Stellenbosch

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Once Again Leading the Premium Wine Charge – Tasting and Reviewing Their Latest Vintage Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Gyles Webb bought an old fruit orchard farm in 1983 after giving up his accounting career in Natal to pursue wine farming in the Cape. The old manor house was restored and the first wines under the Thelema Mountain Vineyards label were released in 1988. By the mid 1990’s Thelema’s wines sold out within a month after release, making it one of the most sought-after wine estates in South Africa.

Forever cemented as one of the Cape Wineland’s iconic wineries, the wider wine press attention in the noughties did somewhat shift away from the classical estates like Thelema towards the swathe of new up and coming exciting young gun producers primarily located in the Swartland.

Thomas Webb, the next generation in charge at Thelema.

But the classics always remain special and in the past decade, the wider global wine market has seen a massive refocus back on to the classical names that once helped re-establish the modern post-apartheid Cape wine industry. Thelema is just one of these wineries and their new releases under the stewardship of Thomas Webb are certainly worth a lot of attention! I caught up with Thomas in London recently and tasted through a superb selection of new vintages.

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Vibrant, crystalline and fresh with bright acids, notes of lime peel and green passion fruit and a hint of green apple on the mouth watering finish. Beautifully lifted, pure fruited with a chalky density and impressive fruity, fleshy concentration despite being below <2g/l RS. A premium Sauvignon Blanc for drinkers who perhaps don’t like the more pungent grassy styles.

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay 2020, 13% Abv.

Made 100% from mountainside vineyards offering a fulsome expression, rich and plush with a certain comforting opulence, boasting sweet lemon cordial, salted toffee, nutty pistachio and savoury biscuit notes. The palate shows impressive intensity with salty maritime notes, bright tangy acids with lemon grass, lime cordial nuances and a cool, mineral, drying finish. Really very smart.

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

The new release 2021 Thelema Chardonnay possesses a beautifully pale lemon lime canary yellow with a fabulous shimmering brightness to it and is a very enticing Chardonnay offering indeed. The initial aromatics are full of dried green herbs, sweet lemon and lime citrus, tart pineapple and a most seductive vanilla pod hint that is seamlessly integrated into the wine. The classy oaking is equally evident on the palate but kept well in check by authoritative 2021 vintage acids, a stony granitic mineral frame, all tempered by tart crystalline white citrus fruits, white peach, green apple and a tangy fresh concentrated finish where another hint of tart pineapple makes an appearance. A truly classy wine from this phenomenal 2021 red and white vintage in South Africa, it shows its regal class and precision with such purity and clarity combined with intensity. One of the best Chardonnays from Thelema in more than a decade. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Merlot 2020, 14% Abv.

Beautifully sweet fruited with aromatics of sappy cedar spice infused with black plum, black berry compote, dried baking herbs and a dusty granitic minerality. The palate is soft, sweet fruited and piquant with a supple fleshy texture, silky accessible tannins over subtle tobacco leaf, hoisin plum sauce, cigar wrapper and a cedar wood spice finish. A classy pure varietal expression of Merlot.

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Merlot Reserve 2021, WO Stellenbosch

The Reserve Merlot displays a delicate aromatic array of potpourri, dried violets, bouquet garni and incense together with hints of red currant, dried cranberries and red plum nuances. The palate shows a tender, seductive elegance, linear acids, and a taut freshness, that belies a sleek, incredibly subtle, cool fruited elegance. There are hints of sweet cedar, baking herbs and very fine grained stony mineral tannins that really steer this wine in a wonderfully old world Bordeaux – St Emilion direction from a cooler vintage of minerality, restraint and structure. This is a simply spellbinding wine with a tight knit texture, a phenomenal purity and an elegance of note. If you can’t afford £100+ Bordeaux right bank reds, this beauty will go a long way to fill this gap. Drink from 2024 to 2036+.

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

This classy Cabernet shows a spicy, piquant inky aromatics laced with layers of iodine, cedar spice, tobacco leaf and sweet black tea. The balance and texture on the palate is super classy with silky sweet tannins, plump opulent red and black berry fruits, sweet tobacco, graphite and a supple, long, intense finish enlivened by tangy acids. Very classy and classical Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon but approachable now.

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

A lush, plush opulent aromatics kissed with its signature minty leafy nuances over resinous menthol blackcurrant boiled candied sweets. Very sleek and fine boned on the palate, this is a beautifully supple, soft wine showing a silky elegance with finely balanced sweet tannins, tangy bright acids, and salty cassis intensity capped with a kiss of mint choc peppermint crisp complexity on the finish. A great returning vintage for the fabled Thelema Mint Cabernet!

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Rabelais 2020, 14% Abv.

2007 was the first vintage released commercially to the market after Giles Webb resigned from the CIWG where the wine was normally  destined. The 2020 expression is majestically complex and soft spoken, orchestral and refined with real precision, focus and textural poise. Beautifully earthy and perfumed with sweet violets, tilled earth, liquorice and salty black currant before a soft, silky, tangy palate loaded with black cherry kirsch liquor, saline cassis and a pure, long, intense classical finish. True class!

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

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Vin de Hel Dessert Muscat 2021

Made from 1 hectare of 37 year old vine Muscat (de Frontignan), picked at 35 balling to hit 149-150g/l RS with a TA of circa 5.7g/l. Grapey, fresh and vibrant on the nose with layers of lychee, rose petals, peach puree and quince jelly. Beautifully fresh, pure and utterly delicious. This is a very attractive but not overly sweet dessert style wine.

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

The Thelema crest.

The Thelema wines are imported into the UK by Enotria Wines.

Wade Bales, South African Negociant Par Excellence – Tasting His New Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

I first tasted some of the exceptional negociant-styled wines from South African merchant Wade Bales a few years ago when Cape Wine Master Wini Bowman introduced me to his notable white Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon Blend and his Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, which was awarded a Platter 5 Star gong.

So, having a brief background on Wade’s wines, I was pleased to meet up with him again recently in London to taste two of his follow-up releases.

Wade has over two decades of experience criss-crossing the Cape winelands in search of the very best wines and having forged longstanding relationships with some of the Cape’s top wine estates and winemakers, Wade’s mission is to find great South Africa wines and bring them straight to his clients’ tables.

The list of participating wineries contributing to the Wade Bales Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon blend reads like a veritable who’s who of the Cape wine industry, assuring a very high level of quality every release. Ground breaking, innovative, and impressively well crafted, these are definitely fine wines worth seeking out if you’re a true Stellenbosch terroir lover.

Wade Bales Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Classically powerful heady nose of pure Cabernet Sauvignon with all the telltale Stellenbosch notes of earthy black currant, black plum, dried violets, black tea, wet tobacco and classic freshly tilled earth nuances. Incredibly intense and focused on the palate, the 2019 is concentrated and piercing with a deliciously mouthwatering acidity and a deep broody earthy red and black berry fruited depth. The texture is intense, powerful but very fine grained and polished with sweet silky tannins and a really generous harmonious elegance. Creamy with a densely packed mid palate, the finish is long, pure and opulent. Plenty of underlying focus and power make for a very serious offering indeed! Drink on release and over the next 10-15+ years.

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

Wade Bales Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

A full and generous aromatics show ripe red and black orchard fruit notes over sweet violets, peaty earth, cedar wood spice, wet tobacco and black currant nuances. Plummy and full on the entry, the palate is fleshy, full bodied, opulent and very fruit forward with sweet round tannins, tangy soft acids and a broad, sumptuous mouth-filling finish. Accessible and ready to go now, this should improve in bottle for a good 5 to 8+ years and drink well for over 15 years.

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

For further information, contact Wade Bales on: wade@wadebales.co.za

Le Riche Wines Releases a Sensational Benchmark Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 That Will Redefine Pure Cabernet Quality in South Africa for Years to Come…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Le Riche Wines represents a veritable masterclass in the art of blending specially selected Stellenbosch terroirs from vines grown on decomposed granitic soils, sandy/loamy duplex gravels and deep clay rich oakleaf soils on the Simonsberg mountain range. Vintage after vintage, the Le Riche family, starting with father Etienne, and now continuing more latterly with Christo, have consistently produced some of the finest and most noteworthy single varietal Cabernet Sauvignons in the Cape… and finally, the world is waking up to this phenomenon.

This year’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a vineyard blend of grapes sourced from around Stellenbosch, including 67% Helderberg, 22% Simonsberg and 11% Jonkershoek Valley, which were matured in 70% new French oak for 24 months. (Helderberg Coastal, three vineyards; Simonsberg-Stellenbosch Single Vineyard; Jonkershoek Valley Single Vineyard).

As Christo reiterates, Reserve status is only endowed if the grapes and the resulting wine measures up to exceptional standards. Hand selected grapes from older, lower yielding vines are generally used and fermentation is done with a selected yeast strain under controlled temperatures. Manual plunging during this period ensures optimal colour extraction. After seven days the tanks are closed and allowed to macerate for a further period, normally 10-14 days. Pressing follows and the wine is transferred to barrel for a natural secondary malolactic fermentation. After a year in barrel, the individual batches are blended to form the final wine and returned to barrel for another year before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wines are matured in bottle for one year before global release.

Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

1.9g/l RS | 5.7g/l TA | 3.79pH

This highly anticipated 2021 release comes hard on the heals of the highly rated 2020 and 2019 from Christo Le Riche, and the impressive 2021 completes the trilogy of block buster vintages from this Cabernet specialist. Unwinding in the glass, the aromatics show delicately musky, perfumed notes of white flowers, crème de cassis, blueberries, black berries and freshly tilled earth hints that mingle with notions of dried herbs, thyme and fresh mint leaf, dried peach skins over graphite, granite dust and delicate dark chocolate cocoa spice nuances. The palate is beautifully silky and creamy, full and broad yet velvety soft and plush, voluminous but delicately elegant, finely detailed and weightlessly concentrated. Tight and compact, seductively seamless in the truest sense with an incredibly integrated acid fruit balance, a lively purity, and supple sweet tannins on the long, piercing finish. If 2019 had the muscle and power and 2020 the seductive elegance, balance, and accessibility, the 2021 is a stand apart expression, as unique as the vintage itself. Simply sublime, awesome even, and most definitely a vintage that will come to define premium quality Cabernet for years to come. A true classic that will richly reward bottle ageing. Drink on release and over the next 20 to 30+ years.

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

The Le Riche wines are available to UK wine trade from Boutinot Wines and to consumers from Museum Wines.

Kanonkop Estate Prepare to Release Possibly One of Their Most Iconic Vintages Ever – Tasting the New Paul Sauer 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s always a very special occasion visiting the Kanonkop Estate to taste new releases. In many ways, it’s the closest we get in South Africa to the annual pilgrimages European wine merchants make to iconic wineries like Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux or Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. However many times you visit, it always remains a highlight of the year and my recent visit to taste the new Kanonkop Paul Sauer was no exception.

The new 2021 Paul Sauer due for general release in June 2024.

While Abrie Beeslaar has obviously already produced a 2022, 2023 and 2024 vintage, the iconic 2021 will be his swansong release before he departs his full time role in August 2024. Undoubtedly, like the two winemakers before him, Abrie will remain as much part of Kanonkop’s history as Kanonkop will remain part of Abrie’s. He will of course have vintages like the 2004, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2017 and now the epic 2021 to look back on with immeasurable pride. Groete ou maat en alles van die beste!

We are going to miss you Abrie!

Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Paul Sauer is beautifully intense and utterly seductive, the aromatics pulling you in with their perfumed notes of incense, violets, black currant, saline oyster shell, black cherry, sweet cherry tobacco and graphite with subtle blueberry notes and a subtle kiss of sweet cedar and vanilla pod spice. The palate shows sprawling breadth and depth with a gentle picante spice together with a noticeably intense salinity and maritime, nori seaweed nuance before more bold flavours of black currant, mulberry, black cherry and blueberry coat the mouth. The fine silky tannins are deceptively taut and crisp with the fresh glassy acids adding to the wine’s obvious power, focus and superb intensity. So much wine in the glass, so much to assimilate! The 2021 Paul Sauer represents a true Cape Bordeaux blend masterclass once again from Abrie Beeslaar! Drink from 2025 to 2050+.

(Wine Safari Score: 99/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Beginning of a New Era for Lievland Vineyards – Tasting and Assessing Some of their Latest Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The previous Lievland Wine Estate can certainly be counted as one of the grand old Cape brands of the 1980s and 1990s and I can confirm that I certainly drank my fair share of their famous value red blend, the Lievlander, as well as plenty of their Shiraz and their delicious DVB Cape Bordeaux Blend. In 2017, it was announced that MAN Family Wines had acquired the 110 hectare estate with ambitious plans to build a new cellar facility and also slowly replant some of the 60 hectares under vine.

Lying on much respected Simonsberg Stellenbosch terroir, immediate neighbours are Natte Valleij, Warwick, the old Uitkyk, Kanonkop and Le Bonheur. I recently caught up in London with their head winemaker, Riaan Möller, to taste through a current selection of the Lievland Vineyards wines.

Lievland Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2022, WO Elgin, 13% Abv.

Deliciously exotic aromatics with peach skins, apricot, gooseberry, melon and green apple pastille. 100% stainless steel fermented with several inoculated yeast strains. From Sandstone soil vineyards, south facing, the grapes yield deliciously cool crystalline fruits boasting white peach, green pear, white pepper, rocket leaf and hints of lychee. Sleek, vibrant and wonderfully energetic with a really youthful vivacity and a delicate tropical kiss on the finish. A delicious cool climate expression.

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

Lievland Vineyards Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Paarl, 13% Abv.

Made from a Certified Heritage Vineyard planted between 1977 and 1987 from Agter-Paarl with the use of up to 30% barrel fermented portion. The aromatics show a fruity candied opulence with notes of smoky straw, fynbos, peach rock candy and hints of green pear. The palate is rich and expressive with mouth watering layers of spicy white peach, greengage, green apple and hints of fig preserve on the long, persistent, textured finish.

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

Lievland Vineyards Liefkoos Shiraz / Mourvedre / Cinsault Rose 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.

An attractive pale salmon colour, the wine shows bright dusty chalky aromatics packed full of pear drops, crushed granite, crushed red cherry and crunchy wild strawberry fruits. The palate is cool, sleek and very precise with a delicious weightless concentration, lovely purity, mineral pithiness and impressive length. One for the lovers of Provençal Rose.

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

Lievland Vineyards Bush Vine Pinotage 2021, WO Paarl, 13.5% Abv.

From a vineyard on the westerly slopes of Paarl mountain planted in 2000/1 with a small 5% addition of Grenache. Only a small amount of new large oak is used (15%) and mostly multi-passage 225 and 300 litre used barrels. Packed full of vibrancy and freshness with notes of bramble berry, forest fruits, tilled earth, black plum and hints of red apple. Super polished and sleek, the texture is silky, elegant and delicately exotic with lovely purple rock candy, Parma violets and a mouthwatering Fanta Grape-flavoured allure. The finish is bone dry, spicy and mineral with real balance and length. A very individual expression of Pinotage, but undoubtedly delicious.

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

Lievland Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Cape Coast, 14% Abv.

High altitude fruit from the Helderberg and Agter-Paarl, makes for a very classy Cabernet Sauvignon with a sneaky 5% Cinsault, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc blended in. The aromatics show sweet red berry, red plum, red currant, raisined cranberries, cassis, tilled earth and delicate notes of sweet tobacco and tannery leather. On the palate the soft, seductive silky layers dominate, revealing a very fine textured, compact mouthfeel. A very impressive wine with great complexity, lovely granitic minerality and a delicate salinity on the finish.

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

Lievland Vineyards Heart’s Ease Syrah 2019, WO Simonsberg, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

Fruit from original vineyards on the farm planted 2001. 86% Syrah and 14% Mourvedre with 20% whole bunches, were fermented and aged 100% for 16 months in mostly used neutral 225 litre barrels with a 15% new French oak portion. The aromatics are lush and seductive with blueberry, black cherry, tart plum and subtle hints of dried herbs, cumin and peppercorns. Wonderfully pure, delicate and elegantly fresh, this is a very classy, considered, light touch Syrah made with real attention to detail. The finish is intense and focused with a fine weightless concentration.

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

The Lievland Vineyard wines are imported into the UK by Berkmann Wines.

Judgement of Wimbledon 2024 – It’s ‘Start Your Engines Gentlemen’ With a Preliminary Round of Grenache Wine Selections…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The 2023 edition of the Judgement of Wimbledon Grenache Tasting was held last year with one of the most impressive line-ups of Grenache wines to date, and the results were of course always going to be highly contentious. The 14-wine blind flight included three wines from Sierra de Gredos, the mountainous region west of Madrid, four wines from Priorat in Catalonia, one wine from Montsant next door to Priorat, one wine from Vinos de la Tierra Castilla y Leon, three old vine wines from South Africa, one wine from Rioja and one wine from the USA. It was indeed a spectacular array of wines that the tasters thought couldn’t be easily surpassed.

But of course, as another year has passed and another vintage hits the market, so many truly incredible 2021 Garnachas from Spain, among other regions, have become available and the prospects for a fourth consecutive Judgement of Wimbledon have never looked so tantalising! With the line up being restricted to circa 16 to 18 wines, there is, by necessity,  a certain amount of pre-selection, that needs to take place before a final line-up can be agreed, and while the judges won’t know the final line up destined for the grand blind taste-off, they certainly get an initial insight into the quality they can expect by tasting in some of the preliminary Judgement of Wimbledon Tasting Pre-Selection assessments.

This year, one of the Kew-based judges volunteered to host one of the preliminary blind tastings and the below report gives a brief but illustrative snapshot of just what is in stall when the final Judgement of Wimbledon 2024 tasting occurs. Some mention should be made to the selection criteria as many people often ask why wines such as Chateau Rayas or some big, ripe Australian expressions are not included. The simple answer is that these wines, from USA, Australia and of course Chateauneuf-du-Pape, in the case of Rayas, are often simply too stand apart and unique, making their expressions incredibly obvious and very easy to identify. So, over many years, the focus has naturally moved to emphasise not only innate quality, but also minerality, freshness, terroir, and classical restraint… which seems to be the modern style of Grenache / Garnacha that has started to captivate the world in the past 3 to 5 years, led by Spain and South Africa, though of course, not exclusively.

With a special acknowledgment and thanks to global wine critic from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Luis Gutierrez, who contributed many suggestions for the preliminary tastings, proceedings kicked off in January 2024 with the following initial wines tasted blind:

Tasting Line Up (with group average scores):

1. 2021 Vina Zorzal, Senora de las Alturas – 94.1/100 score

2. 2021 Mas Martinet – Els Escurçons – 92.2/100 score

3. 2020 Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra – 94.9/100 score

4. 2020 Bruma de Valverde – 91.9/100

5. 2020 Pegaso Granito – 93.9/100

6. 2020 4 Monos Viticultores Molino Quemado – 93.7/100

7. 2020 Uvas Felices Reina de Los Deseos – 94.9/100

8. 2020 Bodegas Frontonio, El Jardín de Las Iguales Garnacha – 95.2/100

9. 2020 Uvas Felices La Mujer Canon – 95/100

10. 2020 Bruma del Arenero – 92.4/100

11. 2020 Bodegas Frontonio, Las Alas – 94.8/100

12. 2022 Sam Lambson, Experimental Grenache – 91.2/100

Or in order of scoring for individual judges:

Undoubtedly, Spain has made the category of Grenache almost its own with incredible tension, precision, minerality and power. This snapshot tasting was merely a teaser for what is lined up for the grand finale, with some of the above wines possibly making the Final Cut?

Watch out for my full report on the Judgement of Wimbledon 2024 in the coming weeks. It stands to be the pinnacle of Grenache perfection!

Stark Conde Winery Blazing a Trail with Their Premium Cabernet Sauvignon in the Jonkershoek Valley – Tasting the New Release 2020 Estate Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Owner Jose Conde and the Stark Conde Winery often describe themselves first and foremost as a premium Cabernet Sauvignon producer and of course why wouldn’t you when your vineyards are situated on some of the most attractive Cabernet-friendly Stellenbosch vineyards in the Western Cape. So it is always interesting to taste their “entry level” Estate Blend Cabernet Sauvignon new release as any winery is only as good as its most modestly priced wine, or so the saying goes.

Fortunately, there is no compromising when it comes to quality and this beautifully accomplished wine is sourced from four different blocks on the farm where the soils and aspects differ slightly, but with all vines planted on ideal decomposed granite iron-rich red soils typical of the Stellenbosch mountain vineyards. In addition to the Cabernet Sauvignon blocks, two additional blocks are incorporated into the Estate Blend to add a little extra salt and pepper complexity, leaving the final blend at 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec. For this cuvee, after fermentation is completed, only 300 litre French oak barrels are used, of which around 30% is new oak. Aged for 20 months in barrel, the wines are then bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Looking down over the farm from the Three Pines Single Vineyard.

While winemaker Rudger van Wyk has now moved on from Stark Conde in 2023, he was certainly instrumental in establishing the Stark Conde Cabernet Sauvignon wines of the Estate Blend, the Three Pines Single Vineyard Cabernet and the Oude Nektar Single Vineyard Cabernet as some of the most respected expressions of premium Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Stellenbosch. 2020 of course saw the tail end of the drought and the harvest began early and ended relatively early. Average temperatures were moderate with cool evenings, the resultant fruit of good quality with a fine balance between fruit, acid and tannins, although yields were decidedly on the low side this vintage.

Stark Conde Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

The 2020 Stark Conde Cabernet Sauvignon is another charming wine with an alluring aromatics of pressed violets, sweet piquant black berries, black cherry, burnt wood embers, sweet cedar wood shavings and a stony graphite spice that wafts from the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant, deep and layered, with a core of zippy black currant fruits, soft black plum nuances, black cherries, fine grained tannins, and a sumptuous depth of spicy granitic minerality. A very well honed, harmonious, full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon expression that combines a wonderful balance, finesse and harmony with the characteristic Jonkershoek Valley fruit intensity and structure. Drink on release and over 10+ years comfortably.

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

The Stark Conde wines are imported into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines and the wine retails for circa £26 per bottle.

Kanonkop Estate’s Iconic Simonsberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Represents One of Their Finest Single Cultivar Releases To Date…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

In 2023, Kanonkop (owned by the fourth generation of the founding family, brothers Johann and Paul Krige) celebrated 50 years of wine with the inaugural release being the 1973 vintage of their single cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon. Joining in 2002, Abrie Beeslaar became only the third winemaker in the farm’s history, replacing Beyers Truter (1981-2003) who followed Kanonkop’s first official winemaker Jan Boland Coetzee (1968-1981). Of the estate’s 95ha of mainly dry-farmed vines, 35% are Cabernet Sauvignon, averaging 30 years old, from Simonsberg in Stellenbosch, used for their varietal Cabernet Sauvignon cuvée as well as the Kanonkop flagship Paul Sauer Cape Bordeaux blend.

In 1973, the Kanonkop cellar crushed around 1,000 tonnes of grapes, of which 200 tonnes were vinified and bottled under their own label, with the first bottlings consisting of a single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage. Today, the cellar processes 3,000 tonnes of grapes, 580 from the Kanonkop estate and the rest from 22 different growers contracted across Stellenbosch. In early 2024, Abrie Beeslaar announced that he would be leaving Kanonkop to focus on his own wine label Beeslaar, thus once again resurrecting succession plans for only the winery’s fourth winemaker since 1968.

Kanonkop Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, WO Simonsberg – Stellenbosch, 13.68% Abv.

3.2g/l RS | 6.1g/l TA | 3.48pH

The 2019 vintage in the Cape yielded another iconic Paul Sauer Cabernet Sauvignon (69%) based Cape Bordeaux blend. From the very moment of its final assemblage, all eyes were on its later release sibling, Kanonkop’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, such was the power, freshness and intensity inherent in the Paul Sauer 2019 blend. Produced from 30-year-old vines which are nearing old vine heritage status, grown on dry land vineyards on decomposed Granite, Hutton and Clovelly soils, the wine was matured for 24 months in 225-litre French Never oak barrels with a 50% new oak portion and a 50% second fill portion. From the very first nosing of the glass, the aromatics are incredibly vibrant, lifted, and expressive with enticing perfumed notes of pressed violets and purple flowers over saline crème de cassis, black cherry liquor, macerated plums, oyster shell, moist cherry tobacco and beautifully integrated notes of subtle sweet cedary oak and seductive vanilla pod spice. Medium bodied and initially quite weightless, lithe and supple in the mouth on entry, before a massive shock wave of intense black cherry, salty black currant, graphite, and tart blueberry fruits invigorate the senses, making the palate salivate with its bright refreshing acids and intense mouthwatering persistence. This is an exceptionally well-made single cultivar wine with intricate pinpoint tannins, tart sweet-sour acids, a piercing fruit concentration and the most harmoniously seamless structure possible. It has all the elegance, focus and poise of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vins of the world. Drink from 2024 to 2044+.

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

The iconic Kanonkop Estate wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Seckford Wine Agencies. The Kanonkop wines are available for retail from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines and the Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 will retail at circa £44 per bottle.

Another Stand Out Malbec 2022 Release From the Quality Focused Winshaw Vineyards Winery in Stellenbosch…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Brothers Pierre and John Philip (JP) Winshaw released some beautiful wines with their maiden 2017 Charles and Bill Winshaw Cape Red Blends, and subsequent releases have also followed suit with striking quality, impressive fruit selection and wonderfully precise winemaking. They visited the UK to launch their winery brand in 2023 and from the very first moment, critics were seduced by the intensity, purity and overall appeal of their delicious wines.

A particular favourite of 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, fruit forward Malbec wines are able to be created in South Africa and Winshaw Vineyards, along with the likes of Vilafonte in Paarl and Doolhof in Wellington, are becoming leaders in the category. The 2022 vintage should hit the UK retail market in mid-2024 and retail for approximately £26pb.

Winshaw Vineyards Malbec 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

The sumptuous 2022 Winshaw Vineyards Malbec continues almost exactly where the 2021 left off despite the vintages being fairly different in overall character. Made from MC71 clone vineyards planted in 2001, these 21-year-old vines are really starting to hit their stride, producing wines with great depth, breadth and character, suitable for single cultivar bottlings as well as making an attractive blending partner within the Charles and Bill Winshaw cuvees. The aromatics show wonderfully spicy, picante dark broody black berry fruit aromatics with lashings of black currant, black cherry, mocha chocolate and chargrilled meat nuances. The palate texture is plush, seductively inviting and delightfully accessible, with beautifully silky soft sweet tannins, sleek, cool spicy blue and black berry fruits, with hints of crème de cassis, cherry kirsch liquor and a slightly sappy, plummy finish that is suitably bright and attractively mouthwatering. This elegant Malbec is sure to be as big a hit with customers as previous vintages, but be warned, quantities produced are once again very small. Drink now and over the next 4 to 6+ years.

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

The Winshaw Vineyards wines are imported exclusively into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.

Boekenhoutskloof Mini-Vertical Tasting – A Brief Review of Their Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah Wines in 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

The original Boekenhoutskloof farm in Franschhoek was established in 1776. The chairs on the now famous wine labels all pay tribute to the skills of the 18th century craftsmen and their achievements in creating beautiful furniture from natural sources, in this case, mostly Boekenhout or indigenous Cape Beech trees, which were highly prized for furniture making at the time.

Under the leadership of Marc Kent, the first Boekenhoutskloof wines were produced in 1996 after the property was bought in 1993, with the legendary 1997 Syrah capturing the attention of wine critics globally. Over the years, there have been several brand extensions including the creation of the Porcupine Ridge and Wolf Trap brands as well as the Chocolate Block red blend.

Marc Kent

More recently, considerable investments in the Swartland have led to large scale plantings of mostly Syrah, which for Boekenhoutskloof culminates in the pinnacle of quality with their Porseleinberg Syrah brand managed and produced by Callie Louw. On the eve of the vintage 2021 Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah releases, I thought it would be an opportune moment to reflect on the quality of several back vintages of each wine. My notes were taken from a tutored masterclass in London presented by Marc Kent in January 2023.

Semillon Flight:

Traditionally made from circa 97% Semillon from three vineyards planted in 1902, 1936 and 1942, and 3% Muscat d’Alexandrie planted in 1902.

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2001

Honey, buttered toast, salted caramel and lanolin on the nose. Soft, piquant Sherry like palate with richness, an incredibly saline vein, and deliciously pithy and fresh with a bitter almond skin finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2002

Dark gold in colour. The nose shows mushrooms, forest floor, earthy savoury notes, old honey. The palate is creamy, revealing salted caramel, a rich core of yellow stone fruit and a nutty walnut finish. Fresher in the mouth than on the nose.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2009

Aromatics of honey on buttered white toast, white blossom, honey suckle, lanolin and a touch of stony reduction. Beautiful balance and creamy texture, fabulous purity, with liquid minerality, a fine tension and a good, long concentrated finish. Truly stylish! Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 97/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2010

Aromatics of dusty minerals, tea leaf, dry tobacco and lemon peel. The palate is creamy, pure and precise showing lemon butter, honey on white toast, and a piquant, nutty, pleasantly bitter finish. Rich and textural with plenty of dry extract, a silky texture and salty taut finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2020

Attractive pale gold. Reductive white Burgundy nose with peach stone, crushed limestone, and smoky white citrus. Sleek and pure frutied, crystalline and focused with superb wound spring tension and a reductive, smoky minerality on the long finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cabernet Sauvignon Flight:

Until the 2014 vintage, Boekenhoutskloof only produced a Wine of Origin Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon, which was then joined by the WO Stellenbosch Cabernet.

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, WO Franschhoek

Salty caramel, piquant oak spice with savoury black tea notes with leather and sweet earthy red currant fruit underneath. Lovely intensity with a defined focus and saline, tart glassy frame. Very Claret-like, cool and classical.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, WO Franschhoek

The nose is very complete and complex, full of sweet tobacco, black chai tea spice, dense earthy black currant and black plum. Plush and vibrant on the palate with glassy acids, a slightly angular frame but also beautiful balance. Quite traditional but really lovely now.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, WO Franschhoek

Big vintage, big wine. Dense and punchy with earthy blue and black fruits, stewed plums and sweet tannery leather. Plush and creamy, touch piquant with notes of tertiary sweet tomato emerging. Possibly some slight oxidation on the bottle? I would expect more from a pristine bottle of 2009, a great red vintage in SA.

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

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, WO Franschhoek

Much tighter, denser, and compact with ample notes of tannery leather, black berry fruits and exotic peach skin top notes. Palate is youthful and fresh, still with slightly drying grippy tannins, crisp soft fresh acids and a harmonious balance overall. If the fruit holds while the tannins soften further, this could be an absolute cracker.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Franschhoek

Cool, sleek and elegant. Shows coffee cream, mocha, charcoal embers and piquant black chocolate. Very fine grained, compact and harmonious with a feeling of real precision. Classy and elegant as always, with a fresh, fine grained grippy finish. Should evolve into an absolute gem.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch

Stony, broody and tight with a hint of tilled earth, graphite, black cherry and stewed earthy red berries. Lovely power, muscle and shape in the mouth with creamy drying youthful tannins, and a long, black fruited, mineral finish. Archetypal Stellenbosch Cabernet.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Syrah Flight – (SH21 Syrah Clone):

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2001, WO Western Cape

Polished mahogany, wood spice, savoury red fruits with a hint of leather and molasses. Palate is dense and lactic, chocolatey, and quite appealing. Still a big bold wine with some tertiary development on the minty finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2002, WO Western Cape

Touch of reduction still with blue and black fruits, violets and purple flowers. Palate is fresh, crisp, and taut with sweet tangy red and earthy black fruits, hints of leather, tobacco, cured meats and kalamata olive tapenade on the finish. Lovely cooler vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2009, WO Western Cape

Cool, stony and sleek with chalky drying tannins and earthy aromatics of coffee bean, stewed plum, and sun raisined cherries. Super creamy and plush on the finish with a savoury, tertiary hint developing. Drinking very well but probably won’t improve further, so start enjoying now.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2010, WO Western Cape

Cooler vintage like 2002. Nose is smoky and savoury with sappy red and black berry fruit nuances, red apple skins and a stony mineral dustiness. Sweet fruited, plush and broad on the palate with savoury red berry fruits, strawberry jam and earthy, youthful notes. A serious vintage making a serious wine with a very subtle tarry finish. Yum.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2020, WO Swartland

Boekenhoutskloof are now farming over 200 hectares of Swartland fruit from three farms. (The 2011 vintage included some Porseleinberg fruit.) Newer vintages consist of 90% Porseleinberg and 10% Goldmine Syrah from the farm next door to Mullineux’s Roundstone property. Deliciously youthful and grapey with notes of violets, lavender, sweet grilled herbs, charcoal embers and a leafy sapidity. Palate is super light on its feet with purity, black cherry elegance and pithy graphite hints, finishing with a weightless concentration and a soft blueberry complexity. Very classy indeed.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines are imported into the UK by New Generation Wines and are available retail from South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines. http://www.museumwines.co.uk