Marelise Niemann

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marelise Niemann Making Waves in the Bot River – Tasting the Anysbos Maiden Releases…

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Marelise Niemann officially launched her own Momento label in 2013 when she was still working for Beaumont winery in the Bot River region. She has recently taken up wine making duties at Anysbos Winery in the Bot River owned by Peter-Allan Finlayson’s uncle-in-law. Marelise has been making her Momento wines at Gabrielskloof along side Peter-Allan and John Seccombe (Thorne & Daughters) but will move production of these to Anysbos as well.

I recently tasted the two new releases from Anysbos here in London with their newly appointed importers Woodwinters and was totally blown away by the very high quality of both the white and red. There is no doubting Marelise’s expert winemaking skills, but you do need good fruit to make great wines and judging from these new releases, this is definitely a winery to follow if you are a wine connoisseur!

Tasting with Marelise in London in 2018.

Anysbos Disdit 2017, WO Bot River, 13.5 Abv.

A Chenin Blanc 61%, Roussanne 21% and Grenache Blanc 18% blend fermented with natural yeasts and aged 10 months in old oak barrels. Wonderfully opulent and expressive from the first pour over flowing with aromatic notes of tangerine, sweet pineapple pastille and green apple peel. So voluptuous, generous and fleshy with superb textural balance, impressive fruit concentration and a singing blood orange and mango flesh finish! Very impressive.

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

Anysbos Grenache Noir 2017, WO Bot River,13.5 Abv.

Super complex and expressive nose that is very precise, detailed and perfumed with notes of cherry confit, botanicals, vermouth spice and a striking line of blood orange and pomegranate spice. The balance and weight is super fine, concentrated and harmonious, quite discreet and feminine in its own kind of way. If this is the quality Marelise has achieved with her maiden Anysbos vintages, it makes the mind boggle at the end game potential. Really delicious!

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

Another New White Variety in South Africa that Points to the Future Instead of the Past – Tasting the Momento Grenache Gris 2017…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Marelise Niemann officially launched her Momento label in 2013 when she was still working for Beaumont winery in the Bot River region. She has recently taken up wine making duties at Anysbos Winery in the Bot River owned by Peter-Allan Finlayson’s uncle-in-law. Marelise has been making her previous wines at Gabrielskloof along side Peter-Allan and John Seccombe (Thorne & Daughters) but will now move her production to Anysbos aswell.

Following 4 drought years in the Cape and a continuing uncertain future for winemaking using many cooler climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Merlot etc., it is great to see that Marelise has become a real champion for varieties like Grenache, Grenache Gris, Verdelho, Tinta Barocca and Chenin Blanc, some of which may possibly point the way forward in future to more dry grown plantings as water becomes an ever scarcer commodity.

This new release is made from young Grenache Gris vines planted on the decomposed granite soils of Willie Mostert’s farm in the Voor-Paardeberg area. Grapes were destemmed and crushed and followed by a 7 day cold soak on the skins before a natural yeast fermentation commenced. The wine was then aged for 10 months in old French oak barrels. Only 4 barrels were produced.

Momento Grenache Gris 2017, WO Voor Paardeberg, 12.5 Abv.

The wine is beautifully mineral and dusty with pronounced notes of crushed granite, fynbos, dried thatch and hints of white citrus, soap stone and pithy, peppery green apples. The palate is impressively focused, texturally tight grained and super saline with intense liquid minerality marrying layers of white peach stone fruit, nougat glacé, tangerine peel and waxy green apples. An expertly proportioned white that is chiselled, concentrated and strictly linear in the mouth. There really is something special here and all from young vines. Wow! This is a new wine to track down and buy.

Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW

Only 90 bottles made their way to the UK.