Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

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

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

JC Martin and Caroline Martin in London.

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

Creation Chardonnay Vertical:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Creation Art of Pinot Noir Vertical:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flight 1:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flight 2: Pinot Noirs 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Draaiboek Wines Reveal a Stunning New Pair of Chardonnays – Tasting the 2023 Onskuld and Kinkel Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Draaiboek wines may be a name new to many, but it shouldn’t be. Since its maiden release Chardonnay in 2019, this boutique brand created by five friends who met while studying at the University of Stellenbosch in the early 2000s, has grown to be one of the most respected non-brand brands flying under the radar in South Africa, known mostly to the fine wine cognoscenti, the SA wine trade, and fine wine buyers (who mostly buy it for themselves!)

Draaiboek means script in Afrikaans, and as Pieter Lemmer, one of the London based partners tells me, “…we believe every wine has a story to tell. We released our first wine in September 2020, a 2019 Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge Chardonnay. We chose the name Onskuld (meaning innocence) for our first wine, to represent our innocent naivety in starting this journey (and many lessons have been learnt in the process!) We operate essentially as a negociant, buying in fruit, and so far for the Onskuld cuvée, we’ve sourced all our grapes from two single blocks of 10-year-old north-east facing Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge vines at 300 metres altitude planted on Bokkeveld shale with a high clay content. However, in 2023, the Onskuld fruit comes from just one single block of around 14 years old” according to Pieter Lemmer.

Tasting with Stephanie Wiid in London recently.

The Draaiboek wines are made by another good friend of theirs, Stephanie Wiid, from the well know Thistle and Weed winery, who they have also known for many years. Stephanie, along with viticulturalist Etienne Terblanche, have sourced and selected the fruit from La Vierge in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge to create one of the most impressive Chardonnays produced in the Cape. The 2023 expressions are simply astounding and well worth tracking down.

Draaiboek Wines Kinkel Chardonnay 2023, WO Elgin

A bright brilliant crystalline pale gold in the glass, this is another tantalising expression of cool climate Elgin Chardonnay. The aromatics are wonderfully subtle yet sophisticated, just that little bit more ‘grown up’ than most other regional Chardonnays from the wider Cape, displaying seductive notes of wet stone minerality, waxy lemon peel, yellow grapefruit, fennel root, dried baking herbs, lemon biscuits and enticing savoury, leesy nuances. The palate resonates with the same purity and clarity as the nose, showing a bright, energetic crystallinity with impressive linearity and focus on the palate and a precise, polished, fine-tuned texture that is primarily shaped by fresh, cooling acids and a fine array of concentrated pithy white citrus and green apple fruit notes. This Chardonnay represents a masterclass in classical elegance, focus and precision. Another stunner to drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.

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

Draaiboek Wines Onskuld Chardonnay 2023, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge

The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley has been a market leader for premium Chardonnay in South Africa for over two decades, with Elgin slowly starting to muscle in on this dominance in the last 8 to 10 years. The Onskuld Chardonnay, sourced from two single vineyard blocks in the higher altitude Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward, combines the magical mix of power, purity, and intensity to deliver a wine that has all the crystalline purity of cool climate Elgin but with a greater fruit concentration, mineral focus, and tangy fresh piercing acid intensity. A fabulously complex wine on the nose with notes of fennel root, bay leaf, honeydew melon and green citrus, following on to a resonating palate with deliciously tangy acids that are resplendently sleek and glassy, supporting crystalline yellow citrus pastille fruits. This is a rare example of a cool climate South African wine with effortless class and precision, pinpoint focus, but also a bold, racy finish. If this wine was attempting to seduce me, I admit, I am well smitten. A true beauty to drink on release and over the next 10 to 12+ years. 

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

Draaiboek Wines are imported into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.

Jessica Saurwein’s Continued Success On Her Pinot Noir Voyage – Tasting Her New 2022 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Jessica Saurwein set off on a pretty difficult mission a few years ago… to try and conquer Pinot Noir in the Cape winelands and produce some noteworthy examples. She of course was not expecting an easy ride from this heart break cultivar. But these are not just wines with pretty labels, they are excellent artisanal examples of premium Pinot Noir that have cultivated a growing and committed following.

The 2022 vintage releases are another pair of beauties, with very little to separate the two wines quality wise. The vintage offered all the building blocks for some quality wines from these Cape South Coast vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde and Elandskloof. Jessica herself was very pleased with the vintage and the resultant wines and I am sure followers are going to be well impressed once again.

Saurwein Om Pinot Noir 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 14% Abv.

Another attractive Walker Bay Pinot Noir from Jessica Saurwein made from top pedigree fruit sourced on the Place of the Gods Farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward at 300 metres altitude. The wine was aged for 10 months in 228 litre French oak barrels with a 16% new barrel portion. Always a little more savoury and earthy than the Kaaimansgat vineyard expression, this 2022 reveals expressive notes of stewed strawberries, sweet bramble berry spice, red plum, wet peat, and delicately fragrant sweet rose petals. The palate displays impressive concentration of earthy red cherry, red currant, and raisined cranberries with a delicate dusting of sweet exotic spices and pomegranate complexity. A very pretty wine that shows more pure fruited fragrance and finesse over muscle and power while retaining a well-defined, elegant structure with beautifully refined acids. A truly delicious wine to drink over the next 3 to 5+ years to enjoy its purity and precision.

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

Saurwein Nom Pinot Noir 2022, WO Elandskloof, 14% Abv.

The ‘Nom’ cuvee from Jessica Saurwein always seems to lift and carry the extra perfume and aromatics of the Elandskloof Pinot Noir fruit to another level. This 2022 is no exception with a nose packed full of pressed rose petals, musk and sappy spice, iodine, wild strawberry, cherry, and a definite earthy, bramble berry spice nuance. The palate is broad, full and finely textured boasting a delicate weight of fruit and dry extract together with fine mineral tannins enlivened by a bright, crisp acidity and a taut, determinedly focused finish. A very well-crafted expression of this cultivar that as always, will appeal to true lovers of Burgundy. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

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

The Saurwein wines are imported into the UK by Swig Wines and retail for circa £45pb inc.

Draaiboek Wines Continue to Excel with Their Cool Climate Chardonnays – Tasting the New Release Onskuld and Kinkel 2022s…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

There are many new small boutique wineries in South Africa, most of them run by young winemakers who have a full time day job somewhere big and then produce micro quantities of more interesting fine wines or quirky wines on the side in their own time, normally to exercise their creative cravings. But few of these new ventures take on main stream varieties like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay as the market is fairly saturated already with countless big name brands.

But of course, that is exactly what Draaiboek Wines set out to do when they released their first Onskuld Chardonnay 2019 on to the market made by Thistle & Weed winemaker Stephanie Wiid. Focusing only on prime cool climate Chardonnay fruit, the Onskuld label was sourced exclusively from several contracted plots in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward of the Walker Bay region. Four vintages in and Draaiboek Wines has already garnered multiple awards and high critical praise from local and international commentators.

With the 2022 vintage, Draaiboek Wines releases an exciting new Chardonnay cuvee made from Elgin fruit. I visited Draaiboek Wines and Stephanie Wiid in October 2022 and had the opportunity to taste all the component building blocks of both the Kinkel and the Onskuld 2022 vintage, and from the outset, I knew these were both going to be very impressive wines. The new pair were also both recently awarded 5 Stars in the Platter South African Wine Guide, which considering the competition in this category, stands testament to the focus and attention to detail afforded to both of these wines by the Draaiboek team. If you have not tasted Draaiboek Wines yet, and you are an avid Chardonnay aficionado, you must seek them out.

Draaiboek Wines Onskuld Chardonnay 2022, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

1.8g/l RS | 6.6g/l TA | 3.31pH

Draaiboek Wines is producing some of the most exciting Chardonnay coming out of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and this fourth release of the Onskuld Chardonnay is yet another highly accomplished wine. Spending 10 months in 45% new oak barrels on its fine lees, the minimal intervention winemaking definitely allows this cool climate terroir to shine, with aromatics full of earthy lemon peel, leesy biscuit, oatmeal, white citrus blossom and pronounced wet stone, petrichor mineral nuances. In the mouth, the Onskuld is bold and confident with plenty of cool climate acid tension over tangy lemon pastille and tangerine fruit notes. The balance on the wine is very impressive, as the fruit extract melts seamlessly into a harmonious salty crème brûlée and vanilla pod lime peel spice on the finish. There is really a lot to love about this wine which will undoubtedly appeal to connoisseurs of fine white Burgundy. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years. (4,800 bottles produced.)

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

Draaiboek Wines Kinkel Chardonnay 2022, WO Elgin, 13.6% Abv.

1.8g/l RS | 6.7g/l TA | 3.32pH

This fantastic maiden release wine from Draaiboek Wines draws on the very finest elements of the cool climate terroir of Elgin to create a wine from a dry-farmed eight-year-old single vineyard situated on south westerly facing slopes, 255 metres above the coast. Fermented in French oak using 25% new barrels, the wine was aged for 10 months on its fine lees before being bottled unfiltered and unfined. The Kinkel shows a slightly tighter, more restrained aromatic profile on the nose, with subtle hints of lime blossom, lemon peel, Granny Smith apples, dusty limestone, lemon grass and white stone fruits. For all its reserve and wound spring tension, you can sense the electricity pulsing below the surface, waiting to explode on the racy, energetic, saline palate that shows subtle hints of flinty reduction. Once again, like its sibling Onskuld, the oaking is extremely elegant, pinpoint and precise, in no way obscuring the beautiful white citrus zest and liquid minerality that bristles on the taut palate. Seamless, crystalline and delightfully focused, this is a thoroughly exhilarating expression of cool climate Chardonnay and definitely a new release not to be missed! Drink from 2024 to 2034+.

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

Draaiboek Wines are imported into the UK by specialist SA merchant Museum Wines and are offered for retail at circa £36.99 per bottle.

A True Celebration of Premium South African Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Creation’s New Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 3 Comments

Having just celebrated international Pinot Noir day recently, it seems an appropriate time to recognise the truly excellent quality of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir coming out of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in the Walker Bay region. One of the most respected quality focused producers in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward is of course the Creation winery.

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

Carolyn Martin was recently in London with Cape Wine Master Winnie Bowman to present a wonderful multi-flight tasting of Creation’s top cuvees of Art of Chardonnay, Art of Pinot Noir, Glenn’s Chardonnay and Emma’s Pinot Noir, the latter two wines made by their respective son and daughter. The tasting was presented at wine mecca 67 Pall Mall in London with JC joining by Zoom from South Africa.

Flight 1

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2020

Bright and crystalline, there is fabulous lift here with expressive aromatics of white citrus, limestone minerality, lemon and lime peel, with subtle leesy biscuit notes and a well integrated vanilla pod spice over delicately reductive struck flint nuances. The palate is crisp and taut with a brilliance of citrus fruit purity draped over a structured mineral frame. Subtle, incredibly Old World and Burgundian in style but ultimately defined by its freshness and restraint.

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2021

A rich, opulent, expressive vintage that shows extra layers of fruit intensity, leesy complexity and oak spice notes. There are wonderful hints of biscuit and grapefruit preserve, oak spice and sweet lemon peel. This is a textural masterpiece with supreme balance and finesse, with creamy sleek pithy citrus and green apple layers. Very classy but certainly more extroverted and showier than the 2020 vintage.

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

Tasting with Carolyn Martin at 67 Pall Mall in London.

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2022

Deliciously youthful and exotic nose of green apple purée, honeydew melon, yeasty beer and hop nuances over tangy Granny Smit apple and a crystallised lime peel complexity. Embryonic brilliance but shows all the class you’d hope for from a new Creation release.

(Wine Safari Score: 95-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Flight 2

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2020

Very similar to the Art of Creation 2020 but with a subtle, undefinable extra exoticism undoubtedly from the 100% wild yeast fermentation. The aromatics are wild and leesy with nutty savoury notes of salted pistachios and grilled almonds. The palate is impressively full and mouthfilling with a soft creamy and an notably fleshy core of lemon citrus and lemon biscuit, finishing with a long, stony, gravelly liquid mineral finish. Really quite a thrilling wine indeed.

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

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2021

The 2021 shows an aromatic breadth and flamboyance underpinned by sweet white and yellow citrus fruits, lemon pastille, lime cordial and subtle leesy, nutty undertones. The texture is full and fleshy, streamlined, silky and incredibly polished with tangy acids adding zip and energy to the long, concentrated, well defined finish.

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

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2022

A very animated, classy expression that layers pithy stone fruits over lemon cordial, wet slate, green apple and fragrant yellow pear. Texturally very fine, focused and sleek with a silky, creamy palate and a long, savoury, tangy fresh finish. A really beautiful wine that will surely improve with further time in bottle.

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

Flight 3

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2021, 13.1% Abv.

80% whole bunches used. Delicately spicy chalky nose with a lifted perfume of violets, rose petals and a definite sapidity. The intensity is impressive, the mouth-watering complexity really quite profound. Built around a fine acid frame, this is really something special, drinking well now but showing all the classicism, precision and elegance for potential further development. Mineral, sappy, and very seductive.

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

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2022, 13.6% Abv.

A little sweeter and fleshier, the aromatics are opulent and forthright, showing red plum, sour red cherry, tart strawberry and a subtle chalky sapidity. Texturally very fine, silky, soft and harmonious with a generosity that never over steps the boundaries of ripeness of restraint. This is a fabulous new Pinot Noir coming down the tracks. A release not to be missed.

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

Flight 4 

Creation Emma’s Pinot Noir 2022

Opulent and fresh fruited on the nose showing red currant, raspberry, pomegranate and subtle notes of blood orange. There is a real purpose, drive and intensity, but also a classicism and an inner beauty to the Emma cuvées, and this 2022 promises a fine medium term age worthiness. 

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

Creation Emma’s Pinot Noir 2019, 13.5% Abv.

Quite dark and broody on the nose, there is an earthy, brambly, stewed strawberry depth before notes of cranberry, pomegranate, sour red plum and intense chalky mineral nuances reveal themself. Possesses a really beautiful texture, being classical and poised, making for a serious expression of Pinot Noir.

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

Creation Emma’s Pinot Noir 2017

A dark fruited expression with incredibly Burgundian styled aromatics of bramble berries, wild strawberry and hints of forest floor. Sleek, vibrant and still incredibly youthful, the vibrancy, minerality, and chalky black fruits really impress. Ready to go now but certainly no rush.

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

The Creation wines are imported into the UK by Bibendum Wines.

The New Rising Star On the South African Chardonnay Horizon – Tasting the Onskuld Chardonnay 2021 Release from Draaiboek Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

There are a lot of very decent South African Chardonnays on the market, but only a few exceptional examples as many producers do seem to be using either fruit from areas that are perhaps just a little bit too warm, are using grapes from vines planted on the wrong terroir, or perhaps some winemakers have simply hit a bit of a glass ceiling of knowledge when it comes to pushing the boundaries of quality and complexity for this generic grape that is so easily shaped by its terroir but also the hand of the winemaker. In reality, I suspect most of the stumbling blocks in trying to reach ever higher quality relate to vineyard terroir, micro-climates and how much insight a specific winemaker intrinsically has into the Chardonnay grape itself within a Burgundian or a New World style context.

When I was contacted by the owners of Draaibroek Wines, a new Hemel-en-Aarde brand a couple of years ago, and asked if I would be prepared to review their maiden release 2019, I have to say I did not expect much beyond the ordinary. However, as the provenance of the grapes became clearer and who their consulting winemaker was, it is fair to say my interest was substantially peaked. The maiden Chardonnay was made by accomplished winemaker Stephanie Wiid of Thistle and Weed fame, from grapes sourced in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge from the La Vierge farm. My full 92-point review from August 2020 can be read here… https://gregsherwoodmw.com/2020/08/19/an-exciting-new-release-from-the-hemel-en-aarde-ridge-tasting-the-onskuld-chardonnay-2019/

But this is a winery project in a hurry and not content to dabble with mediocrity as witnessed by the exceptional quality of only their second release. The 2020 was rated an impressive 95/100 points on the Fine Wine Safari and only narrowly missed out on 5 Stars (95/100 points and higher) in the South African Platter’s blind tastings. It was indeed a very accomplished wine that augured well for future releases. I then tasted the third vintage 2021 release at Cape Wine 2022 in October last year but did not manage to write a substantive tasting review until retasting this wine again recently. In the interim period, the wine has scored an impressive 96/100 points blind and been awarded 5 Stars in the annual Platter’s Guide.

Sourced from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward in the Walker Bay wine region, the grapes are grown in a single 11-year-old North – East facing trellised vineyard at around 300 metres altitude consisting of clay-rich Bokkeveld shale soils. Made with a philosophy of minimalist intervention, the grapes were hand harvested on the 5th of March and whole bunch pressed before being fermented in French oak barrels, 30% of which were new, and matured on its fine lees for 11 months. A barrel selection was then made prior to blending and bottling.

Draaiboek Wines Onskuld Chardonnay 2021, WO Hemel-en-Aarde, 13.5% Abv.

2.30 g/l RS | 6.1g/l TA | 3.28 pH

The 2021 Chardonnay from Draaiboek Wines is certainly an impressive creation. Immediately lifted and expressive on the nose, the aromatics boast complex layers that slowly unfurl to reveal pristine notes of white flowers, freshly baked baguette, spicy green apples, white citrus, waxy lemon rind and subtle hints of nutmeg. The palate is beautifully weighted with a medium bodied palate breadth and tangy acids that show deliciously racy, saline notes of Seville oranges, tangerine, granny smith apples and warm apple strudel pastries. Such a mouth-watering, joyful expression from one of the best white wine vintages in South Africa in the past decade. Drink this now or cellar comfortably for added complexity for 3 to 8+ years. (3,670 bottles produced.)

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

The wines are available in South Africa from www.draaiboek.wine and in the UK from Ben Prior at Vino SA www.vinosa.wine at circa £32pb.

Tasting the Impressive New 2022 Creation Winery Releases With Owners JC and Carolyn Martin…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Probably one of the most important developments in the South African wine industry over the past 30 years has been the success of selecting the most suitable vineyard sites for the correct variety, leading to regions like Stellenbosch being dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, the Swartland by Syrah and Rhone varieties, Constantia Valley by Sauvignon Blanc and of course Walker Bay and the three Hemel-en-Aarde wards by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. You can use the best vine material and the best cellar techniques, but if the variety is not suited to its planted site, quality will inevitably be capped.

JC and Carolyn Martin, the owners of the Creation winery situated in the picturesque Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward, are synonymous with the production of world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and bought their original 22 hectares of virgin land in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and completed their cellar in time for their 2007 harvest. Their Walker Bay estate has grown since then and now encompasses 50 hectares planted with over 11 varieties, but focused mainly on the production of premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

I recently caught up with JC and Carolyn over a zoom tasting session hosted in London by Dr Winifred Bowman CWM.

White Wine Flight:

Creation Reserve Chardonnay 2020, WO Walker Bay, 13.5% Abv.

Shows an impressively complex aromatics array of vanilla pod and yellow citrus, where sea breeze and rock salt nuances mingle with hints of reduction, struck flint and tart green melon. The palate shows fabulous freshness, tension and intensity of savoury yellow citrus with hints of leesy lemon biscuits, vanilla pod and a tart apple strudel complexity. Lovely crystalline freshness and an impressive dry, mineral finish. Very difficult to fault this delicious Chardonnay. Drink now and over 10+ years.

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

Art of Chardonnay

Made from 18 year old vines in 2020, only 2,150 bottles were produced. Main soils here are bokkeveld shale with a seam of quartz. Whole berry pressed, unfiltered, straight out of the press made possible with very healthy fruit. It was then fermented in 228 litre French oak barrels with circa 30% new blonde barrels using much more solids than previously. No Battonage on the Art of Chardonnay with also 100% malolactic fermentation. Earlier picking and using the juice straight out the press represent the biggest changes in production.

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2020, WO Walker Bay, 13.5% Abv.

1.8 g/l RS | 6.9 g/l TA | 3.16 pH

Aged 10 months in 30% new, 70% second fill. 50/50 wild yeast and inoculated portions. Dense, rich creamy leesy oak profile, there is massive depth and breadth on the aromatics with lemon butter, dried herbs, tarte tatin, caramelised apples and delicious savoury biscuity notes. The palate is taut and steely with a real malic-styled tension despite the 100% malo. The massive focus and intensity of the aromatics follow to palate which shows impressive linearity, cool yellow citrus pastille and a tantalising stony minerality of limestone with a kiss of spearmint on the finish. Power packed and almost overwhelming at this youthful moment, this is good for ageing in the cellar for at least 3 to 5 years before opening. Seriously impressive world class Chardonnay expression.

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

Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2020, WO Walker Bay, 13.75% Abv. 

1.7 g/l RS | 7.0 g/l TA | 3.14 pH

Aged for 10 months in 50% new, 50% second fill barrels. With fruit coming from the Art of Chardonnay grape selection, this is merely the wild yeast fermentation portion. The result is a noticeably more earthy, savoury, leesy expression with subtle hints of struck flint reductive notes, limestone minerality, grilled herbs, sourdough and lemon brioche nuances. The palate is more supple and fleshy than the Art 2020 with a glycerol breadth and depth while all the while being kept in check by racy, tangy acids. Beautiful lemon and lime cordial notes lead to a long, intense, finish that has more in common with Chassagne Montrachet or Puligny Montrachet than anything from the New World. Really very impressive indeed. (600 bottles produced.)

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

Creation Art of Chardonnay 2021, WO Walker Bay, 13.5% Abv.

1.6 g/l RS | 6.3 g/l TA | 3.4 pH

Aged for 10 months in oak, 30% new and 70% second fill. A softer and more accessible expression with slightly lower earlier picked percentage as well as slightly lower acids on the Chardonnay grapes at picking. Plenty of delicious ripe lemon peel, pineapple pastille, grapefruit and a subtle lemon biscuit complexity with a kiss of herbs, vanilla pod and dusty gravel minerality. The texture is noticeably softer, riper and fleshier with lemon butter, grilled herbs and lemon rind but still retains beautifully pure, crystalline acids together with a pithy minerality. Very impressive but should be ready to drink before the 2020 Art.

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

Red Wine Flight:

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2019, WO Walker Bay, 13.5% Abv.

3.1 g/l RS | 5.5 g/l TA | 3.50 pH

60-65% whole bunch on the wine which really shows on the aromatics with elevated notes of chalk board duster, sappy spice and a freshly cut hedge row spice before waves of black bramble berry, mulberry and black currant rise to the fore. The palate is soft and harmonious with a very relaxed feel, boasting sappy leafy black berry note, beautifully supple tannins and a deliciously integrated freshness. Sappy and savoury suggests this is ready to drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years. (3,500 bottles produced.)

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

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2020, WO Walker Bay, 13.2% Abv. 

Already showing a pronounced leafy, grape skin aromatics with sappy sweet phenolic notes, dried herbs and layers of graphite and crushed limestone minerality. Supple and soft on the palate, there is an impressive elegance and finesse leading to impressive textural balance and harmony. Good to go now.

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

Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2021, WO Walker Bay, 13.6% Abv. 

80% whole bunch portion in the wine shows through beautiful spice on the nose intermingled with a sweet bramble berry wildness, dried herbs, crushed stone minerality and black plum intensity. The palate is texturally very attractive with a sublime balance, creamy black berry fruits, exotic wild herb nuances and harmoniously integrated acids. Benchmark premium Pinot Noir quality!

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

Tesselaarsdal Releases Their Most Impressive Chardonnay Vintage Yet…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

The Tesselaarsdal wine brand was founded in 2015 by long-standing Hamilton Russell Vineyards employee Berene Sauls and was named after the historic Overberg farming hamlet of Tesselaarsdal, which lies inland from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge wine appellation where Berene sources all her grapes.

The maiden release of the Tesselaarsdal Chardonnay was only the 2019 and already within three vintages, Berene has managed to fine tune the style of this wine to show the best of a very fine, cool vintage in 2021. Extreme care is taken to ensure that this small-production classically Old World-styled Chardonnay expresses the terroir of the cool maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge fruit sourced from un-irrigated vines grown at elevation on stony clay and iron-rich soils.

Tesselaarsdal Chardonnay 2021, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13% Abv.

This is a supremely elegant, taut mineral expression of cool climate Chardonnay with classically restrained aromatics of green pear, Granny Smith apple, crushed gravel, dried green herbs and hints of white citrus and tangerine peel. Like the subtle aromatics, the palate shows incredible tension and vibrancy but again without overt obvious opulence. This wine is a masterclass in elegance and restraint showing a cool, lean, crystalline palate built around minerality, electric acids, and a lean old world elegance. This is undoubtedly next level quality and intensity for the Tesselaarsdal Chardonnay. Drink this taut focused effort now and over the next 8+ years. Really impressive.

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

Tasting Berene Saul’s New 2020 Tesselaarsdal Pinot Noir from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

In a recent review of some of my top wine trends of 2020/21, I happily identified the onward rise of classic Cape Chardonnay and Pinot Noir quality. While exceptional wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are actually now quite plentiful, Pinot Noir had hit somewhat of a glass ceiling of late with many skilful producers at a bit of a loss as to how exactly they could increase the quality, tension and intensity of the wines without compromising elegance, finesse and purity.

Thankfully, 2020 was a fruitful year for the premium Pinot Noir producers with new and old talent up and down the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley releasing some excellent examples. For Berene Sauls, her unique and inspiring journey continues unabated with her eye catching 2020 Pinot Noir release. If you are not yet acquainted with her delicious expressions from the higher altitude Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, then her small production 2020 Pinot Noir is the perfect wine to start with.

Tesselaarsdal Pinot Noir 2020, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13% Abv.

Already the sixth vintage release from talented Berene Sauls, her new 2020 Pinot Noir displays an elegant mid-weighted palate texture and exhibits attractive lifted aromatics of raspberries and rose petal potpourri, orange peel, bramble berries and hints of pomegranates and blood orange. The palate is cool, sleek and texturally very polished with impressively fine-grained sappy tannins, soft harmonious acids and a layered finish boasting succulent smoky wild berry fruits, hints of stewed strawberries and exotic Christmas spices. Simply put, this is another very promising offering from Berene. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

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

Draaiboek Wines Releases Their Second Vintage of the Onskuld Chardonnay 2020 From the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Draaiboek wines is a name that might be new to many. Though I did review the maiden release 2019, this is essentially a new wine company that was created by five friends who met while studying at the University of Stellenbosch in the early 2000s. The foundations of their friendship were formed during the frequent wine tastings and wine routing jollies indulged in as students. After graduating, everyone eventually headed out to write their own stories. Yet, despite different borders and time zones, they always checked in with every changing chapter of each others lives. Now, after many years of friendship, the different characters have come together once again to produce Draaiboek Wines, born out of a love for wine and the stories that it tells.

Draaiboek means script in Afrikaans, and as Pieter Lemmer, one of the London based partners tells me, “…we believe every wine has a story to tell. We released our first wine in September 2020, a 2019 Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge Chardonnay. We chose the name Onskuld (meaning innocence) for our first wine to represent our innocent naivety in starting this journey (many lessons were learned in the process!). We operate essentially as a negociant buying in fruit, and so far, we’ve sourced all our grapes from a single block of 10-year-old north-east facing Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge vines at 300 metres altitude planted on Bokkeveld shale with a high clay content”.

The Draaiboek wines are made by another good friend of theirs, Stephanie Wiid from the well know Thistle and Weed winery, who they have also known for many years. Stephanie, along with viticulturalist Etienne Terblanche, have sourced and selected the fruit from a specific single block at La Vierge in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge although in 2021, a second block of Chardonnay has been added to increase the volume of wine produced. For the maiden 2019 vintage only 200 x 6 were produced, rising to 300 x 6 for the 2020 vintage. Watch out for their 2021 Pinot Noir also made from Ridge fruit that is still in the cellar but should be released in 2022.

I recently tasted a sample of the 2020 Onskuld Chardonnay which was aged on its fine lees for 11 months and saw 30% new oak in the final blend, aiming to give the wine more structure than the 2019 while still showing all the hallmarks of Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge minerality. Draaiboek Wines follows a philosophy of minimal intervention in the cellar, allowing the quality of the terroir to express itself. This certainly seems to be a new boutique name to watch.

Draaiboek Wines Onskuld Chardonnay 2020, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.5% Abv.

2.4 g/l RS | 6.2 TA | 3.38 pH

In 2020 this Chardonnay is all still sourced from one single Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge block. Mindful of the wine’s youth, I opened my sample and tasted over two days to give the wine the full benefit of oxygen. This certainly is a very impressive wine and a considerable step up on the delicious maiden 2019. The aromatics show complex multi-dimensional layers of sea spray, white flowers, orange citrus oil, freshly baked buttered croissants and pithy lemon rind notes. Very pure and precise, the palate reveals an incredibly elegant, creamy leesy texture with no shortage of tension and minerality, all supported by an intense but seamless concentration of green and yellow fruits, pineapple pastille and lemon bon bons nuances. The length is truly striking, lingering then very slowing fading gradually on the long finish as if someone was slowing turning down the taste volume. The acids are fresh as you’d expect from Ridge fruit but also fabulously tangy and bright. Like a great work of art, this 2020 requires a measure of reflection and contemplation to fully appreciate its beautiful construction, pristine balance and superb harmony. Give the wine plenty of air, decanting if necessary, and don’t serve too cold. A wonderfully complete wine that should drink well from release and over 6 to 8+ years.

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