Karibib

Angus Paul is a young, exciting new talent on the Cape wine scene producing some very accomplished wines in his own right, none more so than his Old Vine Chenin Blanc expressions. While I was in the Cape recently, I caught up with Angus, not to show me his wines, but to taste an exciting new Syrah wine made in a small new project … “formed from an unlikely partnership and friendship between a steel construction worker and a financial planner, both of whom have a passion for talking about wine and drinking fine wine” – that has now led to the Staanspoor collaboration.

Staanspoor, meaning departure point in Afrikaans.

Staanspoor, means the departure point in Afrikaans, and this wine’s departure is a shared passion between wine-loving friends. Produced by Angus Paul from fruit sourced from the famous Karibib vineyard in the Polkadraai Hills, on the False Bay facing Granitic slopes just above the Reyneke winery, which is home to fruit also sourced by producers such as Duncan Savage and Mick and Jeanine Craven. Angus brought me the maiden 2022 and also the new 2023 to taste and assess.

Staanspoor Syrah 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, Karibib, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

An incredibly attractive aromatics packed full of sweet black and blue berry fruits with hints of black olive tapenade, black peppercorns, salty black currant, incense, and warming Christmas spices. The palate is rich but vibrant, tightly packed with saline black berry fruits, oyster shell and hints of nori seaweed nuances. The frame is chiselled and taut, sleek and notably mineral with a fine vein of granitic spice and maritime salinity on the finish. A very classy, old world Northern Rhone lookalike that’s absolutely delicious. Drink now to 2035+.

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

Staanspoor Syrah 2022, WO Polkadraai Hills, Karibib, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

This maiden release is made in a ripe, opulent style with aromatics of black liquorice, chargrilled meats, sweet black peppercorns, spicy black currants and dusty Granitic mineral spice. The texture is impressively pithy and tight grained, even picante, with a Granitic wet stone minerality, fynbos and garrigue herbal spice on the slightly wild brambly finish. Drink now to 2032+.

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

In celebration of their Bruwer family heritage, cousins Bruwer Raats and Gavin Bruwer Slabbert created Bruwer Vintners in 2014. Their guiding mission was to master South Africa’s heritage varietals, namely Pinotage, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc / Semillon blends to express their heritage and terroir in a modern interpretation.

The Bruwer Vintners’ white and red releases have been incredibly solid, well made, classical expressions from the very beginning, but from the 2024 vintage we see a notable, and quite frankly, unexpected step up in quality, focus and intensity. I visited the winery in July 2025 to taste but sadly Gavin wasn’t available for me to quiz him on how exactly he’s managed to dial up the quality of his entire range. But the quality shift is undeniable. But don’t just take my word for it, seek out these new releases and discover some incredibly exciting new wines.

Bruwer Vintners Haarlem to Hope 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

A white blend of 75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Semillon, with a portion of the Chenin Blanc fermented and aged in concrete, differentiating the 2024 from previous vintages. The wine is incredibly mineral and smoky on the nose, full of crushed granite, dried herbs, fynbos, tangerine peel and crunchy green apples. In the mouth, this blend is delightfully cool, pure and precise on the palate with a real sense of confidence and harmony, a wine fully at ease with itself. Super tangy, fresh and bright, the crystallinity resonates in the wine with such purity, streamlined tension and focus. This is an incredibly accomplished white blend that benefits from its new maturation tweaking. Drink now to 2035+.

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

Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Cinsault 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.

Old vine Cinsault from the 1953 Bellevue vineyard, this wine is always a star performer in the Bruwer Vintners range. Aged in two 500 litre barrels for 10 to 12 months, the 2024 is already incredibly perfumed and precise, bursting with violets and rose petals, potpourri, Turkish delight, blood orange and juicy ripe cranberries with an intricate undertone of granitic mineral spice. The oaking is very much an afterthought, the palate deliciously fresh, pure and vibrant with an incredible intensity and concentration that all melts together so seamlessly into a wonderfully complete wine. This 2024 rises to new levels of vibrancy, energy, and vivacity, showing off the very best components of this heritage Cinsault block. Drink now and over the new next 10 to 15+ years.

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

Bruwer Vintners Liberte Pinotage 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

This new expression saw a reduction of the whole bunch portion to circa 15% with longer ageing in older barrels, with 18 months maturation allowing the wine to integrate and find a better balance. The results of these small stylistic tweaks reveal themselves on the nose and palate, the aromatics boasting an extra dimension of freshness and bright red berry fruit with hints of cranberry and succulent red cherry, red plums and red currants. Delicious brightness and energy, youthful vivacity and purity that truly champions this modern fruit forward styling of premium Pinotage. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.

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

Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Syrah 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

The 2024 sees a 100% whole bunch styling, fermented in open top fermenters before being aged in older 300 litre barrels for 12 months. This Karibib block yields and incredibly pure and intense expression of Syrah with dense black berry fruits, sweet black peppercorns, black olive tapenade and savoury, meaty bruleed oak spice notes. The palate is beautifully fresh and vibrant, creamy and mineral with such a beautiful weightless concentration, a deliciously chalky, creamy minerality that melts away into a sweet, savoury, red and black berry fruit concentration with gentle hints of maritime salinity and seashore kelp. The aromatics definitely trade on intense perfume and purity rather than savoury, smoky bruleed notes, which keeps the wine incredibly fresh, vibrant and energetic. A really mouth watering expression of Syrah from Bruwer Vintners that takes the quality up another notch. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.

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

The Bruwer Vintners wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.