The more wines I taste from 2021 in the Cape, the more I believe that this is truly one of the greatest vintages in South Africa’s modern history. For so many producers from so many diverse regions, from the Swartland to Stellenbosch, Elgin to the Hemel-en-Aarde, Paarl to the Klein Karoo, simply everyone seems to have made some exceptional white and red wines in this vintage. But the real clincher is when you talk to the winemakers themselves, whether they are the owners of their businesses and brands or merely working a day job, they all tell you that they don’t think they will make another vintage quite like 2021s in their careers, then you know that they certainly feel the conditions were not only unusual but also exceptional.
For Ian Naude, known to switch between Old Vine vineyards from year to year, he unusually decided to make not only his 2020 Chenin Blanc from this Old Vine Stellenbosch vineyard near the Blaauklippen Estate, but also decided to use this vineyard to make his 2021 vintage in this unusually cool growing season that saw a cold and wet climate with winter rainfall from May to June consistently above average. Cooler conditions significantly impacted the ripening process by slowing down the first half of the harvest before warmer conditions returned towards the end of harvest. In general, ripening was delayed by around 10 to 14 days compared to 2020, most notably among white cultivars, which displayed exceptionally low pH levels and high, bracing acids combined with low alcohols – a Naude wine lovers dream vintage?
With so much recent attention focused on Ian’s escapades up the Wes Kus with his Old Vine Langpad Colombard and his exceptional new Soutbos Old Vine Chenin Blanc / Colombard white blend, one can be forgiven for forgetting that Ian cemented much of his eminent white wine reputation with his maiden Naude Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2013, which still remains to this day, an iconic wine in the annals of Cape winemaking history. This phenomenal new 2021 could very well equal or surpass the heights of the 2013 given half a chance.
Naude Family Wines Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.
1.82g/l RS | 6.03g/l TA | 3.39pH
Few new wine releases from Ian Naude have created as much excitement as the new Old Vine Chenin Blanc from the 2021 vintage. Already being lauded as one of the most exceptional white and red wine vintages in South Africa in the past 20+ years, this delicious new white does not compromise this notion in any way. First tasted pre-release in March 2023, the wine was a little shy and retiring, giving mere hints of its ultra fine purity, tightly wound structure, its taut acid tension and glimmers of its incredibly harmonious, crystalline fruit concentration. This unusually cool and long vintage has allowed the vines to produce some pristine Chenin Blanc fruit that is undoubtedly sprinkled with more than a pinch of magic dust, boasting incredibly attractive aromatics of pear puree, white peach, crunchy Granny Smith apples, with dried hay, delicate dried baking herbs and an undeniable wet granite minerality. But it is on the palate where the true fireworks ignite, being packed full of piercing tart yellow peach, sour plum, quince and zesty green apple fruit concentration, all wrapped up in a tightly wound but subtle, nervy core of energy so powerful and intense it could be mainlined directly into the Cape Town power grid! Like all truly great wines, the 2021 achieves all its intensity and commanding focus with a supremely unobtrusive elegance, crystalline purity and harmonious synchronicity making this one of Ian’s greatest Chenin Blanc releases to date. Drink now and over the next 15 to 20 years.
One could argue that Ian Naude is a sucker for punishment. Though, he would probably blame Rosa Kruger or perhaps his friend and fellow winemaker Sakkie Mouton for many of his recent wine adventures, but every time he is introduced to a new Old Vine vineyard, you can practically hear the cogs turning, the bells ringing and the whistles tweeting in his head. He swore he was done with white blends after his last expression was bottled in 2010. But sometimes, when you inadvertently discover an incredibly exciting synergy or harmonious partnership like the one that exits between Old Vine Chenin Blanc and Colombard, all bets are off.
I travelled up the West Coast with Ian Naude in October 2022, the beginning of the 2023 vintage, and saw some of the incredibly exciting Old Vine Chenin Blanc and Colombard vineyards that inspired Ian on his new white blend journey. Even I wanted to buy some of these grapes and start making wine again!
Old Vine Chenin Blanc in Vredendal
Very old, gracefully gnarled and outstandingly beautiful, the vineyards of Vredendal and Koekenaap are finally receiving the adoration they have missed out on for the past 30 years. Ian’s new white blend is yet another celebration of this incredibly characterful, austere, coastal terroir.
Naude Family Wines Soutbos White Blend 2023, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv.
1.76g/l RS | 6.07g/l TA | 3.44pH
This stunning new white blend from Naude Family Wines represents the culmination of many years of work Ian Naude has spent constructing and perfecting intricate, complex and age worthy white blends. More latterly, Ian has built an iconic reputation for some of the most eye-catching Old Vine Chenin Blancs produced in South Africa before moving his attention to championing Old Vine Colombard vineyards up the West Coast. This new white draws on all Ian’s experience and expertise to assemble an incredibly fresh, tight knit, minerally driven white wine. A blend of 83% Chenin Blanc from a vineyard planted in 1988 and 17% Colombard from a vineyard planted in 1985, has seen Ian create his first new white blend since 2010 from these two noble West Coast Vredendal vineyards.
Crystalline and fresh in the glass, the aromatics show incredibly subtle notes of lemon peel zest, grapefruit, white peach, honeydew melon and Granny Smith apples with underlying hints of dried guava roll, sweet herbs and cream soda rock candy. Fresh, intense and mouth coating, this is an intriguing white blend that combines the vibrancy and exuberance of Old Vine Colombard with the more herbal, mineral and textural aspects of Chenin Blanc. Undoubtedly, the standout features remain the incredible balance, seamless texture and maritime kelpy salinity. Like all of Ian’s red and white wines, his attention to detail is simply extraordinary, marking this white blend as one of the most exciting and thought-provoking new releases on the South African white wine landscape since possibly the launch of Eben Sadie’s Old Vine Skerpioen. Drink and enjoy its freshness on release and revisit over the next 10 to 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Naudé Wines are imported into the UK exclusively by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.
It was great catching up with Ian Naude from Naude Family Wines in London at the end of June 2023 to taste his superb new red releases including the 2017 Werfdans Cinsault (97/100 GSMW), his Oupa Willem Heritage Red Blend 2020 (96+/100 GSMW), as well as his delicious new Grenache 2020 (96/100 GSMW). It was of course his Grenache 2020 that featured in the Top 5 wines in the epic blind Judgement of Wimbledon Tasting 2023 earlier this year, within a lineup of the greatest new release Grenache wines money can buy.
An annual Grenache celebration, the Judgement of Wimbledon results came out a few weeks before the official South African release of the Grenache 2020. With this wine newly landed in the UK market, I thought it was appropriate to revisit this impressive cult wine from Ian Naude. On my recent visit to the Cape in March 2023, I finally paid my first visit to this mythical Agter-Paardeberg vineyard that was planted in 2004.
The Agter-Paardeberg Swartland Grenache vineyard planted in 2004.
Located just behind the back entrance of Eben Sadie’s winery, these Grenache vines are only just down the road from the oldest Grenache vineyard in South Africa, vines planted on Adi Badenhorst’s Kalmoesfontein farm located next door to Eben Sadie. While Ian’s vineyard is not yet an old vine certified vineyard, it is certainly one of the “future old vine sites” that organisations like the Old Vine Project hope will reach a healthy old age in years to come.
Picked in small crates approximately three weeks before other winemakers who contract other parts of the same vineyard, the wine was fermented naturally with a combination of whole bunches, destemmed grapes and some added back stalks. Using one or two pump overs per day, the wine was left for approximately two weeks before being pressed and transferred into 225 litre old French oak barrels for approximately 12 to 15 months before bottling.
Naude Family Wines Grenache 2020, WO Swartland, 11% Abv.
1.8g/l RS | 5.8g/l TA | 3.33pH
Attractively light and ethereal in colour, the nose of the 2020 Grenache shows delightful, sweet, sappy red berry fruits, cool crunchy red cherries, earthy red plums, bramble berries and grated red apple skin nuances. The palate is taut, linear and rapier fresh with liquid laser beams, maritime salinity and a tart yet deliciously mouth-watering salty minerality. This is fine wine elegance with extreme precision and crystalline classical power all delivered so deftly. A really exceptional expression of Paardeberg / Swartland Grenache the can rival the very best from Gredos in Spain. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Naudé Family Wines are imported into the UK by fine wine specialist Museum Wines and the Grenache 2020 retails for circa £42pb.
This classical premium Naudé red draws on the unique South African expressions of bush vine Cinsault blended with prime Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, resurrecting and mimicking the styling of the old South African “heritage red blends” of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.
Now in only its third vintage, the 2020 is a tremendous, finely crafted effort, fermented naturally using 40% whole bunches to create a cellar-worthy Cape heritage blend that Ian believes will stand the test of time and improve in bottle for over 20+ years. With Ian back in the UK to visit trade clients, I took this opportunity to meet up and taste his new releases again including this impressive red.
Naudé Family Wines Oupa Willem 2020 Heritage Blend, WO Western Cape, 11.5% Abv.
1.9g/l RS | 6.00 g/l TA | 3.39pH
In the glass this 2020 Oupa Willem glows with a bright translucent red cherry and ruby red plum clarity. Consisting of 82% Cinsault, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from across the Western Cape in Darling and Stellenbosch, the aromatics show a delightfully lifted, perfumed nose of sun raisined cranberry, red cherries, smoky branded sandalwood, nori seaweed, sweet cedar spice, fynbos and a dusty crushed granite and graphite minerality. The palate is taut and super sleek, mouth-wateringly tart and fresh, bristling with an electric acidity, fabulous energy and notable concentration. The ripeness is sweet fruited, tangy and intense and simply defies the wines 11.5% alcohol level! The tannins are supremely precise, fine grained and powdery, perfectly balanced by juicy red summer berry fruits, hints of marzipan and a subtle kiss of Turkish delight on the finish. This really is a stunning wine that has grown in depth and stature since I first tasted it in Cape Town in March 2020. Almost Grand Cru Burgundy meets Grand Cru Loire in style, this sublime 2020 red blend is going to acquire a massive following. Could this be Ian’s finest Oupa vintage yet? He thinks so. Drink on release and over 20+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wines imported exclusively into the UK by Museum Wines. The new releases from Naudé will be released in the UK in July. http://www.museumwines.co.uk – The Oupa Willem 2020 will retailfor circa £39.99pb.
Tasting with master winemaker Ian Naude can be quite a testing affair. If you are lucky enough to be invited into his inner sanctum of wine production to behold his new “babies” pre-release, he certainly keeps you on your toes. When tasting from tank or barrel, Ian appears to almost seek one’s confirmation or approval that he has not messed up the new vintage, when in actual fact, you’re normally in such awe of what you are tasting that his initial panic seems nearly incomprehensible. Ian has certainly never bottled any wine with his own name on the label that he does not think is worth its salt and this new 2022 Old Vine Langpad Colombard is no different.
Post Covid pandemic, I made my first return visit to the Cape just over two years to the day after my last visit when the travel ban to South Africa was lifted, and it was during this visit in March 2022 that I sampled the Langpad 2022 from stainless steel tank shortly after it had finished fermentation. We even filled a small PET bottle and took it home to retaste around a braai. Textural, rich, fresh, dry and utterly delicious… the new release date could not come quick enough.
The 2022 vintage was a cooler season with moderate weather conditions during harvest time that slowed down ripening and gave the vines the opportunity to develop extra flavours and colour. For Naude Family Wines, harvest was delayed by up to 10 to 14 days and the crop was around 5% lower than the 2021 vintage, but still larger than the five-year average. The old vine Colombard was harvested with good flavour and sugar ripeness, slightly lower acids but higher pH levels giving the 2022 Langpad an almost sweet-sour flavour intensity on the palate. As usual, all the requisite rugged West Coast maritime salinity and briney characteristics are present making for a true terroir expression once again.
Naude Family Wines Langpad Old Vine Colombard 2022, WO Western Cape, 11% Abv.
1.2 g/l RS | 6.6 g/l TA | 3.58 pH
I remember tasting this wine after fermentation in March 2022 and thinking that this wine was, yet again, something very special. Despite being an exceptional and intuitive winemaker, Ian Naude has continued to learn, building his old vine Colombard knowledge vintage to vintage, and in this exceptional third vintage, he has captured something very close to the true essence of this barren old vine Koekenaap West Coast vineyard that I finally visited in October 2022. For a young Colombard vintage, the 2022 seems more serious, more mineral and stonier, with less of the crème soda and green rock candy notes that initially tend to dominate the aromatics before blowing off to reveal the true coastal maritime salinity. There is a pronounced wet grey slate and petrichor note over hints of peach stone, lime blossom, rock salt and crunchy green pear. The palate is every bit as pleasing when I tasted the freshly fermented wine out of tank, with a rich, dense, glycerol mouthfeel packed full of salty white peaches, green apple, sour pear drops and a wet river pebble minerality. The lees ageing in tank has added a fabulous extra textural dimension and depth that plays synergistically to this grape variety’s true characteristics. Simply delicious. Drink this on release and over the next 10 to 12+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Naudé Family Wines are imported exclusively into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines and the retail price is circa £32pb for the 2022 vintage. http://www.museumwines.co.uk
The 2017 vintage has, over the years, become one of the most lauded and sought after quality vintages for red wines in South Africa, potentially even surpassing the famed block buster expressions of 2015. Falling right in the middle of the drought years, the vineyards all around the Western Cape had finally started to readjust to the new perpetuated heat and drought conditions. I tasted some of Ian Naude’s 2017 Cinsault barrels not long after harvest and realised very early on that this was going to be a very special vintage indeed.
The 2017 harvest was slightly larger than 2016, following another dry season. The growing season, post-harvest, was very hot and dry and winter arrived late in most wine regions. Spring arrived on time with cooler nights throughout the growing season and an absence of significant heatwaves during harvest time helped buffer the effect of the ongoing drought. Higher rainfall brought some relief in certain regions although it still was very much below average. The dry conditions did contribute to very healthy vineyards and smaller berries with good colour and flavour concentration. The harvest season kicked off somewhat later due to cool night temperatures however ripening accelerated by mid-February and the harvest ended earlier than usual.
Walking the vineyards with Ian Naudé in March 2023.
Ian Naude has always had a knack of confounding critics when they taste his cool, crystalline, flavour-packed wines and then realise that they are often only 11% or 12% alcohol wines with ample texture, depth, structure and ripeness. Ian confirms that the challenge is always to interpret the vintage conditions correctly in order to monitor the natural fruit / acid balance in the grapes and of course, getting the picking dates correct. This can only be achieved with regular visits to the vineyard, tasting the grapes and then understanding when the flavours tell you to pick, not the laboratory results.
Tasting from barrel in March 2023.
I had an opportunity to taste the 2017 Cinsault in November 2022 in London at a tasting with Ian Naude and then again in March 2023 on my recent visit to the Cape winelands. Watch out for this new release in early May 2023!
Naude Wines Werfdans Old Vine Cinsault 2017, WO Darling, 12.5% Abv.
1.6g/l RS | 5.2g/l TA | 3.51 pH
Finally ready for release 6 years after vintage, the 2017 Werfdans Cinsault is undoubtedly one of the most exciting wines Ian has released to date under his own Naude Wines label. From an exceptional vintage, the 2017 is altogether tighter, tauter and more compact than the opulent and gregarious Werfdans 2016, coming across as a more serious, confident and highly composed expression of old vine Cinsault. Ian already makes some of the most regaled expressions of serious old vine Cinsault in South Africa, but the 2017 takes quality up another notch or two. The aromatics are initially a little more broody and restrained with a slow perfumed release of pressed violets, red bramble berry fruits, wild strawberry, sour cherry, sun raisined cranberry and the signature top notes of rose petals, crushed granite minerality and Turkish delight. The palate is packed as tight as a sailor’s sea chest, with a fruit density, concentration and power delivered with an effortless elegance. Always deliciously fresh and crystalline, the bright acids help frame the youthful palate fruit adding further structural integrity, finally yielding on the finish to delicately drying, mineral, fine grained stony tannins. This is an incredibly striking, long awaited fine wine release that all committed Cinsault aficionados are going to be seduced by. Drink on release and over the next 20+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wines are imported and distributed in the UK by Museum Wines. http://www.museumwines.co.uk at an approximate retail price of £39 per bottle.
One of the greatest measures of a wine’s quality and style can usually be achieved when lining up the finest creations in a blind line-up against all one’s global peers. If you want to be the best, you need to pit yourself against the best. This philosophy applies equally in business, sport and of course fine wine and it was this simple principle that inspired the original “Judgement Tastings” many years ago… the first popularised benchmark exploration being the Judgement of Paris held by the late Steven Spurrier back in 1976, pitting the best of California against the best of France.
In the same pioneering spirit of competition, a group of London fine wine enthusiasts set out, some years ago, to compare the finest Grenache wine expressions from around the world in a rigorous blind comparative tasting. Roll on several years, and not only have the finest offerings from around the world increased in number, but the “Grenache fine wine category” itself has evolved dramatically to include some incredible new expressions, primarily from Spain and South Africa.
So with the latest 2023 edition of the Judgement of Wimbledon held recently with one of the most impressive line-ups to date, the results were always going to be highly anticipated. This year, the 14 wine blind flight included 3 wines from Sierra de Gredos, the mountainous region west of Madrid, 4 wines from Priorat in Catalonia, 1 wine from Monsant next door to Priorat, 1 wine from Vinos de la Tierra Castilla y Leon, 3 old vine wines from South Africa, 1 wine from Rioja and 1 from the USA. Where possible, the latest releases were included covering vintages 2020 to 2014.
The Judgement of Wimbledon 2023 tasting featured seven judges, 14 wines double decanted, tasted blind and rated using the 100-point scoring system. With regards to the wine selection, a more elegant, classical, mineral and pure fruited aesthetic was followed in conjunction with high critical scores from international reviewers for the vintages on the tasting, or else for previous vintages if the latest releases had not been rated yet. Previous Judgement tastings have including more “obvious” riper expressions of Grenache from Australia, the USA, and Chateauneuf du Pape (Rayas), so these were excluded from this years selection as a point of difference.
My personal tasting notes and scores were as follows, followed by the group average results.
The Judgement of Wimbledon Tasting Line-up: (including Greg Sherwood MW’s blind notes)
Wine 1 – Terroir al Limit Les Manyes 2019, Priorat, Spain
Light translucent colour reveals an aromatics of tar and leather, freshly tilled earth and bramble berry spice. Very sappy, smoky with a deep peppery spicy seam. Quite phenolic and very spicy on the palate with quite a dense glycerol mouthfeel, plenty of crushed peppercorns, austere liquid minerality and wood spice on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 2 – Comando G Rumbo Al Norte 2020, Gredos, Spain
Very pale colour in the glass before a nose of vermouth spices, strawberry reduction, tomato juice, dried orange peel, tangerine and blood orange. The palate is taut and incredibly saline with a very polished textural feel, tight knit tannins and a quite exotic finish of red berries, Xmas spices and granitic minerality.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 3 – Telmo Rodriguez Pegaso Granito 2018, Vinos de la Tierra Castillo y Leon, Spain
A darker, deeper expression on the eye and the nose, showing complex layers of black currant pastille, cassis and salty blueberry. The tannins are pure silk showing a powdery texture, a tight grained minerality, pear notes and a long focused harmonious finish. Impressive and immediately hedonistic.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 4 – Naude Family Wines Grenache 2019, Darling, South Africa
Another light, translucent coloured expression. The nose shows a delicate smoky elegance layered with sapidity, crushed granitic spice and dried herbs. On the palate there is a supremely elegant mouthfeel, pinpoint acids, delicate freshness and a wonderfully cool, focused saline precision on the finish. Very harmonious and classy despite its evident youthfulness.
A much riper, denser opulent expression with plenty of sun dried red berries, hints of diesel rag, and sweet grilled herbs. On the palate there is a plush texture, plenty of fleshy red berry fruits, red bruised apple, notes of raspberry coulis and wood spice. The entire package is very impressive with a sleek texture and compact mouthfeel. Very classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 6 – Mas Martinet Els Escurcons 2019, Priorat, Spain
Another dense, darkly coloured expression. On the nose the aromatics show a nervy, crushed gravel, limestone mineral dustiness mixed with sweet grilled herbs, sweet leaf, red cherry, orange peel and sweet vermouth botanical notes. There is impressive ripeness on the palate with a fleshy richness, Poire William and balancing acidity complimented by supremely creamy chalky tannins. An impressive wine with red and black berry fruits and a deliciously creamy persistence.
Medium dark colour with some transparency. The nose is quite lifted and perfumed with notes of cherry cola, herbal tea, cherry tobacco and leafy spice. The palate is as attractive as the aromas, showing deliciously vibrant acids, a glycerol textured breadth but also lovely complexity, a smoky minerality, and a long, powdery tannic finish. Very powerful and intense making for a serious wine indeed.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 8 – Torres Mas de la Rosa 2018, Priorat, Spain
Another dark coloured wine, the aromatics are expressive and perfumed with raspberry herbal tea, red cherry, cherry cola and subtle vermouth herbal spices over a subtle blueberry muffin spice. There is a lovely fleshy richness that offers breadth and depth with a sweet / sour acidity but also incredible precision and balance. Some ripeness here but also a beautiful acid balance.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 9 – Mas Martinet – Cami Pesseroles 2019, Priorat, Spain
This is a more lush, plush opulent expression with plenty of depth and breadth both on the nose and palate. The nose reveals warming stewed black plum, dark orchard fruits and subtle sweet vermouth and grilled herb spices. The palate is medium to full with an intense fruit concentration tempered by an earthy tart sweet / sour acidity, and a very sweet tannin profile. Lovely concentration on a wine that leaves a little less to the imagination but delicious nevertheless.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 10 – Sadie Family Wines Soldaat 2021, Piekenierskloof, South Africa
Light and translucent in colour, this youthful expression is smoky and reductive with saline maritime notes over black currant pastille and purple rock candy and subtle musk notes. The palate is salty and spicy, tart yet rich, taut and nervy with plenty of red berry fruits, tart red apple, and a sweet plummy complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 11 – 4 Monos La Isilla 2019, Gredos, Spain
A more classical rendition of Grenache with all the archetypal notes of grilled herbs, smoky black berry, hints of salty cassis, oyster shell and subtle tar and roses complexity. The texture is dense and fleshy, bristling with more red fruits, bright acids and sweet and sour Victoria plum notes. Tight knit, polished and very impressive indeed.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 12 – Comando G El Tamboril 2020, Gredos, Spain
A taut, classical note with plenty of herbal aromatics, hints of plum and tar, smoky railway yard and earthy black berry. The palate shows a hint of saline flinty reduction but also massively mineral drying tannins, chalky grip and immense power. This is muscle in a bottle, one for the cellar, but a potential block buster. Very impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 13 – Naude Family Wines Grenache 2020, Darling, South Africa
Light and ethereal in colour, the nose shows sweet sappy red berry fruits, cool red cherry, earthy red plum and grated red apple skins. The palate is liquid lazerbeams, saline and tart yet mouth-wateringly salty and mineral. This is elegance with extreme precision and power but all delivered so deftly. A really incredible expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine 14 – A Tribute to Grace Morro View Vineyard Santa Barbara County County Grenache 2014, California, USA
Rich and ripe with sur-maturité notes on the nose with hints of sweet figs, caramel, stewed plums and earthy savoury cherry liquor. The tannins are rasping and dry, mouth puckering and grippy with dried fruits that indicate the grapes were picked perhaps a bit too late.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Group Tasting Score Averages and Rankings:
The tasting group in deep discussion after results where completed and submitted for auditing.
Conclusions and Observations:
One thing you can be sure of when you do blind tastings like this is that the results will never conform to preconceived expectations. Indeed, that was certainly the case with the 2023 Judgement of Wimbledon tasting. Some of the obvious surprises were the low ratings for both the Comando G Rumbo Al Norte 2020 and the Les Manyes 2019, though this could be down to their youthfulness. Equally, a big surprise was the dominant performance of another Sierra de Gredos wine, the El Tamboril 2020, that shone incredibly brightly and seduced all the tasters.
Plenty of happy faces all round! Viva Grenache! (The Sadie Pofadder 2012 Cinsault was a delicious post-tasting treat!)
Also, taking previous critical ratings and retail prices into consideration, all three South African Grenache wines performed incredibly well, with purity, precision and balance in the face of stiff competition from wines that were sometimes close to 10 times their price. The Naudé Family Wines Grenache was one of the original wines that inspired the Judgement tastings all those years ago, so hats off to an impressive 4th and 5th placing for Ian Naudé’s two incredible reds. World class in every sense of the word! Until next year and the 2024 Judgement… cheers!
The sun may be shining here in London but there is most certainly a crisp Autumnal note in the air as another phenomenally warm and sunny summer across Europe starts to fade into a mere memory. And what a summer it was! But Autumn for me is always a time of reflection and when it comes to fine wine, there were certainly a few splendid examples that have helped define the past year. One of these important wines was undoubtedly the second release of the Langpad Colombard from Old Vine maestro Ian Naude.
Almost everything Ian does seems to be ground-breaking, whether it was championing Old Vine Cinsault, helping with the Cape revival of Old Vine Semillon or redefining elegance and finesse in Provencal-style Grenache. So many producers follow in Ian’s footsteps that it sometimes becomes hard to even remember where all the excitement started. With Ian Naude’s Old Vine Langpad Colombard 2020, South Africa witnessed the birth of the first boutique production Old Vine Certified heritage wine from this traditional ‘work horse’ variety. Which is probably a good time to remind readers that South Africa also had another under appreciated work horse variety a few years ago – Chenin Blanc – which is now regarded as one of South Africa’s Grand Cru white offerings.
As I look ahead to visiting the Cape again in October 2022, I can confidently look back at my recent visit there in March when I met up with Ian Naude and tasted his new 2022 Langpad Colombard from tank before bottling. Another riveting example that is sure to continue in the footsteps of the maiden 2020 and the phenomenal 2021, which was awarded 5 Stars in the Platter’s South African Wine Guide and also, more importantly, Platter’s Wine of the Year.
I tasted and reviewed the 2021 almost a year ago, and after hearing that it was now sold out in South Africa, with the last remaining stocks heading to the thirsty UK market, it seemed the perfect time to retaste this benchmark white wine again and sing its praises for any wine collectors and connoisseurs that have not discovered its joys yet.
Naude Family Wines Old Vines Langpad Colombard 2021, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv.
1.3 g/l RS | 6.1 g/l TA | 3.3 pH
This second vintage of Naude’s Old Vine Colombard is certainly something very special. The aromatics are lifted and expressive with rich intense notes of green apple pastille, white peaches, green pear, dried herbs, sea breeze and a seductive rich seam of crushed stone minerality. On the palate there is even more concentration and mouth coating flavour intensity than maiden 2020 with enchanting layers of crunchy white peach, seductive hints of ripe guava, pear, green mango and an underlying basaltic stony minerality that combines with a pronounced maritime rock salt character and a tangy, bright acid freshness. After over a year in bottle, the wine has shed the subtle rock candy and cream soda puppy fat hints and swopped these for additional layers of salinity, minerality and mouth-watering fruit purity. Often regaled as reminding drinkers of premium Assyrtiko from Santorini, with time in bottle the similarities simply become more and more pronounced. But whatever comparisons are made, this wine never loses its crystalline Cape West Coast maritime terroir nuances that help make it so distinct and so utterly delicious. Enjoy its complexity now or fill your cellar for drinking over the next 3 to 5+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Last allocations of this wine are available in the UK and EU from Museum Wines for £29.99pb.
New wines from top South African producers like Naude Family Wines are a bit like London buses, nothing for ages and then all of a sudden two or three new wines introduced onto the market. The Langpad Old Vine Colombard, the Groendruif La Colline Old Vine Semillon and the Oupa Willem Old Vine Cape Heritage Red Blend have all been released to great acclaim, further cementing Ian Naude’s status as one of the most admired producers in South Africa.
Deeply involved with the Old Vine Project from the very beginning, the Oupa Willem red blend is perhaps the most nostalgic of his new releases paying tribute to the historic old Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon blends of the 1950s and 1960s that came to define the South African wine industry for many decades.
Tasting with Ian Naudé at his cellar in March 2022.
I remember tasting the maiden 2018 vintage many months before commercial release and thinking that Ian Naude had created something very special indeed. The combination of the ethereal elegance and perfume of the Cinsault seamlessly married with the power and authority of Cabernet Sauvignon made for an incredible wine and my high ratings mirrored this excitement in every way. It was only a matter of time before the word “got out” and sure enough the 2018 was subsequently awarded a massive 5 Stars in the John Platter South African Wine Guide. Few pure Cinsaults or Cinsault blends ever achieve this regal accolade making the award even more significant.
With the Oupa Willem 2020 already in bottle, my review for the follow up 2019 vintage was long overdue.
Naude Family Wines Oupa Willem Cape Heritage Blend 2019, WO Western Cape, 11.5% Abv.
1.2 g/l RS | 5.65 g/l TA | 3.5 pH
This premium red blend draws on the unique South African expressions of 77% Darling old bush vine Cinsault planted in 1978 blended with prime Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon and fermented naturally using 40% whole bunches. Reduced yields in 2019 reminded everyone of the hangover the vines were still experiencing after four years of severe drought despite most regions receiving good rainfall during the season. Grape quantities may have been compromised but the quality was exceptional, and this 2019 red blend shows fabulously lifted notes of pink musk, red cherry, rose petals, violets and Turkish delight with some darker black berry fruit hints together with subtle nuances of raspberry herbal tea, graphite and cherry tobacco. The palate displays a wonderfully linear acid driven structure with a real mouth-watering verve and vigour, a magically textural plushness and weightless elegance. Trying to comprehend the intensity, fruit concentration and glycerol mouthfeel all delivered at an astonishing 11.5% abv. is simply mind blowing. This is another incredible vinous creation that will take its place in the history books of South African winemaking. Sure to be very long lived, the irony is that this wine is also unbelievably drinkable right now and many will find it impossibly hard to resist pulling the cork. Drink now to 2045+.
If Chenin Blanc has become Ian Naude’s white wine calling card, then there is no doubt whatsoever that Old Vine Cinsault is his red equivalent despite the cult following for his incredible Grenache wines. Ian Naudé was recently over in London to launch a comprehensive selection of his new vintage releases including his Platter 5 Star Langpad Colombard 2021, his Platter 5 Star Oupa Willem 2019 Cape Heritage Blend, his Grenache 2019, and of course his long awaited Old Vine Cinsault 2016.
This benchmark expression of Darling / Swartland Old Vine Cinsault has now been labelled the Werfdans, an Afrikaans name for the small dust whirlwinds that spin and dance around the dusty coastal vineyards of the Swartland. If you are not familiar with Ian Naude’s Old Vine Cinsault wines, be sure not to miss this new creation that rivals the greatest expressions produced in South Africa from the likes of Eben Sadie, Duncan Savage, Donovan Rall and Mullineux Family Wines’ Leeu Passant venture.
Naude Family Wines Werfdans Old Vine Cinsault 2016, WO Darling, 12.5% Abv.
The fruit for this 100% Darling 43+ year old vine Cinsault was sourced from the late Boetie van Reenen’s farm in the Swartland. While the 2014 vintage was a slow burner that sizzled invitingly until it finally exploded with exuberance after a few years in bottle, the 2015 release was and is a long-standing icon wine that came close to redefining premium Cinsault in South Africa. In the 2016, Ian Naudé has shifted into sixth gear, coaxing some of the most seductive textures and flavours out of his old vine fruit. The aromatics are positively brimming with marzipan, Turkish delight, dried coriander seeds, violets and rose petal perfume with a subtle kiss of lychee exoticism. On the palate the quality shift is witnessed in full focus with a beguiling combination of sweet seductive red berry fruits, harmoniously textured concentration and a long, full, persistent finish that simply crashes the senses mainframe and announces something very very special indeed. This certainly is next level seductive Cinsault quality from the old vine master himself. Drink the 2016 now and over the next 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Available in the UK from Museum Wines, Handford Wines and Vino SA.
Greg Sherwood MW 