Syrah

Hazendal Wine Estate Release An Impressive Array of Fine Wines Produced by Their New Winemaking Talent Kiara Scott-Farmer… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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. 

Hazendal Wine Estate Pinot Noir Rosé 2025, WO Bottelary, Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.

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. 

A Brace of New Holden Manz Releases from Franschhoek Valley Tasted and Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Holden Manz is often described as “the hedonistic heart of Franschhoek.” Lying in the top corner of the Franschhoek Valley, Holden Manz Wine Estate continues to establish itself as a benchmark producer of unashamedly plush, opulent, hedonistic wines. Embraced by dramatic mountain peaks and nurtured by the valley’s rich loam soils, this unique microclimate yields fruit of notable depth, ripeness and structural refinement. 

While the estate is justly famous for its muscular Bordeaux blends, it is perhaps their Syrah and Semillon that truly showcase the diverse capabilities of this multi-layered terroir. Their Syrah, in particular, is always opulent, ripe and highly expressive, with multiple releases showing plush layers of sweet violet perfume, black plum compote, roasted coffee beans and brûléed oak spice characteristics. But in a very much juxtaposing, slightly atypical Holden Manz style, their Semillon delivers a wonderfully cool, fresh, and crystalline personality loaded with pithy lemon peel, white blossoms, and a vibrant, tangy mouthwatering acidity that keeps the palate energetically alive. Two diametrically opposing styles showing that this estate should not be pigeon holed. 

Holden Manz Semillon 2023, WO Franschhoek, 12.5% Abv.

This 2023 is a fabulously bright, crystalline pale gold yellow that simply bristles with energy. Coming from the Franschhoek Valley, one of the Cape’s true Semillon homelands, this wine shines with taut, mineral aromatics showing delicate tart white citrus, honeysuckle, fresh lawn cuttings, saline briney notes together with crushed oystershell and delicately herbal green leaf nuances. The delicately prickly aromatics follow to a cool, steely, intense palate with a pronounced wet stone minerality, tart yellow plums, green apple skins, and a lovely pronounced line of acidity on the linear finish. This is a top drawer Semillon expression that can confidently stand tall amongst the finest examples in the Valley. Drink now and over the next 10+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW

Holden Manz Reserve Syrah 2020, WO Franschhoek, 15% Abv.

While the aromatics and ripeness on this opulent Reserve Syrah suggest a warmer vintage, on the contrary, 2020 in Franschhoek was not considered a warm dry harvest with the growing season widely celebrated as a cooler, wetter, and highly favourable vintage that marked a welcome relief from the severe, multi-year drought that plagued the Western Cape between 2015 and 2018. On this impressive reserve wine we see lush, plush, bold aromatics of savoury black plum, blueberry compote, salty black liquorice and delicate burnt sugar and molasses nuances. The palate deceptively screams Southern Rhone, showing a creamy blue and black berry fruit concentration, savoury hints of cured deli meats, chargrilled charcuterie and a creamy lactic oak kissed concentration on the bold, hedonistic finish. The earthy Chateauneuf-du-Pape’esque character will certainly appeal to many connoisseurs who like their Syrahs with a little more ‘meat on the bone’. Drink now to 2034+.

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

The Holden Manz wines are imported into the UK by Vindependents and are widely available retail from South African specialist merchant Museum Wines and Wood Winters in Scotland.

Domaine E. Guigal Showcases an Impressive Line-up of Benchmark Rhone Wines at the Launch of their New La Reynarde Cote Rotie…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Few names evoke the majesty of France’s Northern Rhône Valley quite like Domaine E. Guigal. Founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in the ancient village of Ampuis, this legendary house single-handedly redefined the global reputation of Côte Rôtie reds. Guigal became world-renowned for its iconic trio of single-vineyard Syrahs, affectionately dubbed the “La-La’s”: La Mouline, La Landonne, and La Turque. Known for their near vertical terraced slopes, low yields, and unyielding 40-month maturation in 100% new French oak, these cuvées are benchmarks of power, aromatic complexity, and profound longevity. 

Now, a historic new chapter at Domaine Guigal unfolds. For the first time in nearly four decades, a fourth “La-La” enters the pantheon: La Reynarde 2022. Planted in the iron-rich mica-schist soils of the Fongeant lieu-dit (historically divided by the Reynard stream), this spectacular 100% Syrah marks its official commercial debut with the 2022 vintage.

Bridging the floral, perfumed elegance of La Turque with the dense, structured muscle of La Landonne, La Reynarde incorporates 100% whole-cluster fermentation and intensive punch-downs. The 2022 release stands as a monumental achievement, offering a rich tapestry of black fruits, liquorice, and graphite, becoming in its own way, a fitting tribute to the next generation of Guigal Rhône royalty now led by Philippe Guigal.

To mark the prestigious London launch of the La Reynarde, Guigal’s UK importer John E. Fells opened a fascinating selection of white and red wines from the Domaine E. Guigal range, to mark this momentous occasion… and I was there to taste and assess all the new and current releases. 

White Wine Flight:

Domaine E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2024, 14% Abv.

Tantalisingly pithy citrus driven aromatics, lime peel, wet limestone and green apple. Lovely concentration and freshness, well delineated and deliciously long on the finish. Very impressive for an “entry level” wine.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Croze-Hermitage Blanc 2023, 13% Abv.

A more savoury, leesy nose with waxy bergamot lemon peel, lanolin, sweet herbs following to a full glycerol palate with tangy white peach, a well integrated acidity and a fleshy substantive length.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Saint Joseph Blanc 2023, 13% Abv.

A deep earthy savoury aromatics loaded with quince, peach and bruised yellow orchard fruits. Fleshy and glycerol with more high toned pithy peach pip viognier’ish profile of zesty fruit with real body and power.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Saint Joseph Lieu-Dit Blanc 2023, 14.5% Abv.

An enticing aromatics with complex layers of quince, apple puree, and biscuity, leesy savoury hints. More wet stone granitic minerality on the palate with sweet herbs, green fruits and a very complex harmonious finish. Superb.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2023, 13.5% Abv.

A savoury waxy aromatics greet you with incense, lanolin and slightly oily, buttery yellow orchard fruits. Concentrated and moderately intense, the acids are soft but tangy, the fruit weight fleshy and persistent.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Condrieu 2022, 14.5% Abv.

Plenty of archetypal peach stone fruits, zesty apricot and savoury leesy ginger biscuit nuances. Lovely peachy fruit in the mouth, impressively concentrated with a delicious balance and intensity. Classy.

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

Domaine E. Guigal La Doriane Blanc 2023, 14.5% Abv.

A complex melange of wet limestone and granitic minerality with pithy peach stone fruits. Cool and creamy on the palate, the freshness finely poised, the ripeness perfectly in check. A really delicious La Doriane good to drink now.

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

Domaine E. Guigal La Doriane Blanc 2024, 14.5% Abv.

This 2024 shows a tighter, more mineral dusty granitic aromatics before hints of lemon grass, dried herbs and peach stone. Full but fresh in the mouth, beautiful delineation, cool, classical and tight knit. This will still improve further in the cellar. Lovely.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Hermitage 2019, 14% Abv.

Delightfully complex nose shows earthy wet chalk, rain on hot slate and delicately mealy, savoury hints of lemon biscuits, peach stone and a full and fleshy palate with yellow orchard fruit concentration, real energy and drive. Rhône’s answer to Burgundy?

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

Domaine E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc 2020, 14.5% Abv.

An intricately complex aromatics showing white blossom, honied peaches and a savoury mealy complexity. The freshness is chislled and cool, supporting massive honey comb concentration and peachy toasted fruit nuances. Wow, a beast of a wine.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc 2022, 14.5% Abv.

A slightly tighter, stricter aromatic expression, with a stony minerality and pithy peachy hints. Palate is super cool and taut, almost steely, with a profound purity and tight knit fruit crystallinity. Very classy.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rose 2025, 14% Abv.

Delightfully chalky musky aromatics showing pink flowers, red currants, and pithy wild strawberry. Super fine, cool and crystalline, the fruit purity is delicious, the freshness perfectly judged, finishing with a complexing sapidity. Lovely.

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

Red Wine Flight:

Domaine E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2022, 14.5% Abv.

Such a succulent aromatics loaded with ripe strawberry, earthy red currant and delicate sweet herbal nuances. Perfectly weighted palate, bright, dense, compact yet delightfully fleshy and fresh. Very impressive for the money!

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

Domaine E. Guigal Hermitage 2021, 13% Abv.

A delightful melange of sweet red and black berries, savoury notes, cured bresaola and granitic spice.  A notable high toned sapidity and peppery spice supported by bramble berries, wild strawberry and a pronounced mineral intensity.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Saint Joseph 2021, 13% Abv.

A deep, dark fruited broody aromatics showing lashings of black berries and black plums, a savoury mid-palate and a cool, sleek, silky fine grained finish. Very classy.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Saint Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice 2021, 13% Abv.

Loaded with aromatics of blue and black berry fruits with a delicate veneer of oak polish, Kalamata black olives and savoury meaty nuances. Sleek, polished and beautifully fresh, the acids add linearity to the ripe, savoury molasses tinged fruits. Chalky and grippy in a powerful, muscular style.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Gigondas 2021, 14.5% Abv.

Quite a restrained, earthy, broody aromatics require plenty of coaxing. Hints of wild strawberry, red plum and watermelon linger. Palate is cool, crunchy and fresh remaining true to the restrained 2021 vintage styling.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Hermitage 2020, 14.5% Abv.

Earthy ripe brûléed hints over meaty red fruits, cured charcuterie and gun smoke spice. Compact, harmonious and creamy in the mouth with lactic black berry yogurt hints, molasses and warm vintage Xmas spices. Certainly a punchy style.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie 2021, 13% Abv.

A lovely fragrant perfumed expression showing dusty granitic spice, lavander, potpourri, red plums and incense spice. Elegant and poised, neither imposing nor weighty, this is lithe, sleek and elegantly fashioned from a cooler vintage that shows tension and restraint.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Chateau d’Ampuis Cote Rotie 2018 (Magnum), 14.5% Abv.

Delicate molasses tinged fragrant lift, with sweet Xmas spices, red liquorice and savoury chargrilled meaty notes. Beautiful density, harmonious palate weight and an effortless black berry laden persistence. Wow. Really very good.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Rouge 2017, 14.5% Abv.

Savoury and meaty on the nose, the aromatics are earthy and dusty with a mineral under vein. Fruit profile is ripe and fleshy, full of molasses, cured meats, savoury spices and stewed plum compote. Bold, ripe, and big in style.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Rouge 2020, 14.5% Abv.

A vanilla pod tinged aromatics showing bramble berry spice, savoury plum compote and molasses hints. Cool, plush and super creamy texture, this has a dense compact intensity, fabulous balance and a harmonious, vibrant finish. Effortless class.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline 2017, 14% Abv.

This Cote Blonde vineyard yields a beautiful wine showing savoury notes, biscuity gingerbread dough aromatics with fabulous broody black berry fruits and a super cool, creamy, seductive length. So elegant, finely poised and complex.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline 2019, 14.5% Abv.

Quite an earthy, savoury under vein with ripe plum, pomegranate, and stewed plum compote. More fireworks on the palate that shows a notable creamy, lactic ripeness with sweet, fleshy black berry fruits, a tannin texture of velvet and a meaty, chargrilled length.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline 2022, 13.5% Abv.

This shows a complex, cheeky aromatics of raspberry, wild strawberry and earthy pomegranate fruits. Purity and precision are key, following to a pinpoint palate that’s silky soft, fine grained and incredibly vibrant and fresh with tangy acids and a ginger bread finish. Simply stunning.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque 2016, 13.5% Abv.

This Cote Brune vineyard shows a deep, complex aromatics of tilled earth, dusty granitic spice and blue black berry fruits. Tight knit, silky and soft, showing big concentration, a mouth coating density, fine grained powdery tannins and a gunsmoke, graphite, and a peppery finish. True classism and class.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque 2018, 14.5% Abv.

A majestic balance of black savoury fruits, lavender perfume, blueberry fruits, and a subtle, granitic mineral spice. The youthfulness is front and foremost outstanding, the density plush with a bright creamy texture, super harmonious balance and real assertive power. Wow!

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque 2022, 13.5% Abv.

A deep blue black fruited aromatics are emboldened with creamy lactic nuances, custard cream biscuits and blueberry crumble. Tight knit and super compact, this has among the finest textured tannins I’ve ever tasted, complementing a tight grained, chalky, black berry laden chalky finish. Simply astonishing.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 2016, 13.5% Abv.

This shows an incredible granitic, sappy, mineral aromatics with a seductive pyrazines salt and pepper complexity. Complex, nervy and mineral laden, this is one of the most fruit-backward expressions I’ve tasted. Pithy, enticing but certainly an intriguing expression!

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 2020, 13% Abv.

A rich vein of creamy lactic milk chocolate aromatics set this wine apart. Plummy, mulberry fruits notes develop, with a weightless silky palate, impressive black berry fruit concentration, and freshness and a spicy, ethereal, silky grippy tannin finish. Sublime!

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 2022, 13.5% Abv.

Beautifully harmonious aromatics integrating lavender, violet perfume, garrigue, limestone and blue – black berry fruits. Sleek, silky and classically structured showing beautiful elegance, fine grained velvety tannins with a really premium presence. Superb.

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

Domaine E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Reynarde 2022, 13.5% Abv.

Incredibly deep, broody and broad shouldered aromatics with layers of earthy savoury black berry fruits, black liquorice and savoury cured meaty notes that follow to the palate that’s more intricate, musk laden, chalky and incredibly tight knit and fine grained with massive concentration coated by premium chalky tannins. A beautifully unique lieu dit Cote Rotie expression. I’m in love!

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

Sakkie Mouton’s Fourth Vintage of Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2025 Tasted and Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah label from Sakkie Mouton Family Wines is bold reference to the rise of the West Coast as a new wine region and features a tongue-in-cheek picture of divers picking grapes under the ocean, which contributes to their “salty” taste on the palate. “Salty Tongues” also happens to be ‘Weskus slang’ for the rather spicy language some of the local farmers and fishermen are known to use on a regular basis!

The 2025 vintage in South Africa’s Olifants River region delivered exceptional quality fruit despite some challenges. Heavy July winter rains caused localized riverbank flooding, but ultimately secured vital irrigation. Mild, dry conditions followed, resulting in fairly conservative Chenin Blanc yields but outstanding colour development, perfect pH balance, and intense flavours in the reds like Shiraz / Syrah.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2025, WO Olifants River, 14% Abv.

This 2025 Syrah from Sakkie Mouton is an attractively constructed expression that oozes character and complexity. There is an extra weight and power to the wine that one has not seen before in Sakkie’s previous vintages, undoubtedly due to a small addition of riper grapes picked at 14.5% Abv. being blended into the cuvée. The nose is classically wild and Rhoney with hints of cured meats, black olive tapenade, black berries, red cherry and delicate incense nuances. On the palate, the extra fruit weight fills the mouth with deliciously succulent red and black berry fruits, the acids and salinity ever present and mouthwatering. The texture is tight knit but fleshy, the tannins beautifully fine grained and mineral marrying with a bright fruit intensity and a delightful purity and precision on the finish. This is a vintage that will undoubtedly broaden Sakkie’s red wine credentials. Drink now to 2034+.

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

The Sakkie Mouton Family Wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines and Woodwinters UK.

The Multi-Talented Chris Groenewald Hits London to Launch the New Releases of His Exciting Pounding Grapes Wine Range… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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. 

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anysbos Winery – The Best Kept Secret in the Western Cape’s Bot River Wine Region…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Located in the heart of the Bot River valley, Anysbos is far more than a traditional winery; it is a holistic farm where the wild beauty of the Overberg meets refined, small-batch craftsmanship. Established by Johan and Sue Heyns, the farm takes its name from the Anysboegoe, a local wild anise shrub that dots the landscape. This connection to the land is the winery’s guiding light, emphasizing a deep respect for the indigenous flora and the unique shale-heavy soils of the region.

The winemaking, led by the talented Marelise Niemann, focuses on varieties that thrive in the valley’s dry-land conditions. Anysbos has carved a niche for itself with its Rhône-style blends and exceptional Chenin Blanc. Signature labels like the Tesame (a Grenache-led blend) and the Disdit white blend are celebrated for their elegance, bright acidity, and true “sense of place.” Beyond the cellar, Anysbos is a Mediterranean-inspired sanctuary. The farm is equally famous for its award-winning goat’s cheese and its sprawling olive groves, which produce some of the finest oils in the district. By integrating livestock, fynbos conservation, and viticulture, Anysbos stands as a premier example of the authentic, unpretentious, and high-quality farming that defines the Bot River community. 

I recently caught up with owner Johan for dinner in London while he was on a whirlwind tour of the market. Together we tasted a range of wines that are undoubtedly one of the best kept secrets of the Bot River wine region.

Anysbos Disdit 2022, WO Bot River, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 69% Chenin Blanc, 13% Roussanne, 12% Marsanne and 6% Grenache Blanc. The Chenin shows beautifully with hints of lemon grass, lanolin and waxy lemon citrus peel. There is lovely energy here, cool, creamy and plush with seamless elegance, fantastic balance and deliciously tangy acids. Impressive concentration and focus, this is a beautifully fresh Rhone blend! Drink now to 2036+.

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

Anysbos Disdit 2023, WO Bot River, 13% Abv. 

A blend of 57% Chenin Blanc, 17% Grenache Blanc, 17% Marsanne and 9% Roussanne. An exotic aroma builds off delightful notes of lemon and herbs, buttered white toast, glazed brioche and lees complexity. The palate reveals a creamy balance with a fulsome mid-palate, a really saline, pithy concentration and a long, cool, seamless finish. The acids are soft but invigorating, beautifully integrated, making for a very smart wine. Drink now to 2036+.

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

Anysbos Tesame 2021, WO Bot River, 12.5% Abv.

A blend of 47% Grenache Noir, 45% Syrah and 8% Cinsault aged for 20 months in old oak. A classically cool, taut, fresh vintage speaks with a soft voice, whispering an aromatic complexity of sappy berries, crunchy red fruits full of dried herbs, fynbos spice and an irony ferrous minerality. Such a pretty wine with a cranberry and pomegranate freshness and purity with a delicate bramble berry hint. A really very special wine with such beautiful texture and freshness at such a meagre alcohol! Love it! Drink now to 2038+.

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

Anysbos Tesame 2022, WO Bot River, 13% Abv.

A blend of 55% Grenache Noir, 33% Syrah and 12% Cinsault aged for 16 months in old oak using a partial whole bunch portion. Incredibly pristine and bright, this is an evocative wine with crystalline red berry fruits, cranberry, bramble berry and a fynbos herby spice. The palate expertly walks a tightrope between sweet concentrated red berry fruits, stony minerality and a sweet bay leaf herby, silky finish. Drink now to 2036.

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

Anysbos Tesame 2023, WO Bot River, 13% Abv.

A blend of 56% Grenache Noir, 39% Syrah and 5% Cinsault aged for 16 months in old oak. This is a big, intense, punchy, extroverted style in 2023. Simply put, it takes your breath away. The aromatics are sweet and sappy, layered with dried herbs, fynbos, pithy red plum and red currant berry fruits. The integration and balance on the palate are simply stunning. This is the business! A fabulous wine I’d love a case of in my cellar. Drink now to 2038+.

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

The Anysbos wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Wood Winters Wine Merchants. 

Contact: andrew@woodwinters.com for more information on pricing and allocations.

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

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

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

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

Dr Jamie Goode tasting with John Seccombe.

Thorne & Daughters:

Thorne & Daughters Paper Kite 2024, 13% Abv.

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

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

John Seccombe

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thorne & Daughters Wanderers Heart 2022, 13.5% Abv.

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

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

Momento Wines:

Momento Chenin Blanc / Verdelho 2022, 13% Abv.

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

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

Momento Grenache Blanc 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

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

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

Myself and Marelise Niemann

Momento Grenache Gris 2023, 13% Abv.

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

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

Momento Paardeberg Grenache Noir 2023, 13% Abv.

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

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

Peter-Allan Finlayson

Crystallum and Gabrielskloof Wines:

Crystallum The Agnes Chardonnay 2025, 13.5% Abv.

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

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

Crystallum Clay Shales Chardonnay 2025, 13% Abv.

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

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

Gabrielskloof Elodie Chenin Blanc 2024, 13% Abv.

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

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

Crystallum Peter Max 2024, 13.5% Abv.

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

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

Gabrielskloof Syrah Whole Bunch 2024, 13% Abv.

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

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

Gabrielskloof Cabernet Franc Landscape Series 2022, 14% Abv.

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

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

Mullineux Wines:

Mullineux Old Vine White 2024, 13.5% Abv.

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Mullineux

Mullineux Syrah 2023, 13% Abv.

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

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

Mullineux Terroir Series Schist Syrah 2023, 13.5% Abv.

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

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

Leeu Passant Wines:

Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, 14% Abv.

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

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

Leeu Passant Chardonnay 2023, 14% Abv. 

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

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

Adi Badenhorst, a new agency for Liberty Wines.

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

Pauline Roux, partner in Bosberaad Wines.

A Deep Dive Into the Seductive Red Wines of the Southern Rhône’s Beaumes de Venise Appellation…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

There are few more beautiful regions in the southern Rhone Valley than Beaumes-de-Venise. This enchanting wine regions is towered over by the striking Dentelles de Montmirail peaks, limestone outcrops from the Jurassic era, the sloping vineyards of this tiny southern Rhône cru and its five picture postcard villages possessing a true classical beauty. With a mosaic of complex soils situated on slopes at altitudes as high as 600m, this region seems to tick all the correct boxes for a new generation of wine drinkers looking for quality, individuality, and affordability, all presented with a rich historically storied past.

Interestingly, Beaumes de Venise was one of the first French wine regions I visited on my return to Europe from South Africa in 2000. Coming five years before the appellation changes in 2005, the region was firmly dominated by sweet Muscat wines with red wines very much an afterthought – the red wines living in the shadow of more notable up and coming villages like Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, Sablet, etc. I knew it was beautiful as a region and incredibly complex geologically, having hiked the Dentelle de Montmirail trails… which normally means it should be perfect red wine terroir as well.

Beaumes-de-Venise’s world-class Vins Doux Naturels (VDNs), sweet wines fortified to 15%, aka AOC Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, might be what the region is best known for, but as I discovered during a recent three day tasting trip to the region, there is so much more to discover and explore about this beautiful part of the southern Rhône Valley. 

While the regions Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise VDN sweet wines need no introduction, having been served at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the Cru status for the reds wines was only conferred on Beaumes-de-Venise reds in 2005. These must be an assemblage of at least 50% Grenache and 25% Syrah, with other Rhône varieties permitted such as Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Counoise.

White varietals like Viognier, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc can also be added but must make up no more than 10% of the blend. In practice, the majority of producers stick with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Currently, the INAO is still considering the AOC’s application in 2022 to include dry white wines under the same Cru designation.

The uniqueness of Beaumes-de-Venise’s terroir lies in its complex geological diversity, with four soil types: Triassic red earth, grey Jurassic earth, Cretaceous white earth and blond Miocene earth. The emergence of the Dentelles de Montmirail brought the Triassic deposits to the surface around the village of Suzette, whose soils are ideal for Syrah, providing richness, suppleness and longevity. Grey Jurassic earth is found north of the village of Lafare, being made up of silt, clay and sand which is perfect for Grenache. Cretaceous white earth around the village of La Roque-Alric, with its marly clay-limestone soil, is good for both Syrah and Grenache, which are grown on terraces, or ‘banquettes’, that boost groundwater retention. Blond Miocene earth’s clay-sand soils are best for Muscat, providing finesse, freshness and floral aromas. This blend of soil types gives Beaumes-de-Venise wines distinctive complexity and balance.

Beaumes de Venise celebrating 100 years – 80 years for sweet wines plus 20 for the red wine appellation.

For the UK market, there is definitely a significant opportunity for the red blends focusing on Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre. Most interestingly for me, despite the 14 to 15 % alcohol levels on the wines, they all retained incredible purity, freshness and focus more in keeping with wines that are 13 or 13.5% abv. But the limestone soils and altitude definitely bring something special to the wines. In the wider wine market, there is undoubtedly plenty of interest in the UK for the £16.99 to £22.99 price point wines that should see consumers getting a very accomplished red wine showing fruit purity, concentration, and structure.

AOC Beaumes-de-Venise Red Tasting:

1 Domaine Sant Amant 2024

Enticing sweet herbs, Xmas spices and black berries with a dusty stony, mineral undertone. Fresh and crunchy, texture shows tension, acid frame and lovely red and black fruit clarity with a tangy finish. 

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

2 Domaine Pierre Rougon 2024

Full of dark broody black berry fruit aromatics with a dusty limestone minerality. Lovely pithy mineral tannins, restraint and grip but fine grained and full of energy with a saline liquorice kiss on the finish.

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

3 Sarl Persephone Domaine Suzette 2024

Deep earthy black berry fruits with damson plum, black cherry and sweet bramble berry spices. The texture is fleshy and compact showing depth and breadth but also a creamy black fruited depth with plush powdery tannins and a saline intensity on the harmonious finish.

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

4 Domaine Caroline Bonnefoy 2023

Intense perfumed aromatics packed full of sour plum, peach skins, violets and lavender fragrance. Bright and fruity, the palate is tangy and mouth watering with a sweet / sour acidity with soft fleshy layers of red and black berry fruit on the finish.

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

5 Domaine de Fenouillet Terres Blanches 2023 

Dark broody nose with exotic black cherry and wild strawberry notes. The texture is sleek and polished, the tannins fine grained and powdery, finishing with chalky, grippy mineral tannins. A real terroir feel to this wine.

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

6 Domaines des Bernardins 2023

The aromatics are dusty and savoury with sappy spicy notes, peppery black berries, and a smoky flinty hint. The palate is fruity and bright full of red and black berry fruits, tangy acids and a sappy brambly finish.

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

7 Domaine des Garances Alazard 2023

A delicately perfumed aromatics showing musk, lavender, potpourri, black plums, red currants and black cherry. Palate shows crisp acids and notable delineation with wild strawberry and bramble berry fruits over a stony limestone minerality.

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

8 Domaine du Grand Montmirail Terres Blondes 2023

Piercing and pure fruited with violets, lavender, red cherries and red berries. Crisp, pure and very focused with an impressive textural precision. Very impressive balance. Real class.

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

9 Domaine La Ligiere Les Garennes 2023

Deep broody complex aromatics show herbs and spices, black berry fruits, musk and lavender. The palate is plush and ripe with a sweet sour acidity alongside plummy red and black fruits, bramble berries and hints of breakfast brown toast.

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

10 Domaine Raboly Clement V 2023

Delightfully perfumed nose of dried violets, potpourri and lavender alongside red and black berry fruits. The palate is crisp, pure and taut, full of energy and tension, polished marble tannins, tangy acids and a sleek harmonious long finish showing class and pedigree. Wow!

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

11 Famille Petitjean Les Contreforts de Montmirail 2023

Bright fruity nose showing raspberry ripple, strawberry confit and sour red plum with a smoky mineral hint. Deliciously tangy and red fruited, the finish is long, characterful and delicately salty.

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

12 Famille Petitjean Tradition 2023

Dark fruited aromatics showing damson plum, bramble berries and garrigue spice. There’s a focused precision on the palate, crisp acids and an accessible, long, fleshy finish with soft pliable tannins.

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

13 Domaine Pierre Rougon Les Vins Pierre Rougon 2023

Attractive aromatics of damson plum, black currant, violets and salty cassis. The texture is polished and tight knit, sleek, balanced and fine grained with creamy red and black fruits and a harmonious blackberry fruited finish.

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

13B Jean Pierre Cartier Rouge 2023

Shows a melange of perfume and lavender, musk and bathroom soaps with potpourri and garrigue spices. The palate is fleshy and creamy, full but accessible and deliciously chalky and tight grained with a powdery grippy mineral finish. A serious effort!

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

14 Vignerons des Dentelles Dom Venitia 2023

A dark fruited plummy smoky bramble fruited aromatics. The fruits are cool and compact, polished with fine grained tannins and gentle, soft integrated acids with a delicately toasty, brûléed finish.

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

15 Domaine de Durban Vieilles Vignes 2022

Tight dark fruited aromatics. Sleek texture. Beautifully complex and polished.

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

16 Domaine de la Pigeade Hurlevent 2022

A wine with impressive minerality and precision alongside aromatics of limestone, garrigue and spicy black berry. Impressive purity and precision on the palate, a definite winemaking focus and know how that elicits the best of this wine’s terroir. A polished, harmonious style with real minerality.

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

17 Domaine des Garances Jas du Chene 2022, 14.5% Abv. 

50% Grenache and 50% Syrah aged in concrete and stainless steel vats. Exotic aromatics of cherry rock candy, red plum and sour cherry. Follows to a deliciously pure, crystalline palate with sleek silky tannins, glassy fresh crystalline acids and a beautifully harmonious finish with a delicate brûléed tasty twist. Very impressive finesse.

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

18 Domaine Raboly Jean XXII 2022

Deep broody black fruited aromatics showing plum and black berry, musk and potpourri spice. Texture is cool, fleshy and pure, harmonious and balanced with silky tannins, a fleshy black berry core of fruit and a long, chalky finish. Very mineral and seriously classy!

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

19 Domaine Saint Amant Grangeneuve 2022

An intricate aromatics with raspberry and red currant top notes over deeper, broodier black currant and damson plum baritone fruit notes. Full and plush in the mouth, the acids are tangy and the tannins sweet, soft and accessible, finishing with a mellow sweet and sour complexity.

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

20 Earl Saint Roch Cuvee des Sens 2022, 15% Abv.

60% Syrah and 40% Grenache. Smoky meaty savoury aromatics with hints of cherry rock candy, macerated blueberry fruits and musk hints. The palate shows a fleshy depth and concentration, accessible ripeness and generous depth with a long, plush, sweet black fruited finish. Packs a lot of punch and intensity.

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

21 Earl Saint Roch Cuvee des Taus 2022

A delightfully fragrant aromatics boasting violets and potpourri, black cherries, musk and lavender. The fruits are tangy and bright in a red and black berry melange. Polished tight grained marble tannins are supported by a fresh acidity and a generous, harmonious fruit length.

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

22 Vignerons des Dentelles Confidence 2022

The aromatics show dusty, herby garrigue spice with musk and cinnamon spice. Cool and compact on the palate, the tannins are fine grained, chalky, and soft with a drying mineral finish.

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

23 Gaec de Benquillon Rene 2022

Perfumed aromatics with pink musk, talc, lavender and potpourri. The palate is bright and tangy, the acids crisp and the tannins chalky and mineral. Massive fruit concentration and intensity make this a very impressive wine.

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

24 Famille Soard Domaine de Fenouillet Yvon Soard 2021

Deep dark notes of black cherry, liquorice and black berries. Stony mineral texture with linearity and chalky tannins. A more mineral, classically restrained expression.

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

25 Domaine de Garances Le Pas de L’Aube 2021

75% Syrah and 25% Grenache from a single plot. Complex aromatics of black berry, saline cassis, liquorice and black olive. The texture is cool and tight knit, with polished stony tannins, a chalky minerality and a drying intense finish.

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

26 Domaine Saint Amant Cuvee Nathalie 2020

20% new barriques with up to 8 year old barrels with a 3-4% Viognier portion blended and Co-fermented. Aromatics full of black cherry, kirsch liquor, and salty black liquorice. The black fruits are zippy and vibrant, the texture chalky and mineral with a long, tangy salty finish. Plenty of intensity here.

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

27 Famille Petitjean Felibrige 2020

A more savoury meaty black fruited aromatics with cherry and cured meats. Palate is mineral and taut with stony tannins and a chalky finish.

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

28 Vignerons de Dentelles Trias 2020

Deep broody aromatics boast black cherry, black berries and saline spice. A notable minerality belies the palate with fine grained chalky tannins and a fresh, bright acid finish.

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

Star performers from Domaine Raboly, a young premium micro-site boutique producer.

 

The 2025 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Wines Reviewed – Scores at the Doors…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again! Tasting the unique micro expressions from some of South Africa’s top producers is no easy task. It used to be a real expose of some really unique wine styles of the ever evolving South African wine industry, but now, it feels like producers are evolving, maturing, and certainly playing it a little safer. Is that a bad thing? No, not at all!

Speaking to tasters, collectors (at the tasting) and producers, the feeling was very much that ALL wines were impressive and worthy of praise. But, many did feel that the innovation had been slightly dialled down in the name of premiumisation and in order to offer the wider global fine wine market a unique selection of wines that can be offered to incredibly fussy international merchants and collectors in a congested fine wine market place – wines that can’t be compared and contrasted to anything already available on the market.

Some will reflect on these wines and feel that they are not sufficiently “different” from the regular cuvées offered on the commercial market, but one has to bare in mind that many of the buyers engaging in the CWG auction are not in a viable position to access workable / commercial quantities of wines from these top producers now that European allocations have become so tightly controlled and limited. The CWG breaks that mould and expands the market for South African fine wine, bringing some incredibly high quality wines to a wider, new generation of collectors and connoisseurs. That alone should surely be celebrated. I for one remain a MASSIVE fan of the CWG concept and auction process and encourage enthusiasts to buy with confidence whether bidding directly or buying through a merchant channel like Bordeaux Index.

Scores at the doors…

AA Badenhorst Family Wines ‘Out Of The Strong Comes Forth Freshness’ Carignan 2024 – 93+/100

The Saldanha Wine & Spirit Co. Saldanha Pale Dry SEA, SALT, SAND AND WIND N.V. – 95/100

Ataraxia ‘Sympathy For The Pinot’ Pinot Noir 2024 – 94/100

Ataraxia Under The Gavel Chardonnay 2024 – 95/100

Bartho Eksteen Wine Estate Fluister Landgoed Pinot Noir 2023 – 93/100

Bartho Eksteen Wine Estate Vloekskoot Sauvignon Blanc – Op Hout 2024 – 92+/100

Beaumont Family Wines Arturo’s Pinotage 2023 – 94/100

Beeslaar Wines CWG Pinotage 2023 – 96/100

Boschkloof CWG Epilogue Syrah 2023 – 97+/100

Boschkloof CWG Conclusion 2023 – 97/100

Cederberg Black Slate Shiraz 2023 – 93+/100

David & Nadia Veiling Chenin blanc 2024 – 96+/100

De Grendel Wines Op Die Berg Pinot Noir 2023 – 93+/100

De Trafford Chenin Blanc S16 2024 – 96/100

Delaire Graff Estate Banghoek Cabernet Sauvignon – Cabernet Franc 2022 – 94+/100

Dewaldt Heyns Family Wines CWG Chenin Blanc Reserve 2024 – 95/100

Dewaldt Heyns Family Wines Saailand Shiraz 2022 – 94/100

Ernie Els Wines CWG 2022 – 94/100

Frans K. Smit Lamed 2021 – 94/100

Graham Beck CWG Extra Brut Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cap Classique 2018 – 94/100

Graham Beck CWG Extra Brut Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cap Classique 2019 – 95/100

Jordan Wine Estate CWG Chardonnay 2024 – 94/100

Kershaw Wines Ziggurat Chardonnay 2024 – 95+/100

Kershaw Wines Vertiginous Pinot Noir 2023 – 94/100

Le Riche CWG Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 97/100

Lismore Estate Vineyards Valkyrie Chardonnay 2024 – 95+/100

Lismore Estate Vineyards The Sheltering Sky Syrah 2023 – 97/100

Luddite Wines Square Dog Grenache 2024 – 94/100

Miles Mossop Wines Maximilian 2018 – 94+/100

Adi Badenhorst in London for the CWG trade tastings.

Miles Mossop Wines Maximilian 2019 – 95/100

Mullineux ‘The Gris’ Old Vine Sémillon 2024 – 98/100

Neil Ellis Wines Amper Bo Tempranillo 2021 – 92+/100

Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Sandford Chardonnay 2023 – 96/100

Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Windansea Pinot Noir 2023 – 95+/100

Paul Clüver Family Wines The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2024 – 95+/100

Raats Family Wines Fountain Terroir Specific Chenin Blanc 2024 – 96/100

Raats Family Wines Stella Nova Cabernet Franc 2021 – 95/100

Rall Wines Noa Syrah 2023 – 98/100

Rock of Eye CWG Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 94/100

Savage Wines Auction Syrah 2023 – 97/100

Silverthorn Wines ‘Mad As The Mist And Snow’ Brut Nature Cap Classique 2019 – 95/100

Solo Wines Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 – 93/100

Storm Wines Bokkeveld Shale Pinot Noir 2023 – 96/100

Storm Wines Bokkeveld Shale Chardonnay 2023 – 96/100

Strydom Family Wines The Game Changer Cabernet Franc – Merlot 2021 – 94/100

Strydom Family Wines Paradigm 2022 – 95/100

Warwick Auction Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 93+/100

Thorne & Daughters Sand Castles 2024 – 96+/100