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.)
Duncan Savage has developed a reputation for his elegant, pure, age worthy and thrilling red and white wines produced in his urban cellar in Salt River, Cape Town. Duncan spent 14 years cutting his teeth as winemaker at Cape Point Vineyards, creating saline Sauvignon Blancs and grapefruit-laden Semillons from the cool coastal sites of Noordhoek. In 2011 he produced his first Savage red vintage under his own label followed by his first Savage White Blend in 2012. Working with coastal and high-elevation single sites across the Western Cape, Duncan has always followed a simple mantra: “do as little as possible, as much as you can” to preserve the purest expression of place.
Over a decade of producing premium quality wines have now made Duncan’s wines some of the most sought-after in South Africa… but also some of the most reasonably priced fine wines. I recently caught up with Duncan in May 2026 in London to taste through his new 2025s pre-release, and then again in August in Cape Town over dinner at Aubergine Restaurant, to catch up on all his latest developments.
Duncan Savage Salt River Sauvignon Blanc 2025, 13.5% Abv.
Made from three Sauvignon Blanc parcels, but soon to be four, this 2025 is a delicious expression with rich layers of white citrus, yellow grapefruit and Cape gooseberry with back grown aromatic hints of cut grass and Granitic mineral spice. Intense, concentrated and beautifully harmonious. This is very classy and one of his best Salt River Sauvignons to date. Drink now to 2032+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Savage White Blend 2025, 13.5% Abv.
The 2025 blend is 71% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Semillon from the Overberg, Stellenbosch and Villiersdorp, matured for 11 months in 500 litre barrels, of which 20% was new, together with some concrete eggs. The wine is bold and aromatic with exotic notes of white peaches, nectarine, lime peel and lemon grass spice. The palate is plush, textured and concentrated with a bright tangy acidity and a real breadth and depth of flavour. Beautifully complex and generous. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Never Been Asked to Dance 2025, WO Paarl, 13.5% Abv.
A wine that has fast developed into one of Duncan’s most sought after wines. Now that he has won the battles against the birds stealing all the fruit, this Paarl vineyard planted in 1956 is delivering some incredible fruit that is fermented and aged for 10 months in 600 litre barrels. The aromatics show a certain savoury mineral depth alongside notes of Granite, dried hay, white citrus, pear and white peach. A Chenin Blanc with great concentration, lovely purity and a real crystalline tangy brightness. Superb as always. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Follow the Line 2025, WO Darling, 12.7% Abv.
Always one of South Africa’s leading premium Cinsaults, the 2025 contains 93% Cinsault and 7% Syrah from Darling, both 50% whole bunch fermented and matured for 12 months in foudre and amphora. The aromatics are taut and focused, showing plenty of Granitic mineral spice before sleek, cool notes of cranberries and wild strawberries with a suggestion of garrigue spice. Plenty of linear tension and precision of a laser-like focused palate. Impressively serious. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Duncan pouring his 2025 releases in London.
Savage Wines Thief in the Night Grenache 2025, WO Piekenierskloof, 14% Abv.
Made from grapes from Piekenierskloof, the 2025 expression includes a 4% splash of Cinsault with 10% being whole bunch fermented before being aged for 10 months in concrete eggs and used 500 litre barrels. The aromatics are delicately earthy and savoury, understated even, before notes of red berries and strawberries, fynbos and Granitic mineral spice. The mouthfeel is plush but very elegant, exotically spicy with a medium bodied weight, finishing with drying, polished mineral tannins. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Girl Next Door Syrah 2025, WO Cape Town, 13.5% Abv.
Made from two Syrah vineyards on the Cape Peninsula, one being in Fish Hoek and the other in Noordhoek, both being matured for 10 months in older 500 litre old barrels. The aromatics are initially very dramatic and deep, showing hints of violets, garrigue, woodsmoke, tar and wood embers before a subtle medley of red and black berry fruits and a sappy peppery spice. The palate shows a broody depth and intensity, structured but elegant, packing plenty of power and poise with a well-integrated vein of acidity. An eye catching wine as usual. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Are We There Yet 2025, WO Malgas, 13.5% Abv.
The blend for the 2025 Malgas red is 56% Touriga Nacional and 44% Syrah with a 10% portion being whole bunch fermented. The aromatics show a subtle perfume of violets, dried herbs and tilled earth with red and black berry fruits in support. The palate is initially quite tight and broody with a pronounced stony, mineral focus and precision before a more plush, rich, exotic fruit complexity follows on the palate. Always structured and powerful, the 2025 has a couple of extra gears as well as a surfeit of buffering dry extract and concentration. A delicious wine with its own unique following. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Savage Red 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
This 100% Syrah red is made from Kuils River and Polkadraai Hills fruit with 15% fermented as submerged cap before being matured in older 500 litre barrels for 13 months followed by a further 10 months in foudre. The aromatics are sweet fruited and exotic showing hints of peach skins, red cherries and apricot pips. The mouthfeel is cool, sleek and minerally charged revealing a beautifully elegant texture, plenty of Granitic spice and chalky tannins on the finish. A very complete and compact wine. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines are offered by Great Domaines in Johannesburg and imported exclusively into the UK by Liberty Wines in London.
Every year, one can point to the annual release of the Vilafonte Series C and Series M reds as two of the most important and noteworthy new Cape Bordeaux blends to hit the market. These two wines have, since their maiden releases in 2003, cultivated a committed global following among fine wine connoisseurs and passionate collectors alike. With the focus firmly on premium quality, each subsequent vintage is highly anticipated both in the wine trade and among consumers. The 2023 vintage was obviously a much more complicated harvest for many than either 2022 or 2021 due to persistent rain across much of the Cape, necessitating further clarification of Vilafonte’s picking dates from winemaker Chris de Vries.
“The 2023 vintage reminded us how swiftly light can turn to shadow, and how timing alone can separate fortune from misfortune” Chris de Vries opined. “Outstanding early conditions carried us through harvest, our final lots secured only days before March 4th brought a week of rain that might have rewritten the story entirely.” Picking at Vilafonte began on February 2nd and continued until March 1st, a slightly extended window, shaped by a warm first half of February followed by a cooler close. This shift tempered ripening, allowing balance and freshness to define the fruit.
Berry weights reflected the season: Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc were modestly smaller than average, lending natural concentration, while Cabernet Sauvignon berries were slightly larger, contributing generosity and an approachable tannin profile. Although March delivered over 60 mm more rain than the norm, the Vilafonte harvest was safely picked before the downpours, leaving the Vilafonte team among the fortunate few who carried the season’s promise intact into the cellar. The resulting wines show a poised tension between ripe black fruit and lifted freshness, framed by fine tannins and a classical structure. “Opulence is tempered by clarity, and the 2023s stand as wines of both immediate allure and assured longevity” Chris de Vries concluded.
Vilafonte Series C 2023, WO Paarl. 14.5% Abv.
The 2023 Series C is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 12% Malbec and 7% Cabernet Franc and offers up classic Vilafonte aromatics of sweet black currants, saline crème de cassis, blueberry compote and wet tobacco leaves. Fabulously opulent and exotic on the nose, the wine has all the Series C hallmarks that has made this one of the most desirable Cabernet Sauvignon blends produced in the Cape, brimming with not only intense pure black berry fruits but also complex earthy layers of tilled loam over hints of graphite, dried herbs and warm buttered brown breakfast toast. The palate is sophisticated, silky, and lithe, neither weighty nor muscular, but rather sleek, picante, and spicy with cedar and vanilla pod notes, a dusting of cocoa powder, and a weightless black currant fruit concentration. There is a youthful, sinewy freshness and a tightly wound core of energy that should see this wine age gracefully for a decade or two.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Vilafonte Series M 2023, WO Paarl. 14% Abv.
The 2023 Series M is a blend of 41% Merlot, 38% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and displays a seriously opulent, showy Series M plushness and generosity combined with plenty of refinement and purity. The aromatics are vibrant and youthful revealing intense layers of blue and black berry fruits, bay leaf spice, damson plums and black cherry compote with a magical dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. In the mouth, the wine is marked with a fabulously creamy, silky texture, delicate notes of graphite and cocoa powder, saline crème de cassis and mulberry fruits with a pronounced mineral interplay on the complex finish. Once again, I’m super impressed at the intensity, power, and concentration Vilafonte achieves with their Series M cuvee – a wine that epitomises luxury, generosity, and sophistication. Drink on release until 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Vilafonte wines are imported to the UK and distributed to trade by agent John E. Fells.
Regardless of who you speak to, the general consensus is that the 2022 vintage conditions in the Cape reverted back to more “normal” conditions after the unusually cool and extended harvest of 2021. But like many good vintages that follow great vintages, the resulting wines have to work that much harder to capture the imagination of fine wine consumers. At Vilafonte, the team have delivered another exceptionally fine trio of wines that has something for everyone.
A cool wet October and November 2021 saw above average rainfall leading to vigorous growth in the vineyards which required extra work to manage canopies. January and February 2022 saw multiple heat spikes in keeping with more ‘normal’ vintage conditions in the Cape. There was some variable ripening across cultivars and plots ultimately leading to a fairly late, drawn-out harvest season which began nine days later than predicted and which lasted for over four weeks from February 19th until March 17th. The resulting wines show density and concentration rather than heaviness with well integrated harmonious acids.
The approachability of the Seriously Old Dirt blend makes this wine a perennial favourite with fine wine lovers looking for exceptional quality and value without compromising fruit, structure or power. The Series C is also another stand out Cape Bordeaux Blend that celebrates the incredible quality of Cape Cabernet Sauvignon. But if it’s sheer hedonism you are after, the Series M is once again a dead ringer for an opulent, showy, Right Bank Merlot dominated Bordeaux blend. With a 1st of November release date for all three wines, these are definitely wines you’re going to want to make space for in your cellar.
Seriously Old Dirt by Vilafonte 2022, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.
After the rich, fresh, characterful wine of 2021, the Seriously Old Dirt 2022 blend has certainly turned out to be another impressive creation from the dedicated Vilafonte team. A dark opaque purple black plum colour in the glass, the wine offers up bold notes of mint leaf, violets, crème de cassis, black cherries, dried thyme herbs, cigar wrapper, and hints of chocolate peppermint crisp. Medium bodied with a rich, spicy, fleshy palate, this wine has certainly carved out a name for itself based not so much on branding but more on innate quality and true value for money. The mouthfeel is delicately spicy, alluring, and supple with notes of dark blackberries, fresh peppermint tea, vanilla pod, and sweet Christmas spices that linger long on the palate, framed by picante, mineral spicy graphite tannins. This is undoubtedly an impressive second wine fashioned after the famous left bank Bordeaux expressions, and also shares the similar trait of often putting bigger Grand Vin expressions to shame. Always seamless, and nearly always the complete deal, this is THE go to wine for so many Bordeaux lovers around the world! Drink on release and over 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Vilafonte Series C 2022, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.
Vintage variation at wineries like Vilafonte often means little, but for the market, 2021 was the vintage of the decade to buy and covet. Like 1996 followed and surpassed 1995 in Bordeaux, could this plush and opulent 2022 excel in the shadow of the iconic 2021 Series C cuvee? In the recent months, all the 2022s I have tasted are every bit the equal of many of the 2021 wines, showing concentration, balance and freshness. Always the benchmark cuvee of the Vilafonte winery, the Series C 2022, a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc, presents itself as a rich, opulent expression packed full of salted black liquorice, sweet black berries, warm blueberry crumble and subtle aromatics of vanilla pod and cedar wood spice. The initial approach on the palate is classical and restrained, showing drying tannins and classical granitic mineral undertones but the texture is like silk, seamless, sultry and beautifully balanced with a big punchy concentration on the finish.This is high pedigree Cabernet Sauvignon done extremely well in a global context. Drink on release to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Vilafonte Series M 2022, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.
The Series M 2022 is a blend of 40% Merlot, 39% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Fabulously dark, rich, and opaque, this inky Merlot based blend once again boasts a sold Right Bank Bordeaux styling, with aromatics packed full of dried herbs, potpourri, spiced black plums, mulberries, and blueberry hints with a top note of graphite and gunpowder smoke. But it’s on the palate that the fireworks really light up the sky, with a cool, creamy, super fine-grained tannin texture, a picante spicy granitic minerality over plush black berry fruits and a pithy black cherry complexity. The top 2022 reds show softer, more integrated acids than the 2021 vintage but also a creamier, fleshier, more sumptuous mouthfeel with impressive generosity and an accessibility. This is another beautiful Series M expression that bridges the stylistic paradigm of Right Bank Bordeaux and New World fruit-driven opulence. Drink on release until 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Vilafonte Wines are imported into the UK by wine merchant John E. Fells.
The previous Lievland Wine Estate can certainly be counted as one of the grand old Cape brands of the 1980s and 1990s and I can confirm that I certainly drank my fair share of their famous value red blend, the Lievlander, as well as plenty of their Shiraz and their delicious DVB Cape Bordeaux Blend. In 2017, it was announced that MAN Family Wines had acquired the 110 hectare estate with ambitious plans to build a new cellar facility and also slowly replant some of the 60 hectares under vine.
Lying on much respected Simonsberg Stellenbosch terroir, immediate neighbours are Natte Valleij, Warwick, the old Uitkyk, Kanonkop and Le Bonheur. I recently caught up in London with their head winemaker, Riaan Möller, to taste through a current selection of the Lievland Vineyards wines.
Lievland Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2022, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.
Deliciously exotic aromatics with peach skins, apricot, gooseberry, melon and green apple pastille. 100% stainless steel fermented with several inoculated yeast strains. From Sandstone soil vineyards, south facing, the grapes yield deliciously cool crystalline fruits boasting white peach, green pear, white pepper, rocket leaf and hints of lychee. Sleek, vibrant and wonderfully energetic with a really youthful vivacity and a delicate tropical kiss on the finish. A delicious cool climate expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lievland Vineyards Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Paarl, 13% Abv.
Made from a Certified Heritage Vineyard planted between 1977 and 1987 from Agter-Paarl with the use of up to 30% barrel fermented portion. The aromatics show a fruity candied opulence with notes of smoky straw, fynbos, peach rock candy and hints of green pear. The palate is rich and expressive with mouth watering layers of spicy white peach, greengage, green apple and hints of fig preserve on the long, persistent, textured finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lievland Vineyards Liefkoos Shiraz / Mourvedre / Cinsault Rose 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
An attractive pale salmon colour, the wine shows bright dusty chalky aromatics packed full of pear drops, crushed granite, crushed red cherry and crunchy wild strawberry fruits. The palate is cool, sleek and very precise with a delicious weightless concentration, lovely purity, mineral pithiness and impressive length. One for the lovers of Provençal Rose.
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lievland Vineyards Bush Vine Pinotage 2021, WO Paarl, 13.5% Abv.
From a vineyard on the westerly slopes of Paarl mountain planted in 2000/1 with a small 5% addition of Grenache. Only a small amount of new large oak is used (15%) and mostly multi-passage 225 and 300 litre used barrels. Packed full of vibrancy and freshness with notes of bramble berry, forest fruits, tilled earth, black plum and hints of red apple. Super polished and sleek, the texture is silky, elegant and delicately exotic with lovely purple rock candy, Parma violets and a mouthwatering Fanta Grape-flavoured allure. The finish is bone dry, spicy and mineral with real balance and length. A very individual expression of Pinotage, but undoubtedly delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lievland Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Cape Coast, 14% Abv.
High altitude fruit from the Helderberg and Agter-Paarl, makes for a very classy Cabernet Sauvignon with a sneaky 5% Cinsault, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc blended in. The aromatics show sweet red berry, red plum, red currant, raisined cranberries, cassis, tilled earth and delicate notes of sweet tobacco and tannery leather. On the palate the soft, seductive silky layers dominate, revealing a very fine textured, compact mouthfeel. A very impressive wine with great complexity, lovely granitic minerality and a delicate salinity on the finish.
Fruit from original vineyards on the farm planted 2001. 86% Syrah and 14% Mourvedre with 20% whole bunches, were fermented and aged 100% for 16 months in mostly used neutral 225 litre barrels with a 15% new French oak portion. The aromatics are lush and seductive with blueberry, black cherry, tart plum and subtle hints of dried herbs, cumin and peppercorns. Wonderfully pure, delicate and elegantly fresh, this is a very classy, considered, light touch Syrah made with real attention to detail. The finish is intense and focused with a fine weightless concentration.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Lievland Vineyard wines are imported into the UK by Berkmann Wines.
Exceptional vintages have the ability to yield exceptional wines. Just think of 2000, 2005, 2009 and especially 2010 in Bordeaux, and perhaps 2004, 2009, 2015, and 2017 in the Cape. Without doubt, 2021 was another extraordinary vintage with ample winter rains followed by an unusually cold and wet spring and early summer. In an era of global warming and extreme weather events, getting a vintage like 2021 in the Cape must surely be a winemaker’s dream. So many I have talked to have described making wines that they feel they may never get the opportunity to make again due to the unusually cool, slow ripening conditions.
At Vilafonte in Paarl, flowering was largely even with good fruit-set, boding well for not only a healthy crop but also an ample crop. Early season growing temperatures were cool to moderate, warming gradually towards ripening, with a lack of February / March heatwaves a very noteworthy feature of the vintage. Berries were supple-skinned, bursting with flavour, showing a vibrant freshness and bold tannin structures. Harvest began on February 11th under mild weather conditions that continued for the remainder of the season. The resulting wines show a piercingly perfumed intensity, deep inky colours, sophistication and poise.
Vilafonte Series M 2021, WO Paarl, 14% Abv.
The 2021 Series M is a blend of 41% Merlot, 35% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc that spent 22 months in French oak barrels with a 26% new oak portion. The aromatics are enticing and alluring, offering up notes of dark berries, exotic Asian spices, plum compote, black liquorice, graphite and wood smoke with subtle dried bay leaf nuances. Despite being dominated by Merlot and Malbec, the Series M often boasts a structure more in common with Cabernet Sauvignon blends, but in the cooler 2021 vintage, this wine remains very much in a Bordeaux right bank leaning style boasting precociously sumptuous notes of supple black currant fruits, mulberries, black plum with hints of cocoa powder, chargrilled charcuterie and pithy blood orange peel. Beautifully plump and opulent in the mouth, the tannins are velvety, supple and sweet, enveloping the palate and finishing with incisive saline acids and complex notions of baked blackberries, preserved plums and star anise. A wonderfully complete wine that already offers abundant pleasure in its youth. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Vilafonte wines are imported into the UK and are available to trade on allocation from importer John E Fells, and are available retail from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.
We all know that exceptional vintages have the ability to yield exceptional wines. Just think of 2000, 2005, 2009 and especially 2010 in Bordeaux, and perhaps 2004, 2009, 2015, and 2017 in the Cape. Without doubt, 2021 was another extraordinary vintage with ample winter rains followed by an unusually cold and wet spring and early summer. In an era of global warming and extreme weather events, getting a vintage like 2021 in the Cape must surely be a winemaker’s dream. So many I have talked to have described making wines that they feel they may never get the opportunity to make again due to the unusually cool, slow ripening conditions.
At Vilafonte in Paarl, flowering was largely even with good fruit-set, boding well for not only a healthy crop but also an ample crop. Early season growing temperatures were cool to moderate, warming gradually towards ripening, with a lack of February / March heatwaves a very noteworthy feature of the vintage. Berries were supple-skinned, bursting with flavour, showing a vibrant freshness and bold tannin structures. Harvest began on February 11th under mild weather conditions that continued for the remainder of the season. The resulting wines show a piercingly perfumed intensity, deep inky colours, sophistication and poise. The Series C is scheduled for a 1st November 2023 global release.
Vilfonte Series C 2021, WO Paarl, 14.5% Abv.
The Series C 2021 is another sumptuous Cape Bordeaux Blend made up of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 7% Cabernet Franc that was aged for 22 months in 81% new French oak 225 litre barriques, with the balance aged in used French oak barrels. Winemaker Chris de Vries was very excited by the berry flavour complexity at harvest time and when you pull the cork on this wine, the 2021 vintage displays an incredibly vivid, overt, beautifully lifted, piercing array of perfumed sweet violets, iris, cherry blossom, potpourri and incense with a delicate dusting of cocoa powder and vanilla pod spice. With the cool fruited aromatic ebb and flow, delicious notes of saline black currant, black cherry, crème de cassis, sandalwood, cigar wrapper, and cinnamon spice slowly develop, all pristinely pure and fabulously intense. Medium bodied, tightly wound and layered, the sleek supple mouthfeel truly typifies the very finest premium reds produced in this classically cooler vintage. Indeed, I cannot quite recall another vintage in the past two decades quite like it, with such sweet well-rounded tannins, fresh piercing acidities and magnificently weightless, crystalline tart red and black berry fruits on the velvety, seamless palate. The jury is out on whether this is the greatest Series C produced by Vilafonte to date simply because the astounding 2016 was such a uniquely brilliant creation. Needless to say, a wine of this beauty and precision will undoubtedly be counted as one of the finest reds of the vintage. Drink on release and enjoy over the next 20+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Vilafonte wines are imported into the UK by John E Fells and are available retail from South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
They often say the true measure of the greatness of any winery is made by assessing how good their entry level wines are every year. The Brookdale Estate in Paarl is undoubtedly a grand venture and already owner Tim Rudd has spared no expense trying to elevate the estate’s wines to the highest level possible in the shortest amount of time possible. Ambitious indeed. However, with most of the original estate’s vines having been grubbed up after purchase out of necessity, the time scale for producing the full envisaged Brookdale Estate flagship wine range has inevitably been lengthened considerably.
But every cloud has a silver lining and in the case of all the younger vine fruit coming from the new plantings, Brookdale Estate have established a very impressive entry level range… (if you can call £15 – £16 wines entry level?). But with other similarly ambitious larger scale South African wine brands like Adi Badenhorst’s Secateurs range now hitting the shelves at a similar price level, the Mason Road range from Brookdale can only be viewed as well priced considering the plaudits the whites and reds have already garnered over the past 2 years. I recently tasted through the Mason Road 2022 new releases and was suitably impressed.
The 2022 vintage will be remembered as a cool season before harvest, followed by a sudden temperature spike from January. Good vineyard practices were followed, and canopies were managed well, which delivered exceptional grape analyses and wine quality. Temperatures rose sharply during early January and accelerated the early cultivars’ ripening dates, although Brookdale harvested more than a week later than in 2021. Frequent high temperatures during February further contributed to harvest dates shifting sooner and harvesting returned to normal timing by the end of February. Brookdale were fortunate not to experience any crop losses or mildew infections leading into harvest.
From a 30-year-old Chenin Blanc vineyard planted in 1993 that was picked in four separate batches at differing degrees of ripeness, has allowed winemaker Kiara Scott to create a wine with incredible depth and presence for the price. We can all name a few budget Chenin Blanc brands in South Africa, but the Mason Road has continued to impress from day one making it an incredibly savvy purchase. The 2022 shows complex aromatics of dusty dry stable hay, fynbos, pineapple pastille, lemon cordial, white citrus and a stony granitic crushed rock minerality. Classic old vine Paarl Chenin Blanc traditionally boasts rich exotic layers of peach and pineapple fruit on the palate and this vintage is positively brimming with a tangy sweet and sour concentration, bright mouth-watering acids and a long, intense, crystalline limey finish that is both salty and tart with a pleasing glycerol gloss. Simply put, this wine performs in a manner more akin to super premium expressions of Chenin Blanc from the Cape making it something very special indeed. Drink on release and over the 5 to 8+ years.
This is a delightful coppery salmon pink Provencal-styled Rosé made from Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah with exotic and enticing aromatics of fraise de bois wild strawberries, dried apricots, hibiscus and subtle watermelon nuances over dried herbs, fynbos and a delicate granitic minerality. The palate is cool, crisp and classical but fabulously intense and evocative with a vibrant tangy sweet-sour acidity of blood oranges, raspberries, lime cordial and sour cherries before an energetic but incredibly precise, pristine crystalline finish. An instantly attractive Rosé that looks set to continue building its growing cult following internationally. Drink on release and over 2 to 3 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Mason Road Syrah 2022, WO Paarl, 14.56% Abv.
2.6g/l RS | 5.1g/l TA | 3.66pH
This is another impressive Mason Road Syrah release that aims for the stars and comes pretty close to hitting the bullseye! With a small percentage of the Syrah grapes fermented whole bunch without destalking, the nose reveals a complex array of aromatics led by sweet cherry kirsch liquor notes, hints of sweet coriander laced with red peppercorns, cured meats, bresaola, sappy vanilla wood spice and an undertone of salty crème de cassis. The palate is delightfully supple and fleshy showing an impressive density and textural breadth, while always remaining incredibly harmonious and balanced. The juicy acids add a fine tangy, mouthwatering frame from which delicious layers of black berry, bramble berry and spicy plum fruits are proffered for your palate pleasure, before the savoury finishing finale. A simply wonderful expression of Syrah offering sophistication, value for money and incredible drinkability.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Brookdale Estate Mason Road GSM 2022, WO Paarl, 14.68% Abv.
2.4g/l RS | 5.0g/l TA | 3.60pH
Despite the cooler vintage conditions running into the pre-harvest period in January 2022, warmer temperatures from February onwards have ensured a deliciously ripe and opulent red boasting exotic aromatics of crushed sour cherries, Parma violets, burnt bushveld, ripe cranberries, salty red liquorice and a broader inviting melange of summer berries. This really is a fabulously complex maiden release focusing on Grenache and Syrah grapes that were separately whole bunch fermented before a short maceration and then further ageing in 500 and 300 litre barrels. The energy and vibrancy revealed on the nose follow succinctly to the palate that’s packed full of spicy, peppery black currant fruit, tart bright tangy acids and a silky soft fine-grained finish showing a subtle kiss of salted caramel. I’m not sure how much more wine drinking enjoyment you can pack into a bottle!? Drink on release and over the next 3 to 5+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Brookdale Estate and Mason Road ranges are imported exclusively into the UK by South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines.
The Natte Valleij single vineyard labels of Alex Milner use the dashing strap line ‘An Exploration of Cape Cinsault’ … and I can tell you that this incredible 2021 vintage Stellenbosch Cinsault made from 49-year-old dryland bush vines grown on deep decomposed granite soils, takes you on one hell of journey.
Affectionately called ‘the ballerina’ in the cellar because of its bright ethereal energy and gracefulness, the wine was matured for 11 months in concrete egg to maintain the vineyards essential perfumed purity and mineral poise, two hallmarks of this granitic vineyard lying in the shadows of the Helderberg Mountain.
I recently caught up with Alex Milner in March at his cellar during harvest and then again in early May in London to taste through all his new releases. But two of his wines specifically left a very big impression on me, namely his single vineyard old vine Cinsault reds from Stellenbosch and Darling, that are made in circa 2,000 bottle quantities.
Natte Valleij Stellenbosch Old Vine Cinsault 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 11.5% Abv.
A translucent red cherry ruby in colour, the aromatics on this wine are astonishingly pretty sharing the tantalisingly perfumed opulence and lift that you would find on a young classical Grand Cru Burgundy tasted from barrel. The fragrant notes of violets, cherry blossom and pressed rose petals slowly melt into waves of red cherry, cranberry and wild strawberry fruits with that ever present granitic mineral vein lending further complexity. The texture in the mouth is enchanting, resembling liquid silk and the intense red berry fruits are as pure as driven snow. This is an impressive single vineyard wine built around purity and precision, finesse and freshness, and in 2021, Alex Milner has created a proverbial liquid masterpiece. Drink this on release and over the next 10 to 12+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Natte Valleij wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Museum Wines and the single vineyard Cinsault reds retail for circa £27pb. http://www.museumwines.co.uk
