of those wines that forces you to buy a case even when you know you already have enough wine maturing in the cellar. Irresistible! Drink the 2019 now after a short decant on and over the next 20+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Le Riche wines are distributed in the UK to trade by Boutinot’s Third Floor Wines and available retail via South African specialists like Museum Wines at circa £51.99 per bottle. http://www.museumwines.co.uk
Now established as one of South Africa’s true first growth Cabernet Sauvignons, Christo Le Riche has certainly had a jolly old time of late with an incredible run of form with the Le Riche Reserve 2015, 2016 and 2017 all rated outstanding. This new release 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon combines grapes from vineyards in Firgrove (31%), the Jonkershoek Valley (31%), Raithby (24%) and the Simonsberg (12%) which were aged for 24 months in 76% new French oak barriques to create another notable flagship red worthy of global recognition.
The hand selected grapes from older, lower yielding vines were used and fermentation was done with a selected inoculated yeast strain under controlled temperatures. Manual plunging during this period ensured optimal colour extraction. After five days the tanks were closed and allowed to macerate for a further period of around 10-14 days. Pressing followed and the wine was transferred into barrel for the secondary malolactic fermentation. On completion, a final quality check and analysis was performed and then the Reserve cuvee was prepared for barrel ageing. Bottling was followed by hand labelling and further bottle maturation before release.
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.87% Abv.
1.4 g/l RS | 5.6 g/l TA | 3.77 pH
Another very impressive Cabernet Sauvignon, the aromatics are pure and classy, dominated by cool dark maritime saline notes of salty crème de cassis, kelp, picante black cherry and vibrant scents of crushed blackberries, star anise, cardamom, salty black liquorice and hints of creamy vanilla oak spice. The palate is super sleek, supple and lithe with a fabulously elegant texture, silky soft mineral graphite tannins, a loose knit mid-palate fleshy black fruit generosity and tons of vibrant acid freshness on the finish. This is a classical Le Riche Reserve Cabernet at its most seductive, although it is, rather amazingly, so approachable, expressive and absolutely delicious right now on release but undoubtedly capable of another good 15+ years of prime cellaring.
In the words of winemaker Christo le Riche… “2017 was a great vintage!” The stand out factor that links it to 2015, and the possible reason these two vintages are putting up their hands as some of the greatest ever in modern South African winemaking history, is the moderate yet consistent weather the winelands experienced during ripening. Chatting to Christo, he feels confident that “…pre-veraison, the drought worked its magic, but it seems that having few to no heat waves and a long autumn was certainly the key to greatness even though evenings were slightly warmer on average.”
While many wineries are super proud of the final in-bottle quality of their wines, it was by no means an easy vintage. Christo explains… “In the winery it was a complete nightmare. All the Cabs, except one block, ripened within eight days. In 2020 we picked over 29 days in comparison. In 2017 we ran out of tank space, forcing me to become creative with fermentation vessels. But luckily, everything worked out in the end and the quality is exceptional. The IPT (total tannin levels) on the wines were the highest I have seen. It was also the year I met my wife!” In many ways, Christo reminded me of the comments from Bordeaux winemakers during both the 2009 and 2010 harvests, two of the greatest vintages in the region since the epic 1989-1990 duo. All that the winemakers could talk about was the highest IPT readings they had ever recorded, yet the wines were still silky, smooth and soft with delicious balancing ripeness and fabulous finesse.
So when it came to tasting and reviewing the exciting new Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, I thought I would do my tasting a little bit differently. Christo kindly sent me a bottle of the 2016, which I had not tasted yet either, along with the new 2017 which is only due for release towards the end of the year, and then I added one of my last 2015s to the line up. Finally, inspired by Christo’s comments about the wines IPTs, I decided to add a top bottle of Bordeaux red from a similar vintage into the line up to help calibrate all the scores. I chose the classic Leoville Barton 2016 because not only is it unquestionably a benchmark winery, but the wine has been scored 95+/100 from The Wine Advocate and 97/100 from the Wine Spectator magazine and was also crowned their Number 1 Wine of the Year in 2019! Big kudos indeed.
The Mini Le Riche Vertical Tasting
Wine 1:
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
The generosity of the epic 2015 vintage has without question of doubt produced a really beautiful expression of pure Cabernet Sauvignon… as well as possibly one of the greatest red wine vintages ever in South Africa. What is most striking about this wine is its incredible purity and perfume that rises out of the glass imperiously in multiple waves of fragrant cherry blossom, violets, potpourri and crushed rose petals. It possesses copious amounts of mocha, sweet tobacco leaf, dried herbs, cedar spice, black currant coulis and a delicious earthy, brambly, wild forest berry complexity. The palate continues to show such sophistication and textural seduction with classical Cabernet flavours filling every corner of the mouth. Still beautifully charming, but a little less open-knit and expressive than it was even last year as it starts to perhaps enter its slumber and shut down a little. Undoubtedly, this wine reveals the class of a truly great vintage with a full bodied fleshy weight, a finely delineated purity and the most charming harmonious balance and intensity. Start drinking this wine in 3-5 years time and over the next 25+ years. It’s a true thing of beauty.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 2:
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
The 2016 Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was always going to be a highly scrutinised creation following the incredible 2015. But hats off to Christo Le Riche, he has conjured up another exceptional effort. When you are talking about one of the leading proponents of Cabernet Sauvignon in the country, I guess there aren’t really “off vintages” in any real sense. Where the 2016 departs from the 2015 is in its plumper, rounder, fleshier texture and palate weight. Still fabulously pure fruited and approachable, the nose boasts wonderful overt aromatics of cedar spice, plumy richness, violets and vanilla pod, exotic blackberry preserve, sweet tobacco leaf and complexing mineral graphite notes. Full bodied, plump and showy, the palate has very attractive curves and stands out as an exceptional effort in a hot, dry vintage. The tannins are svelte, soft and silky and the mouthfeel fleshy, creamy but intense, with an admirable salinity and freshness on the long, pure black fruited finish. The wine is not as strict or linear as the 2015 but more generous already at this young age. It’s an exceptionally attractive pure Cabernet nevertheless. Drink now and over the next 10 to 15+ years. (Le Riche has created only 4,500 bottles of this particular reserve, marking their second smallest vintage to date.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 3:
Chateau Leoville Barton 2016, Deuxieme Cru Classe Saint Julien, 13% Abv.
The Château Léoville Barton comprises 48 hectares of vines on the north side of Saint Julien, with south-facing hillsides with elevation. The 2016 is a classic blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest of the blend made up by Merlot. The result is a wine that displays all the classic Left Bank Bordeaux notes with a strong graphite core but also vivid notes of dried violets, rose petals and potpourri spice. Regarded as one of the top wines in a vintage that is now considered benchmark on the Left Bank, the palate is a little tight and subdued to start but once you warm up the engine, this wine reveals a lot of horse power of blue and blackberry fruit flavours, dusty graphite and liquid minerality, salty oyster shell nuances and an intense, saline, crème de cassis finish with just the finest hint of liquorice candy. The tannins are still bold and powerful as you would expect on a young Bordeaux of this quality, but the whole package is tight, compact and super impressive. Opened for the purpose of benchmarking the quality of the Le Riche Reserve Cabernets, but otherwise, its certainly not a wine I would anticipate drinking for another 10+ years at least. (Technically speaking, at 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, this could be labelled a varietal Cabernet.)
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 4:
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
Tasted alongside the 2015 and 2016 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for added perspective reveals a wine that is quite simply drop dead gorgeous. While 2017 is of course another excellent vintage for reds in the Cape and the quality of this icon was always expected to be high, I was not anticipating it being this good! The aromatics are super fragrant and exuberant, showing intricate perfumed notes of violets and lilacs, cinnamon stick, cedar and sandalwood, cigar box and wonderfully complex herbal hints of thyme, dried fennel seeds and Chinese five spice. There is an impressive elegance and gravitas to the silky, finely textured palate which boasts all the classical Cabernet notes of black currants and black plum, crème de cassis, graphite and savoury, earthy nuances of freshly tilled earth. A beautifully proportioned, multi-dimensional wine that shows such a harmonious balance and sophisticated composure reserved for only the finest red wines around the world. Medium bodied, super elegant and weightlessly intense, the fruit flavours are perfectly ripe and precise, growing in the mouth and energised by an exhilarating freshness that holds everything in place so effortlessly. Certainly one of the most ‘complete’ wines I have tasted from the 2017 vintage so far. Drink this beauty on release but be sure to hold back a couple of cases for long term cellaring of 10, 15 or 20+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is scheduled for release at the end of 2020.
The new release Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 from Le Riche is an incredible creation made with expertise honed over two generations. With Christo Le Riche really starting to hit his stride following decades of hard work by his father Etienne, he has expertly leveraged the excellence of the 2017 vintage to create a superbly supple and elegant wine with weightless fruit concentration and layers of sleek textural balance.
The grapes for the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon were sourced from Stellenbosch vineyards in the Simonsberg, Jonkershoek and Helderberg wards. Each vineyard block was separately vinified for one year, blended and subsequently aged for another 12 months. The result is a complex multi-dimensional wine with excellent maturation potential.
While not everyone can ultimately afford to stock their cellar with the lauded Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon releases that continue garner massive reviews, high scores and ongoing global acclaim, they certainly can access the exceptional Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon releases at very affordable prices. Who would not want to buy this incredible wine in a truly iconic vintage like 2015 or 2017.
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5 Abv.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from Le Riche may only be their “entry level” edition, but it displays many of the impressive complex characteristics that have made their Reserve wines so iconic and collectable internationally. The 2017 colour is an alluring deep garnet-purple on this youthful wine. The bouquet lifts out the glass little by little with a delicate violet perfume but also with significantly more overt and expressive notes of black cherries, red currants, dark chocolate and spicy underbrush tones that melt into nuances of freshly tilled earth. The minerality is very subtle and chimes with faint notes of freshly cut cedar and graphite. On the palate, the soft, sleek, velvety tannins glide over the palate with well trained precision. Such a fine, elegant, polished texture that shows fabulous approachability, a supple fleshy savoury black currant fruit intensity and an earthy black plum fruit length. Wonderful poise and balance in the mouth, this wine demonstrates all the masterful winemaking skills of Christo Le Riche! Drink it from release or cellar for 10+ years. A “must have” for the cellar!
