Vignerons de Franschhoek is the producer association of South Africa’s historic “French Corner,” founded in 1984 as part of the Franschhoek Wine Route and is credited with helping revive grape growing after many farmers started to move more towards growing orchards fruits. The Valley’s wine heritage dates back to the French Huguenot refugees who arrived in the Cape in the late 1680s, bringing their vine-growing expertise with them. Today the grouping represents the estates behind Franschhoek’s reputation as one of the Cape’s leading wine and food tourist destinations. As I discovered earlier this year, its members work with remarkably varied soils, slopes and microclimates, producing a diverse range of styles that reflect the Valley’s terroir diversity while actively promoting its quality both locally and internationally. For many consumers, the premium wines of the Franschhoek Valley ward remain a bit of an unknown entity. Follow my new 15 part series covering some of the most exciting wineries in the Valley.
Where better to kick things off than with bubbles!? Le Lude is now one of the most famous Cap Classique sparkling wine focused producers in South Africa, helping to make the Franschhoek Valley a real mecca for top quality Method Cap Classique bottle fermented fizz. They use their own Franschhoek grapes with a small amount of bought in fruit from Franschhoek itself as well as Stellenbosch, Elgin and Robertson. They only use their own Pinot Meunier grapes from a block planted in 2009.
Normally moderately low sulphur Cap Classique with 50 to 70 ppm totals in the finished wines, the full range currently sits at 12 wines with around 90,000 bottles released per year. (Current retail prices for the Reserve is circa R420 per bottle or about €34 / £29, R650 for the Brut Vintage Rose 2019, R895 per bottle for the 2016 Vintage Brut and circa R1,195 for the Vintage Cuvee 2016.)
Le Lude Cap Classique Brut Reserve NV, 12% Abv.
(Based on the 2020 vintage) this is a blend of 69% Chardonnay and 31% Pinot Noir aged for at least 3 years on its lees. Disgorged with a low 1 to 2 g/l dosage, the final RS stands at 5.7g/l RS. Made in a consistent style using no oak and no malo, the aromatics show lifted fresh citrus fruits, glazed lemons and salted pistachios. The palate is fine grained, incredibly creamy with focus, freshness, tangy acids and a driving purity. A very impressive Cap Classique. (Circa 60,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Brut Reserve Rose NV, 12% Abv.
(Based on the 2023 vintage) A blend of 31% Chardonnay, 63% Pinot Noir and 6% Pinot Meunier with a 6.6g/l RS. Normally use a 1-to-2-day cold maceration on the Pinot Noir skins but in future will blend red base wines for the Rosé colour. A delightfully floral, lifted nose with attractive wild strawberries, earthy red cherries and macerated cranberries. The palate shows real intensity and concentration, bright tart acids buffered by fine grained creamy tannins and a tangy acidity. The mousse if fine and creamy, very refined and classy with impressive underlying precision, finishing with a pronounced salty tang. Top notch Cap Classique. (Circa 40,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Brut Vintage 2016 Limited Release, 12% Abv.
A blend of 72% Chardonnay, 24% Pinot Noir and 4% Pinot Meunier aged for just under 9 years and disgorged in June 2026 with zero dosage with a final 3.4g/l RS. Aromatics show an intense salted brioche character with glaces Lemons, dried herbs, lemon peel and honeycomb. I the mouth the wine is expansive, plush and concentrated with linear acids, a very fine-grained creamy mousse and a long, bright, citrus laden finish but with the extra vintage character and power evident. (1,550 bottles produced with only 330 disgorged and released so far.)
As prices for Burgundy’s marquee names climb beyond the reach of all but the deepest pocketed cellars, discerning collectors are looking beyond the overtly famous labels for estates that deliver the same terroir pedigree without the accompanying pricing frenzy. Few fit that brief better than Domaine Bruno Desaunay-Bissey’s wines. Based in Flagey-Echézeaux, the heart of Burgundy’s Grand Cru country, Bruno built his domaine through a patchwork of purchases and family successions, most notably with his father-in-law, Daniel Bissey. The result is a compact estate of around six hectares spread across five communes of the Côte de Nuits – a domaine that is small, personal and entirely hands-on.
The portfolio reads like a roll call of the appellations collectors prize, including Chambolle-Musigny Combe d’Orveaux, Vosne-Romanée Premiers Crus such as Les Beaux-Monts and Les Rouges, Vieilles Vignes Echezeaux Grand Cru, and at the summit, a Vieilles Vignes Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru. Several parcels are old vines rooted in clay-limestone soils, farmed without pesticides or herbicides since 2007. So why does the estate remain a bit of a secret? Predictably, the production is tiny, there is no marketing machine, and Bruno, in his lifetime, never courted the spotlight. His wines are now discovered by word of mouth, passed between growers, merchants and devoted Burgundy lovers who make their pilgrimage to their cellar door.
For the collector, within that relative obscurity lies the true opportunity. These are wines from some of the world’s most coveted vineyard sites, made with incredible care that are still very reasonably priced, sitting well below their more fashionable neighbours. In a market increasingly defined by hype, Desaunay-Bissey offers true authenticity and, for the time being, amazing relative value, quality considered.
I recently got the opportunity to revisit two of Desaunay-Bissey’s great cuvées, one Premier Cru and one Grand Cru. Both exceptional, youthful and utterly spellbinding Burgundies.
Domaine Bruno Desaunay-Bissey Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaux-Monts 2018, 14% Abv.
Sourced from an 80+ year old vines, this wine shows pure class and allows its pedigree to shine through in this serious expression of Vosne Romanee. One of the most respected 1er Cru vineyards delivers quality in bucket loads in 2018 with even more perfume, lift and intricacy than the village wine. The aromatics display a splendid array of crunchy wild strawberries, red and black cherries, subtle dried herbs and alluring Vosne spice. The palate reveals incredible depth and breath with piercing mouth-watering concentration, fine-grained tannins like polished marble and a tart, bright maritime salinity on the finish that retains a seductive kiss of pink rock candy. This is a very serious effort indeed. An utterly seductive Pinot. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bruno Desaunay-Bissey Echezeaux Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2014, 13.5% Abv.
Made from old vines planted in 1902, 1940 and 1945, this Grand Cru red shows a classically broody demeanour to begin with before opening up to reveal a complex array of red and black berry fruits on the nose, seamlessly integrated oak and a subtle freshly tilled earth savoury note. Broad, suave and texturally plush, this is a wine to savour, to lose yourself in and to allow the more intricate finery to reveal itself slowly over time in the glass. The texture is dense, compact, almost creamy, with fine maturing tannins, layers of bright blueberry, cassis and Fraises des Bois notes that linger for an age on the finish. Grand Cru Burgundy is not just about more dialled up volume, it’s about intricacy and complexity of rhythm, more drum, more base and an altogether more melodic crescendo. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Domaine Bruno Desaunay-Bissey are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Contact Andrew to request the current availability.
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.
The 2026 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction returns to Brickfield Canvas in Cape Town on Friday, 2nd October and Saturday, 3rd October 2026, offering rare, small-batch wines crafted exclusively for the sale by South Africa’s most respected, peer-nominated winemakers. For over four decades, this auction has been the premier showcase of the country’s finest cellars, drawing serious collectors seeking exceptional, hard-to-find bottles.
JD Pretorius (Warwick Estate) and David Sadie (David & Nadia), Guild members.
To bid, register a Bidder’s Account with Strauss & Co before Thursday, 1 October — one registration covers both sessions, with online, telephonic, and commission bidding available worldwide. Whether you attend in person or bid remotely, this is your chance to secure some exceptional South African wine history.
Gary Jordan, long time Guild member.
Auction Wines’ Critic Scores:
CE = Christian Eedes, Editor, Winemag.co.za (Tasted and Rated Sighted)
MF = Michael Fridjhon, Trophy Wine Show & Business Day (Tasted and Rated Blind)
GSMW = Greg Sherwood MW, A Fine Wine Safari (Tasted and Rated Sighted)
AA Badenhorst Akkerbos Grenache Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 12.86% Abv.
94 CE | 87 MF | 94 GSMW
Ataraxia Echo of Earth Pinot Noir 2025, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 13.27% Abv.
93 CE | 91 MF | 93+ GSMW
Ataraxia Under The Gavel Chardonnay 2025, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 12.98% Abv.
93 CE | 93 MF | 93 GSMW
Bartho Eksteen Vloekskoot Sauvignon Blanc – Op Hout 2025, WO Cape South Coast, 13.78% Abv.
94 CE | 94 MF | 94+ GSMW
Beaumont Family Wines GG’s Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Bot River, 12.33% Abv.
96 CE | 96 MF | 96 GSMW
Beaumont Family Wines Hope Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Bot River, 12.07% Abv.
95 CE | 92 MF | 94+ GSMW
Gary Jordan tasting Abrie Beeslaar’s CWG wine.
Beeslaar CWG Pinotage 2024. WO Stellenbosch, 14.25% Abv.
96 CE | 92 MF | 96 GSMW
Boschkloof CWG Auction Epilogue Syrah 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13.66% Abv.
98 CE | 94 MF | 97+ GSMW
Cederberg Black Slate Shiraz 2024, WO Cederberg, 13.66% Abv.
92 CE | 95 MF | 95 GSMW
David & Nadia Veiling Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Paardeberg, 11.85% Abv.
96 CE | 94 MF | 95 GSMW
David Finlayson Wines Sleepless Nights Grenache Noir 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13.6% Abv.
91 CE | 89 MF | 92 GSMW
De Grendel Rietfontein Syrah 2023, WO Ceres Plateau, 13.74% Abv.
93 CE | 94 MF | 93+ GSMW
De Grendel West Side Merlot 2024, WO Cape Town, 14.58% Abv.
92 CE | 94 MF | 93 GSMW
De Trafford Cabernet Sauvignon 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 15.04% Abv.
91 CE | 93 MF | 93+ GSMW
De Trafford Chenin Blanc L17 2025, WO Stellenbosch
94 CE | 95 MF | 95 GSMW
Delaire Graff Estate Banghoek Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Banghoek, Stellenbosch, 14.71% Abv.
95 CE | 97 MF | 94 GSMW
Dewaldt Heyns Family Wines Saailand Shiraz 2024, 14.11% Abv.
Van Loggerenberg CWG Auction Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Piekenierskloof, 13.24% Abv.
97 CE | 90 MF | 96+ GSMW
Van Loggerenberg CWG Auction Syrah 2025, WO Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, 13.61% Abv.
96 CE | 96 MF | 97 GSMW
Warwick Auction Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Simonsberg, Stellenbosch, 14/5% Abv.
94 CE | 93 MF | 95 GSMW
Auction Registration Details:
The auction takes place on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd of October at Strauss & Co, Brickfield Canvas, Cape Town, with online bidding also available. For tickets, bidding registration and more information, see:
Founded in 1638, Kopke is the oldest Port wine house in existence, and its vintage ports carry nearly four centuries of Douro heritage. Declared only in exceptional years, Kopke Vintage Ports come from the finest grapes of the Douro’s Cima Corgo, including Quinta São Luiz. Aged just two years in barrel before bottling, they can continue evolving for decades. Expect a deep, opaque colour, concentrated black fruits, floral notes, and firm but fine tannins that soften into spice, cocoa, and dried fruit nuances with time. Although Kopke is often celebrated for its Tawnies and Colheitas, its vintage Ports offer a beautifully age-worthy expression of the Douro Valley.
The 2024 vintage has been widely declared across the Douro, confirming it as another year of real significance. Conditions through the growing season delivered excellent fruit quality, with both ripeness and freshness retained. The resulting wines show classic structure, depth and definition, with the balance required for long-term ageing. Fully declared vintages remain relatively rare, reinforcing the collectability and long-term appeal of wines from this year. Watch out for my Burmester Vintage Port 2024 review coming soon.
Kopke Vintage Port 2024, 20% Abv.
This young, vibrant Port has all the intensity, concentration and power you expect from a declared Vintage wine. Never built around mere sweetness or fatness, vintage Port requires a steely precision, focus, acid frame and a weightless intensity. The aromatics are layered with earthy blue and black berry fruits that waft over a spirity, heady lift that intermingles with liquorice, black cherry and graphite hints. Fabulously compact, plush and powerful, the palate shows in underlying wound spring tension and a pithy, cassis laden, spicy blue berry persistence. Plenty of pedigree on display here. Drink on release to 2050+.
Jasper Wickens is one of the Swartland’s most exciting young winemakers. He began working with Adi Badenhorst in the Paardeberg in 2009, then left after the 2018 harvest to focus on his own Swerwer range, founded in 2012, from the converted cellar on his Waterval farm next door. The farm’s vineyards are grown on deep decomposed Granite soils, and that terroir most definitely runs through his wines, with Jasper’s Swerwer Chenin Blanc a fine benchmark example. Even more compelling is his Wolwekop Old Vine Semillon coming from a single vineyard planted in 1963, which delivers vintage after vintage, intense, focused, fresh whites that rival the best South Africa produces. The 2021 earned an admirable 97/100 from A Fine Wine Safari.
This is where old-vine viticulture proves its worth. Vines that have spent decades in the meagre Granite soils send their roots deep, yielding modestly and delivering fruit with an intense natural concentration, balance and a depth of flavour that stays vibrantly fresh rather than heavy. These are wines shaped by their vineyards’ terroir, made with a light minimalist hand but also built to age.
JC Wickens Swerver Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
With so many 2025 wines coming on to the market already, this merely serves to differentiate the 2024 vintage Swartland wines all the more, after the region saw a beautifully wet, rain soaked winter to top up the ground water reserves. This Chenin Blanc from Jasper carries all the archetypal 2024 characteristics with a cool, linear, crystalline aromatics layered with white peach, dusty straw bales, yellow apples and delicate Granitic mineral nuances. The palate is incredibly pure, crystalline and precise, the texture steely, bright, and fresh with an underlying purity and clarity. This is Jasper making a very precise wine, elegant, linear and beautifully delicious. Medium bodied but very light on its feet, fresh, energetic and mouth watering, this wine will make a lot of new friends. Real class. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
JC Wickens Wolwekop Old Vine Single Vineyard Semillon 2024, WO Swartland, 12% Abv.
It’s hard not to get seduced by old vine wines but this 2024 Semillon made from vines planted in 1963 is simply another stunner. The aromatics are packed with orange and lemon citrus oil, white peaches, wet straw, and delicately leesy biscuit nuances. The palate shows massive concentration along side soft, supple acids, a delicious biscuity, mealy complexity and notes of lemon pith, finishing with a tangy, mineral laden Granitic finish. More accessible than some vintages, but showing beautiful complexity. Buy this to drink now and over the next 5-8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The JC Wickens wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Museum Wines.
Stellenbosch’s 2022 Chenin Blanc vintage stands out as one of the region’s most balanced in recent memory. A cooler, more temperate growing season allowed grapes to ripen slowly and evenly, preserving the natural acidity that gives Chenin Blanc its signature steely freshness. Winemakers reported healthy yields and excellent fruit concentration, with old bush vines, many decades old, producing wines of remarkable depth and texture. The result is a vintage marked by vibrant citrus and stone fruit notes, layered with honied complexity and a distinct minerality drawn from Stellenbosch’s Granite and Sandstone soils. Overall, 2022 has been praised as a near benchmark year, showcasing why Chenin Blanc remains South Africa’s flagship white cultivar.
Having been a little bit quiet lately, I manage to catch up with Ian Naude in Cape Town in August 2026 (well, on the beach in Melkbosstrand actually) to discuss his new impending releases. Ian Naude is obviously renowned for holding back vintages and releasing both his reds and whites with considerable time in bottle.
Tasting with Ian Naude in Melkbosstrand near Cape Town.
But of course, Ian’s steely, early picked, low pH style of winemaking demands this extra bit of bottle ageing to allow the wines to settle, fully integrate and lose an element of their youthful nervousness while still allowing the wines to age gracefully for a further decade of more from final release. The 2016 Chenin Blanc from Ian is only just coming into its prime and currently drinking exceptionally well on its 10th birthday. Finally, don’t miss my upcoming review of his long awaited Old Vine Werfdans 2018 Cinsault published soon.
Naude Wines Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.
The Naude Wines 2021 Chenin Blanc was an incredibly taut, steely, focused white wine from a cool 5 star vintage and the 2022 seems to pick up squarely where the phenomenal 2021 left off. A pale straw colour in the glass, the aromatics speak with an incredible clarity and purity, showing a subtle, intricate array of white peach, green apples and pear drop fruits with an overlay of dried hay and dusty Granitic minerality. The palate is every bit as steely, crystalline and intense with classical hints of yellow stone fruits, honeycomb and crunchy green pear fruits with a kiss of wet river pebble stony minerality on the drying saline finish. Laser focused, texturally quite angular still with an impressive palate balance and symmetry. This is a grown up Chenin Blanc for connoisseurs. Drink from 2027 to 2038+.
Le Riche Wines, based in Stellenbosch, is undoubtedly one of the country’s most respected Cabernet Sauvignon specialists – a producer whose entire identity has been built around a single premium grape variety. The estate was established in 1996 by Etienne Le Riche, an “estate-winemaker-turned-garagiste” who spent two decades making wine at the historic Rustenberg Estate before striking out on his own. His son Christo, who began helping with punch downs at the winery’s open-top concrete fermenters as a young teenager, is now head winemaker, continuing a deep family knowledge of Stellenbosch’s varied Cabernet terroirs sourced from over a dozen growers.
At the heart of the Le Riche range sits the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, the coveted flagship of the portfolio, blended exclusively from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes drawn from the estate’s best-performing vineyard blocks around Stellenbosch. Reserve status is only awarded when the grapes and finished wine reach an exceptional standard, making it a limited quantity, allocation-only release. The wine undergoes extended maceration to boost age-worthiness, followed by up to two years in a generous proportion of new oak with further bottle ageing before release. The results speak for themselves… earlier vintages have earned accolades such as John Platter’s Red Wine of the Year, while the 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards, cementing Le Riche’s reputation among South Africa’s Cabernet elite.
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14.38% Abv.
1.3g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.72pH
This is another excellent 2023 Stellenbosch red that is proof that the vintage did indeed produce several exceptional wines. As usual, the Reserve is comprised of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from 13 different vineyard components located in several Stellenbosch wards (Helderberg Coastal, Helderberg North, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Jonkershoek Valley) that were aged for 24 months in French oak barrels, 75% new. The aromatics are beautifully ripe and lifted showing layers of sweet violets, earthy black currant, tilled earth, cigar wrapper and subtle baking spices alongside sappy cedar oak notes with a dusting of graphite. Impressively elegant and silky on the palate revealing medium bodied layers of crème de cassis, blueberry and picante black cherry fruits that melt away into a supple, creamy mouthfeel with soft plush tannins and a well-integrated mellow acidity, finishing with a seductive chocolate orange nuance. An accomplished wine that is already generously accessible now but offers a decade or more of beneficial cellaring potential.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Le Riche wines are imported into the UK by Boutinot Wines. The Cabernet Reserve 2023 was offered retail in South Africa at circa R1,050 per bottle.
Brookdale Estate is undoubtedly a winery that rewards the curious. Founded by UK-born proprietor Tim Rudd, who saw immense potential in what was once overgrown, underutilised land in the Klein Drakenstein Valley, the estate was built with a clear vision: to craft world-class blends from varietals rarely seen in South African vineyards. Set beneath the Granite peaks of Paarl, this is terroir explored in unconventional ways — a growing range of maverick wines each harvest.
Since its first vintage in 2017, the estate has built a reputation for character-driven, elegant wines, guided today by rising winemaker star Xander Sadie alongside Shanice du Preez, following a period of early consultation from Duncan Savage, one of South Africa’s most respected cellar minds.
Tasting in Cape Town last year with winemaker Xander Sadie.
Across the Brookdale and second label Mason Road ranges, you can expect Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, and Syrah worked with old-world restraint and new-world daring, boasting honeyed stone fruits, saline Granitic minerality, and long, textured finishes rather than obvious fruit-forward simplicity. This is a wine estate for connoisseurs drawn to provenance and experimentation in equal measure: minimal intervention, thoughtful farming, and a genuine sense of place and terroir. Brookdale Estate doesn’t chase trends so much as quietly redefine what Paarl can do, one unusual and deliberate bottling at a time.
Brookdale Estate Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Paarl, 13% Abv.
This is the wine that started the whole Brookdale story almost 10 years ago with the release of the 2017 Chenin Blanc. Today, this Old Vine Certified Heritage vineyard planted in 1985 is widely recognized for its premium quality and unique Paarl terroir. With the 2024 release, you have yet another classically imposing Chenin Blanc expression showing evocative aromatics of white peach, ripe quince, honey and pineapple pastille before intricate terroir notes of fynbos, wet straw bales and herbal spice nuances. The palate is explosive and intense, deliciously glycerol and concentrated with textural layers of peachy flesh, honeycomb and subtle hints of salted caramel that melt away into apple puree notes. The acids are exceptionally well integrated, delectably tangy, supporting the palate breadth and depth admirably. This is a substantial 2024 offering that perhaps has more in common stylistically with the more concentrated expressions of the 2025 vintage than the more ethereal, crystalline styles that typify 2024. Undoubtedly a triumph for Brookdale and a triumph for Old Vine Chenin Blanc pedigree. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Bradbourne Estate White Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 13.5% Abv.
In 2025, the Estate White blend features 59% Grenache Blanc, 23% Roussanne, 12% Marsanne, 4% Palomino and 2% Vermentino aged for 10 months in large-format oak barrels. This Mediterranean meets Rhone blend shows plenty of stone fruit characters with aromatics of lemon grass, crystalised stem ginger and sweet herbs over a lemon citrus and lemon biscuit complexity. As expected from 2025, the palate is majestically focused and intense, richly textured and characterful, packing plenty of tightly wound pithy fruit concentration, bright tangy acids and a long, savoury, leesy, delicately stony mineral finish with a notable phenolic grip. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Grenache Blanc 2025, WO Paarl, 13% Abv.
This is my first encounter with the Grenache Blanc from Brookdale after walking the young newly planted vineyards multiple times over the years. Listed under Brookdale’s “Rare & Unusual” range, Grenache Blanc is slowly building up quite a quality performance record in the Cape winelands and this delightful 2025 continues this trend. The aromatics are incredibly pure and precise with focused aromas of pithy lemon and lime citrus, lemon grass, dried baking spices and subtle Granitic mineral stony nuances. The palate shows an equally pure crystalline character with delicate candied ginger notes emerging alongside crystalised lemon slices, Schweppes bitter lemon and yellow candied bon bon confectionary notes. Delicately spicy, deliciously tangy and beautifully refreshing. What a cracker! Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Sixteen White Field Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.
Always one of the most intriguing wines in the Brookdale range, this 2025 is an absolute superstar made up of sixteen different bush vine cultivars interplanted in a single vineyard. The aromatics are bold and bright, brimming with pithy yellow citrus, white peach, honeysuckle floral perfume, before green pear, dried herbs and a strong, stony mineral vein. The palate is fleshy and textural while retaining a certain crispness, refreshed by tangy bright acids alongside a big fruit concentration of peaches, quince and delicate stone fruits. Very expressive and confident, this could be the finest Sixteen produced to date. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Grenache Noir 2025, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.
Also a first tasting for me of the Brookdale Grenache Noir, which in 2025 was 20% whole-bunch fermented before being matured for eight months in 2,500 litre foudre. On the nose, plenty of exotic notes emerge with hints of potpourri, rose petals and Asian five spice over a medley of red and black berry fruits which retain a certain bloody, irony spiciness and a seductively wild hedgerow bramble berry earthiness. In the mouth, there is plenty of succulent red berry fruit with a comfortingly fleshy, generous texture, fine creamy tannins and long, warming glycerol finish with yet more exotic spices. A ripe, bold style of Grenache that manages to retain a sense of grace and elegance. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Twenty Red Field Blend 2025, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.
Following in the footsteps of the Sixteen White Field Blend, the Twenty does exactly what it says on the tin, being a field blend of twenty red cultivars interplanted as bush vines in a single vineyard. Matured for around a year in concrete eggs and 500-litre barrels, the aromatics are explosive with high toned perfumed violets and cherry blossoms bursting from the glass, complemented by black cherries, blueberries and earthy black currant fruits. On the palate, there is a cool, refined elegance, the texture satin soft and creamy, before layers of succulent blue and black berry fruits emerge, cushioned by soft integrated acids, a warming alcohol and silky tannins. A truly fascinating, seductive offering that harks back to the classical field blend reds of yesteryear produced in Spain and Portugal. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Brookdale Estate and Mason Road wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Hallgarten Wines.
Franschhoek is of course better known as the “French Corner” of the Cape winelands, and as such, has built up an internationally respected reputation for boutique wine quality to accompany its world-famous culinary tourism and boutique hotel and spa scene. Working in co-ordination with the Franschhoek Vignerons’ membership, and in particular Gerard Holden of Holden Manz winery fame, I was able to put together an incredible in-depth, deep-dive line-up of wine tastings, vineyard walks and winery visits over a three-day visit to the Franschhoek Valley in August 2026.
The mountains of the Franschhoek Valley
The Franschhoek Valley and its vignerons are certainly not short on brand strengths and general unique selling points when it comes to promoting their wider reputation. They already possess a brand equity built on quality and heritage, with their unique Huguenot founding story and French lineage intertwined with a well-established food-and-wine tourism identity helping to set them apart from other nearby regions such as Paarl, Wellington, and indeed Stellenbosch.
Vines on the Holden Manz Estate
This distinct narrative advantage over other generic “South African wines” has given the Valley a valuable differentiated positioning in the UK market where South Africa is already a familiar, trusted Wine of Origin for international consumers. Crucially for the Franschhoek Valley, South African wine exports have been shifting from bulk to value added, an export strategy that has been prioritised by multiple wine industry trade bodies for some years now, where market diversification and strategic positioning have become all important.
As global wine consumption continues to soften, the data reveals that volumes shipped to the UK declined by 7% in the most recent reporting period, while export value rose by 4%, underscoring the growing competitiveness of South African wine in retail and on-trade channels. For Franschhoek’s largely premium wine producers, this “value over volume” trend plays directly to their strengths as they are not competing on bulk pricing but on quality, story and provenance, which the market is rewarding even as overall demand contracts.
As someone who has bought, sold and drunk the best wines of Franschhoek for many decades, after three deep dive days tasting and travelling around the Valley’s various terroirs, I’m very pleased to report that the Franschhoek’s winemakers, often led by a new generation of young ambitious vignerons, is focusing on quality and precision like never before. Franschhoek is a small Ward, and production is largely boutique within the context of the Western Cape wine industry, with 71% of producers considered small-scale, crushing between 1 and 500 tons of grapes annually.
The luxury Spa at Terre Paisible winery.
Another overlooked benefit of decades of luxury tourism to the Valley is how this now plays directly into the fast growing Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales trend, with these channels now emerging as very lucrative alternative revenue streams for wineries at higher-than-normal retail margins. Despite sales volume pressures, the UK remains the anchor market in which South Africa cannot afford to lose momentum, and to my mind, there is still plenty of room for Franschhoek’s producers to leverage market share more aggressively through premiumisation, positioning single-estate, terroir-driven wines above the generic South African category, in specialist independents, fine-dining lists, and DTC subscription models.
The lawns at Lynx Winery.
Wine tourism – while not a be-all and end-all opportunity in itself – remains an underused lever for converting cellar-door visitors into meaningful customers, and a realistic path to continued success for Franschhoek’s wineries will be value-led, premiumising the Franschhoek Valley name, expanding direct-to-consumer and hospitality channels, and better exploiting the very well establish fine dining and culinary USP of the Franschhoek Valley, tying the boutique wines of the Valley more closely into a premium virtuous food and wine circle.
Finally, on a more practical winery level, there are still many basic winemaking levers available to producers to further develop niche wine sales categories.
Some of these categories that can and should be championed more confidently include:
* The White Blend category, specifically as it relates to Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon “White Bordeaux Blends”.
* Continuing to champion the old vine heritage of the Valley, in particular the famous old vine Semillon wines that are becoming more and more sought-after globally.
* Being more confident in promoting the excellent quality of the Valley’s Cabernet Sauvignon and red Bordeaux Blends, as has been championed by producers such as Boekenhoutskloof in the past with their famous Franschhoek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
* The continued development of Cabernet Franc single cultivar wines as the category continues to gain popularity worldwide.
* Making more of the exceptional potential of the Valley’s Syrah vineyards, some examples perhaps needing to be reined in a little with regards to ripeness levels, picking dates and alcohol levels, but the fruit quality is undoubtedly clearly evident.
* For single cultivar white wines, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc continue to offer excellent potential, and producers would be wise to continue building on the quality reputation that already exists globally for these cultivars. While there isn’t a lot of Chenin Blanc planted in the Valley, the quality potential is also excellent.
* Finally, Franschhoek Valley has become very well known for its excellent Cap Classique traditional method sparkling wines and this represents a lucrative ongoing, scalable opportunity for producers.
Franschhoek Vignerons Tasting:
(Winemakers were invited to present several of their top wines to the other attending Franschhoek Valley winemakers with constructive open discussion being welcomed.)
Cap Classique:
Wildeberg Cap Classique Météorique Blanc de Blancs 2023, WO Franschhoek
Harvested from 5-year-old vines, super rocky soils, fermented in older 6th fill French oak barrels, kept on lees for 24 months, zero dosage. Creamy biscuit, salted brioche, (8-9,000 bottles) brine and maritime salty kelp hints. Creamy, plush and broad in the mouth, vibrant, steely, linear, with a delicious white citrus finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Haute Cabrière Cap Classique Pierre Jourdan Blanc de Blancs 2021, WO Franschhoek
100% Chardonnay, 4.5 years on lees, with 1 g/l dosage, leaving a 3g/l RS. Apple pastille, lemon cordial, creamy mousse, lemon peel, baking spices and a creamy textural finish with a kiss of rock salt salinity.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terre Paisible Cap Classique Vivre Blanc de Blancs 2019, WO Franschhoek
Aged 36 months on its lees, zero dosage, an opulent rich style made from pure Chardonnay off the property. Earthy nuances, savoury root veg, citrus and explosive mousse on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
L’Ormarins Cap Classique Private Cuvée 2017, WO Western Cape
First vintage 2012. A regional blend of fruit including Robertson and Darling shows steely white citrus, chalk and talc notes. Energetic, vibrant grippy mousse, lovely saline edge with a punchy persistent finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Madáme Millésime Blanc de Blancs 2017, WO Western Cape
Pure Chardonnay aged 8.5 years on its lees with zero dosage. Intense, leesy, sourdough and brioche character with a hint of brine and lemon cordial. Energetic mousse, fine grained, creamy and chalky with a delicately savoury finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Vintage Cuvée 2016, WO Western Cape
Aged 8 years and 8 months on its lees. Only the third release after 2012 and 2013, this is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, lovely depth and breadth, the mousse very fine grained and creamy, the purity and sublte richness lingering on the long persistent finish. Characterful, hints of truffle and lovely length. Classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Lude Cap Classique Rosé 2019, WO Western Cape
57% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 3% Pinot Meunier aged 6.5 years on its lees, disgorged in March 2026 with a 3.3 g/l RS. Delicate copper pink the aromatics are very red fruited, rose petals, cranberry, and more creamy mousse. Savoury but subtle and perfumed, a lovely benchmark Rose Cap Classique.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
White Wines:
Terre Paisible Les Dames de 1987 Sauvignon Blanc 2023, WO Franschhoek
Intense aromatics, powerful, lifted and quite profound. Grapefruit, gooseberry, green apple and limestone minerality. Textural, complex, multi-layered with a lovely long finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Rickety Bridge Regna Loca Semillon 2025, WO Franschhoek
A new wine range. Franschhoek 1905 old vine Semillon grown on sandy well-draining soils. Low vigour vines yield a steely, mineral, cool classical aromatics from the Landau Vineyard that was so famous. Tightly wound, mineral and white citrus. Very serious expression. Love it.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Old Road Wine Co. La Colline Single Vineyard Grand Mere Semillon 2024, WO Franschhoek
7,000 vines per Ha planted in 1936. Whole bunch pressed into 500 litre oak barrels and clay amphora aged for 9 months, sometimes with partial malo. Beautifully waxy, yellow orchard fruits and hints of peach. Honied, textural and delicately mealy and savoury with a touch of lanolin and butter on the finish. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Holden Manz Semillon Reserve 2023, WO Franschhoek
25- to 30-year-old vineyard with a good vigour. Complex nose of green apple, white citrus and delicate sapidity. Cool, stony and rich, beautifully textured, creamy and tangy with a fine vein of stony minerality. Impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chamonix Old Vine Steen Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Franschhoek
Decomposed Granite and Greywacke soils with clay. Planted in 1965 on the coolest pocket on the farm, packed full of peach and quince with dried herbs, hay, thyme and mint leaf. Rich, textured and glycerol with impressive concentration, orange peel, tangerine, and sweet honeycomb and peaches.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Old Road Wine Co. Single Vineyard Stone Trail Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Franschhoek
Planted in 1982, 400 metres above sea level on Table Mountain sandstone, unirrigated. A more dusty, spicy, dried straw and herbal expression. A more mineral, flinty, linear style with circa 2g/l RS. Steely, lean and delicately savoury with a peachy, stony finish. Serious class.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lynx Winery Viognier 2021, WO Franschhoek
Graves and pebbles on old alluvial soils. Rich and honied, showing plenty of peachy stone fruits, mealy savoury notes, wet straw, honey, bees wax and delicate wood spice notes. Plush and textured, with bright acids, a creamy, glycerol, honied palate texture. A very classy example aging well for a 2021.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wildeberg White Blend 2023, WO Franschhoek
Started in 2018 with first vintage. 100% Semillon from the Landau Vineyard. Semillon and 5% Semillon Gris harvested and vinified together. Fermernted and aged in 600 litre Stockinger barrels, 20% new. Steely, ripe, tangy with a dusty Granitic minerality, tangy bright acids and a cut apple, peachy concentration on the finish. Very classy and sophisticated.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Haute Collection Amphora Chardonnay 2024, WO Franschhoek
Creamy, talc, lemon curd, dusty, from a 1983 vineyard on alluvial valley floor soils. Early picked, then fermented in Amphora. Stony pithy aromatics, flinty reductive hints, pure lime and citrus, light, finessed elegance in a very pure, hands-off expression. Delicately leesy, steely acidity and vibrantly fresh.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Bri Barrel Select Chardonnay 2024, WO Franschhoek
Young vine 8-year-old Chardonnay with three specific clones. (548, 277 and CY95). Delicately malty, mealy, biscuity top notes before savoury spicy lemon peel, a bright tangy sweet – sour acidity with a delicate vanilla pod kiss on the finish. Very expressive, complex and delightfully fleshy and long. Impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Motte Reserve Chardonnay 2024, WO Franschhoek
Cool, smoky and classical with a pronounced struck flint reductive character. Fermentation started in stainless steel before being transferred to barrel. Intense, vibrant and very gastronomic. Steely, lemon and lime focus.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chamonix Reserve Chardonnay 2023, WO Elgin
A complex mineral, lemon and lime complexity, layered with herbs, stony minerality and a hint of orange blossom. Lovely lift of lime citrus, salted caramel, zippy intensity and a really delicious energy. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Great Heart Chardonnay 2022, WO Stellenbosch
Classic Stellenbosch Chardonnay with depth, earthy nuances and mineral spice. Quite a pronounced vein of leesy mealy biscuit notes from 7 months ageing on its lees. Classic peaches in honey, lemon cordial and a cool, creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paserene Chardonnay 2019, WO Elgin
A touch reductive still with a hint of honey, chamomile and kerosene, with a delicate oak footprint from 30% new French oak. Rich and green fruited, toasty, mealy with complex savoury wood spice nuances. Ageing well, this has plenty of legs to go further. No rush.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terre Paisible Vigne d’Or Chardonnay 2022, WO Franschhoek
UC Davis 1 clone with thick skins, whole bunch pressed, racked into barrel for an inoculated Champagne yeast fermentation with circa 10 months ageing. Delicate reduction shows struck flint, lime peel, smoky nuances. Steely, mineral chalky and wet stone minerality and a lovely classical old-world finish. Classy.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stony Brook Ghost Gum Chardonnay 2025, WO Franschhoek
548 clone shows bright and zesty with a hint of pyrazine leafy spice, wet chalk, grey slate and subtle white citrus. Palate is steely, bright and nervy, full of tension, linearity and coolness, displaying hints of pear drops, lemon citrus and delicate vanilla notes. 50% new French oak, 11 months in barrel. Lovely.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Red Wines:
Rickety Bridge Regna Loca Cinsault 2025, WO Paarl
1954 Old Vine Cinsault, incredibly lifted and perfumed, Granitic soils, this has lift, concentration and intensity. Violets, rose petals, Turkish delight, dried cherries. Taut, vibrant and fresh, nervy, intense and superb complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Great Heart Pinot Noir 2022, WO Elgin
Dusty aromatic lift, touch of whole bunch spice, savoury, smoky brambly and delicately Granitic and earthy. Paul Cluver fruit, the red and black fruits are brambly and pithy, spicy and supple with good length.
(Wine Safari Score: 90+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Haute Collection Pinot Noir 2023, WO Franschhoek
Circa 4 to 5 tons per hectare, 4-day cold soak, 11 months in barrel. Minty choc spice lift with eucalypt, peppermint crisp, and wild strawberry spice. Intense concentration, piercing, tangy and focused. Impressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chamonix Reserve Pinot Noir 2024, WO Franschhoek
14 months in French oak blond toast barrels, 50% new. Bright and pure, crystalline, sour cherry, lovely purity, elegance and precision with just a delicate hint of mint and eucalypt on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lynx Winery Grenache 2023, WO Franschhoek
Vines are 25 years old with a regrafting from Cabernet Sauvignon in 2009. There is a broody black cherry, Granitic, wet slate complexity. Wild and candied on the palate, exotic, spicy and red fruited with a cherry cola kiss on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Bri Syrah 2023, WO Franschhoek
Planted on alluvial sands with the use of circa 5% Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah, all picked together in mid-March. A very harmonious style, in barrel for two years, 18% new, yielding balance, black berry fruits, pepper, spicy charcuterie and juicy, tangy fruit length. A very accessible wine with lovely approachability. Delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Old Road Wine Co. Single Vineyard Pepper Wind Syrah 2024, WO Franschhoek
Fermented in small 1-ton fermenters, then basket pressed, with a portion in 600 litre ceramic pots. Delicate tarry notes, black currant, blue berry and black cherry. Picante, fresh and focused. Impressive and enticing.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Motte Reserve Syrah 2024, WO Cape South Coast
A vineyard lost in a flood so incorporates circa 30% Elim with the 60% Franschhoek Syrah and a splash of Stellenbosch Cabernet. Very cool and kelpy, liquorice, with a long linear, polished finish. Yum.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wildeberg Red Blend 2023, WO Franschhoek
100% Syrah from Bo-Hoek in Franschhoek. 30% Whole bunch fermented is older 600 litre old barrels with ageing for 9 months. Dried herbs, thyme, garrigue, savoury black berry fruits. Creamy, polished and very attractive with wet slate, black cherry and creamy tannins. Truly classy!
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stony Brook The Max Red Blend 2022, WO Franschhoek
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Pithy, black berry fruited expression with graphite, creating an opulent, ripe, picante, accessible fleshy texture with delicately spicy, kelpy, sappy, tobacco leaf notes. Cool, mineral and restrained layered with saline black current with a maritime finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Antonij Rupert Optima Red Blend 2022, WO Coastal Region
38% Cabernet Sauvignon, then Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Cool, savoury and elegant, the 30% new oak is well integrated, showing black currant, black plum and an earthy note. Sleek, vibrant creamy palate, lovely balance, that’s compact and fine grained. Wow, really delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paserene The Union Red Blend 2016, WO Tulbagh
Shiraz, Carignan and Mourvedre. All from Tulbagh fruit, the aromatics a broody medley of red and black fruits, savoury, earthy and delicate charcuterie notes with a hint of salinity.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lynx Winery Spirit of Lynx Red Blend 2019, WO Franschhoek
Bordeaux blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, savoury, toasty, tilled earth aromatics, leafy, mulberry fruits. Full, textural and plush, silky, velvety, tannins with a lovely long creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paserene The Marathon Red 2019, WO Tulbagh
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Tulbagh, 30% new oak, aged for 24 to 30 months ageing with another year in barrel. Plush, creamy, powerful blue – black fruits, a touch lactic with a full, velvety finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Rickety Bridge Regna Loca Cabernet Sauvignon 2024, WO Franschhoek
Pretty, blue black fruits, tart, steely, saline and bright, delightfully cool, creamy and bright, fresh and crystalline with a black berry finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Motte Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Stellenbosch
From Helderberg fruit, only 7km to the sea on decomposed Granite soils. Show classic cool, kelpy, saline, black currant and black cherry with oyster shell. Fresh acids, a harmonious 13.85% Abv. with 40% new oak used, makes for a serious wine.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
La Bri Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Franschhoek
Gunpowder, spice, graphite, salty black currant with white flower hints. Plush, attractive and deliciously accessible, bright acids, glassy texture and a pure, linear finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stony Brook Ghost Gum Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Franschhoek
Earthy, black currant, touch of tertiary, diesel rag, mulberry, plush sweet fruited and complex with a maritime hint. Super expressive.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Holden Manz Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Franschhoek
A deep earthy tilled earth note, plush earthy Cabernet, black currant, black chai tea with a hint of tobacco leaf. Plush and full in the mouth, expansive, accessible with a kiss of coffee bean brûléed oak complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Great Heart Cabernet Franc 2021, WO Franschhoek
Spicy and saline, this shows graphite, black cherry and salty liquorice, coffee bean spice and a picante finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Holden Manz Cabernet Franc Reserve 2022, WO Franschhoek
Picked mid-April, this shows cool, creamy black berry layers and a nose with hits of cedar, graphite spice and picante lead pencil. Plush, velvety, full and harmonious, this has breadth and depth, plushness and subtle, understated power. Very classy, powerful with a tight grained tannin expression. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Antonij Rupert Cabernet Franc 2020, WO Franschhoek
Sweet red fruits, perfume, red currant, sappy sweet cedar, fleshy red currant melange. Super creamy, lactic and elegant, silky, supple, soft and accessible. A very classy expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
(On my recent trip, I want to thank all the Vignerons who generously gave me their time to taste and chat about the current state of play in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley: Anthonij Rupert Wines, Babylonstoren, Chamonix, Great Heart, Haute Cabrière, Holden Manz, La Bri, La Motte, Le Lude, Lynx, Old Road Wine Co., Paserene, Rickety Bridge, Stony Brook, Terre Paisible, and Wildeberg.)
