Malbec

Raats Family Wines in the Polkadraai Hills Releases a Stellar Line-up of New 2024 and 2025 Vintages…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Few South African producers have committed themselves to a pair of cultivars as completely as Stellenbosch producer Bruwer Raats. Since founding Raats Family Wines in 2000, he has worked almost exclusively with Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, and built his reputation on the decomposed Granitic soils of the Polkadraai Hills, back then a little-regarded corner of Stellenbosch facing False Bay.

Bruwer Raats in his Eden Cabernet Franc vineyard.

For collectors, Bruwer’s Eden High Density Single Vineyard range has become the summit of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc quality. Planted in the late 2000s just behind the family home, these densely planted, individually staked vines were designed strictly for quality from the start. The Eden Chenin Blanc, from 0.6 hectares, is textural, savoury and tightly focused, with a long pithy finish and the poise to age. The Eden Cabernet Franc comes from a mere 0.2 hectares and is made in tiny quantities, often just a few hundred bottles. It is always highly perfumed, fine-tannined and elegant, which explains not only its cult following but also its place among the Cape’s most sought-after red wines.

The Vlag Vineyard Selection Cabernet Franc offers a complementary expression of Polkadraai Hills fruit. It is slightly more accessible in availability, and a good way to understand the Raats house style before pursuing the rarer Eden bottlings. Across all the range, the signature is precision over power, or as Bruwer puts it, ‘quality by design,’ which makes these wines compelling additions for any fine wine collectors’ cellar!

Walking the Eden vineyard with Bruwer.

I spent two days with Bruwer in August 2026 and tasted through all his new releases. I also walked the Eden vineyard to inspect the new plantings that are being planned, the soil currently under preparation. 

Raats Family Wines Proxima Centauri Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

This special Chenin Blanc cuvee made by Sam Raats forms the fourth official release of the Proxima Centauri range specially released to the Raats Family Wines tasting room and mailing list membership. The 2025 cuvee is made from two vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills, 85% from bush vines in the ‘Bluegums’ vineyard (on mostly sandy Granitic soils) and 25% from ‘Somerlus’ vineyard grown on complex Granitic soils with more clay content that adds an extra layer of richness and power to the wine. Aged for 11 months in 300 litre second fill French oak barrels with tight grain and blonde toasting, the aromatics are quite entrancing, the tight grained French oak spice melting away into white peach, bruised yellow orchard fruits, delicately savoury leesy biscuit notes and wet straw nuances. The palate stops you dead in your tracks – intense, piercing and polished with an incredible concentration of peach and quince fruits, waxy bergamot lemons and sour yellow plums. Astonishing freshness, fruit power and focus all assembled with an incredibly deft, finessed touch. Simply a masterpiece of winemaking. Drink now to 2036+.

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

Sneak preview tasting of the MR de Compostella 2024 and 2025 barrel samples with Bruwer Raats.
An unlabelled Raats Family Wines Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025.

Raats Family Wines Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

Made from three blocks of Chenin Blanc with an average age of 55 years old, this 2025 release was 50% whole bunch pressed into neutral oak barrels and aged for 11 months after natural yeast fermentation. A 30% component was fermented in a concrete egg and aged for 11 months on its lees, with the remaining 20% fermented and aged for 11 months in stainless steel tanks. The aromatics on this 2025 Chenin Blanc show a delightfully floral, peachy lift defined by a beautiful purity and clarity, with delicate hints of honied quince, pear and apple puree nuances developing in the glass. The palate shows a harmonious breadth and depth, cool, creamy and seamlessly glycerol and fleshy in the mouth with wonderful precision, peachy fruit phenolics and a finely integrated oak spice all tightly woven together by a bright, crystalline tangy acidity. More sophisticated than showy, this is a confident, self-assured wine with a clear and present pedigree on display. Drink not to 2036+.

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

Raats Family Wines Eden High-density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

The 2024 Eden Chenin Blanc was aged 30% in a new 500 litre Chassin French oak barrel for 11 months with the remaining 70% aged in concrete egg. The aromatics are incredibly complex and sophisticated interweaving hints of peach skins, waxy yellow apples and sappy sandalwood spices before a more pronounced top note of orange peel and honeycomb emerge from the glass. The palate is cool, supple and silky soft, the acids harmoniously fresh and integrated with a delicately fleshy tangy intensity alongside dried guava and sweet orange peel notions. A bold, regal wine that slowly reveals its complexity and sophistication at its own pace, finishing with a subtle mineral Granitic suggestion. A super premium, classical 2024 vintage Chenin Blanc where power and muscle is replaced with elegance and finesse and the fruit weight shines with a real purity, transparency and persistency making this a real pleasure to enjoy already in its youth. Drink on release to 2038+.

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

Raats Family Wines Proxima Centauri Red Blend 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13.5% Abv.

The red blend in the Proxima Centauri range is a room for experimentation for Sam Raats, changing in character slightly every year. This year, inspired by Mendoza, Argentina, the blend sees a tilt toward experimenting with 60% Malbec in the cuvee sourced from the Baken Block in the ‘Bluegum’ vineyard planted in 2008, with 40% Cabernet Franc coming from the Vlag Block on the Carinus farm across the road from the Raats cellar, planted in 2021. The single barrel blend was aged in a 300-litre used neutral oak French barrel for 18 months. The aromatics are lifted and plush, deliciously hedonistic with rich textured notes of sappy Malbec black berry fruits, black currant, graphite and black chai tea nuances before being pierced with an arrow line of Cabernet Franc musky perfume and cedar lead pencil spice. The palate is crisp and bright, medium bodied with a crunch, a linear acidity and a chalky, powdery tannin texture supported by backing notes of red currant, black currants and sour plum fruits. This is a majestically pure, chiselled wine with all the clarity and precision of the 2024 vintage – both linear, fresh and fabulously polished and tight grained on the long bright finish. A complex, well-constructed counterpart to the Proxima Centauri Chenin Blanc. Drink from 2027 to 2040+.

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

Raats Family Wines Vlag Vineyard Selection Cabernet Franc 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13.5% Abv.

Sourced from two vineyards on the Vlaeberg mountain, one planted in 2002 on high mid-slopes, and the other from a mid-slope vineyard planted in 2008. 33% open tank fermentation and then transferred to a new 500 litre Chassin French oak barrel as well as several older neutral older barrels. 33% was fermented and aged in concrete tanks, with the remainder tank fermented and then aged in 2500 litre French oak fourdre. The aromatics on the 2024 are incredibly taut, tight and restrained, almost smoky from the dusty Granitic spice, before hints of saline black currant, maritime sea breeze, lead pencil cedar and nori kelpy spice. The texture is tight grained, stony but also finely polished with powdery tannins, fresh linear acids and a chiselled nervy finish. The purity is impressive, showing a medley of black berry fruits, black currants and a kiss of pithy sappy black cherry all wrapped in a beautifully suave, chalky, powdery mineral frame. All the class and sophistication you would want from a premium Cabernet Franc along with 2024’s purity and mineral laden character. Drink on release to 2040+.

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

Raats Family Wines Eden High-density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

This tiny 0.2 Ha Single Vineyard planted in 2009 right next to the Raats cellar on the Vlaeberg Road, is a high-density block with 8,000 vines per hectare. With the first vintage made in 2014, this 11th vintage shows all the regal grandeur, precision and opulence of a genuinely global iconic benchmark Cabernet Franc site capable of rivalling anything produced from this cultivar any where in the world. With only circa 500 litres made, the wine goes into a new Chassin tight grained lightly toasted French oak barrel for 11 months, before being transferred into a 5th fill of exactly the same barrel for another 9 months. The aromatics are incredibly complex and suave, revealing a sophisticated, super-premium character with a finely poised mix of violets, pink musk, gun flint, black berries, blueberries and a kiss of tight grained, almost Burgundian oak spice. This smells premium and also tastes super premium, with the palate showing an incredibly fine-grained texture, powdery chalky tannins and a refreshingly bright well integrated acidity. Where many 2024 reds show light touch intensity and linearity, this Eden Cabernet Franc reveals extra dimensions of fruit concentration, refined elegance, length and structure. Simply benchmark quality for this cultivar once again. Drink now to 2040+.

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

The Raats Family Wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Vilafonte Releases Their New 2023 Vintage Series C and Series M to a Chorus of High International Praise…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Every year, one can point to the annual release of the Vilafonte Series C and Series M reds as two of the most important and noteworthy new Cape Bordeaux blends to hit the market. These two wines have, since their maiden releases in 2003, cultivated a committed global following among fine wine connoisseurs and passionate collectors alike. With the focus firmly on premium quality, each subsequent vintage is highly anticipated both in the wine trade and among consumers. The 2023 vintage was obviously a much more complicated harvest for many than either 2022 or 2021 due to persistent rain across much of the Cape, necessitating further clarification of Vilafonte’s picking dates from winemaker Chris de Vries.

“The 2023 vintage reminded us how swiftly light can turn to shadow, and how timing alone can separate fortune from misfortune” Chris de Vries opined. “Outstanding early conditions carried us through harvest, our final lots secured only days before March 4th brought a week of rain that might have rewritten the story entirely.” Picking at Vilafonte began on February 2nd and continued until March 1st, a slightly extended window, shaped by a warm first half of February followed by a cooler close. This shift tempered ripening, allowing balance and freshness to define the fruit. 

Berry weights reflected the season: Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc were modestly smaller than average, lending natural concentration, while Cabernet Sauvignon berries were slightly larger, contributing generosity and an approachable tannin profile. Although March delivered over 60 mm more rain than the norm, the Vilafonte harvest was safely picked before the downpours, leaving the Vilafonte team among the fortunate few who carried the season’s promise intact into the cellar. The resulting wines show a poised tension between ripe black fruit and lifted freshness, framed by fine tannins and a classical structure. “Opulence is tempered by clarity, and the 2023s stand as wines of both immediate allure and assured longevity” Chris de Vries concluded.

Vilafonte Series C 2023, WO Paarl. 14.5% Abv.

The 2023 Series C is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 12% Malbec and 7% Cabernet Franc and offers up classic Vilafonte aromatics of sweet black currants, saline crème de cassis, blueberry compote and wet tobacco leaves. Fabulously opulent and exotic on the nose, the wine has all the Series C hallmarks that has made this one of the most desirable Cabernet Sauvignon blends produced in the Cape, brimming with not only intense pure black berry fruits but also complex earthy layers of tilled loam over hints of graphite, dried herbs and warm buttered brown breakfast toast. The palate is sophisticated, silky, and lithe, neither weighty nor muscular, but rather sleek, picante, and spicy with cedar and vanilla pod notes, a dusting of cocoa powder, and a weightless black currant fruit concentration. There is a youthful, sinewy freshness and a tightly wound core of energy that should see this wine age gracefully for a decade or two. 

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

Vilafonte Series M 2023, WO Paarl. 14% Abv.

The 2023 Series M is a blend of 41% Merlot, 38% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and displays a seriously opulent, showy Series M plushness and generosity combined with plenty of refinement and purity. The aromatics are vibrant and youthful revealing intense layers of blue and black berry fruits, bay leaf spice, damson plums and black cherry compote with a magical dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. In the mouth, the wine is marked with a fabulously creamy, silky texture, delicate notes of graphite and cocoa powder, saline crème de cassis and mulberry fruits with a pronounced mineral interplay on the complex finish. Once again, I’m super impressed at the intensity, power, and concentration Vilafonte achieves with their Series M cuvee – a wine that epitomises luxury, generosity, and sophistication. Drink on release until 2040+.

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

The Vilafonte wines are imported to the UK and distributed to trade by agent John E. Fells.

From the Fine Wine Safari Cellar – Part 6: Trapiche Vina Jorge Miralles Malbec 2008 Single Vineyard…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard selection was an annual release chosen from three of the best Malbec wines of each harvest produced by Trapiche’s head winemaker Daniel Pi. Changing every year, some vineyard selections eventually started to reappear over time, proving the vineyards’ exceptional terroir and quality potential. The wines were made to communicate the extraordinary potential of Argentina’s vast array of terroirs and their effect on their flagship cultivar – Malbec. 

This 2008 selection, which I thought was the best of the three single vineyard releases at the time, was sourced from the Jorge Miralles vineyard. Jorge was born in Chivilcoy, a province of Buenos Aires, and came to Mendoza when he was 8 years old. His father was a wine broker and in 1960, he decided to invest all his savings into an estate in La Consulta. Jorge subsequently inherited the estate and four years later he sold it to invest in a bigger vineyard also located in La Consulta. 68-year-old Jorge (in 2008) dedicated a great deal of his life to working this vineyard located at 970 metres altitude. 

Trapiche Malbec Vina Jorge Miralles Malbec 2008 Single Vineyard La Consulta, Mendoza, 15% Abv.

This is a phenomenal Malbec expression that at 18 years old is simply singing. Spending 18 months in new French oak barrels, this “Jorge Miralles” vineyard was only 10 years old when harvested in 2008 and offers up some incredibly expressive aromatics with a youthful perfume and fruit profile you would think is no more than 5 years old if tasted blind. The nose is full of deep, dark, blue, and black berry fruits, damson plums, blueberries, black cherries, and a defined vein of melted salty black liquorice. While this wine used to have a broad spectrum of dusty cocoa and mocha chocolate powder characters on release, now, this character has tightened up and turned into a picante black bitter chocolate note. On the palate, the colour is still dense, opaque, and impenetrable with a cool fleshy entry on first taste, the tannins incredibly sweet and creamy, supported by plush, juicy, black berry fruits, mulberry and black currant compote. While obviously made in a ripe style, the alcohol is imperceptible and the balance super cool, sleek and harmonious. I loved this wine on release and knew it had enough stuffing for the long haul, but I would never have expected it to age this well. What a beauty! At 18 years old, there is no rush to drink this outstanding 2008 Malbec which should still age gracefully for another decade or more.

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

Nearing a Decade of Brilliance with the Van Biljon Cinq Cape Bordeaux Blend Made by Chris Keet….

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Van Biljon boutique winery owned by Anton and Julia Van Biljon lies on a small farm situated in the Polkadraai Hills ward of the Stellenbosch region, neighbouring other highly esteemed producers such as Reyneke Wines, Raats Family Wines and De Toren Private Cellar. The region is well known for its deep, fertile and well drained decomposed granite soils and the moderating cool sea breezes that blow in off False Bay, lying directly to the South of the winery. Meticulous viticultural practices yield pristine grapes with intense colour, concentrated fruit flavours and firm structured tannins. 

The wines have been produced by Bordeaux Blend specialist winemaker Chris Keet since 2011 and during my recent trip to the Cape, I popped in to taste and was treated to a rare bottle of the maiden vintage alongside the current release 2019. Also, knowing my intense fascination with the atypical, cool, 2021 vintage conditions, I managed to persuade Anton van Biljon to dig a bottle out of storage to let me get a sneak peek at what could be Chris’s most accomplished Van Biljon Cinq cuvee to date. With plenty of chatter on the wines of Stellenbosch and specifically the stand apart premium styling of Polkadraai Hills wines in particular, I perhaps made a sturdy case for Van Biljon to include this designation on their front or back label in future, as all five components of fruit are only sourced strictly from the Polkadraai Hills Ward. 

With Chris Keet at the winery in July 2025.

As one of the few “single wine wineries” in the Cape, Van Biljon’s Cinq cuvee is definitely a wine classical Bordeaux lovers should seek out. Aside from its affordable pricing under £50 per bottle, the wine must also have one of the most consistent scoring track records in Stellenbosch, with the Cinq blend usually cracking the magical 95 point mark time and time again. 

Van Biljon Cinq 2011 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv. 

The maiden 2011 Cinq is a blend of majority Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with supporting components of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine is incredibly pure and spicy with a mineral integrity, showing layers of dried herbs, thyme, mint leaf, and wet stone minerality over black berries, black cherry and black plum notes. The palate is unbelievably energetic and fresh, vibrant and supremely classy, ageing incredibly well from a vintage that was taut, linear and possibly slightly understated on release. Still showing impressive palate depth, power and stony mineral graphite tannins that are maturing and resolving beautifully, coming together to make a very impressive blend. Drink now to 2030+.

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

Van Biljon Cinq 2019 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv. 

The 2019 is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. 2019 was a more mixed vintage, cooler than 2018 but quite a muscular vintage making picking dates and extraction timings very important. There is incredible power and broody depth with aromatics full of black berry fruits, damson plums, black currant, white pepper and delicate bay leaf and sage herbal spice notes. The palate is fabulously polished, piercing and structured with a stony tannin frame, classical styling, and a finish kissed with mint leaf and chocolate peppermint crisp nuances. Really majestically power packed, compact and distinguished! Drink now to 2034+.

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

The micro Van Biljon Cinq production in the cellar.

Van Biljon Cinq 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv. 

On the eve of the Van Biljon Cinq 2020 release, I sat down with winemaker Chris Keet and persuaded him to allow me to also taste a very early pre-release sample of the 2021 Cinq blend. In keeping with this cooler, slower ripening year, the aromatics show a delicately fragrant perfume of violets and rose petals, sweet cedar, black cherry, saline creme de cassis and a pronounced undertone of graphite and granitic minerality. The oaking is already very well integrated allowing the cool, taut, linear black berry fruits to shine through on the palate. Delicately stony, this 2021 shows all the classical restraint and structure you’d expect from this cooler, slower ripening vintage, with a sinewy mid-palate tension and a tightly wound weightless concentration that seems certain to flesh out further ahead of its official release in perhaps 2026 or 2027. The Cinq 2021 is a wonderful representation of this unique Polkadraai Hills Stellenbosch vintage and definitely one to watch out for in future. I look forward to tasting this wine again on its official release. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Van Biljon wines are imported into the UK by Woodwinters. Contact: andrew@woodwinters.com

Winshaw Vineyards Becoming a Leading Producer of Premium Single Cultivar Malbec in South Africa…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

While Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have carved out an enviable quality offering from specialist premium producers in the Cape wine regions of Stellenbosch and Paarl, another cultivar has joined the party of late, showing an incredible affinity to the local terroir and climatic conditions. This cultivar is Malbec of course and there are roughly 450 to 490 hectares of Malbec currently planted. This represents a significant increase from the 40 hectares planted in the 1990s. The Swartland, Paarl, and Stellenbosch regions in the Western Cape currently account for about three-quarters of the total Malbec plantings.

A particular favourite among consumers in the UK, there is simply no holding back the success of single cultivar Malbec wines whether from Argentina or indeed South Africa. Handled correctly and vinified with care and attention, some very attractive, rich, fruit forward Malbec wines are being produced in South Africa and Winshaw Vineyards are becoming a leader in this new(ish) premium single varietal category. The 2024 vintage should hit the UK retail market in the Autumn of 2025 and retail for approximately £26.99 per bottle and I tasted a bottle on my recent trip to the Cape. 

Winshaw Vineyards next door to Vergenoegd Low and Meerlust Estate.

Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv. 

A beautifully composed, well constructed fine wine from the Winshaw’s boasts a delicious aromatics of sweet mulberries and damson plum, black berries, and black cherries laced Christmas spices, cinnamon and vanilla pod. Dense, fleshy and creamy, the palate shows a delicious black berry breadth punctuated by a complexing sapidity, leafy black currant depth and a long savoury leesy finish. Malbec lovers will be smitten once again! Drink now to 2030+.

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

Revisiting Two Seductive 2020s from De Toren Private Cellar – Tasting their Book XVII Cape Bordeaux Blend and Patronus Malbec… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

With a bottle of 2021 Book XVII from De Toren winery waiting to be tasted and reviewed, I thought I’d revisit a couple of their 2020 releases to recalibrate my palate. The Book XVII Cape Bordeaux Blend was born from a pursuit of excellence blended with a passion for craftsmanship, isolating the very best that nature has to offer, commencing with the maiden 2010 vintage release. The name Book XVII was inspired by one of the first pieces of literature dedicated solely to wine and extreme viticulture methods written over two millennia ago by Roman philosopher, Pliny the Elder. 15 years later, the Book XVII blend has become an integral part of the De Toren icon wine range, with this unique super premium red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec born from a desire to craft a wine that could stand confidently amongst some of the greatest premium red wines in the world. The result of this devotion to precision is an incredibly limited production of a mere 6 barrels and an irresistible, lush red blend with a hedonistic depth and impressive purity and complexity. 

Book XVII is the result of 20 years’ exhaustive recording and analysis of countless vineyard variables in the Polkadraai Hills, from soil composition and weather conditions to oceanographic influences. With modern viticulture methods, bold experimental winemaking, and masterful use of various Bordeaux barriques, Book XVII now ranks among the top Cape Bordeaux Blend expressions produced in the Cape winelands. Unashamedly luxurious, ripe and hedonistic in style, this wine has never looked to mimic anything else produced in the Cape, and as a result, has comfortably cultivated a loyal consumer following both at home and internationally. 

De Toren Book XVII 2020 Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 15.15% Abv.

2.7g/l RS | 5.4g/l TA | 3.59pH

It is always fascinating cracking another vintage of one of De Toren’s icon wines as I have seen, in person, the attention to detail that is performed both in the vineyards and in the winery to capture the purest essence of quality from their exceptional Polkadraai Hills vineyards in Stellenbosch. The 2020 release is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, and 19% Cabernet Franc that was aged for 22 months in 100% new 225 litre French oak barrels. This impressive 2020 Bordeaux Blend is another opulent and generously constructed red with alluring aromatics of dusty crushed granite, freshly shaved cedar wood spice, wet tobacco leaves over hints of dried violets, black currant herbal tea, black cherry and a spicy capsicum note. Surprisingly mineral and restrained on the nose, the palate is a little more upfront and fleshier but with all components of fruit, acid and tannin so meticulously integrated so as to present a wonderfully synergistic red blend with a seamless transition between the sweet inky black berry fruits, the spicy cedar and tobacco complexity, and a fine-grained mineral-laden dry tannin finish. Incredibly youthful still and deserving of further time in the cellar, this is nevertheless a very impressive premium red wine honed for the most sophisticated of global connoisseurs. Drink now after a decant and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

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

Two of De Toren’s three ultra-premium wines along with their Black Lion Syrah.

De Toren Patronus Malbec 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Created to try and craft one of the most exceptional expressions of this grape cultivar in the Cape winelands, this bold hedonistic ultra-premium red is made from decades-old Malbec vines in the Polkadraai Hills, with individual bunches hand-picked and then individual berries selected. Three distinct vessels were used for whole berry fermentation, each chosen to highlight the opulence, purity and typicity of premium Malbec. Predominantly matured in new French oak barrels, the results on the 2020 are suitably impressive. The aromatics resonate with plush, ripe, intense notes of blue berry and black berry fruits, sappy mulberries, and black plum with delicate undertones of vanilla pod spice, complex cedar oak and exotic Christmas spices. The palate shows the accessible opulence of the 2020 vintage, broad, deep, and powerful under a creamy, concentrated fleshy textured veil of velvety tannins and soft, integrated acids. Opulent and hedonistic in every sense of the word, this is an incredibly impressive expression of Malbec, the grape that is currently having a massive love affair with the Cape’s terroir. Drink now on release or cellar for 10 to 15+ years.

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

The Vilafonte Winery Releases An Accomplished Trio of New Premium Vintage 2022 Expressions… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Regardless of who you speak to, the general consensus is that the 2022 vintage conditions in the Cape reverted back to more “normal” conditions after the unusually cool and extended harvest of 2021. But like many good vintages that follow great vintages, the resulting wines have to work that much harder to capture the imagination of fine wine consumers. At Vilafonte, the team have delivered another exceptionally fine trio of wines that has something for everyone. 

A cool wet October and November 2021 saw above average rainfall leading to vigorous growth in the vineyards which required extra work to manage canopies. January and February 2022 saw multiple heat spikes in keeping with more ‘normal’ vintage conditions in the Cape. There was some variable ripening across cultivars and plots ultimately leading to a fairly late, drawn-out harvest season which began nine days later than predicted and which lasted for over four weeks from February 19th until March 17th. The resulting wines show density and concentration rather than heaviness with well integrated harmonious acids.

The approachability of the Seriously Old Dirt blend makes this wine a perennial favourite with fine wine lovers looking for exceptional quality and value without compromising fruit, structure or power. The Series C is also another stand out Cape Bordeaux Blend that celebrates the incredible quality of Cape Cabernet Sauvignon. But if it’s sheer hedonism you are after, the Series M is once again a dead ringer for an opulent, showy, Right Bank Merlot dominated Bordeaux blend. With a 1st of November release date for all three wines, these are definitely wines you’re going to want to make space for in your cellar. 

Seriously Old Dirt by Vilafonte 2022, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.

After the rich, fresh, characterful wine of 2021, the Seriously Old Dirt 2022 blend has certainly turned out to be another impressive creation from the dedicated Vilafonte team. A dark opaque purple black plum colour in the glass, the wine offers up bold notes of mint leaf, violets, crème de cassis, black cherries, dried thyme herbs, cigar wrapper, and hints of chocolate peppermint crisp. Medium bodied with a rich, spicy, fleshy palate, this wine has certainly carved out a name for itself based not so much on branding but more on innate quality and true value for money. The mouthfeel is delicately spicy, alluring, and supple with notes of dark blackberries, fresh peppermint tea, vanilla pod, and sweet Christmas spices that linger long on the palate, framed by picante, mineral spicy graphite tannins. This is undoubtedly an impressive second wine fashioned after the famous left bank Bordeaux expressions, and also shares the similar trait of often putting bigger Grand Vin expressions to shame. Always seamless, and nearly always the complete deal, this is THE go to wine for so many Bordeaux lovers around the world! Drink on release and over 8 to 10 years.

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

Vilafonte Series C 2022, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.

Vintage variation at wineries like Vilafonte often means little, but for the market, 2021 was the vintage of the decade to buy and covet. Like 1996 followed and surpassed 1995 in Bordeaux, could this plush and opulent 2022 excel in the shadow of the iconic 2021 Series C cuvee? In the recent months, all the 2022s I have tasted are every bit the equal of many of the 2021 wines, showing concentration, balance and freshness. Always the benchmark cuvee of the Vilafonte winery, the Series C 2022, a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc, presents itself as a rich, opulent expression packed full of salted black liquorice, sweet black berries, warm blueberry crumble and subtle aromatics of vanilla pod and cedar wood spice. The initial approach on the palate is classical and restrained, showing drying tannins and classical granitic mineral undertones but the texture is like silk, seamless, sultry and beautifully balanced with a big punchy concentration on the finish.This is high pedigree Cabernet Sauvignon done extremely well in a global context. Drink on release to 2040+.

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

Vilafonte Series M 2022, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.

The Series M 2022 is a blend of 40% Merlot, 39% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Fabulously dark, rich, and opaque, this inky Merlot based blend once again boasts a sold Right Bank Bordeaux styling, with aromatics packed full of dried herbs, potpourri, spiced black plums, mulberries, and blueberry hints with a top note of graphite and gunpowder smoke. But it’s on the palate that the fireworks really light up the sky, with a cool, creamy, super fine-grained tannin texture, a picante spicy granitic minerality over plush black berry fruits and a pithy black cherry complexity. The top 2022 reds show softer, more integrated acids than the 2021 vintage but also a creamier, fleshier, more sumptuous mouthfeel with impressive generosity and an accessibility. This is another beautiful Series M expression that bridges the stylistic paradigm of Right Bank Bordeaux and New World fruit-driven opulence. Drink on release until 2038+.

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

The Vilafonte Wines are imported into the UK by wine merchant John E. Fells.

http://www.fells.co.uk

Vilafonte Release a Seductive Series M Cape Bordeaux Blend from the Uniquely Cool and Classical 2021 Vintage…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Exceptional vintages have the ability to yield exceptional wines. Just think of 2000, 2005, 2009 and especially 2010 in Bordeaux, and perhaps 2004, 2009, 2015, and 2017 in the Cape. Without doubt, 2021 was another extraordinary vintage with ample winter rains followed by an unusually cold and wet spring and early summer. In an era of global warming and extreme weather events, getting a vintage like 2021 in the Cape must surely be a winemaker’s dream. So many I have talked to have described making wines that they feel they may never get the opportunity to make again due to the unusually cool, slow ripening conditions.

At Vilafonte in Paarl, flowering was largely even with good fruit-set, boding well for not only a healthy crop but also an ample crop. Early season growing temperatures were cool to moderate, warming gradually towards ripening, with a lack of February / March heatwaves a very noteworthy feature of the vintage. Berries were supple-skinned, bursting with flavour, showing a vibrant freshness and bold tannin structures. Harvest began on February 11th under mild weather conditions that continued for the remainder of the season. The resulting wines show a piercingly perfumed intensity, deep inky colours, sophistication and poise.

Vilafonte Series M 2021, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.

The 2021 Series M is a blend of 41% Merlot, 35% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc that spent 22 months in French oak barrels with a 26% new oak portion. The aromatics are enticing and alluring, offering up notes of dark berries, exotic Asian spices, plum compote, black liquorice, graphite and wood smoke with subtle dried bay leaf nuances. Despite being dominated by Merlot and Malbec, the Series M often boasts a structure more in common with Cabernet Sauvignon blends, but in the cooler 2021 vintage, this wine remains very much in a Bordeaux right bank leaning style boasting precociously sumptuous notes of supple black currant fruits, mulberries, black plum with hints of cocoa powder, chargrilled charcuterie and pithy blood orange peel. Beautifully plump and opulent in the mouth, the tannins are velvety, supple and sweet, enveloping the palate and finishing with incisive saline acids and complex notions of baked blackberries, preserved plums and star anise. A wonderfully complete wine that already offers abundant pleasure in its youth. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

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

Vilafonte wines are imported into the UK and are available to trade on allocation from importer John E Fells, and are available retail from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.

http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Another Stand Out Malbec 2022 Release From the Quality Focused Winshaw Vineyards Winery in Stellenbosch…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Brothers Pierre and John Philip (JP) Winshaw released some beautiful wines with their maiden 2017 Charles and Bill Winshaw Cape Red Blends, and subsequent releases have also followed suit with striking quality, impressive fruit selection and wonderfully precise winemaking. They visited the UK to launch their winery brand in 2023 and from the very first moment, critics were seduced by the intensity, purity and overall appeal of their delicious wines.

A particular favourite of consumers in the UK, there is simply no holding back the success of single cultivar Malbec wines whether from Argentina or indeed South Africa. Handled correctly and vinified with care and attention, some very attractive, fruit forward Malbec wines are able to be created in South Africa and Winshaw Vineyards, along with the likes of Vilafonte in Paarl and Doolhof in Wellington, are becoming leaders in the category. The 2022 vintage should hit the UK retail market in mid-2024 and retail for approximately £26pb.

Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

The sumptuous 2022 Winshaw Vineyards Malbec continues almost exactly where the 2021 left off despite the vintages being fairly different in overall character. Made from MC71 clone vineyards planted in 2001, these 21-year-old vines are really starting to hit their stride, producing wines with great depth, breadth and character, suitable for single cultivar bottlings as well as making an attractive blending partner within the Charles and Bill Winshaw cuvees. The aromatics show wonderfully spicy, picante dark broody black berry fruit aromatics with lashings of black currant, black cherry, mocha chocolate and chargrilled meat nuances. The palate texture is plush, seductively inviting and delightfully accessible, with beautifully silky soft sweet tannins, sleek, cool spicy blue and black berry fruits, with hints of crème de cassis, cherry kirsch liquor and a slightly sappy, plummy finish that is suitably bright and attractively mouthwatering. This elegant Malbec is sure to be as big a hit with customers as previous vintages, but be warned, quantities produced are once again very small. Drink now and over the next 4 to 6+ years.

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

The Winshaw Vineyards wines are imported exclusively into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.

Polkadraai Hills On the Rise – Another Impressive De Toren Edition Z Release from the 2019 Vintage…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Many producers said that rain and cooler conditions in some South African regions at the end of February and early March 2019 might have hampered some later ripening red grape varieties, but for earlier ripening Merlot based wines, quality was excellent and the finished bottled wines at De Toren are really starting to shine. The cool daytime conditions (and especially nights) of December and January meant that the earlier varieties ripened with lovely vital acidities and great fruit freshness, mostly at lower alcohol levels. But as always, the precision viticulture at De Toren delivered excellent quality fruit with very consistent results.

De Toren Edition Z 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

This big bold De Toren Edition Z is another opulent, fleshy expression very much in the style of an expressive, generous Right Bank Merlot based blend. The aromatics are rich and powerful, packed full of sweet perfumed violets, stewed black plums, warm blueberry pie, salty cassis and melted black liquorice thoughtfully complimented by hints of sweet cedary oak and a vanilla pod dusting. The medium to full-bodied wine coats the palate with an intensity and concentration of dark berry fruits, dried thyme, black cherry confit, and subtle tarry, black currant notes that linger on the creamy, softly tannic persistent finish. This is a beautifully accomplished Cape Bordeaux red blend that offers seductive drinking now and the power and poise to age beneficially for at least 8 to 10 years.

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

The De Toren Wines are imported into the UK by The Wine Treasury and Edition Z retails for circa £42pb.