Sauvignon Blanc

Tasting With the Franschhoek Vignerons – An Exploration into the Valley’s Premium Quality Winemaking and Its Unique Terroirs…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.)

The New 2026 Releases from Thelema Mountain Vineyards – One of Stellenbosch’s Most Iconic Producers Tasted and Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Tucked away on the southeastern slopes of the Simonsberg mountain range along Stellenbosch’s scenic Helshoogte Pass, Thelema Mountain Vineyards stands as one of South Africa’s most celebrated wine estates. The family-owned property was founded in 1983 by Gyles Webb, who purchased a run-down fruit farm on the mountain’s slopes. Webb had abandoned an earlier path to pursue winemaking, eventually establishing Thelema as a serious estate in the heart of the Cape Winelands. The first wines under the Thelema label were released in 1988, and by the mid-1990s the estate had achieved cult status, with its wines selling out within a month of release.

What sets Thelema apart is its terroir. Situated on south-facing slopes with elevations reaching around 530 metres above sea level, the estate holds some of the highest vineyard elevations in Stellenbosch. This combination of altitude and rich red soils creates ideal conditions for premium grape growing, and Thelema has become known as a true leader in Cabernet Sauvignon production, helping put Stellenbosch’s Cabernets on the global map. The estate’s guiding philosophy centres on minimal cellar intervention, letting each vineyard’s character shine through naturally without being obscured by oaking or the hand of the winemaker. This dedication to quality has help cement Thelema’s reputation as one of South Africa’s most respected producers, offering elegantly structured wines that reflect both mountain terroir and decades of meticulous, family-driven winemaking.

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

South African producers are known for releasing their Sauvignon Blancs super young as that is what the local market demand dictates even if the wines merit further bottle ageing. But with the superb 2025 releases, I am all for cracking the screwcaps and pulling the corks on new releases as this vintage is simply one of the lushest, most concentrated, vibrant and harmonious grape harvests to bless the Cape winelands in recent years. The Thelema Sauvignon Blanc typifies this intensity with aromatics bursting with perfumed white flowers, freshly cut green apple, ripe guava and delicate hints of freshly mown lawn. On the palate, the fruit concentration simply bristles, the flavours amplified and enlivened by bright tangy fresh acids and a deliciously crystalline purity. Intense, flavour packed and incredibly long on the finish. This is just too good not to enjoy in its youth.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

The 2023 Thelema Chardonnay set a new quality benchmark and the 2024 release picks up seamlessly where the 2023 left off. Fermented and aged in French oak barrels for 10 months, this steely expression shows bright, crystalline aromatics of white blossoms, lemon and lime peel, yellow grapefruit pith and delicately savoury biscuit notes alongside a classical stony mineral vein. The purity and clarity shown on the nose are even more pure and piercing on the palate, the acids crisp, bracing and chiselled, interwoven with nervy, sinewy yellow citrus fruits, green mango and lime peel zest with a subtle dusting of vanilla pod spice. Intense and steely but never severe, this is a wonderful expression of the 2024 vintage. Drink now to 2034+. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Roussanne 2024, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

Roussanne is normally quite a full bodied grape from the Rhone Valley, renowned for its aromatic complexity, oily texture but balancing acids. This classy expression is not only from the crisp, linear 2024 vintage but also from the blissfully cool Elgin Valley. The aromatics are alluring and complex, brimming with notes of white peach, pear, freshly baked brioche and delicate herbal tea nuances. On the palate, the acids shine brightly, lending vivacity, crunch and real zip to the tangy green and yellow stone fruits, hints of honeycomb and a tangy, glycerol peachy finish. Steely, linear and beautifully precise, this is a masterclass in freshness, complexity and balance. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Merlot 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

There are a handful of South African producers who have made a reputation for world class Merlot and Thelema is certainly one of them. Always a mainstream benchmark expression, the 2022 vintage plays to all the cultivar’s strengths of plushness, opulence, approachability and succulent red and black berry fruits without the severe structure of Cabernet Sauvignon. 2022 was a particularly ripe, harmonious and accessible vintage with aromatics displaying a medley of summer berry fruits, ripe plum, sweet cedar and notes of chocolate peppermint crisp confectionary. Supple, balanced and fleshy on the palate, the tannins are velvety and fine with soft toned acids deliciously integrated with the creamy black berry fruits. A glass of Thelema Merlot is comparable to a big warming red wine hug. This is definitely an approachable vintage to drink before the more tightly wound 2021 offering. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thelema Mountain Vineyards The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

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 aromatics on this 2023 are cool, sleek and deliciously black fruited, layered with notes of cassis, black berries, graphite alongside a high toned minty eucalyptus complexity. The medium bodied palate is creamy, finely textured and plush with velvety tannins, juicy blueberry fruits, bright acids and a long mouthwatering finish. Impressively concentrated and intense with a hint of bay leaf and thyme spice. Delightfully integrated and harmonious already, you can start pulling the corks now and drink over the next decade.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

This pure Cabernet Sauvignon, matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, shows all the opulence, accessibility and elegance of the ripe 2022 vintage. The aromatics are vibrant and perfumed, showing violets, black liquorice, black currant and black cherry fruits with a dusting of iodine, graphite, tilled earth and oak spice. The medium bodied palate is plush and soft textured, the mouthfeel creamy and fleshy with a wonderfully harmonious, generous fruit concentration, a seamlessly interwoven fresh acidity, finishing with a delicately picante persistence. This is a deliciously honest wine revealing pinpoint Cabernet Sauvignon typicity with plenty of stylish cassis and black berry fruit, fashioned in a very accessible and elegant manner. Like many of the 2022 Stellenbosch reds, this is already very pleasurable to drink now and over the next 10 to 12 years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

An Impressive Selection of Wines Released by Duncan Savage for the Majestic 2025 Vintage…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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.

Elgin Valley’s Iona Vineyards Championing Cool Climate Elegance with their New 2024 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Few wine regions in the Cape Winelands are as climatically individual as the Elgin basin. Also home of the cash crop apples, the battle for economic supremacy is an on going battle for wine farmers. But there are producers that have doubled down and focused on producing high quality premium Grape cultivars.

Perched 420 meters above sea level on a mountain plateau that forms the coastal edge of the Elgin basin, sits the Iona winery, renowned as South Africa’s coolest vineyard site. Located in the Elgin Valley, this former apple farm benefits from a unique microclimate shaped by the icy Atlantic Ocean and frequent orographic cloud cover.  

These conditions ensure a long, slow ripening period, allowing grapes to achieve physiological ripeness at lower sugar levels. The result is a portfolio of elegant, terroir-driven wines, most notably Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, producing wines characterised by bright acidities, mineral purity, and restrained alcohol levels, often drawing comparisons to the fine European styles owner Andrew Gunn is so fond of.

I recently caught up in London with Andrew Gunn’s son-in-law Rob Macdonald, to taste through Iona’s exciting new releases. 

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Chardonnay 2024, WO Elgin, 13% Abv. 

This shows a cool, pithy elegance on the nose with pristine aromatics of lemon and lime cordial tightly interwoven with a pronounced stony minerality. The purity and crystallinity continue to a wonderfully bright palate that is fleshy, concentrated and fully charged showing an electric brightness, tangy green apple and lemon confit notes with a slightly phenolic, herby grapefruit-tinged finish. Surprisingly, this 2024 has wonderful flesh and midpalate stuffing, plenty of concentrated yellow citrus fruits and a delightfully long tangy acidity. A really impressive cool climate Chardonnay. Drink now to 2040+. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2024, WO Elgin, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 92% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Semillon fermented and aged in older 300 and 500 litre French oak barrels. The first impression on nosing the wine is one of impressive complexity but also mouthwatering exoticism with the barrel ageing offering hints of quince and waxy orange peel, dried mango and subtle guava notes before a vein of more savoury, leesy white toast and biscuit kicks in. The palate is full and mouth filling, with the dried mango and papaya notes coming to the fore but certainly not in an obtrusive manner. The balance is simply spot on and the concentration and tangy acidity delicious, finishing with hints of dried herbs and lemon iced tea. This is serious Sauvignon Blanc kit for people who perhaps struggle with Sauvignon’s pungent character. Certainly, a benchmark style in the context of Elgin and the Cape. Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona Monopole Monopole Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.

This 2025 Sauvignon Blanc also features 8 to 10% Semillon which is all barrel fermented on top of around a 5% portion of the Sauvignon Blanc to add extra complexity and texture. This wine, from an admittedly superb Cape vintage, has intense, characterful aromatics of grassy gooseberry, yellow citrus and green apple pastille with delicate hints of guava and papaya. The palate is pitch perfect, striking a superb balance between tangy freshness, intense concentrated yellow and green citrus fruits and a subtle, slightly veiled minerality that lurks ever present. Harmonious, elegant and a true delight to drink without being too pungent or tropical. This is certainly a wine to go long on and enjoy over the next two to three summers! (Bottled under screwcap.)

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Pinot Noir 2024, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

This is an enticing Pinot Noir offering from Iona displaying an impressively classical, Old World Burgundian elegance and focus, with delicious black berry and strawberry fruit notes, damson plum, black currant and a delightful Cotes de Nuits limestone mineral nuance underpinning the wine. The palate fruits are pithy and incredibly restrained and stony, adding handsomely to the feel of tension and linearity in the wine, before a finish of gravelly, powdery tannins, bramble berry spice and a smoky granitic austerity. Really quite superb. One for the Burgundy lovers out there! Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona One Man Band Red Blend 2021, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

An eclectic blend of Petit Verdot, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Mourvedre and Viognier. Normally led by Syrah at 35% to 45%, but in 2021, the Syrah from Rosie’s Elgin Brocha Farm performed so well that most of it went into the award-winning Solace Syrah 2021. Spicy and broody on initial sniff, the aromatics boast deep dark notes of dried violets, bramble berries, red currants and red plums. There is a hint of sapidity and stalky spice but also delicate herbal mineral nuances. The palate is a little more punchy and imposing, showing notable power and muscle, a dense core of damson plum, blue berries and bramble berry fruits, before a finish that is notably stony, mineral, and picante. Superbly dense, compact and tight knit with a harmonious mouthfeel, this is an accomplished red blend that shares many similarities with the finest reds of the Southern Rhone. Drinking on release but you can expect this to hit its straps at 8 to 10 years old and then go on further. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona Solace Syrah 2022, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

Sourced purely from 100% Syrah fruit from Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm, following on from the block buster, high scoring 2021, this 2022 is really quite a piece of work, with intensity, purity, and superb focus. The aromatics boast cool restrained black fruits, saline black currant, savoury bresaola cure meats, liquorice and a fresh pepper corn spice that follows on to the palate. Compact yet deliciously fresh, the palate displays a firm hand of structure and focus, supported by cool, sleek linear acids that are ever present yet notably integrated, balanced and subtle. This is another masterpiece for Syrah in the context of Elgin and the vintage, just perhaps a touch more restrained than the iconic 2021. Drink this on release to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Iona wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Caroline Rillema Making Waves in Cape Agulhas – Tasting Her 2024 Celestina Agulhas White Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 4 Comments

Celestina represents a deeply personal project by famous Cape Town wine personality Caroline Rillema, a legendary figure in the South African wine industry and the founder of the renowned Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellar in Cape Town. Situated in the cool-climate Cape Agulhas region near Baardskeerdersbos, this little boutique estate is among the smallest and most intimate wine projects in the Western Cape.  

For years, Caroline Rillema has served as a tastemaker and curator for the finest wines in the Cape and with Celestina, she brings that refined expertise and talent to the vineyard. Since its first vintage in 2009, Celestina has been celebrated as a noteworthy expression of its unique southern coastal terroir. This signature wine is an elegant white, being an equal parts blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, that perfectly captures the distinct grassiness, minerality and salinity of the cool, coastal maritime climate of the Agulhas Wine Triangle. 

While the wine was historically crafted in collaboration with neighbouring cellars, a significant milestone was reached in 2023 when the first vintage was vinified entirely in Caroline’s own on-site cellar. Caroline kindly forwarded me a sample of both the 2023 and the 2024 to taste and review on my recent trip to Cape Town and this transition highlights the evolution of the Celestina brand from a passion project into a focused, small-scale production of exceptional artisanal quality. For Caroline, the Celestina project is more than just a bottle of ‘hobby project’ wine, it is a testament to a lifetime spent in the company of great South African winemakers and fine wine.

Celestina Agulhas White 2024, WO Cape Agulhas, 13.5% Abv. 

A beautifully bright, crystalline pale canary yellow colour, the aromatics on this 2024 are stunningly pure, fresh and vibrant, bristling with all the maritime energy you would expect, or at least hope for, from a premium Cape Agulhas coastal white. Never prickly, simply zippy and spicy, the aromatics are seamlessly layered with gooseberry, greengage, lemon grass, lemon peel and delicately savoury, mineral nuances. The palate boasts an energy and fruit concentration that bursts out the glass – tangy, unctuous, and beautifully intense. This vintage is definitely more intense and decidedly punchier than the 2023 and is an admirable addition to the cool climate coastal repertoire of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon whites from the Agulhas region. If you are looking for more than primary Sauvignon Blanc, this is your medicine! Drink on release and over the next 3 to 5+ years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Jos Van Wyk Wines Releases Its Maiden Vintage of Le Lit de Franken Antares Field Blend White 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Antares Field Blend is a new wine made by young winemaker Jos Van Wyk of Marianne Winery fame in Stellenbosch and comes from a vineyard established in 2020 on a small farm in the Buffeljags River ward near Swellendam, Western Cape. A field blend of Chenin Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc, it is the maiden release and uses a spontaneous wild yeast fermentation before being maturated for eight months in a combination of old oak, glass demijohns and a stainless-steel tank.

Le Lit de Franken Antares Field Blend White 2023, WO Buffeljags, Swellendam, 12.94% Abv.

There are not too many field blend whites produced in South Africa, but this Antares 2023 is certainly an exciting addition to the category. Made from a blend of 63% Chenin Blanc, 23% Semillon and 14% Sauvignon Blanc, the wine stands crystal clear and star bright in the glass with just a faint pale white gold hue. The aromatics are taut and steely with subtle hints of white pear, lemon citrus, yellow apples, dried straw, and a delicately dusty, mineral wet granite top note. The palate bristles with the same wound spring tension and taut linearity as the nose, showing a texture that’s incredibly pure and chiselled, vibrant, fresh, and delightfully tangy. From my other Field Blend experience, the different cultivars tend to assert themselves at different intensities over time, and at the moment, the palate is steely, mineral and Chenin Blanc focused. If you drink this wine young, enjoy it over a few days to watch it evolve – but you will need strong will power and restraint as it is currently a delicious drop! Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

For further information on availability, contact: josvanwykwines@gmail.com 

Premium South African Producers Descend on London for the Liberty Wines Portfolio Tasting…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The first quarter of the year always sees the Liberty Wines Portfolio tasting at the Oval in Vauxhall, London, which features an incredible array of wines from around the world. This year I decided to focus on tasting the exciting crop of new and current release wines from South Africa in their range. Many in the UK will be aware that several key South African premium producers have recently moved over to the Liberty Wines portfolio, making it now one of the most exciting line-ups with any importer in the UK. As always, it was fantastic to catch up with the producers in person like John Seccombe, Marelise Niemann, Craig Wessels, Peter-Allan Finlayson, Chris Mullineux and others.

The Restless River New Releases from Craig Wessels will be featured in a separate write-up on A Fine Wine Safari coming very soon.

Dr Jamie Goode tasting with John Seccombe.

Thorne & Daughters:

Thorne & Daughters Paper Kite 2024, 13% Abv.

Semillon planted in 1963 on Granite soils. Rich leesy aromatics with lemon and herbs, lanoline and buttered white toast. Crisp, fleshy but beautifully saline and textured on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

John Seccombe

Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse White Blend 2023, 13.5% Abv.

Rich and waxy with lemon and peaches, lactic leesy hints and some marzipan nuances. Fleshy, and pithy, packing a nice bit of power on the long finish. Impressive as always.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thorne & Daughters Snakes & Ladders Sauvignon Blanc 2024, 14% Abv.

This Skurfberg vineyard delivers a pithy, waxy yellow orchard fruit characters that balance the slightly oily notes of the Sauvignon Blanc phenolics. The palate is chiselled and fresh with a vibrant saline acidity and a cool, pithy, mineral finish. Classy grown up Sauvignon!

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thorne & Daughters Wanderers Heart 2022, 13.5% Abv.

A Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre blend. Shows exotic sweet spices, layers of red fruits and bramble berries. Acids are crisp and saline, the minerality adding extra crunch, definition and tension. Lovely textured red Rhone blend with weightless concentration.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Momento Wines:

Momento Chenin Blanc / Verdelho 2022, 13% Abv.

Complex leesy, herby, savoury aromatics before a more fleshy palate packed with granitic minerality and a yellow orchard fruit complexity. Serious effort as usual.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Momento Grenache Blanc 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

Pithy, dusty aromatics with grated apple skins, pear drops and granitic minerality. Beautifully balanced, the palate shows freshness, citrus pithiness, dried herbs and a crystalline wet river pebble finish. Top class example. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Myself and Marelise Niemann

Momento Grenache Gris 2023, 13% Abv.

Waxy green apple cordial and wet grey slate aromatics. Lovely intensity on the palate, a pronounced salinity and a cool, crystalline, mineral finish. Impressive! 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Momento Paardeberg Grenache Noir 2023, 13% Abv.

Distinct bramble berry fruit aromatics, delicately perfumed with potpourri and rose petals. Beautifully cool, mineral and restrained in the palate, taut, crystalline and pure with crunchy saline chalky red berry notes on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Peter-Allan Finlayson

Crystallum and Gabrielskloof Wines:

Crystallum The Agnes Chardonnay 2025, 13.5% Abv.

Embryonic, pithy and fresh with white citrus, green melon and delicate fruit salad and cream notes. Lovely concentration, flinty stony reductive hint with a wet river stone finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Crystallum Clay Shales Chardonnay 2025, 13% Abv.

A little more citrus, peaches and cream with leesy hints and buttered brioche nuances. Dense, compact and textured, the concentration is punchy, the toasty melon and citrus fruits intense and long.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Gabrielskloof Elodie Chenin Blanc 2024, 13% Abv.

From 40- and 45-year-old Swartland Chenin Blanc vineyards. Taut stony mineral expression with apple, peach and pear drop aromatics. There’s impressively delicate weightless green apple notes, with a cool, crystalline, easy drinking finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Crystallum Peter Max 2024, 13.5% Abv.

Beautifully aromatic nose laced with potpourri, violets, and bramble berry spice. Incredibly intense and vibrant with piercing red berry fruits, cherry and a salty finish. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Gabrielskloof Syrah Whole Bunch 2024, 13% Abv.

A deliciously brambly, earthy peppery aromatics ps led full of smoky black berries, tar and burnt wood embers. Palate is soft and supple, cool, elegant and vibrant with crunchy acids and a long finish full of Christmas spices.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Gabrielskloof Cabernet Franc Landscape Series 2022, 14% Abv.

Beautifully expressive aromatics of sweet cedar, liquorice, tar and salty black currant. The elegance and salinity follows to a juicy, vibrant palate, finishing with graphite minerality and herbal spice.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Mullineux Wines:

Mullineux Old Vine White 2024, 13.5% Abv.

Still circa 70% Chenin Blanc with some Quartz vineyard but mostly low yielding Paardeberg Chenin Blanc. Aromatics are full of sweet herbs, crushed Granite and white peach with a weightless concentration, delicately pithy fruits and a yellow orchard fruit concentration on the finish. Punch and impressive for the vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Mullineux Terroir Series Granite Chenin Blanc 2024, 13.5% Abv.

Lovely tangerine and white peach notes with hints of green apple, deep veins of liquid minerality and concentrated apple and white citrus on the finish. Layered, fleshy and intense, this packs a real punch.

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

Chris Mullineux

Mullineux Syrah 2023, 13% Abv.

A very pretty fragrant aromatics with red and black berry fruits, violets, lavander and sweet herbs. The tannins are cool and stony, pithy and mineral with notes of saline black currant, black liquorice and Granitic spice. Tangy, fresh and beautifully intense.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Mullineux Terroir Series Schist Syrah 2023, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully fragrant and exotic aromatics showing violets, lavander, musk and stony minerality. The delicately perfumed nose gives way to a power packed palate, dense, savoury and spicy, packed full of black pepper, cured meats and smoky wood embers. A substantial wine indeed.

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

Leeu Passant Wines:

Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, 14% Abv.

Intricate aromatics of sweet cedar, lead pencil, graphite, sweet Chai tea over black currant fruits. Silky and sleek in the mouth, cool, mineral and classically framed, this is really elegant and restrained for old world wine lovers.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Leeu Passant Chardonnay 2023, 14% Abv. 

Exotic aromatics of perfumed peach and apricot, honeydew melon, green apple and buttered white toast. Massive concentration on the palate with candied citrus, lime cordial and a fleshy green apple finish. Wow, this has a lot of stuffing.

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

Adi Badenhorst, a new agency for Liberty Wines.

Also on taste:  Restless River from Craig Wessels, AA Badenhorst Family Wines who’s sample bottles were mostly finished before I could taste them due to popular demand, the Bosberaad Wines from Paul Jordaan and Pauline Roux which I recently reviewed on A Fine Wine Safari, as well as a selection of Fairview Wines and Spice Route Wines. 

Pauline Roux, partner in Bosberaad Wines.

The 20 Year Wait is Over as MR de Compostella Launches Its Maiden Vesperi 2023 White Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Over the decades, there have been a few new South Africa fine wine releases that developed into epoque defining creations. One such wine was undoubtedly the 2006 release of the 2004 vintage MR de Compostella Cape Bordeaux blend made by Bruwer Raats of Raats Family Wines and Mzokhona Mvemve, the erstwhile University of Stellenbosch graduate. Together, they set about creating a classical red wine that at the time was not only the most expensive premium cuvée on the market from South Africa but was also one of the most uncompromisingly quality focused expressions produced by any winery in the Cape capable of shattering the glass ceiling of consumers’ quality perceptions.

The new MR de Compostella Vesperi 2023 white blend.

The first MR de Compostella release was followed not long after by another game-changing wine with a big-ticket price tag, namely The Jem 2004 from the Waterford Estate. Whereas the MR de Compostella seemed a perfectly conceived and expertly executed classical blend, The Jem was a slightly more excentric and exotic blend built around Cabernet Sauvignon (which has always been the wine’s backbone) at around 40%, followed by Shiraz at 20%, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in the teens and Mourvèdre and Barbera in single digit percentages. With eleven varieties on the farm, The Jem normally used eight of these varieties to build up the layers of the wine.

Bruwer and Mzo in London for the Vesperi launch.

While neither of the above wines can claim to have achieved instant global success, The Jem was for several years viewed very much by fine wine buyers as a work in progress, whereas the MR de Compostella Bordeaux styled blend instantaneously nailed its colours to the mast and made its long-term intentions and aspirations of fine wine dominance very clear. It wanted to be able to compete with the finest wines of the world on a consistent basis, and if this was not possible in any given vintage, the wine would not be produced. Roll on 20 years and MR de Compostella is firmly established as one of the most respected premium boutique Cape Bordeaux blends produced in South Africa with notionally the consistently highest international critical ratings for any single wine from the Cape according to Bruwer Raats

It only took another 20 years until Bruwer and Mzokhona finally decided to craft and release a premium white blend under the MR Vesperi label, producing a white blend made from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon as a true homage to the great whites of Bordeaux, but with a little Chenin Blanc to add a bit of South African flavour. With all three cultivar components sourced from seven different plots in the Polkadraai Hills, the wine retains a beautiful signature decomposed granite wet stone minerality and tension from start to finish. The MR de Compostella Vesperi 2023, meaning “evening star” in Latin, keeps with the wider ‘constellation of stars’ theme.

Benchmarking the Vesperi against some top French Bordeaux talent at 67 Pall Mall.

Mvemve Raats Vesperi White Blend 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

After a 21-year wait, the maiden vintage Mvemve Raats Vesperi white blend 2023 has finally been released, named after “the evening star” in Latin. Inspired by the great white blends of Bordeaux, the Vesperi includes a little local South African flavour in the form of 34% of Chenin Blanc to accompany the 33% Sauvignon Blanc and the 33% Semillon portions harvested from seven individual plots grown on decomposed Granite soils in the Polkadraai Hills ward. The Chenin Blanc was whole bunch pressed and fermented in a combination of concrete and used oak barrels, while the Sauvignon Blanc was picked fully ripe at around 14% potential alcohol and was fermented on its skins for around seven days before being basket pressed and transferred to oak barrels to finish fermentation and maturation. The Semillon was picked earlier, at 11% potential alcohol, to add a real citrus vivacity, freshness, and linearity to the wine, keeping more in common with Hunter Valley Semillon than the more glycerol, unctuous, lanolin-styled dry Semillons from Bordeaux. The individual components were aged for 10 months on their fine lees before each barrel was assessed blind for the final selection and assemblage.

The concluding blend is an incredibly accomplished, food-friendly fine wine offering a style that structurally has many white Burgundy parallels while never departing too far away from classical, premium, white Bordeaux expressions like those produced at Chateau Cheval Blanc and by the Guinaudeau family at Chateau Lafleur. On first opening, there are plenty of youthful, flinty, struck-match reductive hints interspersed with classic Polkadraai Hills wet stone minerality and crushed granite dustiness before notes of dry hay, dried green herbs, lemon grass, lemon curd, freshly baked pastries, and white peach start to emerge. The palate is full and assertive, yet incredibly well balanced and classical with notes of white citrus, waxy lemon and lime, buttered white toast and pithy yellow grapefruit marmalade on the long, focused, mineral finish. This is a very impressive debut and undoubtedly represents another formidable and noteworthy chapter in the history of modern premium white blends in the Cape. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years. (175 Cases produced.)

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

The Raats Family Wines and MR de Compostella wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Exploring the Exciting New Elgin Releases from Iona Vineyards with Rob Macdonald…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Andrew Gunn’s middle daughter has been living with her partner Rob Macdonald in Brixton for the past 9 years, but they are both heading back to the Cape to take up positions within the family business. Rob looks set to take care of a portion of sales and marketing duties in the Cape, but before he headed off down south, I caught up with him in London to take a look at some of their new 2024 releases. 

The 2022 vintage experienced a typical cold Elgin winter, with snow on the high mountain peaks and above average rainfall, which enabled good vine dormancy. Spring was characterised by cold and wet conditions, resulting in later bud break. The cold, wet and windy conditions continued into October and November causing uneven flowering resulting in smaller berries that have good concentrated flavours. From January to April Elgin experienced exceptional weather for the ripening of quality grapes.

Iona Monopole Pinot Noir 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 13.8% Abv.

An incredibly pure and perfumed aromatics greet you with a fragrant embrace, showing lifted notes of cranberry and bramble berries, cracked red peppercorns, wild strawberry and red currant fruits. Wonderfully delicate and intricate on the palate, the purity and precision of fruit is once again front and foremost in the mind with a pithy bramble berry spice, silky black raspberry and cherry fruits before stony, mineral, fine-grained tannins coat the palate. The mouthfeel and textural harmony on the wine are next level, enlivened by bright tangy acids and a long, mouthwatering, juicy fruited finish with just the faintest of savoury, earthy nuances. A wine that tastes slightly riper than previous vintages but also more complete in many ways. Very classy indeed. Drink now to 2030+. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona Monopole Fynbos Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 12.5% Abv.

A blend of CY95 and CY 96 clones planted in 2003 on gravel beds with underlying clay. One sniff of this wine reveals something quite distinguished and complex indeed, with teasing aromatics that carry off a showy interplay between bright yellow citrus, lemon lime notes and a vibrant stone fruit complexity that hides intricate Burgundian nutty, vanilla pod and cinnamon wood spice hints. Indeed, the nose is so seductive its hard to move past it to the palate! The first sip is fresh and vibrant, deeply seeded with a stony limestone’esque minerality and a bright grapefruit and lemon citrus fruit intensity. Texturally near perfect in the mouth, the balance and harmony simply exquisite. An incredibly fresh, complex, and seductive Chardonnay with fruit purity that trumpets the very finest terroir notes of Elgin. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona Monopole Chardonnay 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 12.9% Abv.

A blend of the four single Chardonnay vineyards on the estate including large portions of Kloof, Kraal, F4 and Fynbos, from vines planted in 2003 and 2009. On the nose, the aromatics are seductively picante and spicy, dusty, and mineral, laden with top notes of crushed gravel, subtle struck flint reduction, lemon cordial, grated limes, and subtle white pear pastille nuances. The palate shows a deliciously tangy acidity over a subtle savoury, leesy, phenolic lemon peel pithiness. This is a very grown up, mineral driven Chardonnay that trades on a nutty, stony, pithy citrus intensity rather than overt fruit and oak spice notes. Tense, lean and linear in frame, this is a very sophisticated offering that Old World Burgundian Chardonnay lovers will savour. Drink on release an over 4 to 5+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Iona Monopole Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 13.1% Abv.

Made from Sauvignon Blanc fermented with indigenous wild yeasts in large oak barrels results in an incredibly complex expression of this cultivar. Cool climate Elgin is indeed a true home for this variety and this 2022 expression is a rich, bold interpretation with aromatics packed with ripe heady, savoury aromatics of lemon biscuits and savoury lees, delicate black currant leaf, mint leaf and mojito syrup before rock salt, fresh fennel root and bruised green mango nuances. The palate is intense, focused, and incredibly vibrant, simply brimming with a delicious sweet and sour acidity, sweet gooseberry, stem ginger and finishing with a delicately grassy, fig preserve complexity. The richness and glycerol, textured mouthfeel is to die for and the finish, so long you lose sight of it crossing the finishing line. Savoury and slightly wild, this wine opens up a proverbial pandora’s box of exoticism, intrigue and excitement for the Sauvignon Blanc cultivar. Drink now on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) 

Iona Solace Syrah 2021, WO Elgin, 13.6% Abv.

Sourced from Syrah vineyards planted in 2003 on Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm just down the road from the main Iona winery, this 2.5-hectare site planted on fertile Tukulu soils with a rich vein of gravel, clay and sand, make for a wine with power and depth but also elegance, freshness and pure varietal character. True to form, the aromatics on this fabulous 2021 red are vibrant and pure, with pristine notes of black raspberries, black currants and bramble berries that gently melt into more spicy, peppery, red berry hints showing strawberry compote, melted tar, and salty red liquorice. The 2021 vintage was an exceptional year and the fresh, energetic palate on this wine personifies the tension, pristine purity, and intensity a winemaker simply dreams about achieving in a truly great Cape vintage. Drink on release to enjoy this wine’s youthful Syrah electricity, or cellar for 10 to 15 years.

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

The wines of Iona are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Another Exciting New Release Old Vine Sauvignon Blanc 2023 from Terre Paisible Produced by Legendary Winemaker Adam Mason…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The multi-talented Adam Mason is making quite the name for himself as one of the most highly regarded and respected consulting winemakers in the South African winelands at the moment. His current winemaking projects include Vriesenhof Estate in Stellenbosch and of course Terre Paisible in Franschhoek. The old Vigne d’Or farm has now been rebranded Terre Paisible with massive international investment going into the property to build a state-of-the-art Wellbeing Heath Spa / Clinic surrounded by a premium wine estate.

While grapes are currently being bought in from Stellenbosch to produce their red and Rosé wines, Adam has free run with two Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, one younger and one Old Vine Certified – one of only a handful of Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in the Cape with this distinction. The results from this old 1987 vineyard are indeed very impressive. I first tasted a tank sample of the 2022 vintage with Adam at Cape Wine in October 2022 and then the finish bottling in March 2023. Certainly no doubting the quality and uniqueness of this vineyard site and resultant wine.

Adam Mason showing his new vintages of Terre Paisible at 67 Pall Mall private members club in May 2024.

I caught up with Adam again in Franschhoek in March 2024 and had a sneak peak at all the new Terre Paisible releases that are currently enroute to market. But with Adam over in London again in May, I took the opportunity to retaste the full Terre Paisible range of wines and once again, the Les Dames de ’87 Old Vine Sauvignon Blanc 2023 was another knockout expression of Sauvignon Blanc. For a grape that divides so many wine drinkers’ opinions, the Terre Paisible flagship cuvee certainly does not have to try very hard to make friends! Whether you are a New World or an Old World Sauvignon Blanc lover, you can’t help but be seduced by this impressive wine.

Terre Paisilble Les Dames de ‘87 Old Vine Sauvignon Blanc 2023, WO Franschhoek, 13% Abv.

An attractively bright, pale golden bronzy yellow, the vibrancy on the nose is delectably enticing, packed full of pithy white citrus, yellow grapefruit peel, salty brine, spicy lemon grass essences, and a dusty crushed granite minerality. This beautifully pure and precise 2023 Sauvignon Blanc has an even stronger terroir footprint than the highly rated 2022 vintage as winemaker Adam Mason continues to familiarise himself with this special site’s terroir characteristics, and as such, the 2023 boasts a more classical crystalline varietal typicity and less struck flint and smoky reductive nuances. Superbly balanced on the palate, there is a mouth-watering old vine intensity and concentration of white and yellow citrus, gooseberry, quince jelly and spicy dried herbs. This is a wine with great presence and impressive complexity that will appeal to lovers of top French Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé from the Loire Valley. Drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Terre Paisilble wines are imported into the UK by specialist merchant Museum Wines and is available retail for circa £36 per bottle.