South Africa

Nearing a Decade of Brilliance with the Van Biljon Cinq Cape Bordeaux Blend Made by Chris Keet….

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Van Biljon boutique winery owned by Anton and Julia Van Biljon lies on a small farm situated in the Polkadraai Hills ward of the Stellenbosch region, neighbouring other highly esteemed producers such as Reyneke Wines, Raats Family Wines and De Toren Private Cellar. The region is well known for its deep, fertile and well drained decomposed granite soils and the moderating cool sea breezes that blow in off False Bay, lying directly to the South of the winery. Meticulous viticultural practices yield pristine grapes with intense colour, concentrated fruit flavours and firm structured tannins. 

The wines have been produced by Bordeaux Blend specialist winemaker Chris Keet since 2011 and during my recent trip to the Cape, I popped in to taste and was treated to a rare bottle of the maiden vintage alongside the current release 2019. Also, knowing my intense fascination with the atypical, cool, 2021 vintage conditions, I managed to persuade Anton van Biljon to dig a bottle out of storage to let me get a sneak peek at what could be Chris’s most accomplished Van Biljon Cinq cuvee to date. With plenty of chatter on the wines of Stellenbosch and specifically the stand apart premium styling of Polkadraai Hills wines in particular, I perhaps made a sturdy case for Van Biljon to include this designation on their front or back label in future, as all five components of fruit are only sourced strictly from the Polkadraai Hills Ward. 

With Chris Keet at the winery in July 2025.

As one of the few “single wine wineries” in the Cape, Van Biljon’s Cinq cuvee is definitely a wine classical Bordeaux lovers should seek out. Aside from its affordable pricing under £50 per bottle, the wine must also have one of the most consistent scoring track records in Stellenbosch, with the Cinq blend usually cracking the magical 95 point mark time and time again. 

Van Biljon Cinq 2011 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv. 

The maiden 2011 Cinq is a blend of majority Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with supporting components of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine is incredibly pure and spicy with a mineral integrity, showing layers of dried herbs, thyme, mint leaf, and wet stone minerality over black berries, black cherry and black plum notes. The palate is unbelievably energetic and fresh, vibrant and supremely classy, ageing incredibly well from a vintage that was taut, linear and possibly slightly understated on release. Still showing impressive palate depth, power and stony mineral graphite tannins that are maturing and resolving beautifully, coming together to make a very impressive blend. Drink now to 2030+.

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

Van Biljon Cinq 2019 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv. 

The 2019 is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. 2019 was a more mixed vintage, cooler than 2018 but quite a muscular vintage making picking dates and extraction timings very important. There is incredible power and broody depth with aromatics full of black berry fruits, damson plums, black currant, white pepper and delicate bay leaf and sage herbal spice notes. The palate is fabulously polished, piercing and structured with a stony tannin frame, classical styling, and a finish kissed with mint leaf and chocolate peppermint crisp nuances. Really majestically power packed, compact and distinguished! Drink now to 2034+.

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

The micro Van Biljon Cinq production in the cellar.

Van Biljon Cinq 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv. 

On the eve of the Van Biljon Cinq 2020 release, I sat down with winemaker Chris Keet and persuaded him to allow me to also taste a very early pre-release sample of the 2021 Cinq blend. In keeping with this cooler, slower ripening year, the aromatics show a delicately fragrant perfume of violets and rose petals, sweet cedar, black cherry, saline creme de cassis and a pronounced undertone of graphite and granitic minerality. The oaking is already very well integrated allowing the cool, taut, linear black berry fruits to shine through on the palate. Delicately stony, this 2021 shows all the classical restraint and structure you’d expect from this cooler, slower ripening vintage, with a sinewy mid-palate tension and a tightly wound weightless concentration that seems certain to flesh out further ahead of its official release in perhaps 2026 or 2027. The Cinq 2021 is a wonderful representation of this unique Polkadraai Hills Stellenbosch vintage and definitely one to watch out for in future. I look forward to tasting this wine again on its official release. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Van Biljon wines are imported into the UK by Woodwinters. Contact: andrew@woodwinters.com

Glenelly Estate’s Head Winemaker Dirk van Zyl Presents a Lady May Mini-Vertical Ahead of the 2020 Vintage Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Glenelly Estate is a beautiful winery buried in a little corner of the Idas Valley in Stellenbosch. The property was famously bought in 2003 by Madame May de Lencquesaing of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande fame in Pauillac, Bordeaux, with a vision to transform the property into one of the preeminent fine wine producers in Stellenbosch. With vineyards planted on near virgin granitic rich soils, Glenelly Estate had the opportunity to map out a varietal path that completely suited the style of wines they were looking to make. 

With May Lencquesaing celebrating her 100 birthday in 2025, I thought it would be a good time to pay another visit to the winery. With previous cellar master Luke O’Cuinneagain now settled in at Vergelegen Estate in the Helderberg after taking over from a retiring Andre van Rensberg, the mantle was passed to the talented winemaker Dirk van Zyl to pick up where Luke left off and take the Glenelly Estate into a new decade of premium wine production. Along with the below Lady May mini-vertical, Dirk also kindly let me taste through multiple barrels of the phenomenal quality 2025 vintage to plant the seed for the exciting wines to come.

Glenelly Estate Lady May Vertical:  2017 to 2021

Glenelly Estate Lady May 2017, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The aromatics are incredibly pure and precise with finely integrated notes of herbal spice, graphite, black currant and hints of chocolate and spearmint complexity. The palate is tight and restrained, silky, focused and very tight grained, with incredible fruit concentration, a light touch mineral intensity and a notable harmony. An incredibly accomplished wine still in its shell, that’s hardly evolved in the past two years. One for the cellar!

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting with Dirk van Zyl, Glenelly head winemaker and cellar master.

Glenelly Estate Lady May 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv. 

“Simply the true essence of Bordeaux in a glass…”

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Merlot. Incredibly restrained aromatics with intense notes of graphite, cedar spice, delicate black currant, sweet black cherry, creme de cassis complexity. So incredibly fine grained texture, pin point focus with a fantastic mineral vein. Fabulous velvety tannins but held in place by a bright steely framing acidity. This is probably one of the most accomplished reds produced in the entire 2018 vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Glenelly barrel maturation cellar.

Glenelly Estate Lady May 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv. 

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. This shows a more classical Stellenbosch feel with layers of black currant fruits, black fruit, tilled earth, sweet tannery leather and black tea. The palate is sleek, cool, focused, quite muscular but steely and stony, with a notable underlying power and intensity but with polished corners, a creamy velvety chalky tannin grip and a well integrated acid freshness. Tangy and bright on the finish, this is a beautifully focused wine that just needs a few more years in the cellar. 

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

Glenelly Estate Lady May 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. From a relatively warm early vintage yielding ripe, accessible, forward wines that many winemakers feel has been forgotten as the covid year. An intricate wine that offers accessibility with structure, allowing the wine to age for many years. The aromatics are intense and fresh, loaded with creme de cassis, black cherry and blueberry hints, with dried mint leaves, baking herbs, and curry leaf spice complexity. The elegance is very clear and apparent, the silky finesse and accessibility complimented by effortless tannins. This should be good to drink on release but comfortably age worthy for 15-20+ years. (32,000 bottles produced.)

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

Glenelly Estate Lady May 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Dense dark and opaque in the glass with incredibly potent and pure fruited aromatics of creme de cassis, saline black currant, cherry tobacco, grilled herbs and subtle vanilla pod spice nuances. The palate embraces power and density showing fine chalky tannins, a real black and blue fruited intensity with just the most classically restrained, harmonious and elegant finish. This is a phenomenal red wine that registers quality wise in the highest of echelons of Cape Bordeaux Blends.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting the 2025 vintage barrels with cellar master Dirk van Zyl.

Other Glenelly Estate Wines tasted:

Glenelly Estate Glass Collection Unoaked Chardonnay 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.

Six months on gross lees in stainless steel tank. Shows lovely clarity and purity, earthy waxy citrus, hints of lime peel, peach and grapefruit pulp. Delicious crystalline expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Glenelly Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.

A portion of the wines was settled in tank but a portion went straight into barrel. 22% new French oak, on the lees in barrel for 10 months. 18% underwent malolactic fermentation. Shows a classy creamy lemon butter character, complex green herbs, fresh fennel, yellow grapefruit and tangy lemon cordial nuances. Very impressive purity and poise with a delightful kiss of passion fruit on the finish. Very nice.

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

Fermentation cellar at Glenelly

Glenelly Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.1% Abv. 

Six months in barrel of which 12% was new oak. Bottled beginning 2024. Aromaticly lifted with green dried baking herbs, sapidity and hints of white peach. The wine shows a fine texture and a light weight buttery citrus fruit character, with plenty of elegance and a long subtle finish. Fine boned but very classy.

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

Glenelly Estate Le Rose de May Rose 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.

Delightfully sappy and fragrant showing strawberry fruit notes with hints of red currant and red cherry fruits. The Syrah lends a linearity, focus and purity with a cool, polish finished. Lovely freshness and a finessed accessibility. Top drawer Rose.

(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The 2021 Lady May will be released in May 2026. The Glenelly wines are imported into the UK and distributed to trade by Seckford Agencies. Contact: pippa@seckfordagencies.co.uk

Another Two Classic Stellenbosch Reds Released by Thelema Mountain Vineyards – Tasting the Rabelais 2022 Cape Bordeaux Blend and The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The 2022 vintage in Stellenbosch was smaller than usual but widely considered to be very good if not excellent for some. In general, the growing season was on the cooler side but there was little in the way of wild weather to cause much disruption. The winter was cold but saw enough rainfall to rebalance depleted water within the soil, while a chilly spring also brought rain, delaying both budburst and flowering. 

Eventually summer brought some much-needed heat with some grapes even affected by sunburn. However, rain still fell in certain areas, which, combined with the summer heat, raised humidity and the risk of both disease and rot. Overall, the mishmash of weather led to a delayed harvest and varied yields – sometimes dramatically depending on the region – with some having larger harvests than usual, while others having a far smaller one. Regions like Stellenbosch however produced some fantastic wines, with the reds in particular looking to be very good indeed.

With most premium Bordeaux Blend and Cabernet Sauvignon producers such at Thelema currently releasing and selling their 2022 reds, the style of the wines has become clearer after barrel maturation and bottling. The consensus appears to be that the 2022s will be remembered as a stylistic mix between the ripe, warm, opulent flavours of the 2020 vintage embellished with some more noteworthy similarities from the 2017 vintage – namely its elegance, finesse, weightless concentration and intensity of fruit purity.  

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Rabelais Cape Bordeaux Blend 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

2.2 g/l RS | 5.7 g/l TA | 3.53 pH

The 2022 Rabelais sticks to the tried and tested blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. A dense, dark, and opaque purple-black colour in the glass, this young, powerful Cape Bordeaux blend shows a relatively restrained, classical aromatics that require more than a little coaxing out of the glass. For a warm year, the nose is modestly fruity, dominated in youth by notes of crushed granite minerality, graphite, fynbos, cigar smoke and dried herb spices. On the palate, the wine is notably cool, saline, structured and chiselled, slowly releasing pockets of black currant, black cherry, blue berry and damson plum fruit at a very gentle, measured pace before delicate hints of sweet cedar, thyme and capsicum spice emerge. The tannins are dry and stony but very fine-grained adding to an overall tight knit texture that’s incredibly classy and grown up. This is another very impressive flagship blend from the Webbs. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

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

Thelema The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

18.g/l RS | 5.5g/l TA | 3.56pH

The source of the “mint” character in this wine is attributed to the airborne transfer from the Eucalyptus trees which border this specific Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard, to the grape berries. As the berries adsorbs Eucalyptol, a compound responsible for the aroma, this compound subsequently becomes dissolved in the wine during the fermentation process, giving the wine a “minty” character unique to this vineyard. The grapes were de-stalked, hand sorted, crushed and pumped into stainless steel for a 6-day cold soak on the skins before fermentation. The wine was then aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels. The aromatics are deep, alluring and complex boasting notes of bruleed coffee beans, minty black chocolate, picante black currants and pithy black cherries with a subtle kiss of padrón pepper herbaceous spice. The palate is medium bodied, silky soft and lithe, the tannins incredibly fine grained and polished, with notes of saline black berries, mulberries, milk chocolate and black plum with a light dusting of dried baking herbs and green tea notes. In its youth, the minty character of the wine is fairly subdued, slightly obscured by a chocolatey coffee bean spice. Give this wine 2 to 3 years to flesh out further and fan its peacock tail, and then drink over 10+ years. 

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

The Thelema Wines are distributed by Enotria Wines in the UK.

Luke O’Cuinneagain On a Mission to Make Vergelegen Great Again – Tasting a Selection of New and Current Releases from this Historical Cape Icon Estate…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Vergelegen Estate has to rank as one of the most beautiful and historical wine estates in the fairest Cape. Established in 1700, it once stood as an iconic 3,200-hectare property just a stone’s throw away from the icy False Bay and the beach side hamlet of Somerset West. It was Willem Adriaan, the son of the famous Simon van der Stel, who first settled at Vergelegen. Over the centuries, the property has seen various ownership before the estate was sold to the famous industrialist Barlow family in 1941. Roll forward to 1987 when the estate was sold to mining giant, Anglo-American Corporation, being incorporated under their Amfarms division.

Anglo American initially hired Martin Meinert as their winemaker and planted 100 hectares of vines on the property, opening their impressive winery in 1992. Martin Meinert left Vergelegen in 1997 and was replaced by the legendary André van Rensburg in 1998. Andre helped re-establish Vergelegen as one of the great wineries of the Cape, becoming famous for championing Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, singularly and in blends, as well as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cape Bordeaux blends.

On Andre’s retirement in 2021, Luke O’Cuinneagain was hired from Glenelly Estate to fill the fairly sizable shoes and reputation left behind by André. I have caught up with Luke in London several times in the past months, most recently at Tim Atkin MW’s Best of South Africa Tasting in May 2025. The below notes act as merely a snapshot of the ongoing progress currently being made at the estate.

Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

Bright and perfumed, full of white blossom, gooseberries, green apple and white citrus with a gentle savoury, leesy core. Plush, elegant, and seamlessly textural with creamy crystalline flavours of white peach, green apple and spicy mint leaf and dried herbs on the long finish.

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

Vergelegen Estate White 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

A delicious blend of 56% Semillon and 44% Sauvignon Blanc displays a delicately savoury earthy aromatics with hints of apple puree, fresh fennel root, smoky dried herbs, butter and lanolin. Wonderfully taut, pure, chiselled and precise on the palate with a liquid minerality, a tight fresh frame, beautiful clarity and a spicy white peach and pithy yellow citrus finish. Lovely focus and intensity. Very serious indeed.

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

Vergelegen Chardonnay Reserve 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Partial malolactic fermentation employed using 19% new French oak for circa 10 months. 7% portion aged in stainless steel that is then back blended. Natural and inoculated yeasts used. Aromatic nose with hints of creme brûlée, custard cream, and caramelised citrus with hints of apple puree, dried herbs, grilled nuts and salted pistachios. Seamless and elegant, very fine and textural, this is showing great potential already.

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

Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Rich plummy aromatics are packed with black currant, chocolate praline, and a delicately sappy, leafy spice kissed by vanilla pod. The texture is wonderfully plush and creamy, deliciously approachable and generous boasting sweet fleshy tannins and a long, long plush finish.

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

Vergelegen Merlot Reserve 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Quite a classical restrained broody aromatics with subtle hints of red and black currant, dried herbs, and a wet stone minerality. The palate is plush and broad with supple creamy silky tannins revealing a fine accessible freshness and vibrant fruit intensity from a reduced time of 8 months in French oak barrel. Impressive for a single cultivar Merlot.

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

Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

This warm dry vintage shows attractive aromatics of intense sweet black currant, sappy cedar, graphite and sweet cherry pipe tobacco. Fabulously attractive expression with an earthy savoury palate with some notes of molasses, damson plum, graphite and black currant compote on the finish.

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

Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Generally more classical and restrained with an altogether broodier mineral expression, showing black currants, stewed plum, and a saline oyster shell maritime precision. The palate follows with a deliciously vibrant acidity beautifully integrated into a soft textured black cherry fruited intensity. True to the vintage, a wine with plenty focus and class.

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

Vergelegen Estate Red 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

This blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot shows a fine complex melange of rich black and earthy red berry fruit flavours, freshly tilled earth, plum compote, and accessible saline cassis and stony graphite intensity. Texturally generous, creamy and soft textured, this is a powerful expression that finishes with a long, stony, restrained minerality. Very impressive.

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

Vergelegen Estate Red 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Delightfully dense and dark fruited, there is a broody depth to the wine revealed through black fruited mineral aromatics, crushed granite, graphite, with an underlying teasing hint of sweet cedar and sappy sandalwood. Impressively cool, elegant and weightlessly concentrated, the balance is exceptional with a very fine integrated acidity but an incredibly understated complexity. Beautiful.

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

Vergelegen V 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 13% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc. Cool, dark, and broody with aromatics showing subtle hints of blueberry, black currant, wet earth and damson plum. Sleek and silky, the palate is very fine and pin point pure with satin-like chalky tannins and a powdery, salty cassis finish. A very classy and understated wine with true pedigree.

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

Vergelegen V 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Cool sleek and restrained with a dusty granitic elegance over some delicate aromatics of blueberry, purple fruits, earthy cassis and a notable iodine intensity. The palate texture is taut and mineral, tightly strung with a spicy mineral intensity, cool stony graphite hints, and a subtle smoky finish. Beautiful balance, purity, and poise.

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

Vergelegen V 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

A fine, dark, sumptuous earthy black fruited wine with hints of brûléed coffee beans, earthy black currant, tannery leather, black cherry and cedar spice. The power, depth and muscle of the 2019 vintage are laid bare for all to experience. Another very serious offering from the estate.

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

The Vergelegen Estate wines are imported into the UK and distributed by Seckford Agencies.

Tasting and Reviewing the Riebeek Valley Wine Co. Small Batch Boutique Raar 2024 Range of Wines from the Swartland – Part 1…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Riebeek Cellar Wine Co was established in 1941 and is today owned by 30 shareholders, with some 900 hectares of vineyard under cultivation. Under the watchful eye of Sheree Nothnagel, who was previously at Wildehurst Cellar, who moved across at the end of 2019 to head up the Riebeek Valley Wine Co.’s boutique cellar with the Raar range of wines being the small production “jewel in the crown” at this Swartland winery. Samples of their new vintages were received and tasted recently and I kick off with two of my favourites.

Raar Grenache Blanc 2024, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.

Fermented using wild yeasts in old French oak barrels and aged 6 months on its lees yields a deliciously fresh, zesty Grenache Blanc with alluring aromatics of pithy white citrus, white peach, dried orange peel, pear drops, dried herbs, and a delightfully dusty, mineral Granitic undertone. The fabulous precision and clarity evident on the nose follow to the palate that is seamlessly textured, fine grained and pithy with a delicate phenolic grip. In the mouth, notes of white peach, quince and yellow citrus intermingle with a gentle tangy acidity, tangerine peel spice and a sleek liquid minerality. There is plentiful concentration and fruit intensity, which is conveyed with delicacy and elegance, making this a moderately sophisticated offering that will definitely appeal to Southern Rhone white wine lovers. Enjoy on release and over 3 to 5 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) 

Raar Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2024, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.

This slightly esoteric Carbonic Maceration Shiraz was created by encouraging the intra-cellular fermentation inside the grapes using 100% whole-bunch fermentation with a coating of carbon dioxide… a la Beaujolais in France. This is combined with extended skin contact before the wine is barrel aged for 8 months. I remember the first time I tasted this wine and thought… Oh yes… this is just the ticket for a warm summers evening around the braai when served fridge chilled. The aromatics are fragrant and perfumed, packed full of raspberries, red plums, macerated strawberries and savoury bramble berry fruits with a subtle undertone of sappy talky spice, dried herbs and fynbos nuances. On the palate, the savoury bramble berry fruits come to the fore supported by hints of strawberry compote, wood smoke, cherry pipe tobacco and pithy, granitic mineral hints. Packed full of juicy berry fruits, vibrantly energetic, this is just the type of wine a new generation of young wine consumers are embracing. Drink on release and over 3 to 5 years.

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

A Selection of Talented Jasper Wickens Swartland 2021 and 2022 Vintages Tasted and Assessed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

While noise around the Swartland region and its many cult wines seems to be subsiding somewhat, as long as rock star producers like Eben Sadie, Adi Badenhorst, David & Nadia and Chris and Andrea Mullineux keep releasing high scoring whites and reds, wine critics will remain fixated on this versatile region.

But not everyone making iconic wines in the Swartland attempts to steal the wine headlines at every opportunity. One such talent is Jasper Wickens, who along with his wife Franziskia, is creating some of the most profound wines from fruit grown on their Waterval farm in the Paardeberg, next door to both Eben and Adi. With Jasper’s new 2023 vintages landing on my doorstep today, I thought I’d set the scene for my upcoming 2023 vintage reviews of Tiernes and Wolwekop with a compilations of some unreleased back vintage notes.

Jasper in one of his Chenin Blanc Vineyards at Waterval farm.

JC Wickens Swerwer Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

After the long, cool harvest of 2021, 2022 reverted back to more “normal” conditions with several heatwaves taking place during the early season in the Swartland forcing some wineries to harvest grapes perhaps a little sooner than they normally would have in order to preserve acidity. The Chenin Blanc grapes in this 2022 are all grown on deep decomposed Granite soils and offer up classical Swartland notes of wet hay, wet stone minerality, dried baking herbs, white peaches, orange blossom and pithy white citrus and pear fruit characteristics. With its impressively low, cool alcohol level of only 12.5%, the palate displays a light touch balance and elegance with cool, savoury peach notes, quince, and tangy apple puree. The acids are soft, well integrated, but bright and pithy and the finish stony and mineral with a certain degree of phenolic grip. A delicious wine with purity and precision that is ready to drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

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

JC Wickens Swerwer Shiraz 2022, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.

A seductively dark purple black plum colour in the glass, this attractive Syrah is made from Paardeberg grapes from the Wickens Waterval Farm grown on 100% decomposed Granite soils. 100% whole-bunch fermented, the aromatics on the 2022 are perfumed and lifted showing red and black berries, violets, lavender, hints of cranberry and pomegranate with delicately complexing notes of fynbos, crushed gravel and kalamata olives. In the mouth the wine is medium bodied but beautifully sleek, soft, and harmonious with silky fine grained chalky tannins, mouthwatering tangy acids and a long, succulent berry fruited finish. So enjoyable to drink in its youth with its fabulous generosity of fruit, vibrancy, and accessible structure. Drink on release to 2034+.

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

Tiernes Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc planted in 1982.

JC Wickens Tiernes Single Vineyard Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

The Tiernes vineyard planted in 1982 is very special indeed, overlooking the whole Waterval Farm of Francisca and Jasper Wickens from the top of the hill. With the vines grown on some of the deepest decomposed granite soils on the farm, the old vine Chenin Blanc grapes yield an incredibly complex and intense wine with aromatics packed with crushed rocks minerality, rain on granite boulders, lemon grass, grated lemon and lime peel, and delicate quince jelly notes. The palate is wonderfully intense and crystalline with real verve and vigour, a fruit purity of note with a chiselled mouthfeel of tart limes, fresh fennel, white peach, and yellow grapefruit pith. The concentration is slightly lighter and more ethereal than the 2021 but the purity and refinement are unmatched. The single vineyard Tiernes is undoubtedly one of the most profound Chenin Blanc expressions produced in the Swartland and a wine every fine wine collector should follow and buy. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.

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

JC Wickens Wolwekop Single Vineyard Old Vine Semillon 2021, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.

The back label of the Wolwekop simply states… “a pure expression of Semillon, Granite and Nature.” Well, if you didn’t have time to read a full tasting note, this would succinctly sum up the exceptional quality of this delicious terroir driven Old Vine Semillon sourced from a majestic Swartland vineyard planted in 1963. The long, cool, atypical 2021 vintage needs no introduction, already being well regarded and widely lauded as one of the best vintages in the Cape in the past decade. From a Zalto Universal glass the aromatics are notably lean, mineral and overtly stony, revealing a relatively shy bouquet, but once transferred to a bigger Burgundy bowl glass, the wine explodes into life offering up fragrant notes of savoury waxy lemon peel, lanolin, fennel root, lemon herbal tea and subtle beeswax notes before a pronounced wave of crushed gravel and dusty granitic minerality follow. The palate is equally complex and beguiling, featuring a bold spicy mineral laden glycerol palate with wet stone minerality, bergamot, green melon, yellow apples, and tart yellow quince that’s beautifully framed by bright, searing crystalline acids before a dried herb laden finish with a delicately nutty, almond skin nuance. Packed with energy, focus and drive, this must surely be a wine Jasper is very proud of. Drink now on releases and over the next 10 to 12+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

JC Wickens Wolwekop Single Vineyard Old Vine Semillon 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

After the high scoring 97/100 point benchmark Wolwekop 2021, Jasper Wickens has pulled a little more magic out the bag to produce yet another enticing Semillon offering in 2022. A golden yellow colour, the wine displays a complex aromatics of pithy lemon citrus, leesy lemon biscuits, buttered white toast, brewed green tea, lemon grass, honey and delicate green herb nuances. Full and fleshy in the mouth, there is a clear harmony and balance punctuated by a stony granitic minerality supported by well-integrated acids and a pithy, peach stone fruit strand with peppery, sappy, lanolin hints. Another Old Vine masterclass from Jasper. Drink now to 2035+.

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

The Jasper Wickens Swerwer wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

From the Fine Wine Safari Cellar – Part 1: Vergenoegd Estate Reserve Blend 1995…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Vergenoegd Löw Estate (previously the Vergenoegd Estate) along with the Meerlust Estate and Winshaw Vineyards form a magical trio of unique coastal Stellenbosch terroirs capable of producing some of the most captivating Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends in the entire Cape. Historically famous for their old Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1960s and 1970s, the previous owners of Vergenoegd Estate, the Faure family, released their first Bordeaux blend in 1993 and this third release 1995 vintage was offered to the South African market in late 1997 / early 1998. I recently cracked one of my last four bottles to see how this 30 year old classic was holding up. Stored in a temperature controlled cellar since purchase, this bottle was in pristine condition. But of course, with older vintages, there is no such thing as a great wine merely great bottles. My three remaining bottles have even higher ullages implying they could be even better. Only time will tell.

Vergenoegd Estate Wine Reserve 1995, WO Stellenbosch, 13.01% Abv.

A classical blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this 30 year old wine is holding up beautifully, showing impressively fragrant herbal aromatics of sage, bay leaf, dried violets, fynbos and green tea before hints of raisined cranberry, stewed black cherries and red currants. Opened and allowed to breath for 2-3 hours without decanting, there is a real vibrancy to the wine, one that I have grown accustomed to from some of South Africa’s old red grandes vins.

No rush after pulling the cork! Indeed it’s only after 3+ hours that the splendour of the milk chocolate and peppermint crisp nuances start to show on the nose and palate. The texture is clearly dense, glycerol and textured, the tannins spicy and fine grained now like a well brewed cup of black tea, but underpinned by bright acids and a subtle graphite minerality. A dense classy 1995 that is maybe plateauing but there’s certainly no rush to drink up last bottles. 

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

Winshaw Vineyards Becoming a Leading Producer of Premium Single Cultivar Malbec in South Africa…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

While Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have carved out an enviable quality offering from specialist premium producers in the Cape wine regions of Stellenbosch and Paarl, another cultivar has joined the party of late, showing an incredible affinity to the local terroir and climatic conditions. This cultivar is Malbec of course and there are roughly 450 to 490 hectares of Malbec currently planted. This represents a significant increase from the 40 hectares planted in the 1990s. The Swartland, Paarl, and Stellenbosch regions in the Western Cape currently account for about three-quarters of the total Malbec plantings.

A particular favourite among consumers in the UK, there is simply no holding back the success of single cultivar Malbec wines whether from Argentina or indeed South Africa. Handled correctly and vinified with care and attention, some very attractive, rich, fruit forward Malbec wines are being produced in South Africa and Winshaw Vineyards are becoming a leader in this new(ish) premium single varietal category. The 2024 vintage should hit the UK retail market in the Autumn of 2025 and retail for approximately £26.99 per bottle and I tasted a bottle on my recent trip to the Cape. 

Winshaw Vineyards next door to Vergenoegd Low and Meerlust Estate.

Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv. 

A beautifully composed, well constructed fine wine from the Winshaw’s boasts a delicious aromatics of sweet mulberries and damson plum, black berries, and black cherries laced Christmas spices, cinnamon and vanilla pod. Dense, fleshy and creamy, the palate shows a delicious black berry breadth punctuated by a complexing sapidity, leafy black currant depth and a long savoury leesy finish. Malbec lovers will be smitten once again! Drink now to 2030+.

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

The New Boutique Syrah Label Made by Angus Paul Creating Excitement – Tasting the New Staanspoor Syrah 2023 from the Polkadraai Hills…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Angus Paul is a young, exciting new talent on the Cape wine scene producing some very accomplished wines in his own right, none more so than his Old Vine Chenin Blanc expressions. While I was in the Cape recently, I caught up with Angus, not to show me his wines, but to taste an exciting new Syrah wine made in a small new project … “formed from an unlikely partnership and friendship between a steel construction worker and a financial planner, both of whom have a passion for talking about wine and drinking fine wine” – that has now led to the Staanspoor collaboration. 

Staanspoor, meaning departure point in Afrikaans.

Staanspoor, means the departure point in Afrikaans, and this wine’s departure is a shared passion between wine-loving friends. Produced by Angus Paul from fruit sourced from the famous Karibib vineyard in the Polkadraai Hills, on the False Bay facing Granitic slopes just above the Reyneke winery, which is home to fruit also sourced by producers such as Duncan Savage and Mick and Jeanine Craven. Angus brought me the maiden 2022 and also the new 2023 to taste and assess. 

Staanspoor Syrah 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, Karibib, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

An incredibly attractive aromatics packed full of sweet black and blue berry fruits with hints of black olive tapenade, black peppercorns, salty black currant, incense, and warming Christmas spices. The palate is rich but vibrant, tightly packed with saline black berry fruits, oyster shell and hints of nori seaweed nuances. The frame is chiselled and taut, sleek and notably mineral with a fine vein of granitic spice and maritime salinity on the finish. A very classy, old world Northern Rhone lookalike that’s absolutely delicious. Drink now to 2035+.

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

Staanspoor Syrah 2022, WO Polkadraai Hills, Karibib, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

This maiden release is made in a ripe, opulent style with aromatics of black liquorice, chargrilled meats, sweet black peppercorns, spicy black currants and dusty Granitic mineral spice. The texture is impressively pithy and tight grained, even picante, with a Granitic wet stone minerality, fynbos and garrigue herbal spice on the slightly wild brambly finish. Drink now to 2032+.

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

Holden Manz Estate’s New Red Wine Releases Continue to Impress – The New 2021 and Reserve 2022 Vintages Rated and Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Holden Manz Wine Estate is situated within an eclectic array of Franschhoek wine farms at the top of the Franschhoek Valley where the Holden Manz wine farm is dominated by the spectacular surrounding mountains which stand guard over some of the most scenic vineyards in the Cape. The wine farm lies between Franschhoek and the Stony Brook rivers, where this 22-hectare winery benefits from wonderfully fertile, dark loam soils and state-of-the-art winemaking. 

The Franschhoek Valley is one of the main destinations in the world for fine wine tourists, with farms dotted around the beautiful and quaint Francophile village of Franschhoek. There are no fewer than forty stately wine farms that form an important part of the Cape’s elaborate wine landscape. Here, English owner Gerard Holden has carved out his own little piece of paradise making wines that have earned the brand a global fine wine following. Uniquely plush, opulent and ever so hedonistic in style, the Holden Manz Estate wines are unlike any in the valley, allowing them to establish their own individual brand personality – one that seems to resonate with consumers globally. In July 2025, I managed to taste a tidy selection of new releases from the estate.

Holden Manz Big G 2021, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv. 

The 2021 Big G displays lush layers of black currant compote and cherry kirsch liquor with intricate high tone notes of raisined cranberries. Luxurious, creamy and textured, the breadth and depth on the palate is impressive, the tart tangy black cherry fruits mouth coating and broad. The tannins are wonderfully powdery and creamy, the finish picante, glycerol and incredibly long. A suitably impressive follow up vintage to the lauded 2020. Drink on release and over 8 to 10+ years. 

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

Holden Manz Big G 2020, WO Franschhoek, 15% Abv.

The 2020 vintage was incredibly generous and opulent from the start and this Big G shows layers of ripe plum, sweet mulberries, and tilled earth with subtle red currant berry notes. Super sleek, plush, and silky in the mouth yet carries an impressive weight of fruit concentration, finishing with an intense saline creme de cassis twist. An incredibly seductive, polished red blend from Holden Manz. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8 years.

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

Holden Manz Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv.

Rich bold and dark fruited, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has a multi-layered structure brimming with aromas of sweet damson plum, ripe black currant and macerated black cherries. Deliciously sweet fruited on the palate, there is a fine vein of bright acidity running beneath the ripe black berry fruits that harmoniously integrate with plush fleshy tannins and well-integrated, measured oaking. An accomplished wine from this noteworthy Cape vintage. Drink now to 2035+.

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

Holden Manz Merlot Reserve 2022, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv.

This Reserve Merlot shows a smoky, broody, black fruited nose with a distinctive granitic mineral spice before hints of damson plums, ripe black cherries and a delicate cedar oak spice. Impressively light on its feet, the palate is cool and classical, finely grippy yet delightfully fresh and bright with notes of black liquorice, salty black currant, and mint chocolate on the long finish. A very sophisticated and polished style with real presence that will undoubtedly impress Merlot lovers internationally. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.

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

The Holden Manz wines are retailed in the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.