Oupa Willem

Tasting Naudé Family Wines Third Oupa Willem 2020 Cape Heritage Red Blend Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

This classical premium Naudé red draws on the unique South African expressions of bush vine Cinsault blended with prime Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, resurrecting and mimicking the styling of the old South African “heritage red blends” of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Now in only its third vintage, the 2020 is a tremendous, finely crafted effort, fermented naturally using 40% whole bunches to create a cellar-worthy Cape heritage blend that Ian believes will stand the test of time and improve in bottle for over 20+ years. With Ian back in the UK to visit trade clients, I took this opportunity to meet up and taste his new releases again including this impressive red.

Naudé Family Wines Oupa Willem 2020 Heritage Blend, WO Western Cape, 11.5% Abv.

1.9g/l RS | 6.00 g/l TA | 3.39pH

In the glass this 2020 Oupa Willem glows with a bright translucent red cherry and ruby red plum clarity. Consisting of 82% Cinsault, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from across the Western Cape in Darling and Stellenbosch, the aromatics show a delightfully lifted, perfumed nose of sun raisined cranberry, red cherries, smoky branded sandalwood, nori seaweed, sweet cedar spice, fynbos and a dusty crushed granite and graphite minerality. The palate is taut and super sleek, mouth-wateringly tart and fresh, bristling with an electric acidity, fabulous energy and notable concentration. The ripeness is sweet fruited, tangy and intense and simply defies the wines 11.5% alcohol level! The tannins are supremely precise, fine grained and powdery, perfectly balanced by juicy red summer berry fruits, hints of marzipan and a subtle kiss of Turkish delight on the finish. This really is a stunning wine that has grown in depth and stature since I first tasted it in Cape Town in March 2020. Almost Grand Cru Burgundy meets Grand Cru Loire in style, this sublime 2020 red blend is going to acquire a massive following. Could this be Ian’s finest Oupa vintage yet? He thinks so. Drink on release and over 20+ years.

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

Wines imported exclusively into the UK by Museum Wines. The new releases from Naudé will be released in the UK in July. http://www.museumwines.co.uk – The Oupa Willem 2020 will retail for circa £39.99pb.

An Outstanding Follow-up Vintage from Naude Family Wines – Tasting the Oupa Willem Cape Heritage Red Blend 2019…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

New wines from top South African producers like Naude Family Wines are a bit like London buses, nothing for ages and then all of a sudden two or three new wines introduced onto the market. The Langpad Old Vine Colombard, the Groendruif La Colline Old Vine Semillon and the Oupa Willem Old Vine Cape Heritage Red Blend have all been released to great acclaim, further cementing Ian Naude’s status as one of the most admired producers in South Africa.

Deeply involved with the Old Vine Project from the very beginning, the Oupa Willem red blend is perhaps the most nostalgic of his new releases paying tribute to the historic old Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon blends of the 1950s and 1960s that came to define the South African wine industry for many decades.

Tasting with Ian Naudé at his cellar in March 2022.

I remember tasting the maiden 2018 vintage many months before commercial release and thinking that Ian Naude had created something very special indeed. The combination of the ethereal elegance and perfume of the Cinsault seamlessly married with the power and authority of Cabernet Sauvignon made for an incredible wine and my high ratings mirrored this excitement in every way. It was only a matter of time before the word “got out” and sure enough the 2018 was subsequently awarded a massive 5 Stars in the John Platter South African Wine Guide. Few pure Cinsaults or Cinsault blends ever achieve this regal accolade making the award even more significant.

With the Oupa Willem 2020 already in bottle, my review for the follow up 2019 vintage was long overdue.

Naude Family Wines Oupa Willem Cape Heritage Blend 2019, WO Western Cape, 11.5% Abv.

1.2 g/l RS | 5.65 g/l TA | 3.5 pH

This premium red blend draws on the unique South African expressions of 77% Darling old bush vine Cinsault planted in 1978 blended with prime Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon and fermented naturally using 40% whole bunches. Reduced yields in 2019 reminded everyone of the hangover the vines were still experiencing after four years of severe drought despite most regions receiving good rainfall during the season. Grape quantities may have been compromised but the quality was exceptional, and this 2019 red blend shows fabulously lifted notes of pink musk, red cherry, rose petals, violets and Turkish delight with some darker black berry fruit hints together with subtle nuances of raspberry herbal tea, graphite and cherry tobacco. The palate displays a wonderfully linear acid driven structure with a real mouth-watering verve and vigour, a magically textural plushness and weightless elegance. Trying to comprehend the intensity, fruit concentration and glycerol mouthfeel all delivered at an astonishing 11.5% abv. is simply mind blowing. This is another incredible vinous creation that will take its place in the history books of South African winemaking. Sure to be very long lived, the irony is that this wine is also unbelievably drinkable right now and many will find it impossibly hard to resist pulling the cork. Drink now to 2045+.

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

Naude Family Wines Launches the New Oupa Willem Old Vine Cinsault / Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Blend 2018…

~ Greg Sherwood MW

Fully appreciating a wine region’s heritage is one of the most important building blocks for long term future success. This premium Old Vine red from Naude Family Wines draws on the unique South African expression of Darling bush vine Cinsault blended with prime Cabernet Sauvignon from Durbanville to create something quite magical in the context of cool, classical, linear styles of premium South African red wine. 

Fermented dry naturally to 12% Abv. using 40% whole bunches, this elegant red wine displays a fabulous brightness and a weightless concentration of red and black berry fruits that are embroidered with classical fragrant notes of red cherry, rose petals, violets and marzipan underpinned by a mouth watering acidity.

Indeed all the amazing old historical South African red wines of the 1950s and 1960s exploited this incredible synergy between the elegance, finesse and lithe supple purity of Cinsault and the plushness, power, flesh and textural concentration of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Once these varieties join hands in union, the whole is immediately incrementally greater than the sum of its individual parts. Having tasted and reviewed every wine Ian has ever made, this incredible Oupa Willem 2018 release represents a new pinnacle of quality in the next chapter of Naude Family Wines. Drink now or cellar for 20+ years.

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