It’s that time of year again! Tasting the unique micro expressions from some of South Africa’s top producers is no easy task. It used to be a real expose of some really unique wine styles of the ever evolving South African wine industry, but now, it feels like producers are evolving, maturing, and certainly playing it a little safer. Is that a bad thing? No, not at all!
Speaking to tasters, collectors (at the tasting) and producers, the feeling was very much that ALL wines were impressive and worthy of praise. But, many did feel that the innovation had been slightly dialled down in the name of premiumisation and in order to offer the wider global fine wine market a unique selection of wines that can be offered to incredibly fussy international merchants and collectors in a congested fine wine market place – wines that can’t be compared and contrasted to anything already available on the market.
Some will reflect on these wines and feel that they are not sufficiently “different” from the regular cuvées offered on the commercial market, but one has to bare in mind that many of the buyers engaging in the CWG auction are not in a viable position to access workable / commercial quantities of wines from these top producers now that European allocations have become so tightly controlled and limited. The CWG breaks that mould and expands the market for South African fine wine, bringing some incredibly high quality wines to a wider, new generation of collectors and connoisseurs. That alone should surely be celebrated. I for one remain a MASSIVE fan of the CWG concept and auction process and encourage enthusiasts to buy with confidence whether bidding directly or buying through a merchant channel like Bordeaux Index.
Scores at the doors…
AA Badenhorst Family Wines ‘Out Of The Strong Comes Forth Freshness’ Carignan 2024 – 93+/100
The Saldanha Wine & Spirit Co. Saldanha Pale Dry SEA, SALT, SAND AND WIND N.V. – 95/100
Ataraxia ‘Sympathy For The Pinot’ Pinot Noir 2024 – 94/100
La Croizille is a wonderfully situated Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé Chateau that was acquired by the Belgian De Schepper – De Mour family in 1996 and whose wines are sold mostly in the Benelux. The 5 hectares of vines belonging to the Château benefit from the same remarkable soils, on the borders of the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion in the commune of Saint-Laurent des Combes, as famous chateaux such as Tetre Roteboeuf, Rocheyron and Troplong Mondot.
After 1996, the De Schepper family commenced on a large investment spree, bringing the estate into the modern winemaking era, combining its sought-after terroir with high-end technology and traditional know-how to create a wine with great opulence, finesse, modernity, and personality under the watchful eye of highly respected head winemaker and technical director, Jean-Michel Garcion.
Technical Director Jean Michel Garcion
I have been following their wines since I was introduced to the chateau in 2014 when I travelled to Bordeaux to run the 30th Bordeaux Marathon, and I can confirm that all the hard work and focus applied by Jean Michel and his team has paid off handsomely with both Chateau La Croizille and the neighbouring property, Chateau Tour Baladoz, also owned by the De Schepper family, being upgraded from Saint Emilion Grand Cru status up to the Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé classification commencing with the 2022 vintage. A hard earned and well-deserved recognition of the continuity of excellence at these two high quality Chateaux.
The Chateau La Croizille on the limestone cote.
So to celebrate this momentous reclassification, I have updated my vertical tasting notes for La Croizille to include not only all the bottles I retasted at the Chateau in September 2023, but also fittingly, to include the latest 2023 Grand Cru Classé vintage release that will be bottled next year. These are wines to seek out, drink and add to your cellar collection while they still offer excellent value for money in the context of the region’s premium Saint Emilion reds.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2007, 13% Abv.
The vineyards on the clay-limestone plateau yielded a spectacularly good offering in 2007. Notes of polished mahogany, earth, tannery leather, cherry kirsch liqueur and black current rise out of the glass. Wonderful berry concentration, elegance and subtle evolution are hallmarks on this expertly crafted wine. It will be hard not to finish the bottle once you open this beauty. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2010, 13% Abv.
From this epic vintage, notes of polished mahogany, boot polish, black cherry kirsch liquer and black current confit rise imperiously out of the glass. Wonderful concentration, elegance and freshness are all wrapped together with a most expertly integrated lick of new French oak. This is everything you would want from an iconic vintage and a real testament to winemaker Jean-Michel’s true skills. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
A blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, like the 2012, this is another impressive vintage showing fabulous depth and complexity with time in the glass albeit from one of the greatest ever vintages bestowed upon Bordeaux! Dense, dark and opaque in the glass, the aromatics boast exotic notes of cherry kirsch liquor, molasses, demerara sugar and black plum. This is, as expected, a very complex, sophisticated expression, with ripeness and plenty of dry extract, chalky mineral tannins and great underlying power whilst retaining a seductive, spicy, seductive finesse. You’d really want to have some of this in your cellar.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle September 2023.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2011, 13% Abv.
The 2011 shows attractive floral perfume aromatics, polished oak, cherry confit, cherry liquer and saline black current leaf intensity. Superb concentration, sleek textured elegance and freshness and a smattering of the most attractive French oak vanilla spice notes. A noble and impressive follow up to the 2010 and a wine that will happily grace the tables of the most discerning connoisseurs. Drink now to 2029+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2012, 13% Abv.
A dark cherry black opaque colour greets the drinker. Initially, the nose is broody and closed. But a little glass swirling and coaxing starts to elicit some of the more classical elements of the bouquet… black berry, black cherry pith, cassis, dusty limestone minerality, hints of graphite and a gloss of buttered brown toast. The oaking is almost imperceptible, revealing a very restrained and quite classical expression from this “drinking” Bordeaux vintage. The palate has all the sleekness, suppleness, and accessibility that you’d expect from a 2012. A soft fine-grained texture with polished powdery tannins, chalky grip and spicy, plummy, peppery black cherry and black berry fruit. It’s all packed into a very classical, medium bodied parcel, that delivers pleasure now but also suggest it is structured enough to be holding back a few surprises in reserve for drinkers in 5 to 8 years’ time.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle December 2017.
Another great vintage from the Chateau, this 2012 shows seductive aromatics of damson plum, juniper and black cherry with hints of liquorice and melted tar. The palate offers the friendly face of generous, opulent, succulent Merlot while retaining a tight knit textural elegance and focus. With just a hint of nutty, savoury tertiary development on the finish, this is undoubtedly a wine that is standing the test of time and defying its age. Great to drink now but certainly no rush.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2014, 13% Abv.
This wine is ripe and rich with beautifully plush classical right bank allure and a soft textured, elegant cassis pastille fruit concentration. A complex wine already in its youth, the layers of mocha, cocoa powder spice and sweet damson plum coat the tongue and thrill the palate. This wine has real depth of fruit, vibrant freshness, and superb length. A class act from some of the best terroir in St Emilion.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2015, 13% Abv.
The neighbour of Francois Mitjavile’s Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf, La Croizille is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. True to the vintage, this wine has a spectacularly profound quality, and indeed the 2015 La Croizille could be among their greatest ever vintages produced. Certainly on par with the epic 2005, 2009 and 2010, the 2015 has a nose that is seductively perfumed, lifted out of the ordinary by cherry blossoms and an exotic undertone of cherry kirsch liqueur. The caramelized oak notes tease like sprinkles on a chocolate cake! The palate too is dark, dense, powerful, and packed full of opulent exotic flavours of Chinese plum sauce, tart cherry confit, sweet cassis and vanilla pod spice. The balance is exceptional, spreading broad and wide across the palate. This is right bank Bordeaux at its seductive, classical best. Plump yet fresh, dense, sweet fruited and gravelly, yet never losing focus. Oh, and the finish goes on and on like a Duracell bunny! What an impressive wine.
From another warm ripe harvest, 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon blend shows impressive classicism and restraint with dark broody notes of juniper and ripe sloe berries, black cherry, and cassis with a pronounced maritime, kelpy salinity. The palate is generously soft textured and elegant, supremely supple yet fresh, showing that this wine is in a very happy place at the moment. Slightly reined in again on the finish, it’s an impressive creation that will appeal to a broad church of Bordeaux lovers.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2016, 14% Abv.
The 2016 Château La Croizille has a dense, opulent profuse blueberry fruited nose, high-toned and showy, with all the mineral limestone complexity of its prestigious neighbours such as Tertre Roteboeuf, Troplong Mondot and Rocheyron. The palate is showing some elegant restraint and class with sweet ripe tannins, surly brambly red and black fruits, and an earthy, foresty, rather masculine, slightly introspective finish. So seductive and noble, this wine speaks of great St Emilion terroir with very intelligent winemaking. A superb effort.
(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasting of barrel sample at En-primeur April 2017.
This is of course a great vintage and on great terroir, iconic wines are produced. This 2016 speaks with a quiet confidence, fabulously focused and intense. On the nose there is a clearly defined purity, clarity, and precision that combines ripeness and restraint, fruit intensity and minerality. A superbly precise wine with pinpoint tannins, a silky finesse, pithy black currant, and black cherry fruits framed by a smoky, chalky mineral tannin veil on the finish. Very impressive indeed.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in bottle September 2023.
Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2018, 14.5% Abv.
Wonderfully complex aromatics of stewed black cherries, black orchard fruit compote, with hints of liquorice, wood smoke and graphite. The palate is opulent and densely fruited with a pronounced air of ripeness, warmth and sweet fruit, impressively layered in the mouth. On the finish, the flamboyance is reined in, retaining a seamlessly creamy texture but without and obtrusive sweetness. Drink now to 2035+.
Chateau La Croizille 2019 Saint Emilion Grand Cru (Barrel Sample)
Plush, broadly aromatic but beautifully soft toned with dulcet notes pink musk, purple rock candy and black currant with a fabulously generous glycerol concentration, harmonious breadth and depth and a subtle, vanilla dusted, brûléed blueberry muffin finish. Delicious expression. Power with elegance.
Chateau La Croizille 2020, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 14.5% Abv.
The 2020 vintage comes from another warm ripe solar harvest year, and this wine shows impressive depth and breadth of texture, with dark broody notes of cherry kirsch liquor, juniper and ripe sloe berries, rose petals, black cherries, blueberries, and black currant with a signature limestone maritime salinity. The palate is generously soft textured, broad but elegant, supremely supple yet impressively fresh with exotic layers of black currant and salty black liquorice. A remarkably elegant, pure and accessible expression with real gravitas that shows a true sense of Saint Emilion limestone terroir. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Croizille 2021, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe, 13.5% Abv.
A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Bordeaux vintage has been pulled up by some critics for producing wines on the left bank offering lighter, more elegant accessible wines, many patently for earlier drinking. But on the right bank, and especially on top of the limestone Côte in Saint Emilion, some exceptional expressions were produced. With illustrious neighbours Troplong Mondot and Le Tertre Roteboeuf making noteworthy wines, La Croizille joins the party with another seriously delicious wine, the last vintage produced before being reclassified as an illustrious Grand Cru Classé. Dark and opaque in the glass, the rim is vibrant and bright, with aromatics packed with black plums, earthy black currants and macerated black cherries, intermingling with floral hints of violets, lilac, sweet Asian spices, vanilla pod and hoisin plum sauce. The texture is fabulously luxurious and sleek, medium bodied and beautifully polished with soft silky sumptuous tannins underpinned by well-integrated tangy acids. This is a majestic Saint Emilion that offers an abundance of finesse, elegance, and accessible class in keeping with a finer boned, classical vintage. Many consumers, however, will look at the 2021s as a welcomed return to greater vintage restraint and classism. Drink now and over the next 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Croizille 2022, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 14.5% Abv.
The 2022 vintage in Bordeaux is now recognized as a truly great year comparable with the quality heights of 2016 and 2019. This attractive wine shows an intense and expressive aromatics of fragrant violets, ripe plums, blue and black berry fruits, salty black liquorice and delicate brown breakfast toast notes. The palate is impressively ripe and fleshy with the black currant and mulberry fruits caressed by fine grained limestone mineral tannins with hints of cocoa powder and blue berry compote on the long, creamy finish. Power and concentration with a measured elegance. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle May 2026.
Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (Barrel Sample)
Rich, dark and broody with aromatics of purple rock candy, violets, creme de cassis and black cherry confit. The palate is bold and dense, packed full of fleshy, textured fruit extract, dry velvety tannins, and tangy acids, all intelligently coaxed and caressed into a seriously powerful right bank expression that immediately shows its terroir pedigree.
Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2023
This beautiful Saint Emilion displays an enticing creamy, lactic, blueberry fruit intensity on the aromatics combined with subtle brûléed black berries, sweet cedar wood spice, and undertones of dusty limestone minerality. With a couple of years in bottle, the palate has become incredibly elegant and accessible with a seamless, silky texture, a finely integrated acidity, and a delicately stony, linear, tart finish. Not the most lauded vintage on the Right Bank but this wine is certainly one of the true stunners of 2023 and most definitely lives up to its new Grand Cru Classé elevation. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in Bottle June 2026.
Chateau La Croizille 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, 14.5% Abv. (Barrel Sample)
A beautifully dark, dense, and seductively opaque in the glass, this 2024 Saint Emilion reveals a deep black berry fruited aromatic underbelly with notes of violets, sweet cigar box, cedar spice, graphite, and blueberry compote with a subtle dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. Notably restrained on the nose, the palate shifts into a higher gear to reveal a plush, silky, harmonious palate with soft supple tannins, seamlessly integrated acids, and soft-toned black and blueberry fruits in the mouth. The extraction has been incredibly gentle, coaxing only the purest and finest characters from this reduced grape harvest. This is undoubtedly a phoenix rising from the ashes of the 2024 vintage weather chaos. A truly standout, classically restrained expression from Saint Emilion’s limestone cote.
The 2022 vintage in Stellenbosch was smaller than usual but widely considered to be very good if not excellent for some. In general, the growing season was on the cooler side but there was little in the way of wild weather to cause much disruption. The winter was cold but saw enough rainfall to rebalance depleted water within the soil, while a chilly spring also brought rain, delaying both budburst and flowering.
Eventually summer brought some much-needed heat with some grapes even affected by sunburn. However, rain still fell in certain areas, which, combined with the summer heat, raised humidity and the risk of both disease and rot. Overall, the mishmash of weather led to a delayed harvest and varied yields – sometimes dramatically depending on the region – with some having larger harvests than usual, while others having a far smaller one. Regions like Stellenbosch however produced some fantastic wines, with the reds in particular looking to be very good indeed.
With most premium Bordeaux Blend and Cabernet Sauvignon producers such at Thelema currently releasing and selling their 2022 reds, the style of the wines has become clearer after barrel maturation and bottling. The consensus appears to be that the 2022s will be remembered as a stylistic mix between the ripe, warm, opulent flavours of the 2020 vintage embellished with some more noteworthy similarities from the 2017 vintage – namely its elegance, finesse, weightless concentration and intensity of fruit purity.
The 2022 Rabelais sticks to the tried and tested blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. A dense, dark, and opaque purple-black colour in the glass, this young, powerful Cape Bordeaux blend shows a relatively restrained, classical aromatics that require more than a little coaxing out of the glass. For a warm year, the nose is modestly fruity, dominated in youth by notes of crushed granite minerality, graphite, fynbos, cigar smoke and dried herb spices. On the palate, the wine is notably cool, saline, structured and chiselled, slowly releasing pockets of black currant, black cherry, blue berry and damson plum fruit at a very gentle, measured pace before delicate hints of sweet cedar, thyme and capsicum spice emerge. The tannins are dry and stony but very fine-grained adding to an overall tight knit texture that’s incredibly classy and grown up. This is another very impressive flagship blend from the Webbs. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Thelema The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
18.g/l RS | 5.5g/l TA | 3.56pH
The source of the “mint” character in this wine is attributed to the airborne transfer from the Eucalyptus trees which border this specific Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard, to the grape berries. As the berries adsorbs Eucalyptol, a compound responsible for the aroma, this compound subsequently becomes dissolved in the wine during the fermentation process, giving the wine a “minty” character unique to this vineyard. The grapes were de-stalked, hand sorted, crushed and pumped into stainless steel for a 6-day cold soak on the skins before fermentation. The wine was then aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels. The aromatics are deep, alluring and complex boasting notes of bruleed coffee beans, minty black chocolate, picante black currants and pithy black cherries with a subtle kiss of padrón pepper herbaceous spice. The palate is medium bodied, silky soft and lithe, the tannins incredibly fine grained and polished, with notes of saline black berries, mulberries, milk chocolate and black plum with a light dusting of dried baking herbs and green tea notes. In its youth, the minty character of the wine is fairly subdued, slightly obscured by a chocolatey coffee bean spice. Give this wine 2 to 3 years to flesh out further and fan its peacock tail, and then drink over 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Thelema Wines are distributed by Enotria Wines in the UK.
Chateau Musar, owned by the Hochar family, is one of the most iconic international wineries located in Ghazir, Lebanon, 24 kilometres (15 miles) north of the capital Beirut. Like most of Lebanon’s top wineries, Musar’s grapes are all cultivated in the famous Bekaa Valley, an incredibly fertile sunny valley at an elevation of 1,000+ metres (3,300 ft), situated 40 km (25 miles) east of Beirut city bordering Syria.
Being a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault, Musar has crafted a recipe that combines skeletal structure from the Cabernet, flesh on the bones from the Carignan and elegance and finesse from the Cinsault, always capable of ageing with grace for decades, and even longer in great years like 1999. Knowing that I have a case of the 1999 Underbond in storage, I was thrilled to find a lose bottle in my cellar during a recent rummage around.
Chateau Musar 1999, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 14% Abv.
Another legendary wine and also a legendary vintage from this Lebanese icon winery, Chateau Musar. Along with the 1991, 1995 and 2010 (from more recent vintages), this 1999 Musar has over performed for the past two decades. Still a deep ruby red colour with only a hint of garnet on the rim, this wine retains an aromatic opulence and mystical power so respected in great Musar vintages. Rich, expressive, detailed and exotic, the nose boasts complex notes of ripe pomegranate, Turkish delight, wild strawberries, red cherry, macerated red plums and Middle Eastern spices with just the most gentle, savoury, bloody, sweet polished mahogany wood spice nuance. The palate is incredibly vibrant and opulent with intense notes of savoury cured meats, macerated red and black berries, cherry liquor and exotic Christmas spices of cinamon and clove – my Persian restauranteur exclaimed after tasting it… “Jhavi”… or ‘strong’ in Persian… “it reminds me of my childhood when we made red wines in Iran high up in the mountains.” Two hours after opening, without decanting, this wine shows additional vibrancy, a savoury red and black fruit intensity and an admirable fine wine composure. A simply stunning expression of Musar that is certainly worth popping the cork and experiencing now if you have a few bottles in your cellar, but definitely no rush. This wine will be incredibly long lived! Drink now to 2045+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Chateau Musar wines are imported and distributed in the UK by Musar UK and the current release 2018 retails for circa £55-£60 per bottle.
The Riebeek Cellar Wine Co was established in 1941 and is today owned by 30 shareholders, with some 900 hectares of vineyard under cultivation. Under the watchful eye of Sheree Nothnagel, who was previously at Wildehurst Cellar, who moved across at the end of 2019 to head up the Riebeek Valley Wine Co.’s boutique cellar with the Raar range of wines being the small production “jewel in the crown” at this Swartland winery. Samples of their new vintages were received and tasted recently and I kick off with two of my favourites.
Raar Grenache Blanc 2024, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
Fermented using wild yeasts in old French oak barrels and aged 6 months on its lees yields a deliciously fresh, zesty Grenache Blanc with alluring aromatics of pithy white citrus, white peach, dried orange peel, pear drops, dried herbs, and a delightfully dusty, mineral Granitic undertone. The fabulous precision and clarity evident on the nose follow to the palate that is seamlessly textured, fine grained and pithy with a delicate phenolic grip. In the mouth, notes of white peach, quince and yellow citrus intermingle with a gentle tangy acidity, tangerine peel spice and a sleek liquid minerality. There is plentiful concentration and fruit intensity, which is conveyed with delicacy and elegance, making this a moderately sophisticated offering that will definitely appeal to Southern Rhone white wine lovers. Enjoy on release and over 3 to 5 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2024, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
This slightly esoteric Carbonic Maceration Shiraz was created by encouraging the intra-cellular fermentation inside the grapes using 100% whole-bunch fermentation with a coating of carbon dioxide… a la Beaujolais in France. This is combined with extended skin contact before the wine is barrel aged for 8 months. I remember the first time I tasted this wine and thought… Oh yes… this is just the ticket for a warm summers evening around the braai when served fridge chilled. The aromatics are fragrant and perfumed, packed full of raspberries, red plums, macerated strawberries and savoury bramble berry fruits with a subtle undertone of sappy talky spice, dried herbs and fynbos nuances. On the palate, the savoury bramble berry fruits come to the fore supported by hints of strawberry compote, wood smoke, cherry pipe tobacco and pithy, granitic mineral hints. Packed full of juicy berry fruits, vibrantly energetic, this is just the type of wine a new generation of young wine consumers are embracing. Drink on release and over 3 to 5 years.
While noise around the Swartland region and its many cult wines seems to be subsiding somewhat, as long as rock star producers like Eben Sadie, Adi Badenhorst, David & Nadia and Chris and Andrea Mullineux keep releasing high scoring whites and reds, wine critics will remain fixated on this versatile region.
But not everyone making iconic wines in the Swartland attempts to steal the wine headlines at every opportunity. One such talent is Jasper Wickens, who along with his wife Franziskia, is creating some of the most profound wines from fruit grown on their Waterval farm in the Paardeberg, next door to both Eben and Adi. With Jasper’s new 2023 vintages landing on my doorstep today, I thought I’d set the scene for my upcoming 2023 vintage reviews of Tiernes and Wolwekop with a compilations of some unreleased back vintage notes.
Jasper in one of his Chenin Blanc Vineyards at Waterval farm.
JC Wickens Swerwer Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
After the long, cool harvest of 2021, 2022 reverted back to more “normal” conditions with several heatwaves taking place during the early season in the Swartland forcing some wineries to harvest grapes perhaps a little sooner than they normally would have in order to preserve acidity. The Chenin Blanc grapes in this 2022 are all grown on deep decomposed Granite soils and offer up classical Swartland notes of wet hay, wet stone minerality, dried baking herbs, white peaches, orange blossom and pithy white citrus and pear fruit characteristics. With its impressively low, cool alcohol level of only 12.5%, the palate displays a light touch balance and elegance with cool, savoury peach notes, quince, and tangy apple puree. The acids are soft, well integrated, but bright and pithy and the finish stony and mineral with a certain degree of phenolic grip. A delicious wine with purity and precision that is ready to drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
JC Wickens Swerwer Shiraz 2022, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
A seductively dark purple black plum colour in the glass, this attractive Syrah is made from Paardeberg grapes from the Wickens Waterval Farm grown on 100% decomposed Granite soils. 100% whole-bunch fermented, the aromatics on the 2022 are perfumed and lifted showing red and black berries, violets, lavender, hints of cranberry and pomegranate with delicately complexing notes of fynbos, crushed gravel and kalamata olives. In the mouth the wine is medium bodied but beautifully sleek, soft, and harmonious with silky fine grained chalky tannins, mouthwatering tangy acids and a long, succulent berry fruited finish. So enjoyable to drink in its youth with its fabulous generosity of fruit, vibrancy, and accessible structure. Drink on release to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Tiernes Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc planted in 1982.
JC Wickens Tiernes Single Vineyard Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
The Tiernes vineyard planted in 1982 is very special indeed, overlooking the whole Waterval Farm of Francisca and Jasper Wickens from the top of the hill. With the vines grown on some of the deepest decomposed granite soils on the farm, the old vine Chenin Blanc grapes yield an incredibly complex and intense wine with aromatics packed with crushed rocks minerality, rain on granite boulders, lemon grass, grated lemon and lime peel, and delicate quince jelly notes. The palate is wonderfully intense and crystalline with real verve and vigour, a fruit purity of note with a chiselled mouthfeel of tart limes, fresh fennel, white peach, and yellow grapefruit pith. The concentration is slightly lighter and more ethereal than the 2021 but the purity and refinement are unmatched. The single vineyard Tiernes is undoubtedly one of the most profound Chenin Blanc expressions produced in the Swartland and a wine every fine wine collector should follow and buy. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
JC Wickens Wolwekop Single Vineyard Old Vine Semillon 2021, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.
The back label of the Wolwekop simply states… “a pure expression of Semillon, Granite and Nature.” Well, if you didn’t have time to read a full tasting note, this would succinctly sum up the exceptional quality of this delicious terroir driven Old Vine Semillon sourced from a majestic Swartland vineyard planted in 1963. The long, cool, atypical 2021 vintage needs no introduction, already being well regarded and widely lauded as one of the best vintages in the Cape in the past decade. From a Zalto Universal glass the aromatics are notably lean, mineral and overtly stony, revealing a relatively shy bouquet, but once transferred to a bigger Burgundy bowl glass, the wine explodes into life offering up fragrant notes of savoury waxy lemon peel, lanolin, fennel root, lemon herbal tea and subtle beeswax notes before a pronounced wave of crushed gravel and dusty granitic minerality follow. The palate is equally complex and beguiling, featuring a bold spicy mineral laden glycerol palate with wet stone minerality, bergamot, green melon, yellow apples, and tart yellow quince that’s beautifully framed by bright, searing crystalline acids before a dried herb laden finish with a delicately nutty, almond skin nuance. Packed with energy, focus and drive, this must surely be a wine Jasper is very proud of. Drink now on releases and over the next 10 to 12+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
JC Wickens Wolwekop Single Vineyard Old Vine Semillon 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
After the high scoring 97/100 point benchmark Wolwekop 2021, Jasper Wickens has pulled a little more magic out the bag to produce yet another enticing Semillon offering in 2022. A golden yellow colour, the wine displays a complex aromatics of pithy lemon citrus, leesy lemon biscuits, buttered white toast, brewed green tea, lemon grass, honey and delicate green herb nuances. Full and fleshy in the mouth, there is a clear harmony and balance punctuated by a stony granitic minerality supported by well-integrated acids and a pithy, peach stone fruit strand with peppery, sappy, lanolin hints. Another Old Vine masterclass from Jasper. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Jasper Wickens Swerwer wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
The Vergenoegd Löw Estate (previously the Vergenoegd Estate) along with the Meerlust Estate and Winshaw Vineyards form a magical trio of unique coastal Stellenbosch terroirs capable of producing some of the most captivating Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends in the entire Cape. Historically famous for their old Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1960s and 1970s, the previous owners of Vergenoegd Estate, the Faure family, released their first Bordeaux blend in 1993 and this third release 1995 vintage was offered to the South African market in late 1997 / early 1998. I recently cracked one of my last four bottles to see how this 30 year old classic was holding up. Stored in a temperature controlled cellar since purchase, this bottle was in pristine condition. But of course, with older vintages, there is no such thing as a great wine merely great bottles. My three remaining bottles have even higher ullages implying they could be even better. Only time will tell.
Vergenoegd Estate Wine Reserve 1995, WO Stellenbosch, 13.01% Abv.
A classical blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this 30 year old wine is holding up beautifully, showing impressively fragrant herbal aromatics of sage, bay leaf, dried violets, fynbos and green tea before hints of raisined cranberry, stewed black cherries and red currants. Opened and allowed to breath for 2-3 hours without decanting, there is a real vibrancy to the wine, one that I have grown accustomed to from some of South Africa’s old red grandes vins.
No rush after pulling the cork! Indeed it’s only after 3+ hours that the splendour of the milk chocolate and peppermint crisp nuances start to show on the nose and palate. The texture is clearly dense, glycerol and textured, the tannins spicy and fine grained now like a well brewed cup of black tea, but underpinned by bright acids and a subtle graphite minerality. A dense classy 1995 that is maybe plateauing but there’s certainly no rush to drink up last bottles.
In celebration of their Bruwer family heritage, cousins Bruwer Raats and Gavin Bruwer Slabbert created Bruwer Vintners in 2014. Their guiding mission was to master South Africa’s heritage varietals, namely Pinotage, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc / Semillon blends to express their heritage and terroir in a modern interpretation.
The Bruwer Vintners’ white and red releases have been incredibly solid, well made, classical expressions from the very beginning, but from the 2024 vintage we see a notable, and quite frankly, unexpected step up in quality, focus and intensity. I visited the winery in July 2025 to taste but sadly Gavin wasn’t available for me to quiz him on how exactly he’s managed to dial up the quality of his entire range. But the quality shift is undeniable. But don’t just take my word for it, seek out these new releases and discover some incredibly exciting new wines.
Bruwer Vintners Haarlem to Hope 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.
A white blend of 75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Semillon, with a portion of the Chenin Blanc fermented and aged in concrete, differentiating the 2024 from previous vintages. The wine is incredibly mineral and smoky on the nose, full of crushed granite, dried herbs, fynbos, tangerine peel and crunchy green apples. In the mouth, this blend is delightfully cool, pure and precise on the palate with a real sense of confidence and harmony, a wine fully at ease with itself. Super tangy, fresh and bright, the crystallinity resonates in the wine with such purity, streamlined tension and focus. This is an incredibly accomplished white blend that benefits from its new maturation tweaking. Drink now to 2035+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Cinsault 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.
Old vine Cinsault from the 1953 Bellevue vineyard, this wine is always a star performer in the Bruwer Vintners range. Aged in two 500 litre barrels for 10 to 12 months, the 2024 is already incredibly perfumed and precise, bursting with violets and rose petals, potpourri, Turkish delight, blood orange and juicy ripe cranberries with an intricate undertone of granitic mineral spice. The oaking is very much an afterthought, the palate deliciously fresh, pure and vibrant with an incredible intensity and concentration that all melts together so seamlessly into a wonderfully complete wine. This 2024 rises to new levels of vibrancy, energy, and vivacity, showing off the very best components of this heritage Cinsault block. Drink now and over the new next 10 to 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bruwer Vintners Liberte Pinotage 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.
This new expression saw a reduction of the whole bunch portion to circa 15% with longer ageing in older barrels, with 18 months maturation allowing the wine to integrate and find a better balance. The results of these small stylistic tweaks reveal themselves on the nose and palate, the aromatics boasting an extra dimension of freshness and bright red berry fruit with hints of cranberry and succulent red cherry, red plums and red currants. Delicious brightness and energy, youthful vivacity and purity that truly champions this modern fruit forward styling of premium Pinotage. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Syrah 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.
The 2024 sees a 100% whole bunch styling, fermented in open top fermenters before being aged in older 300 litre barrels for 12 months. This Karibib block yields and incredibly pure and intense expression of Syrah with dense black berry fruits, sweet black peppercorns, black olive tapenade and savoury, meaty bruleed oak spice notes. The palate is beautifully fresh and vibrant, creamy and mineral with such a beautiful weightless concentration, a deliciously chalky, creamy minerality that melts away into a sweet, savoury, red and black berry fruit concentration with gentle hints of maritime salinity and seashore kelp. The aromatics definitely trade on intense perfume and purity rather than savoury, smoky bruleed notes, which keeps the wine incredibly fresh, vibrant and energetic. A really mouth watering expression of Syrah from Bruwer Vintners that takes the quality up another notch. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Bruwer Vintners wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.
This is the third red release from Sakkie Mouton, one of the Cape’s most exciting winemaking talents who seems to keep going from strength to strength. With a now well-established quality track record for his crisp, complex, saline white wines from the Weskus, his wines have become incredibly sought after including his red wines.
Simply speaking, you can sell a cultish brand once, maybe twice, but if it doesn’t deliver the quality collectors and connoisseurs expect that’s where it will break down. Sakkie’s followers are however true converts, buying and drinking his wines vintage after vintage, standing as a true testament to the authentic character and ever-increasing quality of his wines.
The Dawn of the Salty Tongues label is a reference to the rise of the West Coast as a new wine region and showcases divers picking grapes under the ocean, which contributes to the “salty” taste of the palate. “Salty Tongues” also happens to be Weskus slang for the rather spicy language some of the local farmers and fishermen are known to use on a regular basis!
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2024, WO Oliphants Rivier, 12.86% Abv.
2.6g/l RS | 6.1g/l TA | 3.40pH
The Salty Tongues Syrah 2024 is a 100% Syrah red made from grapes sourced from vineyards in Vredendal located 25 kilometres from the West Coast Atlantic Ocean that were picked early morning to preserve freshness before being destemmed, with 30% of whole bunches lining the bottom of the open top fermenters. After fermentation, the wine was aged for 12 months in 500 litre barrels before being bottled unfiltered and unfined. Planted in 1999, these 26-year-old vineyards are starting to yield some incredible quality with striking aromatics of pressed violets and lavender, bramble berries and pomegranate before hints of black cherry, blood oranges, nori seaweed and bloody raw meat develop. This 2024 shows more dry extract, more substance, and more depth of fruit and oak spice than either of the previous two vintages. With incredible elegance, vivacious tangy acids and a silky plush depth, the palate never loses its mouthwatering red and black berry Weskus salinity that gently melts away into a concentrated, intense, piercing finish. This is a beautifully crafted red wine from Sakkie. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Sakkie Mouton Wines are imported into the UK for retail and private clients by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines and for On-trade and Scotland by Wood Winters.
With the never-ending search for new and exciting cultivars in South Africa continuing unabated, presumably it was only a matter of time before the Cape’s vignerons discovered the versatile potential of Old Vine Colombard beyond acting merely as a suitable distillation grape. Being widely planted up the Weskus (West Coast), Ian Naude managed to source some of the most expressive Old Vine fruit planted in 1983 from vineyards near Vredendal. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now releasing his fourth vintage of Langpad, meaning the ‘long road’, the 2023 from Ian Naude has had some extra time in bottle which is why, perhaps more so than any of the previous three releases, the Langpad bears a striking resemblance to Greece’s Assyrtiko wines with a pronounced phenolic minerality and maritime salinity… though perhaps more in the style of Nemea or mainland Greece’s Assyrtiko expressions rather than those from the volcanic island of Santorini.
Naude Langpad Old Vine Colombard 2023, WO Cape West Coast, 11.5% Abv.
A vintage renown for its concentration and fruit intensity, the 2023 Langpad Old Vine Colombard is at first quite reticent on the nose, showing aromatics of crushed granite, white flowers, dried herbs, yellow citrus, and waxy yellow apples before more pronounced notes of maritime sea spray, dried kelp and oystershell emerge. The fleshy glycerol concentration is more evident on the palate, that’s cool, crisp, and resplendently pure and fresh with a mouthcoating tangy acidity and complex hints of honeydew melon, pithy green apple and quince jelly. Quite a phenolic and spicy expression of Colombard that finishes with a saline wet stone mineral austerity that makes this white perfect for food matching. Start drink now and over the next 3 to 5 years.
