Grenache Blanc

Experimentation Meets Premium Quality at Brookdale Estate – Tasting this Paarl Boutique Winery’s New 2025 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Brookdale Estate is undoubtedly a winery that rewards the curious. Founded by UK-born proprietor Tim Rudd, who saw immense potential in what was once overgrown, underutilised land in the Klein Drakenstein Valley, the estate was built with a clear vision: to craft world-class blends from varietals rarely seen in South African vineyards. Set beneath the Granite peaks of Paarl, this is terroir explored in unconventional ways — a growing range of maverick wines each harvest. 

Since its first vintage in 2017, the estate has built a reputation for character-driven, elegant wines, guided today by rising winemaker star Xander Sadie alongside Shanice du Preez, following a period of early consultation from Duncan Savage, one of South Africa’s most respected cellar minds.

Tasting in Cape Town last year with winemaker Xander Sadie.

Across the Brookdale and second label Mason Road ranges, you can expect Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, and Syrah worked with old-world restraint and new-world daring, boasting honeyed stone fruits, saline Granitic minerality, and long, textured finishes rather than obvious fruit-forward simplicity. This is a wine estate for connoisseurs drawn to provenance and experimentation in equal measure: minimal intervention, thoughtful farming, and a genuine sense of place and terroir. Brookdale Estate doesn’t chase trends so much as quietly redefine what Paarl can do, one unusual and deliberate bottling at a time.

Brookdale Estate Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Paarl, 13% Abv. 

This is the wine that started the whole Brookdale story almost 10 years ago with the release of the 2017 Chenin Blanc. Today, this Old Vine Certified Heritage vineyard planted in 1985 is widely recognized for its premium quality and unique Paarl terroir. With the 2024 release, you have yet another classically imposing Chenin Blanc expression showing evocative aromatics of white peach, ripe quince, honey and pineapple pastille before intricate terroir notes of fynbos, wet straw bales and herbal spice nuances. The palate is explosive and intense, deliciously glycerol and concentrated with textural layers of peachy flesh, honeycomb and subtle hints of salted caramel that melt away into apple puree notes. The acids are exceptionally well integrated, delectably tangy, supporting the palate breadth and depth admirably. This is a substantial 2024 offering that perhaps has more in common stylistically with the more concentrated expressions of the 2025 vintage than the more ethereal, crystalline styles that typify 2024. Undoubtedly a triumph for Brookdale and a triumph for Old Vine Chenin Blanc pedigree. Drink now to 2036+.

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

Brookdale Bradbourne Estate White Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 13.5% Abv.

In 2025, the Estate White blend features 59% Grenache Blanc, 23% Roussanne, 12% Marsanne, 4% Palomino and 2% Vermentino aged for 10 months in large-format oak barrels. This Mediterranean meets Rhone blend shows plenty of stone fruit characters with aromatics of lemon grass, crystalised stem ginger and sweet herbs over a lemon citrus and lemon biscuit complexity. As expected from 2025, the palate is majestically focused and intense, richly textured and characterful, packing plenty of tightly wound pithy fruit concentration, bright tangy acids and a long, savoury, leesy, delicately stony mineral finish with a notable phenolic grip. Drink now to 2034+.

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

Brookdale Estate Grenache Blanc 2025, WO Paarl, 13% Abv.

This is my first encounter with the Grenache Blanc from Brookdale after walking the young newly planted vineyards multiple times over the years. Listed under Brookdale’s “Rare & Unusual” range, Grenache Blanc is slowly building up quite a quality performance record in the Cape winelands and this delightful 2025 continues this trend. The aromatics are incredibly pure and precise with focused aromas of pithy lemon and lime citrus, lemon grass, dried baking spices and subtle Granitic mineral stony nuances. The palate shows an equally pure crystalline character with delicate candied ginger notes emerging alongside crystalised lemon slices, Schweppes bitter lemon and yellow candied bon bon confectionary notes. Delicately spicy, deliciously tangy and beautifully refreshing. What a cracker! Drink now to 2034+.

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

Brookdale Estate Sixteen White Field Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.

Always one of the most intriguing wines in the Brookdale range, this 2025 is an absolute superstar made up of sixteen different bush vine cultivars interplanted in a single vineyard. The aromatics are bold and bright, brimming with pithy yellow citrus, white peach, honeysuckle floral perfume, before green pear, dried herbs and a strong, stony mineral vein. The palate is fleshy and textural while retaining a certain crispness, refreshed by tangy bright acids alongside a big fruit concentration of peaches, quince and delicate stone fruits. Very expressive and confident, this could be the finest Sixteen produced to date. Drink now to 2036+.

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

Brookdale Estate Grenache Noir 2025, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.

Also a first tasting for me of the Brookdale Grenache Noir, which in 2025 was 20% whole-bunch fermented before being matured for eight months in 2,500 litre foudre. On the nose, plenty of exotic notes emerge with hints of potpourri, rose petals and Asian five spice over a medley of red and black berry fruits which retain a certain bloody, irony spiciness and a seductively wild hedgerow bramble berry earthiness. In the mouth, there is plenty of succulent red berry fruit with a comfortingly fleshy, generous texture, fine creamy tannins and long, warming glycerol finish with yet more exotic spices. A ripe, bold style of Grenache that manages to retain a sense of grace and elegance. Drink now to 2034+.

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

Brookdale Estate Twenty Red Field Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.

Following in the footsteps of the Sixteen White Field Blend, the Twenty does exactly what it says on the tin, being a field blend of twenty red cultivars interplanted as bush vines in a single vineyard. Matured for around a year in concrete eggs and 500-litre barrels, the aromatics are explosive with high toned perfumed violets and cherry blossoms bursting from the glass, complemented by black cherries, blueberries and earthy black currant fruits. On the palate, there is a cool, refined elegance, the texture satin soft and creamy, before layers of succulent blue and black berry fruits emerge, cushioned by soft integrated acids, a warming alcohol and silky tannins. A truly fascinating, seductive offering that harks back to the classical field blend reds of yesteryear produced in Spain and Portugal. Drink now to 2034+.

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

The Brookdale Estate and Mason Road wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Hallgarten Wines.

Tasting the New 2025 RAAR Releases from the Riebeek Valley Wine Co. in the Swartland…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The 2025 vintage arrives on the market as one of the most talked-about in recent Swartland memory. After winter rains replenished groundwater and set vines up for a healthy viticultural season, a cool, dry growing period unfolded, often being described as a “Goldilocks” year in contrast to the deluges of 2024. 

For the whites, moderate, dry harvest conditions allowed grapes to reach the cellar in excellent health, delivering wines with bright acidity, vivid fruit purity and real textural precision. The reds benefited from the same steady ripening window, with the Swartland’s noble red cultivars like Syrah developing intense colour, concentrated flavours and firm natural acidities, while low yields helped concentrate the wines’ character further.

The result is a premium RAAR range from the Riebeek Valley Wine Co. that captures a vintage of balance and clarity, producing wines that speak honestly of their terroir, a well chosen picking window, and winemaker Sheree Nothnagel’s distinctive, low-intervention style. 

Raar Grenache Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.

Both Grenache Noir and Grenache Blanc have been two absolute success stories in the Cape over the past decade, with both cultivars finding a comfortable home in the Swartland region and surrounds. This small batch production white in the RAAR range is an absolute delight, with incredibly intricate aromatics loaded with white flowers, pithy white citrus, green apple, honeysuckle, crunchy peaches and a pronounced mineral undertone of Granitic spice. On the palate, the energy is almost boundless, the palate tart, tangy and deliciously fresh with a succulent lemony acidity supported by pithy lemon and yellow grapefruit notes, green apple, fennel root and a pithy wet stone minerality on the drying saline finish. A wonderful expression to enjoy now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

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

Raar Skin Contact Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv. 

This Old Vine certified bush vine Chenin Blanc was planted in 1979 on decomposed Granite soils. After a cold soak on its skins for six days, the wine was fermented in barrel using wild yeasts before being aged on its fine lees for six months. The aromatics show reductive notes of struck flint, dusty crushed Granite, dried straw, bruised yellow orchard fruits and subtle pithy orange marmalade hints. The palate is pithy and spicy, with a notable wet stone minerality, green apple, white peach and an exotic dried herbal complexity on the finish. A characterful, mineral laden, picante expression of skin contact Chenin Blanc making it the perfect gourmet-styled wine pairing option to drink now and over the next 3 to 5 years. (3,733 bottles produced.)

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

Raar Grenache Noir 2025, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

This light to medium bodied red shows a beautiful aromatics of sweet purple flowers, a delicate sapidity, pressed violets, cranberries and savoury red bramble berry fruits. The palate displays the distinction and intensity of a great vintage like 2025, packed with a glycerol fruit concentration, a stony mineral skeletal frame, fresh integrated acids and sweet, soft pithy red berry fruits that linger long on the finish. You might need to give this young wine some time to add complexity, but stylistically, it’s a real beauty! Drink now to 2034+. (5,600 bottles produced.)

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

Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2025. WO Swartland, 14% Abv. 

Few grapes perform as well in the Swartland as Shiraz or Syrah, and this small batch production of 4,436 bottles used intra-cellular fermentation on 100% of the whole-bunches in the style of France’s Beaujolais region, followed by alcoholic fermentation, extended skin contact and then eight months barrel ageing before bottling. Always one of the most impressive cuvees in the RAAR range, this 2025 is certainly no different, bursting with a perfumed aromatics of violets, fresh rose petals, savoury black currants, black olive tapenade, sweet red peppercorns, cured bresaola and delicate hints of leafy sapidity. The texture on the palate is tight knit and creamy with a pronounced mineral chalky tannin structure, a tart bright integrated acidity and a beautifully spicy red and black berry fruited medley on the finish. Wonderful energy and a mouth watering acidity make this a particularly attractive red wine expression suitable for serving gently chilled. Drink now to 2032+.

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

Raar Petite Sirah 2025. WO Swartland, 14% Abv.

This Petite Sirah, aka Durif, profiles an opulent cultivar grown in the Swartland, made from dry-grown bush-vine grapes that were wild fermented with 30% whole bunches and extended post-fermentation maceration, then aged in old French oak barrels for eight months. The result is an opulent, ever so slightly hedonistic red expression that is bursting with aromatics of red plum compote, mulberries and earthy black currants. Super ripe and intense, there is a notably picante character on the palate, that’s layered with sweet black and blue berry fruits, hints of molasses and stewed black orchard fruits. The tannins add a drying structural support of chalky minerality and sweet berry fruits to finish with a delicately chewy, grippy persistence. Young, bright and exotic, this could be the perfect wine for a barbeque / braai. Drink now to 2032. (2,490 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration is a regularly high scoring wine, cracking 95/100 GSMW for the 2025 release.

Anysbos Winery – The Best Kept Secret in the Western Cape’s Bot River Wine Region…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Located in the heart of the Bot River valley, Anysbos is far more than a traditional winery; it is a holistic farm where the wild beauty of the Overberg meets refined, small-batch craftsmanship. Established by Johan and Sue Heyns, the farm takes its name from the Anysboegoe, a local wild anise shrub that dots the landscape. This connection to the land is the winery’s guiding light, emphasizing a deep respect for the indigenous flora and the unique shale-heavy soils of the region.

The winemaking, led by the talented Marelise Niemann, focuses on varieties that thrive in the valley’s dry-land conditions. Anysbos has carved a niche for itself with its Rhône-style blends and exceptional Chenin Blanc. Signature labels like the Tesame (a Grenache-led blend) and the Disdit white blend are celebrated for their elegance, bright acidity, and true “sense of place.” Beyond the cellar, Anysbos is a Mediterranean-inspired sanctuary. The farm is equally famous for its award-winning goat’s cheese and its sprawling olive groves, which produce some of the finest oils in the district. By integrating livestock, fynbos conservation, and viticulture, Anysbos stands as a premier example of the authentic, unpretentious, and high-quality farming that defines the Bot River community. 

I recently caught up with owner Johan for dinner in London while he was on a whirlwind tour of the market. Together we tasted a range of wines that are undoubtedly one of the best kept secrets of the Bot River wine region.

Anysbos Disdit 2022, WO Bot River, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 69% Chenin Blanc, 13% Roussanne, 12% Marsanne and 6% Grenache Blanc. The Chenin shows beautifully with hints of lemon grass, lanolin and waxy lemon citrus peel. There is lovely energy here, cool, creamy and plush with seamless elegance, fantastic balance and deliciously tangy acids. Impressive concentration and focus, this is a beautifully fresh Rhone blend! Drink now to 2036+.

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

Anysbos Disdit 2023, WO Bot River, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 57% Chenin Blanc, 17% Grenache Blanc, 17% Marsanne and 9% Roussanne. An exotic aroma builds off delightful notes of lemon and herbs, buttered white toast, glazed brioche and lees complexity. The palate reveals a creamy balance with a fulsome mid-palate, a really saline, pithy concentration and a long, cool, seamless finish. The acids are soft but invigorating, beautifully integrated, making for a very smart wine. Drink now to 2036+.

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

Anysbos Tesame 2021, WO Bot River, 12.5% Abv.

A blend of 47% Grenache Noir, 45% Syrah and 8% Cinsault aged for 20 months in old oak. A classically cool, taut, fresh vintage speaks with a soft voice, whispering an aromatic complexity of sappy berries, crunchy red fruits full of dried herbs, fynbos spice and an irony ferrous minerality. Such a pretty wine with a cranberry and pomegranate freshness and purity with a delicate bramble berry hint. A really very special wine with such beautiful texture and freshness at such a meagre alcohol! Love it! Drink now to 2038+.

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

Anysbos Tesame 2022, WO Bot River, 13% Abv.

A blend of 55% Grenache Noir, 33% Syrah and 12% Cinsault aged for 16 months in old oak using a partial whole bunch portion. Incredibly pristine and bright, this is an evocative wine with crystalline red berry fruits, cranberry, bramble berry and a fynbos herby spice. The palate expertly walks a tightrope between sweet concentrated red berry fruits, stony minerality and a sweet bay leaf herby, silky finish. Drink now to 2036.

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

Anysbos Tesame 2023, WO Bot River, 13% Abv.

A blend of 56% Grenache Noir, 39% Syrah and 5% Cinsault aged for 16 months in old oak. This is a big, intense, punchy, extroverted style in 2023. Simply put, it takes your breath away. The aromatics are sweet and sappy, layered with dried herbs, fynbos, pithy red plum and red currant berry fruits. The integration and balance on the palate are simply stunning. This is the business! A fabulous wine I’d love a case of in my cellar. Drink now to 2038+.

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

The Anysbos wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Wood Winters Wine Merchants. 

Contact: andrew@woodwinters.com for more information on pricing and allocations.

Tasting and Reviewing the Riebeek Valley Wine Co. Small Batch Boutique Raar 2024 Range of Wines from the Swartland – Part 1…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Riebeek Cellar Wine Co was established in 1941 and is today owned by 30 shareholders, with some 900 hectares of vineyard under cultivation. Under the watchful eye of Sheree Nothnagel, who was previously at Wildehurst Cellar, who moved across at the end of 2019 to head up the Riebeek Valley Wine Co.’s boutique cellar with the Raar range of wines being the small production “jewel in the crown” at this Swartland winery. Samples of their new vintages were received and tasted recently and I kick off with two of my favourites.

Raar Grenache Blanc 2024, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.

Fermented using wild yeasts in old French oak barrels and aged 6 months on its lees yields a deliciously fresh, zesty Grenache Blanc with alluring aromatics of pithy white citrus, white peach, dried orange peel, pear drops, dried herbs, and a delightfully dusty, mineral Granitic undertone. The fabulous precision and clarity evident on the nose follow to the palate that is seamlessly textured, fine grained and pithy with a delicate phenolic grip. In the mouth, notes of white peach, quince and yellow citrus intermingle with a gentle tangy acidity, tangerine peel spice and a sleek liquid minerality. There is plentiful concentration and fruit intensity, which is conveyed with delicacy and elegance, making this a moderately sophisticated offering that will definitely appeal to Southern Rhone white wine lovers. Enjoy on release and over 3 to 5 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) 

Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2024, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.

This slightly esoteric Carbonic Maceration Shiraz was created by encouraging the intra-cellular fermentation inside the grapes using 100% whole-bunch fermentation with a coating of carbon dioxide… a la Beaujolais in France. This is combined with extended skin contact before the wine is barrel aged for 8 months. I remember the first time I tasted this wine and thought… Oh yes… this is just the ticket for a warm summers evening around the braai when served fridge chilled. The aromatics are fragrant and perfumed, packed full of raspberries, red plums, macerated strawberries and savoury bramble berry fruits with a subtle undertone of sappy talky spice, dried herbs and fynbos nuances. On the palate, the savoury bramble berry fruits come to the fore supported by hints of strawberry compote, wood smoke, cherry pipe tobacco and pithy, granitic mineral hints. Packed full of juicy berry fruits, vibrantly energetic, this is just the type of wine a new generation of young wine consumers are embracing. Drink on release and over 3 to 5 years.

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

The Majesty of the Fitou Region On Full Display with This Attractive 2021 White Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine de la Rochelierre is a 15 hectare property in Fitou, right on the French south coast just north of Perpignan, run by Jean-Marie and Emilie Fabre. When I returned to the UK 25 years ago, you couldn’t walk into a supermarket, a high street wine shop or an indie merchant without finding an array of primarily red but also white Fitou wines. Somehow, in the clamour for big name Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone Valley wines, ancient quality wine producing regions like Fitou have been somewhat usurped by more fashionable, more marketed regions. But the promise of quality certainly remains.

At Domaine de la Rochelierre, they use the Cousinié method to care for their vines, a combination of organic and biodynamic principles without fully subscribing to either school, and their Cuvée Camille is a positively joyful blend of southern varieties, featuring 50% Vermentino, 30% Roussanne and 20% Grenache Blanc – which spends just a couple of months in barrel before bottling. Surely it’s time that value and quality seeking drinkers rediscover the magic of the Fitou region again?

Cuvée Camille 60 & XV, Domaine de la Rochelierre 2021, IGP Pays d’Oc, 13.5% Abv. 

The 2021 is an excellent white wine vintage across France in what was a much cooler, fresher vintage. Accordingly, this classy white shows exuberantly pithy aromatics of yellow grapefruit, lime peel, fresh fennel root, green herbs and a wet Granite minerality. The palate is deliciously crisp and fresh with a fine supporting weight of yellow citrus fruits, wet stones, white peach, nutty nougat, garrigue herbs and a pithy phenolic grape skin grip on the finish. What a beautifully versatile, food friendly wine. Drink now on release and over the next 3 to 4 years. 

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

The wines are available in the UK from Private Cellar for £98 per 6 inc. (£16.33pb)

http://www.privatecellar.co.uk

Paradigm Shifting New Wave Wines – Tasting Chris Groenewald’s New Terracura Winery 2024 Edition Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Smiley / Terracura winery project has been one of the funkiest, new wave, experimental projects on the South African wine scene for the past few years. With former winemaker Ryan Mostert moving to London to work in the on-trade, step in multi-talented Chris Groenewald, the once barman, sommelier, wine importer, and distributor to take over the winemaking reins. With plenty of wine trade experience behind him as well as a DipWSET diploma, since 2022, Chris has taken a shared ownership in the Terracura winery project along with original founder and investor, Michael Roets. With the old Swartland winery facility abandoned for storage, the wines are now made in a customised warehouse facility in Parrow, northeast of Cape Town.

 With a lot of enthusiasm and effort, Chris Groenewald and Michael Roets have successfully resurrected this once favoured natty wine cult brand in the local Cape market and have now taken these highly accomplished wines with a difference, back into the international market once again, partnering with UK distributor and keen purveyor of South African wines, Woodwinters. If the quality I tasted across the range with Chris is anything to go by, you can expect this well-conceived wine brand to go from strength to strength.

Winemaker Chris Groenewald

Smiley Fresh White V1 NV, WO Western Cape, 12.5% Abv. 

An impressive blend made up of 82% Chenin Blanc and 18% Grenache Blanc, 60% from 2022 and 40% coming from a combination of vintages from 2016 to 2021. A clean, fresh style, with all the sweet tangy bruised yellow orchard fruit notes that point to the Swartland combined with exhilarating notes of tangerine and yellow grapefruit confit. The palate shows a beautiful balance, a creamy glycerol texture and complex sweet pear notes on a long vibrant finish.

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

Smiley Fresh White V2 NV, WO Western Cape, 11.5% Abv. 

A blend of 46% Chenin Blanc, 15% Colombar, 9% Clairette Blanche, 9% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Semillon, 6% Grenache and 6% Palomino with 52% of the wine coming from the 2023 vintage and 48% from 2022, all with circa 10% skin contact employed. Plenty of lift and exotic spice on this white with aromatic layers stem ginger, ripe quince, crystallised fig, green banana peel and bruised yellow orchard fruits. Cool and fine on the palate, the acids are tangy and the mouthfeel, sleek, harmonious and glycerol despite the meagre 11.5% Abv. Deliciously vibrant and energetic with a mouthwatering freshness on the finish.

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

Silvervis Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv. 

67% of grapes sourced from the higher altitude Sky old vine Chenin Blanc vineyard that sits on deep decomposed Granite soils (kept on their skins for three days) and 33% from the Kweperfontein old vine vineyard Chenin Blanc planted in 1964 on the Waterval farm in the Paardeberg, which was kept on its skins for five days. Shows complex aromatics of fynbos, wet straw, lemon oil and yellow golden delicious apple fruits before white pear, honied peaches and a rich textural mouthfeel with soft tangy acids, spicy ginger and gentle salty Granitic mineral undertones. Very impressive expression.

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

Smiley White NV V6, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv. 

A blend of 86% Chenin Blanc and 14% Grenache Blanc, from vintages spanning 2016 to 2021 (60%) and 40% from 2022, employing 20% skin contact, 3% maderised wine and 1% fermented under flor in old barrels. Maturation vessels include stainless sleet, demijohns, old barrels, and concrete egg. Notions of sweet and savoury with a lovely freshness, notes of orange blossom, ginger, nectarine, sour plum and pineapple wedges with a stony liquid minerality beneath. Lovely balance, elegance and bright tangy mouthwatering acids and a honied, peachy intense savoury finish.

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

Speciale 2023, WO Western Cape, 12.02% Abv.

Made from a blend of 67% Chenin Blanc and 33% Clairette Blanche. The Clairette Blanche saw whole bunch maceration for 3 days and the Chenin Blanc seven days skin maceration. Aged 12 months under flor in a single 300 litre barrel, the aromatics are rich and exotic with a subtle spicy maritime salinity, a sweet sappy fatty complexity, green apple puree, kerosene, and earthy, savoury cedar spice nuances. Rich and fresh in the mouth, there is a polished bright tangy mouthfeel with zippy acids and a soft, waxy citrus peel and yellow orchard fruit pithy intensity. Long, exotic, and delicately sappy but dry on the finish.

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

Smiley Red NV V6, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.

A blend of 45% Syrah and equal parts Touriga Nacional, Grenche, and Cinsault all from the 2021 vintage despite its NV certification. Combination of large old oak and concrete eggs used for maturation. Dark black fruited nose with hints of black currant, coffee beans, fynbos, black olive and savoury meaty nuances. Texture is soft and fleshy with a savoury sweet and sour plummy mocha choc powder spiciness and a delicately mineral, pink musk laden finish. Accessible with creamy powdery tannins and a very friendly seductive length.

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

Smiley Fresh Red V1 NV, WO Western Cape, 12.5% Abv. 

Made from a blend of 43% Cinsault, 31% Syrah and 26% Carignan, 69% of the wine from 2023 and 31% from the 2021 vintage. Whole bunch fermented except for 50% destemmed Cinsault portion. A rich plummy bramble berry character permeates the glass with hints of raspberry compote and stewed strawberry fruits with a sweet and sour tangy acidity, sour red plum, quince, dried herbs, and exotic sappy peppery wood spice hints on the finish. Generous, mouthwatering and thoroughly delicious.

(Wine Safari Score: 89/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Terracura Syrah 2015, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv. 

A wine with almost 10 years age from three terroirs… Granite, Schist, and Iron soils, aged in concrete eggs and a few old oak barrels. Complex and savoury on the nose, the aromatics are not without freshness and savoury, sappy red and black berry fruits, fynbos, black chocolate cocoa notes, and delicate black olive tapenade nuances. The mouthfeel is creamy and mouth coating with lactic chocolate hints and black plum fruits, fine grained spicy tannins and a mineral laden savoury meaty finish. Decidedly old world in style, this will appeal to the legions of Rhone Rangers out there. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

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

The Smiley and Terracura range of wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Woodwinters Wines. Email: Andrew@woodwinters.com for trade and retail prices. (The wines range in retail price from circa £23 for the Smiley White V6, £25 for the Speciale 2023, £30 for the Silvervis.)

Winemaker Corlea Fourie and Bosman Family Vineyards Creating Some Profound Benchmark Wines in Wellington…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The extensive Bosman Family vineyard holdings are based primarily in the Wellington region although a new winery in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus was added to the portfolio in the last few years. As well as owning large swathes of vineyards, the Bosman Family are also one of the leading nurseries for vine rootstocks in South Africa. Under the lead of head winemaker Corlea Fourie, they make some fantastic white and red wines.

But two whites that really stand out head and shoulders above the rest of the wines in their range are the Fides Grenache Blanc and the Optenhorst Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc. The Fides was first produced in 2013 as a ‘project of passion’ for Corlea who is certainly regarded as one of the most talented and precise winemakers in South Africa. This wild ferment skin contact Grenache Blanc has certainly allowed Corlea to ‘let her hair down’ and experiment with her ‘wild side’.

The second wine of note  is the Optenhorst Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc from bush vines planted in 1952. In 2010 the Chenin Blanc Association funded research into the old vineyards of the Cape and it turned out that this was the 4th oldest registered Chenin Blanc vineyard in South Africa.

Bosman Fides 2016 Grenache Blanc, WO Wellington, 14 Abv.

An alluring old gold colour with just the faintest copper tinge. The aromatics are super complex and a little more ‘wild’ than previous vintages. One almost gets the feeling that Corlea has loosened her winemaker grip slightly and allowed this skin contact Grenache Blanc vintage to really express its own personally a little more. The nose is packed with ginger biscuit spice, tangerine peel, bruised yellow orchard fruits, furry yellow apricots, spearmint and complex savoury herbal nutty notes. The palate is sleek, focused and taught, displaying delicious fresh bristling acids, pithy phenolics, bitter orange peel, sweet pineapple and mango pastille fruits, and finishes with a lovely long, textural, harmonious length. A superb effort if not the best to date. Drink now to 2026+

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

Bosman Optenhorst Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2015, WO Wellington, 14.04 Abv.

The 2015 is an even more profound wine than the excellent 2014 Optenhorst. This superb new vintage plays to this wine’s style perfectly. The big rich bold bouquet is brimming with white peaches, tinned pineapple nuances, Golden Delicious apple puree, waxy pear skins and a fine vein of stony minerality. The palate possesses the most explosive concentration and intensity, coating all corners of the mouth with honied apples, yellow citrus, pineapple pastille and orange peel zest while all the while kept tightly under the firm reins of a mouth watering acidity. This is really one of South Africa’s top Chenin Blancs from one of the oldest vineyards in the country. This wine certainly does this heritage vineyard site justice. A real WOW wine. Drink now to 2035+ (RS 2.1 g/l, TA 7.8 g/l, pH 3.0)

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

Another New Super Impressive White Release From Larger Than Life Winemaker Donovan Rall…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

I recently caught up with the Viking giant Donovan Rall to taste his exciting new release whites and reds. I first met Donovan at the White Blend Seminar in 2009 where I co-presented a seminar at Forest44 in Stellenbosch with Eben Sadie. He was attending with a broad who’s who of the younger generation of the South African wine industry. 


He pulled me over at the end and offered up two rare bottles of his sold out first vintage Rall White Blend that had just won 5 stars in the Platter Guide. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Donovan had previously worked at premium London retailer Harvey Nichols with our Handford General Manager, Gavin Deaville. Donovan asked me to take the bottles back to London and enjoy them with Gavin and let him know what I thought of the wine.


Fast forward almost 8 years and Donovan is an established producer of some very fine whites and reds from multiple regions. But it was this unusual, saline, fresh Grenache Blanc 2016 that caught my eye at our recent tasting and made me sit up and pay closer attention.


(The only previous South African Grenache Blanc I’ve enjoyed this much was Chris Williams’s Foundry 2013 that garnered a sizeable amount of praise in the UK media, including very favourable commentary from Tim Atkin MW and Victoria Moore of The Telegraph broadsheet newspaper.)


Rall Grenache Blanc 2016, W.O. Piekenierskloof, 12.5 Abv.

Partially skin Fermented in a combination of open top wood fermenters (20%) and Eggs (80%), then aged in concrete and old oak, this compelling white has a very pronounced saline, sea breeze, briney salinity mixed with yellow stone fruits, white flowers and crunchy white peaches. The palate is taut, displaying a zippy freshness, and a dusty, granitic, alka seltzer mineral complexity. There are some waxy phenolics adding texture and extra depth, but the wine retains great tension and remains fine and focused from start to finish. A genuinely impressive, high achieving expression of Grenache Blanc. Chapeau Donovan!

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