Kanonkop

Abrie Beeslaar Flying High Once Again with Two Exceptional New Fine Wine Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

As of August 2024, Abrie Beeslaar ended a highly lauded tenure at the Kanonkop Wine Estate, calling time on his position as head winemaker there in order to focus on his own wine brand, Beeslaar, which he initially launched with his maiden 2012 Pinotage vintage back in 2013/14. The Krige family was very accommodating of Abrie and his own little “side hustle” and over the years the wine built up a sizable following around the world not least because Abrie was credited with producing arguably the most impressive modern-styled premium Pinotage in South Africa under the Kanonkop Black Label. 

The Beeslaar creation was made in an altogether different style to the Kanonkop Estate Pinotage, possessing a sumptuous elegance, textural softness and harmonious balance of sweet black berry fruits with the most intelligent and sympathetic oaking regime. In many ways, where the Kanonkop expression held more of a fleeting resemblance to a Bordeaux red in style, the Beeslaar always seemed to portray more of a concentrated Grand Cru Burgundy elegance. There are of course many premium styles of Pinotage produced in South Africa today, but there are certainly few that are more impressive than Abrie’s Beeslaar expressions. 

Tasting with Abrie Beeslaar in 2024 in Stellenbosch.

From 2020, Abrie started producing small amounts of Chardonnay as well, and with his 2023 release, we see probably his most accomplished expression to date. New vintages are due to land in the UK in early 2025, so keep an eye out for these exceptional new wines.

Beeslaar Chardonnay 2023, WO Western Cape, 13% Abv.

The 2023 Chardonnay from Abrie Beeslaar is the most distinguished expression he has produced to date and offers an enthralling opulence and intensity commensurate with the high-quality reputation of the 2023 vintage. The grapes, 65% from Barrydale and 35% from Banghoek, Stellenbosch, were sourced from vineyards situated on a mixture of shale and high-altitude granitic soils, which impart the wine with an exceptional sense of luxury and textural sophistication. After a period of 48 hours of settling, the juice underwent fermentation in a combination ceramic vessels and 225-litre oak barriques, 20% new, before being barrel aged on its fine lees for 12 months to impart additional complexity, texture, and mouthfeel. On the nose, the aromatics reveal an alluring melange of honeysuckle, white blossom, yellow stone fruits, pithy citrus, lemon peel, crushed granite and delicately leesy, biscuity dried herb nuances. On the palate, there is a beautiful sense of power and poise with mouthwatering layers of sweet pineapple chunks, Braeburn apples, vanilla pod, and yellow grapefruit with an intricate line of crystalline acidity before a final rasping wet stone phenolic mineral grip on the finish. A thoroughly accomplished wine that promises to drink well for at least another 6 to 8+ years.

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

Beeslaar Pinotage 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Always one of the most impressive premium Pinotages produced in South Africa since its maiden release in 2012, the Beeslaar Pinotage has a style all of its own, boasting a soft, silky, fleshy concentration and lifted perfumed aromatics that are simply to die for. The 2022 release was fermented in open top concrete vessels with punch downs every two hours before being matured for 20 months in 225-litre French oak barriques of which 50% were new and 50% were second passage. The aromatics are rich, intricate, and complex with classical Pinotage notes of sweet violets, bramble berries, black plums, black cherries and notions of savoury cured meats and smoky chargrilled steaks dusted with Chinese five spice and bruleed mocha choc nuances. Abrie always has an expert knack of coaxing out the most seductively silky plush textured mouthfeel from his reds and this 2022 is beautifully soft and supple, sweetly fruited, and impressively concentrated with bramble berry fruits, crème de cassis, black cherry confit topped with picante black chocolate and exotic vanilla oak spice notes. True to the Beeslaar style, the concentration is focused and intense, the acidity refreshingly vibrant and the tannins silky, sweet and luscious. Pinotage of this quality needs a little time to show at its best and this 2022 is just starting to show glimpses of its true greatness. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

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

The Beeslaar Wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines. Retail prices are approximately £38pb for the Chardonnay and £48pb for the Pinotage.

Kanonkop Estate Prepare to Release Possibly One of Their Most Iconic Vintages Ever – Tasting the New Paul Sauer 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s always a very special occasion visiting the Kanonkop Estate to taste new releases. In many ways, it’s the closest we get in South Africa to the annual pilgrimages European wine merchants make to iconic wineries like Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux or Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. However many times you visit, it always remains a highlight of the year and my recent visit to taste the new Kanonkop Paul Sauer was no exception.

The new 2021 Paul Sauer due for general release in June 2024.

While Abrie Beeslaar has obviously already produced a 2022, 2023 and 2024 vintage, the iconic 2021 will be his swansong release before he departs his full time role in August 2024. Undoubtedly, like the two winemakers before him, Abrie will remain as much part of Kanonkop’s history as Kanonkop will remain part of Abrie’s. He will of course have vintages like the 2004, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2017 and now the epic 2021 to look back on with immeasurable pride. Groete ou maat en alles van die beste!

We are going to miss you Abrie!

Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Paul Sauer is beautifully intense and utterly seductive, the aromatics pulling you in with their perfumed notes of incense, violets, black currant, saline oyster shell, black cherry, sweet cherry tobacco and graphite with subtle blueberry notes and a subtle kiss of sweet cedar and vanilla pod spice. The palate shows sprawling breadth and depth with a gentle picante spice together with a noticeably intense salinity and maritime, nori seaweed nuance before more bold flavours of black currant, mulberry, black cherry and blueberry coat the mouth. The fine silky tannins are deceptively taut and crisp with the fresh glassy acids adding to the wine’s obvious power, focus and superb intensity. So much wine in the glass, so much to assimilate! The 2021 Paul Sauer represents a true Cape Bordeaux blend masterclass once again from Abrie Beeslaar! Drink from 2025 to 2050+.

(Wine Safari Score: 99/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Kanonkop Estate’s Iconic Simonsberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Represents One of Their Finest Single Cultivar Releases To Date…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

In 2023, Kanonkop (owned by the fourth generation of the founding family, brothers Johann and Paul Krige) celebrated 50 years of wine with the inaugural release being the 1973 vintage of their single cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon. Joining in 2002, Abrie Beeslaar became only the third winemaker in the farm’s history, replacing Beyers Truter (1981-2003) who followed Kanonkop’s first official winemaker Jan Boland Coetzee (1968-1981). Of the estate’s 95ha of mainly dry-farmed vines, 35% are Cabernet Sauvignon, averaging 30 years old, from Simonsberg in Stellenbosch, used for their varietal Cabernet Sauvignon cuvée as well as the Kanonkop flagship Paul Sauer Cape Bordeaux blend.

In 1973, the Kanonkop cellar crushed around 1,000 tonnes of grapes, of which 200 tonnes were vinified and bottled under their own label, with the first bottlings consisting of a single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage. Today, the cellar processes 3,000 tonnes of grapes, 580 from the Kanonkop estate and the rest from 22 different growers contracted across Stellenbosch. In early 2024, Abrie Beeslaar announced that he would be leaving Kanonkop to focus on his own wine label Beeslaar, thus once again resurrecting succession plans for only the winery’s fourth winemaker since 1968.

Kanonkop Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Simonsberg – Stellenbosch, 13.68% Abv.

3.2g/l RS | 6.1g/l TA | 3.48pH

The 2019 vintage in the Cape yielded another iconic Paul Sauer Cabernet Sauvignon (69%) based Cape Bordeaux blend. From the very moment of its final assemblage, all eyes were on its later release sibling, Kanonkop’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, such was the power, freshness and intensity inherent in the Paul Sauer 2019 blend. Produced from 30-year-old vines which are nearing old vine heritage status, grown on dry land vineyards on decomposed Granite, Hutton and Clovelly soils, the wine was matured for 24 months in 225-litre French Never oak barrels with a 50% new oak portion and a 50% second fill portion. From the very first nosing of the glass, the aromatics are incredibly vibrant, lifted, and expressive with enticing perfumed notes of pressed violets and purple flowers over saline crème de cassis, black cherry liquor, macerated plums, oyster shell, moist cherry tobacco and beautifully integrated notes of subtle sweet cedary oak and seductive vanilla pod spice. Medium bodied and initially quite weightless, lithe and supple in the mouth on entry, before a massive shock wave of intense black cherry, salty black currant, graphite, and tart blueberry fruits invigorate the senses, making the palate salivate with its bright refreshing acids and intense mouthwatering persistence. This is an exceptionally well-made single cultivar wine with intricate pinpoint tannins, tart sweet-sour acids, a piercing fruit concentration and the most harmoniously seamless structure possible. It has all the elegance, focus and poise of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vins of the world. Drink from 2024 to 2044+.

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

The iconic Kanonkop Estate wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Seckford Wine Agencies. The Kanonkop wines are available for retail from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines and the Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 will retail at circa £44 per bottle.

Kanonkop Wine Estate’s 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Arrives In the UK Market…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s the eternal debate amongst serious South African fine wine collectors and drinkers – Which is finer and more age worthy? The Kanonkop Paul Sauer Cape Bordeaux Blend or their straight Cabernet Sauvignon? While the 2015 Paul Sauer blend might have garnered Tim Atkin MW’s first SA 100 point score, many asked whether the straight Cabernet Sauvignon released several months later was in fact possibly the finer wine of the two?

Well, having just tasted both the 2015 and the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignons recently, I can assure you that firstly, the new Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (now available in the UK and EU) is a magnificent fine wine yet again, while the 2015 still displays an incredibly complete, youthful, polished but powerful demeanour, representing the very best of Cabernet Sauvignon perfection from Stellenbosch.

Tasting the new vintages in London with Abrie Beeslaar.

With the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon recently released in the local SA market to yet again, a certain amount of high critical acclaim, devotees in the UK will have to satiate their Cabernet urges for some time to come with the highly accomplished and very impressive 2018 vintage.

Kanonkop Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, 14.83% Abv.

 2.7 g/l RS | 5.2 g/l TA | 3.78 pH

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a delightful full-bodied expression harvested at 4 tons per hectare from vines on average 26 years old before being aged for 24 months in 50% new French oak Nevers barrels. The build up to the harvest saw hot and dry conditions but the all-important cooler nights helped retain vibrant acidity levels on most of the top Stellenbosch expressions. The textbook aromatics on this 2018 are wonderfully perfumed and lifted with notes of sweet violets, cigar box, saline oyster shell and dried kelp maritime notes which melt into plush crème de cassis, inky black cherry, new oak spice and vanilla pod nuances. The tannins are dense and creamy showing a fine weight on the palate while all the time being kept in a fine equilibrium and harmony by the vintage’s fresh linear acids. This is a seriously well-formed, plush expression that will be accessible earlier than the block buster vintages of 2015 and 2017 but will undoubtedly age gracefully for at least 15 to 20+ years.

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

The Kanonkop wines are imported into the UK for trade exclusively by Seckford Agencies and are available on strict allocation.

Steady As She Goes – Kanonkop Celebrate Their 50th Anniversary with their Notable New Release Paul Sauer 2020…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Sitting with Johan Krige on his back porch of the Kanonkop winery in October 2022, sharing a glass of Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 from double magnum, discussing the upcoming schedule for Cape Wine 2022 was a leisurely affair, while all the time I was just gaging to ask him about the new Paul Sauer 2020 release. But one needs to always be restrained, patient and polite, especially in the presence of Stellenbosch wine royalty.

The release tasting of the Paul Sauer 2020 was finally held in London in early May 2023 in the exulted Sussex Cellars of Berry Brothers and Rudd, a fitting surroundings laced with empty old bottles of first growth claret from the 20’s, 40’s and 50’s, lining the shelves of the cellar. This was certainly the proper environment to celebrate their 50th anniversary and pour some incredibly rare old wines going back to the maiden 1973 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon.

But it was at this superb tasting that they also profiled the new Paul Sauer 2020 release. Tucked away, among the current releases, this iconic new wine was tasted with the trade for the first time and boy did it make an impression. Always highly anticipated and much discussed, this new release always features as one of the most notable of the year, and in 2023, we got to celebrate it’s release with the 50th anniversary of the estate.

Kanonkop Paul Sauer Red Blend 2020, WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

3.2g/l RS | 6.3g/l TA | 3.48pH

Launched in the 50th anniversary of the estate, it was an absolute pleasure to first taste the new release 2020 Paul Sauer in London with both winemaker Abrie Beeslaar and uber critical owner, Johan Krige. Together, these are two individuals who both have very high expectations for every new Paul Sauer release, but not only that, they are both people who will find a way for the new wine to express the new vintage blend in the most succinct and honest way. In 2020, the Paul Sauer is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc and 14% Merlot from Simonsberg vines grown on decomposed granite at an average of 30+ years old. The aromatics are delicate yet sophisticated, whispering a rich complexity of saline cassis, sweet violets, dried sage, crunchy black berry, iodine and salty oyster shell nuances with a hint of melted candles and incense complexity. Fabulously pure, focused, weightless and intense, there is a notable ambition and intent on the palate, that bristles with a maritime salinity, deep layers of crème de cassis, blue berry, cedar spice and a tart red berry extravagance. This is simply like no other 2020 I have tasted from Stellenbosch. The wine possesses its own class, elegance and swagger, but with an incredible refinement and precision. You would expect nothing less from one of South Africa’s first growth producers!

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

Stellenbosch Icon Winery Kanonkop Prepare for the Release of Their Paul Sauer Cape Bordeaux Blend 2019…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The new releases of Kanonkop Paul Sauer and Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon are regarded as two of the wine highlights of the year with merchants scurrying around for trade allocations, collectors chasing their merchants for stock and enthusiastic drinkers waiting for the first bottles to hit the retail shelves of their local fine wine shops. While the reputation within the local home market can hardly be higher, internationally, every year sees a new crop of fine wine collectors discovering the exceptional Kanonkop brands and making space in their cellars for these classical age worthy wines. It is no different for the 2019 Paul Sauer new release which has already created a lot of excitement and anticipation in multiple markets.

Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar was recently in London and I had an opportune moment to taste and discuss the new 2019 Paul Sauer release with him. Abrie remembers the vintage being cast in the shadow of the previous years of drought leading to a challenging growing season but one which ultimately yielded a very classically-styled Paul Sauer with plenty of focused refinement.

The cold fronts that arrived during the winter of 2018 were greatly welcomed with spring and early summer temperatures nudging the deep 20°C for a day or three before dropping again. From February 2019 a hot spell settled in but by the time the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were ready to harvest, the weather had turned uncharacteristically cool again which helped produce one of the lowest alcohol Paul Sauers in many years. With Kanonkop’s new(ish) optical berry sorter hard at work, only the healthiest berries made it to the concrete fermenters. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc components were blended after malolactic fermentation where after the wine was placed in new 225l French oak barrels for 24 months ageing.

Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2019 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, 13.02% Abv.

3.3G/l RS | 5.8g/l TA | 3.45 pH

This classically styled Paul Sauer 2019 is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc and 11% Merlot. After noticeably more fruit forward aromatics on the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 on release, this 2019 represents somewhat of departure in style with a decidedly tight, broody aromatic profile of inky dark berry fruits, iodine, crushed gravel, Bouquet Garni, dried herbs, sweet clove and graphite before subtle hints of pithy black currant and black cherry join the party and mingle with perfumed notes of pressed violets and lilac. Despite its 24 months in 100% new French Never oak 225 litre barriques, there is only a mere suggestion of wood influence with a beautifully refined cedar spice and unsmoked cigar nuances. On the palate, the results of a cooler and smaller harvest manifest themselves through a distinctly classical Old World restraint, purity, wound spring tension and supremely refined tannins that linger on the palate with seamless precision. As with many longer, cooler Bordeaux vintages, there is more a sense of concentration and power rather than an actual overt textural display, with sinewy black fruits, cocoa powder and earthy, brambly layers concertinaed by lively acids and yet more overt minerality. An impressive creation indeed that will benefit from a good 8 to 10 years in the cellar to fully blossom despite its textural finesse, balance and accessibility.

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

Iconic Kanonkop Wine Estate Prepares for the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

A wine always released several months after the famed Paul Sauer Cape Bordeaux blend, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is yet another highly anticipated wine based on the clear established pedigree of the vintage. I am fortunate enough to have drunk several bottles of the 2015 and 2016 Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon over the past few months in preparation for the 2017 release together with enjoying yet another blind 1994 Paul Sauer vs 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon taste-off recently.

With production levels for the Cabernet roughly double that of the now highly allocated Paul Sauer blend, at circa 12,000 cases of 6 compared to 6,000, the new release of the Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon does present a slighty wider opportunity for fine wine drinkers and collectors alike to secure some bottles for their cellar. Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is riding high and demand across all international markets for the top producers’ wines has never been higher thanks to not only a strong run of quality vintages but also the renewed promotional work of a cohesive group of premium producers.

The preceding winter was the 3rd dry one in a row, with less rain than the previous one and warmer day and night temperatures. A warm spring resulted in early budding and regular rain showers during flowering and berry set saw a high presence of pests. The picking season was very dry with limited water for irrigation, but with cooler nigh-time temperatures during February. Fermentation took place in open top concrete fermenters at 29c. The cap was punched down by hand every 2 hours during fermentation. The juice was then drawn off the skins after 5 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was matured for 24 months in 50% new and 50% second fill 225L French Nevers oak barrels.

Kanonkop Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, 14.97% Abv.

2.7 g/l RS | 6.3 g/l TA | 3.47 pH | VA 0.51 g/l

This certainly is a deep, broody exotic expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that is more reminiscent of a cool vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon than anything from Bordeaux or the Cape. Opened and tasted over 4 to 5 hours, the wine hits its stride surprisingly quickly with plenty of perfumed purple flowers, violets, bruleed black berries, baked blueberry crumble, crème de cassis and a pleasing note of mocha and vanilla pod spice. Initial notes of kelp and maritime seashore salinity quickly give way to a more weighty, sensual melange of black berry compote nuances and hints of cherry kirsch liquor. While this wine certainly shows all the deft elegance and finesse we associate with the 2017 vintage, it also displays a certain extra gravitas, power and weight of fruit concentration combined with great poise, density and a seamlessly textured mineral graphite finish. This is a dark horse that will drink well on release and age deceptively well for 20+ years.

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

Imported into the UK wine trade by Seckford Wine Agencies.

Ps. This review is dedicated to the mighty South African Springbok Rugby World Champions who scored a historic victory against New Zealand in Australia in their 101st test match contest. 🙏🏼

Tasting a Fine & Rare Line up of Aged South African Icon Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

During the past 18 months of the pandemic there has been far too little sharing of great bottles among fine wine lovers. But with many determined to make up for lost time, South African fine lover and uber SA wine supporter, Thor Gudmundsson organised a fantastic old South African wine tasting lunch at one of his two excellent wine bar / restaurants in London, the Brackenbury Wine Rooms.

With most of the bottles generously supplied by Thor, it was a bit of a challenge for me to come up with some interesting bottles to add a little extra interest and excitement. Perhaps a bit predictably, I decided to bring the fabled Kanonkop pairing of Paul Sauer 1994 and Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 to compare and contrast blind. I have done this exercise twice before and both times it has been a challenging yet thoroughly enjoyable affair. Just to add an extra level of excitement, Thor had a bottle of the iconic Meerlust Rubicon 1994 to throw into the mix with the Kanonkop 1994 pairing.

Silvervis Chenin Blanc 2015, 12.5% Abv.

Rich, honied nose like a dry botrytis Sauternes wine. Peaches and dried apricot notes, subtle hints of salinity and a mellow, evolved honied finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 88/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Silvervis Chenin Blanc 2017, 13% Abv.

Zippy and zesty with layers of sweet & sour yellow plum, dried pear and peach, tangy tangerine acidity and a vibrant fresh saline finish. Ryan Mostert at his best. 😉

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

Rust en Vrede Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1987, 12.5% Abv.

Showing complexing evolution, this has layers of dried leather, mechanic’s diesel rag, dried tobacco and smoked cigars. Tannins are fully resolved bolstered by a sweet core of brambly fruit, savoury prune and plum pudding and a cool lean finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 87/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Lanzerac Cabernet Sauvignon 1968

Dark, savoury broody nose with aromatics of sweet, stewed strawberries, raspberry compote and hints of Christmas pudding. Retains a fresh attractive tangy sweetness dominated by red fruits with sweet silky tannins and a long mellow finish with just the slightest hint of diesel rag.

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

Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 1994, 13% Abv.

Wonderfully perfumed, sleek and elegant on the nose with pressed violets, cherry tobacco and sweet red currant fruits. This wine is pure, precise and quite ethereal. Plenty of shape and structure in the mouth still. Impressive linearity and focus. Beautiful.

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

Kanonkop Paul Sauer 1994, 12.5% Abv.

Slightly evolved earthy nose, black currant coulis, tobacco, stewed red berry fruits. Palate is superbly fresh, saline, and incredibly well balanced, complex, silky and profound. Nose and palate slightly detached suggesting some bottle variation. A superb wine nevertheless, but I have tasted fresher bottles.

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

Meerlust Rubicon 1994, 12.5 Abv.

Initially very pure and tight with focused aromatics of savoury leather, black currant and violets, the nose evolves to show smokey graphite, railway yard, wood smoke and savoury berry fruit. The palate is incredibly vibrant, explosive and intense with savoury black currant, tangy acids and a mellow stewed winter berry fruit compote note on the finish. Spectacular wine.

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

Cape Winemakers Guild Cordoba 2001 Auction Reserve, 14% Abv.

Very cedary and spicy with bell pepper, green leaf, dried herbs, coffee beans and black currant fruits. A classical style that is slightly hard work now but with further evolution, could blossom into something legendary. Leave in your cellar for now is my advice. In a slightly awkward stage of evolution.

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

Taaibosch Crescendo 2018, 13.5% Abv.

This is of course the first release of the rejuvenated and replanted Cordoba estate under the watchful eye of Schalk Willem Joubert. Shows a dark dense nose of brûléed black berry fruits, coffee bean, espresso and sweet cedar spice. The palate is elegant but robust and powerful with grippy tannins, graphite spice, concentrated black currant fruit and an impressive stony mineral length. Bury this in your cellar for 10 years minimum. It will reward patience!

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

Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, 14.5% Abv.

Quite a classically proportioned wine with a nose of black berry fruits, saline cassis, wet tobacco, cedar wood and espresso spice. Texturally sleek and full, creamy and well balanced with just a slight leafy peppery note on the finish. A fine expression for a warm vintage and drinking exceptionally well at the moment.

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

Niepoort & Sadie Cape Tawny 2008, 21% Abv.

Rich, nutty and expressive with layers of burnt caramel, orange rind, old malmsey Madeira and salty nutty notes. The palate is very intense, rich but not overly sweet, more nutty and pithy than unctuous. Tannins are spicy and slightly raw but sufficiently balanced with the acid freshness that is perfect for the expected level of complexity and intensity. A very attractive offering with massive drinkability and certainly plenty of unicorn wow factor!

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

Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2018 – The New Release of This South African Icon Wine Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 5 Comments

With so many of South Africa’s top Cape Bordeaux Blends and Cabernet Sauvignon producers stepping up to the mark to produce their best wines ever across the 2015 and 2017 vintages, 2018 was always going to be under the spotlight to see if some of the magic of these previous vintages could be applied by winemakers to the benefit of the final wines.

Certainly, the winter rainfall was higher than the previous two winters but with irregular temperatures from winter until the flowering period, together with cool growing conditions, there were inevitably some variations in ripening across the Simonsberg vineyards. However, cooler weather and regular rain showers led to less water stress for the vines during the ripening period.

Having tasted most of the top 2018 Cape Bordeaux blends now, the signature style and characteristics of the vintage are becoming clearer and clearer – Very cool, precise wines with impressively glassy acid frames, silky powdery tannins, impressive fruit intensity but without the 2015’s inky dry extract or the 2017’s weightless fruit concentration. The 2018s are very attractive wines, more classically leaning with a little less exoticism but plenty of the traditional characteristics on the aromatics and palate that have made the wines so popular with French Bordeaux collectors and connoisseurs around the world.

The grapes for the 2018 Paul Sauer were fermented in open top concrete fermenters at 29 deg C with the floating skins being punched down by hand every 2 hours during fermentation. The juice was drawn off the skins after 5 days. After malolactic fermentation the wine was matured for 24 months in 100% new 225 litre French Nevers oak barriques.

With only 7,000 cases or 42,000 bottles produced, stake your marker in the allocation queue nice and early as this iconic wine seems to sell out faster and faster every year. This of course is the reward for a proven pedigree and quality track record.

Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2018, WO Simonsberg – Stellenbosch, 13.91% Abv.

2.4 g/l RS | 6.2 TA | 3.55 pH | 90 mg/l Total SO2 | 0.63 g/l VA

The 2018 Paul Sauer is a classical blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc from vines averaging 30 years of age grown on dryland vineyards of Decomposed Granite and Hutton and Clovelly soils. Vibrant and ruby / purple, the wine almost glows in the glass with inviting promise. At this youthful stage, the Cabernet Sauvignon component shines through strongly revealing a generally dark, broody, black fruited demeanour embellished with subtle notes of saline crème de cassis, star anise, lead pencil shavings, dried violets and signature nuances of freshly tilled earth, buttered brown toast and hints of breakfast espresso. In the mouth, the palate shows gorgeous elegance, purity and fruit focus with the most fine grained filigree tannins, soothingly generous black berry fruits and delicious mouth-watering acids. This wine is precision personified showing such effortless grace and harmony together with a measured power and intensity. The 2018 is certainly a very classically schooled expression that waltzes across the palate without ever putting a foot out of place. Like all truly great Bordeaux blends, this has the finesse and textural harmony to drink on release but also the intensity and gravitas to age effortlessly for 20 to 30+ years.

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

New Release Review – Tasting the Exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 From Kanonkop…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

The Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 is another classical example of this varietal grown on the prime slopes of the Simonsberg ward. Exuding a sense of compact density, balance and harmony, its coolness in character is truly impressive considering the warm, dry vintage conditions of 2016.

With the 2016, Abrie Beeslaar handles this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine with a masterfully deft touch drawing out every drop of prime Simonsberg terroir. These Stellenbosch vines are on average 27 years old and grown on dry land vineyards located on decomposed granite, hutton and clovelly soils. Yields in 2016 were a mere 4 tons per hectare and only 8,000 cases of 6 were produced.

Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

On opening, this 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon was initially surprisingly taut, tight and broody with reductive aromatics of oyster shell, salty creme de cassis, black currant leaf, black chai tea, iodine and maritime salinity. But as I’ve discovered repeatedly over the past 12 months, the hot dry 2016 drought vintage did produced some really excellent red wines proving that exceptional terroir handled intelligently by an accomplished winemaker can trump even difficult vintage conditions. Given ample time to breath, the nose starts to reveal a growing intensity of black cherry, salty cassis and vibrant blueberry hints with a seductive underlay of cherry kirsch liquor. On the palate, the texture is sleek and polished with multiple waves of creme de cassis and blackberry fruits rising like a tide, finishing with a tangy concentration burst of acidity and mouthwatering fruit. Tannins are understated and powdery suggesting optimal phenolic ripeness. A really beautifully constructed wine with elegance, balance and supple accessibility. Drink on release with a bit of decanting or over 10 to 12+ years.

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