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.
Located in the soon to be certified new Eerste River ward merely 5 kilometres from the False Bay ocean on the southern side of Stellenbosch along Baden Powell Drive in Lynedoch, Winshaw Vineyards has quietly built a reputation for red wines that capture the soul of this storied Cape wine region. Here, ancient Granite soils and cooling Atlantic breezes create the perfect tension between ripeness and restraint, allowing a cool climate balance and freshness that defines every bottle in their premium red wine collection.
The flagship reds draw on Stellenbosch’s classic varietals, namely bold, structured Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of blackcurrant and cedar; velvety plush Merlot layered with plum and dark chocolate; and elegantly red fruited Cabernet Franc, making expressive Bordeaux-style blends that marry power with elegance. Each vintage is shaped by their meticulous hand-harvesting, low-yielding vines, and extended barrel maturation in French oak, coaxing out an impressive level of complexity.
In the Winshaw vineyards with Pierre Winshaw.
What sets the Winshaw Vineyards premium range apart is a commitment to terroir-driven winemaking, selecting only the very best fruit from their circa 50 hectares of vines and minimal intervention winemaking in the cellar that lets the character of the land speak for itself. For those seeking a taste of Stellenbosch’s world-class red winemaking heritage, the Winshaw Vineyards premium reds offer both artisanal craftsmanship, quality and a genuine sense of place, vintage after vintage.
Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
This must be one of the most consistently high quality Malbec wines produced in South Africa. Year after year the Winshaw brothers make a rich, purple coloured expression packed full of red and black berry fruits, delicate Christmas spices with the cultivar’s archetypal sweet sapidity tightly interwoven into the wine’s fabric. The 2025 shows massive concentration, a silky plush textural luxuriousness framed by fresh acids and a long, effortless black berry laden finish with a delicate kiss of vanilla oak spice. Simply delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Winshaw Vineyards Bill Winshaw 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 63% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, shows seductive perfumed notes of red currants and black cherry with an overlay of salty black liquorice, graphite and sweet salted caramel oak hints. This wine has the depth of a fine Bordeaux blend combined with the elegance of a premium Cabernet Franc. A beautifully classy expression. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Winshaw Vineyards Charles Winshaw 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, this classically styled Cabernet Sauvignon led expression shows archetypal aromatics of violets, black cherry and black currant compote with hints of graphite, sweet cedar and wet loam nuances. The palate is decidedly denser and riper than the Bill Winshaw blend, showing notes of stewed black plum, light silky tannins, caramelised black berries, and a delicately mineral vein that continues with persistence to the finish. Plenty of substance or “gras” as the French would say, making this the stand out wine in the Winshaw range in 2023. Drink now to 2038+.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Winshaw wines are imported exclusively into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines based in Salisbury.
Located in the Franschhoek Valley in the Western Cape winelands, the Holden Manz Wine Estate has built a reputation for wines of precision, elegance, opulence as well as quiet ambition. Founded with a passion for craftsmanship, the estate blends old-world winemaking sensibility under winemaker Thierry Haberer, with a distinctly modern spirit, evident not only in the wines themselves but in the striking art and architecture that define this Franschhoek property.
Among the estate’s most celebrated whites is their Reserve Chardonnay, sourced from carefully selected sites across the Franschhoek Valley and the Banhoek Valley in Stellenbosch. Extended lees contact and regular batonnage give the wine remarkable texture and depth, while notes of citrus, grapefruit, and white flowers unfold against a backdrop of balanced, integrated oak use. It is a chardonnay that manages to be both generous and refined, full-bodied, yet fresh and deliciously vibrant.
At the estate’s pinnacle sits Elysium, its flagship red blend. Born from a rare occurrence, Merlot and Syrah ripening simultaneously on the farm, Elysium is hand-picked, hand-sorted, and co-fermented in new French oak, resulting in a wine of striking concentration and harmony. Produced only in select vintages and in very limited quantities, it stands as the estate’s most ambitious expression of place and craft. Together, these wines capture the essence of Holden Manz: bold, meticulous, and deeply rooted in their Franschhoek terroir.
Holden Manz Chardonnay Reserve 2023, WO Western Cape, 13% Abv.
This Reserve Chardonnay from Holden Manz opens with an enthralling aromatics that’s bright, fragrant and deliciously complex, packed full of crystallised lemon slices, candied green melon and green apples dipped in salted caramel. In the mouth, there is real precision and balance, the mouthfeel harmonious, textural and fleshy with a glycerol concentration, picante phenolics of lemon peel, citrus bon bons, and a hint of spicy green apple on the finish. Bright, fruity and succulent while remaining spicy, minerally charged and decidedly sophisticated, this is another superb effort from Holden Manz. Drink now to 2032+.
Of all the wines in the Holden Manz range, the super premium Elysium is undoubtedly the most ambitious, opulent and hedonistic expression. Super ripe, full bodied and certainly no wilting daisy when it comes to concentration, this co-fermented Merlot – Syrah, only produced in years when these two grapes ripen at the same time, manages to elicit the best qualities from both cultivars, with the Merlot offering up plush, creamy, dense blueberry and black berry fruit nuances with the Syrah adding a savoury complexity, sweet Christmas spices and an enticing bramble berry wildness. Full throttle, seamlessly textured, dense and fleshy, the tannins are incredibly finessed and sweet, the acids well integrated beneath lashings of ripe black fruits. A powerful creation that retains a suave textural elegance with only a slight alcohol warmth accompanying the long, sweet fruited finish. Enjoy now and over the next 6 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Holden Manz wines are imported into the UK by Vindependents and sold retail by specialist South African merchants like Museum Wines and Woodwinters in Scotland.
Situated in the heart of prime Stellenbosch terroir, the Hazendal Wine Estate is entering an exciting new chapter in its long history. With a legacy dating back to 1699, this historic property has long been synonymous with traditional winemaking, but under the stewardship of new head winemaker Kiara Scott-Farmer, Hazendal is being reimagined for a new generation of wine lovers.
Kiara assumed the role of Head Winemaker at Hazendal in early 2025, bringing with her from Brookdale Winery, a reputation as one of South Africa’s most exciting young winemaking talents. Born on the Cape Flats, she trained at Elsenburg Agricultural College before rising through the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme, and in 2024 she made history as the first woman of colour to win the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year award.
Kiara Scott – Farmer in London.
At Hazendal, Kiara’s philosophy of minimal intervention centres on the belief that great wines are made in the vineyard, with a deep focus on understanding each block’s soil and character. This philosophy finds its fullest expression in the estate’s celebrated Bottelary Hills ward, whose unique, light Granitic soils lend the wines a transparent, ethereal fruit character not easily found elsewhere in Stellenbosch. Through her debut single-cultivar collection featuring Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Syrah, Carignan and Pinot Noir Rosé, Kiara is giving Hazendal’s terroir a fresh, confident voice, ushering the estate into a compelling new era.
This beautiful Sancerre-styled Pinot Noir Rosé is a very classically elegant wine that shows an intense salmon pink colour and boasts intense, highly seductive, mouth-watering aromatics of red berries, white flowers, white peach, and subtle wild strawberry hints. Medium bodied and cool, the mouthfeel is dry but slightly less mineral than her maiden 2024 release but deliciously fresh and tangy with an enticing assortment of red summer berry fruits, red cherries, and delicate dried herb notes on the finish. A wonderfully sophisticated Rosé expression with real intent and ambition. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate Pinotage 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
This small 3,050 bottle Pinotage cuvée from the superb 2025 vintage has really allowed Kiara to flex her winemaking expertise with South Africa’s own homegrown cultivar Pinotage. Grown, produced and bottled on the Hazendal Estate, the wine was matured for 11 months in 500 litre French oak barrels along with some concrete tanks. Youthful but already a head-turning beauty, this wine reveals a shimmering, perfumed opulence, boasting intricate notes of violets, freshly picked rose petals, a summer medley of red and black berry fruits, mulberries, bramble berries and a subtle whole bunch sapidity alongside delicate cedar wood spice nuances. In the mouth, the wine is vibrant and fresh, the tannins effortlessly silky and soft, adding just sufficient ballast and frame to the wine. The purity and precision on the palate are breathtaking, the multiple layers of fruit, spices and tangy acidity seamlessly interwoven together creating a very juicy, attractively elegant premium Pinotage. Very impressive indeed. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
One of Kiara Scott-Farmer’s signature grapes is of course Chenin Blanc, and the 2025 vintage has offered her the perfect canvas to create a true masterpiece. The aromatics are rich and enticing with complex notes of perfumed honeysuckle, white blossoms, peaches, wet hay and melted honey on warm white toast with a delicate kiss of cinnamon wood spice. The crystalline purity, clarity and complexity follow to a palate that shows an impressive textural density and yellow orchard fruit concentration while at the same time exhibiting a sensation of lightness, elegance and lithe weightlessness. The finish is delicately spicy and mineral with an overt underlying salinity that makes it deliciously mouth-watering. This new wine undoubtedly cements Kiara’s place at the top table of Cape Chenin Producers. Drink now and over the next decade.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate White Blend 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13.11% Abv.
This impressive white blend forms part of the new ‘Estate Collection’ from Hazendal and is carefully crafted by cellarmaster Kiara Scott-Farmer. Made from primarily Roussanne and Marsanne, grown on a tiny 0.4-hectare site with weathered-Granite and Clay soils, the aromatics definitely transport you to the Northern Rhone with notes of apricot, yellow peach stones, dry straw, fynbos, quince and delicately honied chamomile nuances. Handled correctly, Marsanne and Roussanne can produced wines with a delightful acidity and this wine positively bursts forth with a tangy bright freshness, orange peel zest, honey drizzled peaches and delicately pithy wood spice nuances. The minerality is ever present and supportive, adding yet more complexity to this delicious white blend. Beautifully layered, intense, and harmoniously balanced, this wine is another impressive success for Cellarmaster Kiara. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hazendal Wine Estate Syrah 2025, WO Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
The Bottelary Hills is prime red wine territory, and with this maiden release Syrah, Kiara has utilised 22% whole-bunches in the fermentation before being aged for 9 months in 60% older 500-litre French oak barrels together with a 40% concrete tank portion. Bold, wild and exotically perfumed, the aromatics reveal attractive notes of violets, potpourri, rose petals and black pepper before more subtle hints of salty black liquorice, black cherries and black kalamata olive tapenade. In the mouth, the palate is cool, plush and polished with a medium body, silky fine grained tannins and a tangy fresh vivacity that makes the mouth water. The texture is sleek and elegant, showing Kiara’s signature weightless concentration, before finishing gently with a drying mineral persistence. A really majestic Syrah that simply does not put a foot out of place… and of course it is also crazy value for money! Drink now and over the next decade. (10,828 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Hazendal Estate are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines. The range also features a limited release single varietal Carignan 2025 bottled exclusively in magnums.
Bellevue Estate holds a unique place in South African wine history as the birthplace of Pinotage. In 1925, Professor Abraham Izak Perold planted the original Pinotage vines, a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, in the garden of the estate’s 1701 manor house, located in the Bottelary Hills ward of Stellenbosch. That single mother vine became the genetic source for the variety now considered one of South Africa’s signature grapes.
Today, Bellevue Estate continues to honor this legacy, cultivating old-vine Pinotage on the estate’s decomposed Granite soils. With its rich terroir and direct lineage to Pinotage’s origins, Bellevue Estate remains a touchstone for the cultivar’s identity and evolution, making their Estate, Reserve and Heritage Pinotage Cuvées go to wines for discerning consumers.
Bellevue Estate Pinotage 2023, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
The resurgent Bellevue Estate has just released another very impressive “Estate” level Pinotage to complement their respected Reserve and Heritage cuvées. Aged for 12 months in French-coopered American oak barrels, the aromatics are lifted, beautifully fragrant and simply bursting with notes of perfumed violets, red and black cherries and an undertone of freshly baked blueberry crumble. In the mouth, the texture is soft and supple, the tannins silky and fine grained with delicately reductive blue and black berry hints, a delightful salty liquorice twist, and a concentrated, accessible, mouth watering finish. A deliciously joyful wine with real substance that will appeal to true blue Pinotage lovers as well as consumers new to the cultivar. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Bellevue wines are imported into the UK and are available on request through South African specialist, Museum Wines.
Kanonkop Estate is widely regarded as the South African wine industry equivalent of a Bordeaux First Growth. Situated on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg mountain in Stellenbosch, this fourth-generation family-owned estate is famous for its single-minded focus on premium red wines, drawing from old, dry-land vines planted in decomposed granite soils. While Kanonkop is globally legendary for its Pinotage, the undisputed crown jewel of the estate has to be their Paul Sauer Cape Bordeaux Blend. First released in 1981, it is still regarded as one of the Cape’s true pioneering Bordeaux-style blends along with Meerlust’s Rubicon red blend.
Named after the current owners’ grandfather, a prominent statesman and viticultural pioneer, the Paul Sauer is simply a masterclass in elegance and power. The wine is typically a blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (traditionally around 70%), supported by Cabernet Franc and Merlot. True to its classic styling, it is aged for circa 24 months in 100% new French Nevers oak barriques.
What truly sets the Paul Sauer apart is its incredible finesse, purity and power combined with a notable aging potential, easily rewarding cellaring for 20 to 25 years or more. Its iconic status was permanently cemented globally when the impressive 2015 vintage became the first South African wine to receive a perfect 100-point score from Master of Wine Tim Atkin (which was also rated 98+/100 on A Fine Wine Safari almost four months earlier). No doubt it’s a special wine every vintage, the Paul Sauer remains the archetypal complex, layered Bordeaux blend packed with cassis and cedar and always underpinned by incredibly fine-grained polished tannins. Regardless of which winemaker is at the helm, in true Bordelaise style, the Paul Sauer red remains an absolute benchmark for New World Bordeaux blends.
Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, and 16% Merlot, the 2023 Paul Sauer shows a cool, tight, broody aromatics with intricate top notes of violets, black currant leaf, black cherry, blue berries, fynbos and subtle saline maritime notes with the oak still playing a background role even at this youthful stage. The palate is silky soft on entry, incredibly cool, strict, and focused with a fantastically fresh taut acid back bone together with a lovely ‘low pH’ feel, the fruits bristling with energy and a weightless, crystalline intensity. Very classical in the true sense of Paul Sauer vintages but undeniably elegant and incredibly polished. True die hard Kanonkop collectors are going to absolutely love this new release! Drink from 2026 to 2050+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Kanonkop Estate Black Label Pinotage 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 14.4% Abv.
Made from the only north facing Pinotage block on the estate, all the others being southwest facing, and also their oldest vineyard planted in 1953, the wine is aged in 225 litre Burgundy coopered barrels from Francois Freres and Trumeau. The nose reveals dark alluring aromatics packed full of broody black berry fruits, crème de cassis, kirsch cherry liquor, mulberry compote and a smokey brûléed toasty exoticism. Framed by deliciously fresh but deeply embedded acids, the texture is majestically concentrated and pure silk in the mouth, almost akin to a turbo charged Grand Cru Burgundy. Such pristine harmony, beautifully bright acids and an effortless intensity on the finish. Wow! Another Pinotage block buster on the way! Drink from 2026 to 2045+.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Kanonkop wines are imported into the UK by Seckford Wine Agencies. Contact:
A recent recipient of the ‘Winemaker of the Year’ award, Bruwer Raats has carved out a niche for high-quality wines from the decomposed Dolomitic Granite soils of the Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch, in what he refers to as a focus on ‘terroir not trend’.
His collaboration with Mzo Mvemve has brought about the MR de Compostella, one of the most critically successful red wines produced in South Africa, the pinnacle of the Cape Bordeaux Blend category, which was recently joined by the MR Vesperi White Blend.
With both the MR de Compostella 2023 and second release Vesperi 2024 hitting the market soon, I took the opportunity to taste these two new releases with Bruwer Raats on his recent trip to London. I’ve now tasted the new MR 2023 red four times over the past 6 months and am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this 2023 is one of Bruwer and Mzo’s most serious creations to date… not to be missed!! 🍷
MR Vesperi 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
This second edition of the “white MR” is a similar blend to the maiden 2023 but possess a slightly higher Chenin Blanc portion at 41%, alongside 37% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillon, that was matured for nine months in older oak barrels. While the oak and vanilla spice is perceptible, it’s also beautifully integrated with alluring aromatics of lime blossoms, lemon cordial, hints of waxy bergamot citrus, before more savoury, biscuity notes of nutty lees, wet straw and yellow orchard fruits. With the Sauvignon Blanc picked opulently ripe, its no surprise that the palate entry leads with more intense green fruit notes of greengage and orange citrus before the Chenin Blanc and Semillon slowly assert their presence. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, the balance is impressively harmonious and the fruit acid integration seductively seamless. Vibrant and noticeably chiselled on the finish, this is such a wonderfully accomplished addition to the lucrative Cape white blend category. Drink the Vesperi on release and over the next decade.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
MR de Compostella 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
The 2023 MR de Compostella, or Compilation of the Stars is another 5-way blend of 30% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Malbec, 17% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot. With all fruit picked in prime condition long before the late harvest rains descended, this 2023 stands as one of the most fascinating MRs Bruwer and Mzo have produced since the maiden 2004. Sharing many aromatic, flavour, and textural similarities with previous vintages like the 2013, 2018 and the 2021, this 2023 is beautifully fragrant with top note aromatics of violets, rose petals, sweet cedar, crushed cranberries, saline crème de cassis and black cherry fruits that melt away into hints of dried herbs, graphite, and sweet tobacco leaf. Medium to full bodied, the palate shows a sleek strictness, a polished, elegantly restrained silky texture over an incredibly taut, powerful, titanium skeletal frame. The tannins are fine grained, tight knit and tensile but never grippy or chunky. This wine possesses a different kind intensity and muscular power – one shaped by pedigree, classicism, and restrained wound spring tension. This could well be one of the most “serious” MRs assembled to date… and I absolutely love it. Pop this one in your cellar for a few years while you enjoy the MR 2020 or the 2022.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Raats Family Wines and MR de Compostella wines are imported and distributed to the wine trade in the UK by Alliance Wines.
The Lady May is the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon-led Bordeaux blend from Glenelly Estate, nestled on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in Stellenbosch. Named in honour of the estate’s founder, the legendary May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, the former owner of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, this wine represents a seamless marriage of French pedigree and prime South African Stellenbosch terroir.
Characterized by its deep complexity, the blend typically features Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc alongside its Cabernet Sauvignon backbone. It offers a sophisticated profile of dark fruit, etched graphite tannins, and a fresh mineral core, ensuring remarkable aging potential. Only released in South Africa in May 2026, it seems almost implausible that I tasted and reviewed this wine for a Winemag.co.za article way back in June 2024! But as luck would have it, I retasted the wine again in mid-May 2026 at the Cabernet Collective 2021 Tasting in London, and all the joyful memories of tasting it the first time two years ago came rushing back!
Dirk van Zyl in London recently presenting a masterclass at 67 Pall Mall.
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 elegant finish. This is a phenomenal red wine that registers quality wise in the highest of echelons of what is possible for Cape Bordeaux Blends in South Africa. Drink from 2026 to 2046+.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Glenelly wines are imported into the UK by Seckford Wine Agencies.
Chris Groenewald is a polymath of the South African wine scene, weaving together his background in theology, a deep expertise in blind wine tasting, and a “New Wave” approach to winemaking. Based in the Western Cape, Chris’s personal project, Pounding Grapes, reflects his philosophy of “naked, raw, and natural” wines that emphasize joyful character over any kind of technical rigidity.
As the captain of the South African World Blind Wine Tasting team, Groenewald possesses a world-class palate in anyone’s language, yet his own wines are anything but academic. His portfolio, which includes vibrant releases like the Bringing Back The Joy Skin-Contact Sauvignon Blanc and the Heart Candy Pinotage, focuses on minimal intervention. These wines typically undergo natural fermentation, often utilizing concrete eggs or old oak barrels to maintain fruit purity and texture without the mask of heavy wood.
Chris Groenewald from Pounding Grapes Winery.
Sourcing grapes from premium cool-climate sites like Durbanville, Pounding Grapes celebrates the “natty” wine culture – sometimes cloudy, often pithy, grippy and alive, while maintaining a high level of purity, cleanliness and technical precision. Whether he is reviving boutique labels like Terracura or crushing small batches for his own label, Groenewald’s work remains at the forefront of the Cape’s artisanal revolution, proving that serious wine doesn’t always have to take itself seriously.
Chris was recently in London and hosted an enlightening and informative tasting lunch at Noble Rot Mayfair, where we got to enjoy his new releases which are coming to the UK very soon through his importer, Wood Winters.
Bringing Back the Joy Skin Contact Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Durbanville, 12.5% Abv.
Malmesbury Shale soils facing table mountain. 7 days skin fermented, basket pressed into 1 x 500 litre Egg and 1 x 300 litre old oak barrel. Naturally fermented with malo fully completed. The aromatics are dusty and pithy, delicately grassy and herby with crushed Granite, lemon grass, pear and yellow orchard stone fruits. Delightfully fresh and tangy with an excellent fleshy mid-palate core of fruit, finishing with a zesty, intense salinity. Quite superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terracura Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
Chenin Blanc from vines planted in 1998. Basket pressed into one 525 litre egg. Lovely complex bruised yellow orchard fruit aromatics with hints of wet straw, waxy peaches, orange peel and savoury fynbos notes. Delicious weight, fleshy but beautifully characterful with excellent persistence on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Unicorns in the Sky Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
Sourced from the ‘Sky’ Vineyard 75% Chenin Blanc planted 1998 and 25% from Kweperfontein Farm Chenin Blanc planted in 1964. Skin Fermented for 6 days, the Sky portion as per Terracura. Classical, waxy, savoury bruised yellow orchard fruit notes of the Paardeberg but this also has an intense Granitic hit of dusty, stony minerality, dried herbs and peach stone fruits with wet straw and fynbos hints. Incredible balance and restraint, with lovely orange blossom, and tangerine peel complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Fairies in the Garden Semillon Gris 2025, WO Swartland, 12% Abv.
Semillon Gris from the Kweperfontein Farm in the Paardeberg, with 7 days on skins, the big grapes packed with plenty of juice, open fermented and then into an egg and a 225 litre old oak barrel. A more natural leaning expression with delicious savoury notes, sapidity, orange peel, quince jelly and hints of yellow orchard fruits. So effortlessly juicy, tangy and bright, incredibly zippy, energetic and inviting. What an umami tinged complex stunner of a wine!
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wine writer Dr Jamie Goode merched up with his Pounding Grape cap.
Just Leave Me Flowers on My Grave Blend Chenin Blanc, 15% Abv.
65% left 3 years under flor (2023), 35% from fresh 2026 fruit. Blended a month ago and due to be bottled end May 2026. Saline and niche, nutty, tangy and umami salty without the cutting intensity of Sherry but with a salty, savoury complexity. The finish lingers – powerful and imposing with a pleasing walnut skin bitterness on the loooong finish. Idiosyncratic but also very delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Heart Candy Pinotage 2024, WO Durbanville, 13% Abv.
North facing vineyard, aged in two 225 litre oak barrels, the wine shows a lifted perfume intricacy and an exotic pink musk complexity, violets and red cherry rock candy notes. Super pure, bright and crystalline, this is delightfully translucent, energetic and vibrant with a smashable drinkability, tangy tart acids and a fabulous juicy length. Superb.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Where the Lines Bend 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 10.8% Abv.
100% Cabernet Franc from the Bottelary Hills, 10 days cold soaked and fermented before being basket pressed into a concrete egg. The aromatics highlight the perfume and crunchy red fruit intensity, sweet cedar, crunchy red cherry and red currants. The delicate cedar spice sapidity follows to the palate with real energy and tension, tart linear acids and a cool, steely, taut focus with a hint of bay leaf spice on the finish. (1,300 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terracura 2025 Syrah, WO Swartland, 13.2% Abv.
100% wholebunch Syrah, then basket pressed into eggs and 300 litre barrels. Incredibly stalky, smoky, sappy and peppery over a dark fruited black berry, brambly fruit core. This is incredibly Oldy Worldy Rhone style Syrah with a super sleek creamy texture, incredibly finessed tannins with an attention to detail second to none. Wow!
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Contact Andrew@woodwinters.com for allocations and pricing.
The Bellevue Estate in Stellenbosch is the oldest commercial producer of Pinotage in South Africa, having produced both South Africa’s first bottled and award winning Pinotage. Bellevue’s story is one of bold decisions and forward thinking. When Pieter Krige (P.K.) Morkel couldn’t find Gamay vines in 1953, he embraced a pioneering South African cultivar: Pinotage. This decision not only shaped Bellevue’s identity but also contributed to the global recognition of Pinotage as a uniquely South African wine. “We currently work with the oldest average vine age in Stellenbosch with our youngest block 25 years old and our oldest being 73 years old” explains long time winemaker Wilhelm Kritzinger.
Among the Bellevue Estate red range is a very special wine with a profound sense of place from one of the oldest commercial Pinotage vineyards in the world, planted in 1953. When the maiden 1959 vintage won trophies galore, Pieter Krige Morkel was crowned South Africa’s new ‘king of wine’. His hands-off approach then is replicated today by winemaker Wilhelm to let the grace and wisdom of the old vine vineyards shine through.
Beyond their historic Pinotage, the estate also possesses one of the five oldest Cinsault vineyards in South Africa, planted in 1952, which now forms part of their illustrious Heritage range. But in 2026, the Heritage range will be joined by their newly branded 1976 Old Vine Chenin Blanc that used to go into their Eselsgraf Reserve Chenin Blanc. Another sublime highlight is undoubtedly their phenomenal Cabernet Franc, a wine that won the Red Wine Trophy at the Michelangelo Awards with the 2022 vintage, and again last year, with the 2023. In this tasting, I review the new release 2024, and predictably, it’s business as usual. Finally, there is a reason Stellenbosch is known as the “Kingdom of Cabernet” producing some of the most exciting examples of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Cape winelands.
Bright, juicy floral aromatics with green apple, green melon, rock candy and dried hay. Piercing concentration leads the charge on the palate, tangy, fleshy and delicious mouthfeel and weight supported by green apple pastille, pear and white peach. Beautiful typicity with punchy intensity.
Not since the release of the 2021s has there been a South African harvest that has created as much excitement among producers and consumers alike as the 2025 vintage. When you taste this stunning hand harvested bush vine Chenin Blanc you really see the vintage in all its glory, the aromatics deliciously pure, vibrant and lifted, bursting with complex layers of green apples, white peach rock candy, talcum powder, and a delicately sweet fynbos spice after its rained. The palate is pure, intense, and concentrated with a chiselled, tangy fresh acidity that coats the mouth, preparing your taste buds for bursts of Granny Smith green apple fruits with a splash of tart yellow grapefruit citrus. Crisp and pure yet crystalline and textural, this wine is like a very well-tuned orchestra with every instrument playing in perfect harmony. Drink this stunner before it sells out.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Estate Heritage Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
This delightful new 2025 Chenin Blanc definitely sings the praises of this exceptional vintage in the Cape, boasting exotic aromatics of Muscat grape jelly, green honeydew melon, white peaches, and honeysuckle over complexing hints of wet straw and savoury leesy nuances. With such a ripe concentrated vintage such as 2025, you get to experience the full breadth and depth of this Old Vine Chenin Blanc that’s expertly balanced with tangy fresh acids, a delicate sweet and sour vibrancy together with a gently Granitic mineral salinity. Supremely harmonious and balanced with a majestic textural elegance, this youthful wine should develop a real personality with a few more years in bottle. This is another superb embryonic blockbuster from Bellevue. Drink from 2027 to 2040+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Estate Pinotage 2020, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
Classical aromatics of savoury earthy black berries, cured meats, tilled earth and sweet Christmas spices. Acids are bright and the red and black fruits crunchy and intense, the mid-palate sleek and savoury. Punchy, approachable, and easy drinking.
(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Estate Malbec 2022, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
An exotic terroir driven aromatics laced with Buchu, fynbos and Eucalyptus complexity with black sappy berry fruits, chocolate peppermint crisp and dried herb spice. The acids are crisp and fresh, the black sappy berry fruits minty and attractive with brightness, a lifted black fruit energy and a sleek, mineral-tinged powdery tannin finish.
33/33/33 – new, second, 3rd fill oak barrels used for ageing the 40% Pinotage, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The aromatics show an attractive melange of creamy sappy black berry fruits, packed with earthy dried herbs, granitic minerality and savoury meaty hints. The acids are tangy and energetic, the red and black bramble berry fruits creamy, extracted and fine grained, finishing with serious power, minerality and length. Classy wine that punches above its weight.
The only thing possibly more exciting than a top Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch is a full throttle, five cultivar Cape Bordeaux Blend, and this 2023 is an assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The aromatics have many of the earthy, loamy, freshly tilled earth notes of the pure Cabernet Sauvignon but then reveals multiple extra layers of sweet violets, white blossoms, sweet black currants, black cherry and a delicate graphite minerality. The palate is plush, polished, and focused with a textural generosity consistent with the 2023 vintage, with all fruit brought in before the late season harvest rains. Once again, the mouthfeel is creamy, supple, and fine grained with sweet pliable tannins, soft well integrated tangy acids and a long, delicately toasty, brûléed finish. The oaking is expertly managed, marrying pure, plush fleshy fruits, leaving a sensation of hedonistic harmony and balance on the finish. A supremely well-constructed wine that also has legs for further beneficial ageing. Drink now and over the next 10 to 12+ years. Such a delight to drink.
Aged in 50/50 new and second fill French oak barrels for 22 to 24 months. The aromatics are deep and broody with layers of black berry, creme de cassis, damson plum, mulberry, tilled earth, vanilla pod and sweet Christmas spices. The palate breadth and balance is impressive, dense, tight grained, harmonious and intense without losing balance and elegance. This wine ticks a lot of boxes and shows a lot of commercial appeal.
Aged in 60% new and 40% second fill French oak barrels, the aromatics are pure and regal, a Cabernet Sauvignon expression that shows why Stellenbosch is truly world class. Deep, dark black fruited aromatics with creme de cassis, black cherry, and spicy mulberry with Christmas spices, hints of tannery leather, black chai tea and cigar box. The acids are fresh and crystalline but tightly interwoven with structured black fruits, subtle hints of leafy, earthy dried herb spices, finishing with length and intensity and a subtle mineral undertone. Very classy indeed with plenty of stuffing for a cooler, fresher vintage.
The Bottelary ward of Stellenbosch is prime Cabernet Sauvignon country and this delightful 2023 is a very classy expression, the aromatics deep, sumptuous and complex. There is an extra dimension of ripeness and density on the 2023 nose with deep, savoury tilled earth aromatics that melt into notes of wet tobacco leaf, earthy black currant and damson plum fruits with just a hint of pressed violet perfume. In the mouth, this wine is broad and creamy with the texture of velvet that is caressed by soft silky tannins, sweet fleshy black and blue berry fruits before a dusty, wet stone graphite-laden minerality on the finish. The extraction is expertly handled offering a plush, luxurious, fleshy depth of fruit with a genuinely accessible, generous opulence. So delicious already, why keep this too long in the cellar when you can enjoy its tangy, vibrant, fleshy opulence now. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Estate Reserve Collection Cabernet Franc 2023, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
Aged in 100% New French oak for 20-21 months. Shows classic Cabernet Franc notes with great varietal typicity – cedar, spice, tree bark, dried herbs and perfumed black berry fruits. The palate is cool, crisp and distinguished with sweet baking herbs, earthy leafy spice, tea leaf, lead pencil and tangy fresh black berry fruits on the finish. Tight knit, grippy, densely fruited and quite complete for the vintage. Undoubtedly among the top expressions of Cabernet Franc in SA!
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Estate Reserve Collection Cabernet Franc 2024, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
The Bellevue Estate’s Cabernet Franc quality is synonymous with premium quality winning multiple awards year after year. This 2024 is another outstanding example that combines the vintage condition’s translucent fruit purity and freshness with the winemaker’s pinpoint precision to yield a wine of outstanding beauty. The aromatics are stand out, supremely plush, perfumed and layered with sweet violets, sappy cedar, and cinnamon spices over hints of tea leaf, red currants and blue berries. Cool, precise, and attractively chiselled, there is a real elegant classicism to the texture, with satin soft tannins, bright lemon-like tangy acids and a long, piercing red fruited persistence on the finish. What a truly magnificent wine. Get your hands on a bottle at all costs! Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Estate Heritage Range Cinsault 2024, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
Undoubtedly, one of the most famous premium Cinsault reds produced in South Africa, this 2024 shows intricate, complex aromatics laced with rose petal, potpourri, raspberry herbal tea, red cherries, fynbos, dried herbs, dusty stony minerals and intricate Turkish delight nuances. The palate is tight knit, compact and intense, deliciously sweet fruited, incredibly concentrated and intense with a sleek, harmonious mineral texture. A phenomenal expression of old vine Cinsault that combines power, intensity, precision and purity. Simply breathtaking. Drink now to 2050+.
Few Pinotage wines are as evocative as the Old Vine wines from Bellevue Estate. Incredibly deep, dense, dark black fruited aromatics reveal notes of violets, black berries, chocolate peppermint crisp, sweet raspberries, berry herbal tea and white pepper notes. On the palate there’s a pronounced menthol brightness and tart berry freshness together with delicious, sweet Christmas spices, delicate fynbos hints and exotic Asian spices. Beautifully powerful with immense drinkability and accessibility with an underlying seriousness. This is premium Pinotage… but not as you know it. Drink now to 2041+.
The 2023 Reserve Pinotage is an impressively complex expression of this grape from one of South Africa’s finest proponents. The aromatics are deep and broody, revealing layers of polished mahogany, bay leaf spice, vivid black and blue berry fruits, mulberries, and subtle caramelized vanilla oak spice nuances. The palate is full, fleshy, and noticeably broad and glycerol with a vivid acid frame that balances the sweet black fruit concentration with a beautiful freshness and supple, delicately creamy tannins. A bold, fleshy, opulent style of Pinotage with plenty of character and seductive charm. Drink now to 2036+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Bellevue Estate will be available in the UK soon from South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
