Sakkie Mouton is now a universally respected young winemaker crafting some incredibly unique terroir driven white wines made from grapes mostly sourced from several barren wind-swept vineyards up the Cape West Coast around Koekenaap and Vredendal. But it was only with his maiden release Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2022 that he started on his own wine brand’s red wine journey. The name and label references not only the rise of the Weskus as a new respected viticultural area of interest but is also a play on words describing the more “salty language” that some of the West Coast locals are known to use.
With Sakkie’s new Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2024 and his new, third release, Dawn of the Salty Tongues 2024 Syrah about to hit the UK market, I thought it would be a perfect time to revisit his second Syrah release from the 2023 vintage. Once again, this second release is made from 100% Syrah grapes sourced from vines located 25 kilometres from the cold Atlantic Ocean in Vredendal. Sakkie says the 2023 vintage was “a spectacular one on the West Coast, with warm and sunny days and nice cold evenings to help slow the ripening process.” Grapes were picked early in the morning to preserve freshness before being chilled down and destemmed with 30% of whole bunches used in open top fermenters. Fermentation lasted around 2 weeks with pump overs three times per day, with the temperatures kept at a constant 27 degrees C. After completion of fermentation, the wine was aged for 11 months in 500 litre barrels.
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Syrah 2023, WO Olifants River, 13.45% Abv.
2.8 g/l RS | 6.0 g/l TA | 3.47pH
This 100% Syrah shows a deliciously spicy, sappy aromatics with layers of dried herbs, wet leaves, pithy red cherry, spicy dried tobacco leaf, raspberries and a graphite-laden mineral spice. The palate is incredibly sleek and taut but utterly charming, fresh and tangy with a melange of red and black bramble berries, raspberry and sour red plum on the finish. Beautiful whole bunch sapidity, exotically seductive spices with soft polished mineral tannins and a long, tangy finish make this a very drinkable wine with delicacy but also subtle intensity. Another classically leaning Syrah beauty. Drink now to 2035+.
This premium estate in the Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch continues to produce not only exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon based reds but also some incredibly seductive Syrahs. This 2022 single vineyard expression would have still been made by previous winemaker extraordinaire, Rudger van Wyk, who departed the estate at the end of 2023.
The impressive Stark Conde vineyards are located in the picturesque and dramatic Jonkershoek Valley, a site with steep changes in vineyard elevation ranging from 150 to 600 metres making for a range of terroirs with distinct characteristics. At Stark Conde they stick to traditional winemaking methods using open tank fermentation, meticulous sorting of grapes, hand-punch downs, basket pressing and maturation in small French oak barrels.
One of the three pine trees overlooking the Syrah vineyard.
Stark Conde Three Pines Syrah 2022, WO Jonkershoek Valley, 14.5% Abv.
This new release spent 18 months in French oak, 40% new, as well as a portion in concrete. The aromatics are fresh and lifted, packed full of fragrant violets, purple flowers, blueberries, black berries, earthy currants, before deeper notes of hoisin plum sauce and savoury grilled meats. The concentration is notable, the glycerol mouthfeel broad and fleshy with a brûléed vanilla pod spice, a tangy creme de cassis concentration and savoury blueberry fruits over subtle brûléed mocha notes on the finish. Polished and suave, this is an impressive wine for the 2022 vintage. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10+ years. (3,344 bottles, certified organic.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Stark Conde wines are imported into the UK by specialist South African importer Museum Wines.
Damascene is a partnership between winemaker Jean Smit and David Curl, the former owner of Bordeaux’s Chateau Gaby. I first met Jean Smit back in his Boekenhoutskloof winemaking days when it became immediately apparent that he was going to be a winemaking talent of note. When he asked if he could send me his first official releases to review, I felt very honoured indeed. After sharing the opened samples subsequently with a fellow wine trade colleague, the stars aligned and the company we suggested as a possible UK importer, Lea & Sandeman, signed him up in a flash, and the rest as they say, is history.
I caught up with Jean in London in early November 2024 to taste his impressive new 2023 releases which will arrive in the UK in early 2025.
Damascene New 2023 Releases:
Damascene Swartland Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
Made from Chenin Blanc grown on the Paardeberg by Adi Badenhorst and from two vineyards next to Eben Sadie, planted 1971 and 1979. Vinified with whole clusters separately, followed by oxidative must handling. Fermented warm at 20-22c in 1000 litre foudre with malo prevented by chilling. Aged on its gross lees with no racking and without stirring at 6c for 10 to 11 months before going into concrete prior to bottling.
It shows lifted aromatics of wet hay, orange peel, peach and apricot, notes of melon and bruised yellow orchard fruits with hints of tropicality under a veil of granitic minerality. The palate shows punchy concentration and a fleshy intensity, a fine savoury depth together with a glycerol mouthfeel and a classic, flinty wet stone minerality on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Damascene Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
Made from a 1981 vineyard planted on decomposed granite soils on the Mooiplaas farm as well as another block on the neighbouring farm grown on Greywacke soils planted in 1972. Lastly, some fruit from a plot on the Sonop farm grown on pure shale, facing towards Jonkershoek and the Swartland in direction.
Reveals quite a taut, steely, crystalline style with white citrus, stone fruits, lemon and lime peel with green melon, musk, and a pineapple bon bon lift. The palate is fleshy and rounded with beautiful depth and opulence interwoven with granitic wet stone notes, hints of crushed gravel, and a bright crystalline succulence. Impressive concentration, a wonderfully creamy, harmonious mouthfeel and a long, yellow and green fruited length. So pure and pristine. This is a masterclass in finessed winemaking.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Damascene Semillon 2023, WO Franschhoek, 13% Abv.
Fruit from the Goederust farm from a plot planted in 1962 and from a second plot planted in 1942 from a nearby farm on decomposed granite and sandstone soils. 100% Austrian foudre of 1000 litres used with both blocks containing some Semillon Gris. Same production method as the Chenin Blanc, with 11 months on its lees being careful to avoid too much reduction. “Getting the picking window right is crucial based more on the pH than acidity” according to Jean.
The aromatics are dusty and floral with white blossom, lemon peel, lemon grass, hints of dried herbs, buttered white toast, delicate wood spice and a cashew nut complexity. Supremely cool, creamy and seamless, with lemon butter, a soft fleshy mouthfeel, tangerine peel, honied peaches, and a crystalline purity on the finish with a tangy kiss of citrus. Really excellent as always.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Moya Meaker Riesling 2023, WO Elgin, 12% Abv.
Planted in 2006 on Bokkeveld shale soils, estate fruit that was previously used by Fledge and Co, but utilised by Jean since 2021. Working carefully with canopies to avoid Kerosene flavours, being fermented and matured in concrete conical styled containers, normally aiming for a 7 g/l RS and a 7g/l TA. Destemmed with 6 hours skin contact in a sealed off press before going into concrete for 11 months, then bottled in September.
The purity and crystalline characters are clear, beautifully fresh, vibrant and expressive boasting notes of green apple, green pear, citrus blossom, and tangy yellow grapefruit and white peach notes. Texturally, this is a masterful wine with a fleshy harmony, balance and seamlessly integrated acids, finishing with a delicately pithy, lime peel and elderflower cordial note on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Moya Meaker Pinot Noir 2023, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.
The farm boasts 110 hectares of apples and pears and 8 hectares of grapes. Currently planting some Chardonnay alongside the Riesling and Pinot Noir already established on mostly Glenrosa soils that are less ideal for apples. Pinot Noir 667 and 777 Burgundian clones utilised. All fruit destalked and destemmed with no carbonic maceration. 20% new Burgundian 300 litre French oak used.
The wine offers a very pure and elegant expression with a delicate tune of minerality and orange rind, pomegranate, pink grapefruit and a subtle dusty minerality. The tannins are incredible fine, the texture fresh and vibrant with rose petal perfume, blood orange and a tangy ruby grapefruit finish. Amazing subtlety, class and clarity.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Damascene Syrah (Polkadraai Hills) Stellenbosch 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
Taut, broody and spicy, the peppery red savoury nature of the fruit speaks of Karibib’s class and stature. 75% whole cluster, with the rest whole berry. Kept on the stems for 3 weeks max before being pressed into 2000 litre Stockinger foudre vats for 10 to 11 months. Planted 300m above sea level in 1996, 14kms from the False Bay.
A complex melange of sultry red peppercorns, Asian five spice, star anis, and sweet savoury potpourri notes. The palate is pure, taut, and tightly wound with the most incredibly fine grained tannins, silky mouthfeel and savoury, mineral weightless fruit concentration on the finish. Intensity over concentration of weight. Really very classy and grown up.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Damascene Swartland Syrah 2023, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.
Dry land farmed from an east facing plot next to Goldmine and Roundstone with soils that are a mixture of brown shale and schist. Another 20% of fruit added from a granitic site on the Jakkalsfontein farm with a 75% whole cluster portion.
The aromatics show a lofty, piercing perfume, intensity and florality with violets, rose petals, waxy crayons, incense, potpourri, and vibrant red berries, cranberry, wild strawberry and pithy red currant fruits. The minerality is beautifully chalky with a graphite vein and a pithy, wet river pebble complexity. Seamless balance, harmonious and incredibly well made, finishing with a seductive black olive and red bramble berry intensity. Superb!
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Damascene Ceres Plateau Syrah, WO Ceres Plateau, 13% Abv.
Vines planted on Bokkeveld shale at 1,050 metres altitude. 60% whole bunch with full submerged cap for 10 days. 2000 litre conical vats for 10 to 11 months ageing.
The aromatics are earthy and brambly, full of wild flowers, lilac, red apple, wet loam, and damson plum with delicate sweet orange peel and black cherry nuances. The palate is sleek and silky, beautifully polished and fine with intense fine grained tannins, weightless zero gravity fruit concentration and a chalky, gravelly, dusty, minerality on the finish. A unique expression of Syrah.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Damascene Cabernet Franc 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.
From a plot sourced from the Mooiplaas Farm. Shows complex aromatics of mint leaf, sweet leaf spice and a delicate herbaceousness, with an underlying tilled earth note, earthy red currant fruit, dusty minerality and subtle minty chocolate peppermint crisp nuances. The palate is cool and sleek, intense yet beautifully seductive and elegant, with velvety creamy tannins and a tangy, delicately fresh acidity. An atypical Cabernet Franc but utterly delicious!
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Damascene Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
Made from 75% of Vlottenburg fruit on the edge of the Polkadraai Hills, grown on granite over koffieklip, and the remainder from a plot in the Helderberg on decomposed granite, only 5 Kms from the ocean facing north east. One year in barrique, this is the only wine they rack into 2000 litre conical vats for a second year so as not to dry out the wines. Beautifully silky and fresh in the mouth, weightless, vibrant and intense with blue and purple fruits, a delicate salinity, and lifted violet notes. The tannins are dreamy, the mouthfeel silky, intense but so controlled, tempered and considered. Such class and pedigree on display with this youthful wine.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Damascene wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Lea & Sandeman wines.
Andrew Gunn’s middle daughter has been living with her partner Rob Macdonald in Brixton for the past 9 years, but they are both heading back to the Cape to take up positions within the family business. Rob looks set to take care of a portion of sales and marketing duties in the Cape, but before he headed off down south, I caught up with him in London to take a look at some of their new 2024 releases.
The 2022 vintage experienced a typical cold Elgin winter, with snow on the high mountain peaks and above average rainfall, which enabled good vine dormancy. Spring was characterised by cold and wet conditions, resulting in later bud break. The cold, wet and windy conditions continued into October and November causing uneven flowering resulting in smaller berries that have good concentrated flavours. From January to April Elgin experienced exceptional weather for the ripening of quality grapes.
Iona Monopole Pinot Noir 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 13.8% Abv.
An incredibly pure and perfumed aromatics greet you with a fragrant embrace, showing lifted notes of cranberry and bramble berries, cracked red peppercorns, wild strawberry and red currant fruits. Wonderfully delicate and intricate on the palate, the purity and precision of fruit is once again front and foremost in the mind with a pithy bramble berry spice, silky black raspberry and cherry fruits before stony, mineral, fine-grained tannins coat the palate. The mouthfeel and textural harmony on the wine are next level, enlivened by bright tangy acids and a long, mouthwatering, juicy fruited finish with just the faintest of savoury, earthy nuances. A wine that tastes slightly riper than previous vintages but also more complete in many ways. Very classy indeed. Drink now to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Iona Monopole Fynbos Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 12.5% Abv.
A blend of CY95 and CY 96 clones planted in 2003 on gravel beds with underlying clay. One sniff of this wine reveals something quite distinguished and complex indeed, with teasing aromatics that carry off a showy interplay between bright yellow citrus, lemon lime notes and a vibrant stone fruit complexity that hides intricate Burgundian nutty, vanilla pod and cinnamon wood spice hints. Indeed, the nose is so seductive its hard to move past it to the palate! The first sip is fresh and vibrant, deeply seeded with a stony limestone’esque minerality and a bright grapefruit and lemon citrus fruit intensity. Texturally near perfect in the mouth, the balance and harmony simply exquisite. An incredibly fresh, complex, and seductive Chardonnay with fruit purity that trumpets the very finest terroir notes of Elgin. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Iona Monopole Chardonnay 2022, WO Elgin Highlands, 12.9% Abv.
A blend of the four single Chardonnay vineyards on the estate including large portions of Kloof, Kraal, F4 and Fynbos, from vines planted in 2003 and 2009. On the nose, the aromatics are seductively picante and spicy, dusty, and mineral, laden with top notes of crushed gravel, subtle struck flint reduction, lemon cordial, grated limes, and subtle white pear pastille nuances. The palate shows a deliciously tangy acidity over a subtle savoury, leesy, phenolic lemon peel pithiness. This is a very grown up, mineral driven Chardonnay that trades on a nutty, stony, pithy citrus intensity rather than overt fruit and oak spice notes. Tense, lean and linear in frame, this is a very sophisticated offering that Old World Burgundian Chardonnay lovers will savour. Drink on release an over 4 to 5+ years.
Made from Sauvignon Blanc fermented with indigenous wild yeasts in large oak barrels results in an incredibly complex expression of this cultivar. Cool climate Elgin is indeed a true home for this variety and this 2022 expression is a rich, bold interpretation with aromatics packed with ripe heady, savoury aromatics of lemon biscuits and savoury lees, delicate black currant leaf, mint leaf and mojito syrup before rock salt, fresh fennel root and bruised green mango nuances. The palate is intense, focused, and incredibly vibrant, simply brimming with a delicious sweet and sour acidity, sweet gooseberry, stem ginger and finishing with a delicately grassy, fig preserve complexity. The richness and glycerol, textured mouthfeel is to die for and the finish, so long you lose sight of it crossing the finishing line. Savoury and slightly wild, this wine opens up a proverbial pandora’s box of exoticism, intrigue and excitement for the Sauvignon Blanc cultivar. Drink now on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Iona Solace Syrah 2021, WO Elgin, 13.6% Abv.
Sourced from Syrah vineyards planted in 2003 on Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm just down the road from the main Iona winery, this 2.5-hectare site planted on fertile Tukulu soils with a rich vein of gravel, clay and sand, make for a wine with power and depth but also elegance, freshness and pure varietal character. True to form, the aromatics on this fabulous 2021 red are vibrant and pure, with pristine notes of black raspberries, black currants and bramble berries that gently melt into more spicy, peppery, red berry hints showing strawberry compote, melted tar, and salty red liquorice. The 2021 vintage was an exceptional year and the fresh, energetic palate on this wine personifies the tension, pristine purity, and intensity a winemaker simply dreams about achieving in a truly great Cape vintage. Drink on release to enjoy this wine’s youthful Syrah electricity, or cellar for 10 to 15 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Iona are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.
The Smiley / Terracura winery project has been one of the funkiest, new wave, experimental projects on the South African wine scene for the past few years. With former winemaker Ryan Mostert moving to London to work in the on-trade, step in multi-talented Chris Groenewald, the once barman, sommelier, wine importer, and distributor to take over the winemaking reins. With plenty of wine trade experience behind him as well as a DipWSET diploma, since 2022, Chris has taken a shared ownership in the Terracura winery project along with original founder and investor, Michael Roets. With the old Swartland winery facility abandoned for storage, the wines are now made in a customised warehouse facility in Parrow, northeast of Cape Town.
With a lot of enthusiasm and effort, Chris Groenewald and Michael Roets have successfully resurrected this once favoured natty wine cult brand in the local Cape market and have now taken these highly accomplished wines with a difference, back into the international market once again, partnering with UK distributor and keen purveyor of South African wines, Woodwinters. If the quality I tasted across the range with Chris is anything to go by, you can expect this well-conceived wine brand to go from strength to strength.
Winemaker Chris Groenewald
Smiley Fresh White V1 NV, WO Western Cape, 12.5% Abv.
An impressive blend made up of 82% Chenin Blanc and 18% Grenache Blanc, 60% from 2022 and 40% coming from a combination of vintages from 2016 to 2021. A clean, fresh style, with all the sweet tangy bruised yellow orchard fruit notes that point to the Swartland combined with exhilarating notes of tangerine and yellow grapefruit confit. The palate shows a beautiful balance, a creamy glycerol texture and complex sweet pear notes on a long vibrant finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Smiley Fresh White V2 NV, WO Western Cape, 11.5% Abv.
A blend of 46% Chenin Blanc, 15% Colombar, 9% Clairette Blanche, 9% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Semillon, 6% Grenache and 6% Palomino with 52% of the wine coming from the 2023 vintage and 48% from 2022, all with circa 10% skin contact employed. Plenty of lift and exotic spice on this white with aromatic layers stem ginger, ripe quince, crystallised fig, green banana peel and bruised yellow orchard fruits. Cool and fine on the palate, the acids are tangy and the mouthfeel, sleek, harmonious and glycerol despite the meagre 11.5% Abv. Deliciously vibrant and energetic with a mouthwatering freshness on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Silvervis Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
67% of grapes sourced from the higher altitude Sky old vine Chenin Blanc vineyard that sits on deep decomposed Granite soils (kept on their skins for three days) and 33% from the Kweperfontein old vine vineyard Chenin Blanc planted in 1964 on the Waterval farm in the Paardeberg, which was kept on its skins for five days. Shows complex aromatics of fynbos, wet straw, lemon oil and yellow golden delicious apple fruits before white pear, honied peaches and a rich textural mouthfeel with soft tangy acids, spicy ginger and gentle salty Granitic mineral undertones. Very impressive expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Smiley White NV V6, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv.
A blend of 86% Chenin Blanc and 14% Grenache Blanc, from vintages spanning 2016 to 2021 (60%) and 40% from 2022, employing 20% skin contact, 3% maderised wine and 1% fermented under flor in old barrels. Maturation vessels include stainless sleet, demijohns, old barrels, and concrete egg. Notions of sweet and savoury with a lovely freshness, notes of orange blossom, ginger, nectarine, sour plum and pineapple wedges with a stony liquid minerality beneath. Lovely balance, elegance and bright tangy mouthwatering acids and a honied, peachy intense savoury finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Speciale 2023, WO Western Cape, 12.02% Abv.
Made from a blend of 67% Chenin Blanc and 33% Clairette Blanche. The Clairette Blanche saw whole bunch maceration for 3 days and the Chenin Blanc seven days skin maceration. Aged 12 months under flor in a single 300 litre barrel, the aromatics are rich and exotic with a subtle spicy maritime salinity, a sweet sappy fatty complexity, green apple puree, kerosene, and earthy, savoury cedar spice nuances. Rich and fresh in the mouth, there is a polished bright tangy mouthfeel with zippy acids and a soft, waxy citrus peel and yellow orchard fruit pithy intensity. Long, exotic, and delicately sappy but dry on the finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Smiley Red NV V6, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.
A blend of 45% Syrah and equal parts Touriga Nacional, Grenche, and Cinsault all from the 2021 vintage despite its NV certification. Combination of large old oak and concrete eggs used for maturation. Dark black fruited nose with hints of black currant, coffee beans, fynbos, black olive and savoury meaty nuances. Texture is soft and fleshy with a savoury sweet and sour plummy mocha choc powder spiciness and a delicately mineral, pink musk laden finish. Accessible with creamy powdery tannins and a very friendly seductive length.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Smiley Fresh Red V1 NV, WO Western Cape, 12.5% Abv.
Made from a blend of 43% Cinsault, 31% Syrah and 26% Carignan, 69% of the wine from 2023 and 31% from the 2021 vintage. Whole bunch fermented except for 50% destemmed Cinsault portion. A rich plummy bramble berry character permeates the glass with hints of raspberry compote and stewed strawberry fruits with a sweet and sour tangy acidity, sour red plum, quince, dried herbs, and exotic sappy peppery wood spice hints on the finish. Generous, mouthwatering and thoroughly delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 89/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terracura Syrah 2015, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.
A wine with almost 10 years age from three terroirs… Granite, Schist, and Iron soils, aged in concrete eggs and a few old oak barrels. Complex and savoury on the nose, the aromatics are not without freshness and savoury, sappy red and black berry fruits, fynbos, black chocolate cocoa notes, and delicate black olive tapenade nuances. The mouthfeel is creamy and mouth coating with lactic chocolate hints and black plum fruits, fine grained spicy tannins and a mineral laden savoury meaty finish. Decidedly old world in style, this will appeal to the legions of Rhone Rangers out there. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Smiley and Terracura range of wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Woodwinters Wines. Email: Andrew@woodwinters.com for trade and retail prices. (The wines range in retail price from circa £23 for the Smiley White V6, £25 for the Speciale 2023, £30 for the Silvervis.)
Established in 1982, the Cape Winemakers Guild is a collective of some of South Africa’s greatest winemakers. These 41 winemakers have been recognised as excelling at their craft by their peers within the Guild. Membership of the Guild is by invitation only and is extended to winemakers who have been responsible for the production of wines of excellence for a minimum of five years and who show promise of not only consistently exceeding industry standards, but also promoting the values of the Guild.
Over the last 42 years, the Guild’s winemakers have demonstrated a commitment to developing the local wine industry, through innovative practices and the sharing of knowledge. The Guild and its members are investing in the future of winemaking by nurturing young winemaking talent through the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust and the CWG Protégé Programme.
JD Pretorius, Gary Jordan and Samantha O’Keefe at the London CWG presentation.
The CWG meets regularly as a technical tasting group, providing its members with an opportunity to evaluate wines from around the world and to share their knowledge and ideas – ensuring that CWG members remain leaders in the art and science of winemaking.
Graham Beck CWG Extra Brut 2019 Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cap Classique (Pieter Ferreira)
Beautiful tension, precision and aromatic complexity with a very smart underlying structure, purity and freshness. Top drawer Cap Classique.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Silverthorn Big Dog Ten Cap Classique 2019 (John Loubser)
Sweet apple blossom, lemon cordial and delicate savoury red fruit aromatics. Beautiful creamy mousse, pin point structure and a dreamy finessed length. Stunning! Chapeaux John!!
Pungent gooseberry, vibrant green fruits, hints of leafy green herbs, fennel, green peas and capsicum hints. Rich, savoury style full of texture and fleshy yellow and green fruits.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Saskia-Jo White Blend 2022 (Miles Mossop)
An 85% Chenin Blanc / 15% Clairette Blanche blend, the nose is packed with bruised yellow orchard fruits, honey suckle and savoury oatmeal biscuit nuances. Full yet fresh, fleshy yet deliciously tangy, with a leesy oak spice complexity.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Beaumont Family Wines GG’s Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2023 (Sebastian Beaumont)
A fine stony mineral expression of Chenin Blanc with a dusty gravel minerality, fynbos, white peach and dried herbs. Lovely precision and tension harmonising with a seductive taut line of acidity. Super classy and classical.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Wines Swartland “The Gris” Old Vines Semillon 2023 (Andrea Mullineux)
Pink musk, dusty talc, sherbet Bon Bons, crunchy white peaches and green apple hints. Fabulous balance and depth with freshness, purity and pristine precision. A truly impressive fine wine with a seductively complex finish. Wow!
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Warwick Auction Chardonnay 2022 (JD Pretorius)
Honeysuckle, lemon cordial, savoury lees and lemon biscuits. Plush, fleshy and round with a deliciously tangy acidity and a long green apple creamy finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Ataraxia Under the Gavel Chardonnay 2023 (Kevin Grant)
Aromatics of salted butter on warm popcorn with hints of lemon biscuit. Full, cool, fleshy and pure with a seductively premium kiss of oak, delicate toffee apple hints and a cool, restrained white citrus and herbal spice finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Gottfried Mocke Wine Projects Chardonnay 2023 (Gottfried Mocke)
Dusty and mineral with pithy lemon and herbs, dry bush veld and fynbos hints. Cool, spicy and picante with a delicately savoury lemon & herb butter finish.
Wild brambly, earthy, wild strawberry, red berry fruits nuances on a savoury nose. Beautifully elegant texture, fine boned and sleek with very impressive attention to detail, silky sappy tannins and an earthy focused finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lismore The Sheltering Sky Syrah 2022 (Samantha O’Keefe)
Sweet savoury black berry fruits loaded with perfume, musk and violets. Very detailed and seductive with a meaty red berry fruited finish. Super impressive texture and focus.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Savage Wines Auction Syrah 2022 (Duncan Savage)
Deep, seductive and alluring aromatics packed full of red and black berry fruits, red currant confit, and a wonderfully perfumed creamy depth. Silky tannins, incredibly fine grained texture with a fabulous balance and length. Wow!
A fleshy, perfumed, lifted expression with red and black fruits, fleshy savoury meaty notes, sweet cherry confit and a strawberry compote finish. Silky tannins and weightless concentration combine with beautiful purity. An accomplished wine by anyones standards!
Savoury, dark fruited and alluring with exotic Christmas spices, incense and potpourri notes. Dreamy, seductive and elegantly textured with an understated power and intensity.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Luddite Tonto 2012 (Neil’s Verburg)
Sweet and spicy with savoury black berries, wild garrigue and fynbos hints. Powerful and assertive but also shows a tender, elegant textural underbelly with a weightless concentration.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raats Family Wines Stella Noval Cabernet Franc 2020 (Bruwer Raats)
Intensely perfumed and lifted with capsicum, sweet cedar, shaved pencil spice, with a crushed grey slate dusty lift. Fabulously sweet fruited, sappy and intense revealing a creamy, alluring textural harmony. Top effort.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Strydom Family Wines The Game Changer Cabernet Franc – Merlot 2020
A plush dark fruited palate with blue and black berry fruits, sweet cherry tobacco and hints of graphite and tannery leather. A super elegant expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Jordan Wine Estate CWG Sophia 2022 Red Blend
Sweet blackberry and herbs, fynbos and spice. A textural masterclass. Really seductive with an enticing cool leafy complexity and a long finish.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Le Riche CWG Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (Christo le Riche)
Made from a 26 year old vineyard which shows a deep, dark and broody aromatics packed with sweet plum and cassis, perfumed violets, cinnamon stick and vanilla pod spice with a kiss of dried mint leaf. The palate is plush and creamy, weightlessly concentrated yet vibrant, tangy and deliciously fresh. Class act! Stunning!
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Rock of Eye CWG Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (Coenie Snyman)
Sweet Red and black berry fruits, brown toast and a stewed black tea complexity. An incredibly fine textured creamy elegance, with chalky silky tannins and a weightless concentration on the finish. A textural dream wine!
A complex aromatics of roasted coffee beans, brûléed oak, brown toast with black currant confit. The acids are fresh, the fruit intensity tangy and bright, with an underlying salinity, a sweet and sour acidity and the most silky, seductive tannin texture with a minty, herby, chocolatey kiss of oak.
The annual Cape Winemakers Guild auction takes place on the 4th and 5th of October with the Protégé Programme Auction also officially underway, with bidding taking place virtually from 6pm the 7th Oct on the @StraussFineWine website. Coveted auction lots include unique collections, rare verticals & tasting experiences with Guild members.
Please contact: kate@capewinemakersguild.com for more details on how to obtain some of these world-class, ultra rare wines!
Following the atypically long and cool 2021 vintage which made for some iconic red wines, the Swartland weather seems to have returned to its more usual pattern of hot and dry growing conditions for 2022. The region saw good winter rains and then the return of some heat spikes during verasion from January to March… “intermittent spikes more than heat waves” Chris Mullineux explained, followed by cooler evenings which helped mitigate some of the earlier daytime heat. Generally picked later than average – late February compared to early February due to the later start – the vintage is widely regarded as a great success in the Swartland.
All wines were tasted from Zalto Bordeaux glasses and reviewed over the course of three days.
Mullineux Granite Jakkalsfontein Syrah 2022, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
2.2g/l RS | 5.5g/l TA | 3.67pH
The fruit for the 2022 GRANITE Syrah hails from bush vines planted in the decomposed Granitic soils of the Paardeberg and this wine has become the Single Terroir red most synonymous with gorgeously perfumed aromatics, freshness and length. These characteristics are mainly driven by each vine having to work intensely hard to get to the water source seated deep within the GRANITE soil structure. The GRANITE Syrah was hand-harvested on 21st and 22nd of February 2022 with yields of five tons/ha, which translated to 28HL/ha. In the cellar, the whole bunches benefitted from the protection of a cool early morning picking and were put into 500L French oak open top fermenters. Once crushed by foot, the indigenous fermentation process started, and very gentle extraction was achieved by doing punch-downs by hand. To accentuate the refined tannin structure of its GRANITE terroir origin, the wine was given skin contact for 28 days before being gravitationally drained and then pressed back into the same vessels for malolactic fermentation and further maturation. The 2022 was matured for 12 months in French oak 500L barrels of which 50% was new, followed by 10 months in 2000L Foudre. Once bottled, the wine was aged for another eight months before it was released.
Made with fruit from a warmer vintage, Chris Mullineux says it was a ripe year but certainly nothing unusual for the Swartland – certainly more normal than the 2021 vintage conditions. On these deeper granitic soils, the vines grow larger, and the canopies are bigger and wider, shading the fruit, resulting in a more perfumed offering. The aromatics are certainly wonderfully fragrant and lifted with exotic notes of violets, lavender, and potpourri spice with a lovely melange of red and black berry fruits, pink musk, red peppercorns, and subtle orange rind hints. The palate is sleek and super elegant, pithy even, with plenty of dry extract, a chalky tannin grip and a harmoniously intense finish. Plenty of richness and creamy elegance but perhaps a little less taut, severe, and mineral than this vineyard normally presents in youth. Another very pretty expression. (405 cases produced)
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Iron Kasteelsig Syrah 2022, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.
1.6g/l RS | 5.1g/l TA | 3.82pH
Grown on the IRON soils of the rolling red hills surrounding Malmesbury, this organic vineyard is well-established on the clay and gravel-rich Koffieklip soils that are good at holding water. The soil-bed becomes generous during primary growth in the spring, but then around veraison time the clay in the soils stops releasing moisture and the vine compensates during this quick ripening phase by making the smallest grapes of the three terroirs. This factor, combined with the lush canopy and medium-thick skins of the berries play a very important role in the natural construct of a Syrah with round tannins, an incredible complex palate and deep fragrance. The grapes were hand-harvested on 8th of February 2022 while the morning was still cool and yielded 4.5 tons/ha, which translated to 22HL/ha. In order to accentuate the IRON terroir, the grapes were foot-stomped as 100% whole- clusters into open top 500L barrels where hand punch downs took place to encourage natural and very gentle extraction. The fermentation cycles completed with indigenous yeast and after a further four weeks of maceration, the wines were racked and pressed to these original vessels for its maturation period. This wine was aged for 12 months in French oak 500L barrels, of which 50% was new, followed by another 10 months in 2000L Foudre and eight months of aging in bottle before its release.
The first thing I noticed about this wine is the incredibly small production volume, a mere 210 cases in 2022, which Chris confirms is the smallest production volume to date. Much of this was due to very strict grape selection as well as the vineyard still struggling in general to come to terms with the hangover and long-term effects of years of drought. Like the Granite Syrah, this cuvee shows a slight departure from is normal broody, earthy, meaty, bloody Northern Rhone style. Instead the aromatics are gracefully peppery with layers of damson plums, black berries, violets, lavender, and red bramble berry notes. Finally, after time in the glass, a slight undertone of blood and iron emerges, but they are by no means as dominant as normal, with the palate decidedly round and fleshy, layered with blue and black berry fruits, sleek integrated acids, and delightfully firm, polished tight grained tannins. The finish shows hints of salty liquorice, coffee bean, a subtle sapidity, and chargrilled charcuterie nuances. A rather riper, more elegant expression of the Iron cuvee that retains a critical amount of its archetypal old-world charm.
(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Schist Roundstone Syrah 2022, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.
1.8g/l RS | 5.2g/l TA | 3.80pH
These very special and characterful grapes grown on the Schisty slopes of the Kasteelberg or “Castle Mountain”, showcase the Mullineux’s estate Roundstone, and its tremendous ability to define Syrah grown on SCHIST soils. These rocky soils limit vine size and so the clusters and individual grapes in turn remain smaller with a higher skin to juice ratio, offering denser, more brooding tannins. The grapes were hand-harvested between 14th and 15thof February 2022 with a yield of 4.3 tons/ha, which translated to 26HL/ha. Safeguarded from the high-summer Swartland sun in February, the SCHIST Syrah was picked during the cool morning and the 100% whole bunches were immediately foot-crushed into 500L barrels. Only natural yeasts took the wine through its fermentations and only hand plunging were performed for completely gentle extraction – just enough to keep the cap wet. After four weeks it was racked and pressed back to the same open top barrels. This completed the tannin development and allowed its dark perfume to flourish. The SCHIST Syrah 2022 spent 12 months in 50% new and 50% 4th fill 500L French oak barrels and then another 10 months in 2000L Foudre before being bottled unfiltered.
The production quantity of the Schist 2022 was closer to the long-term average with 482 cases produced. The aromatics are wonderfully seductive and sophisticated, showing complex red and black berry fruit notes, violets, rose petals, fynbos, white pepper, before subtle hints of salted caramel, black berry compote and vanilla pod spice. Often a wine that is very showy in its youth, this 2022 has a certain purity, elegance, and classicism to it, but as Chris points out, also “a certain appealing Rhoney wildness that you don’t always find on the Schist”. An incredibly balanced and complete wine, there are complex notes of fynbos, garrigue, dried herbs, black berries, cured meats, and black peppercorns tempered with a seductively generous vanilla pod spice. This wine is a pyramid of elegance, power, and precision, with its massive textural stone construction blocks just slotting into one another that little bit more tightly and more precisely than with the Granite or Iron cuvees, revealing an architecturally detailed wine with a very impressive fruit-acid balance, flavour purity, and a notable palate intensity. A very serious and accomplished benchmark effort for the vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Mullineux Wines are imported into the UK by Liberty Wines and are available retail on request from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines.
Ahead of the second Springbok rugby test against Ireland, I thought I’d review a wine for all the devout rugby and wine connoisseurs out there. Tendai Mtawarira is a Zimbabwean-South African retired professional rugby union player who last played for Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby and previously for the South Africa national team and the Sharks in Super Rugby, becoming one of the most capped front rowers for the Springboks ever.
He was born in Zimbabwe and qualified for South Africa on residency grounds, before later acquiring South African citizenship. Mtawarira, known by the nickname Beast, became the most capped prop ever for the Springboks with 117 test caps. Not only is he the most capped prop in South African history, he is also currently the fourth most capped Springbok of all time behind Blue Bulls legend Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana and Eben Etzebeth.
I recently caught up with Beast and ex-England rugby international, Simon Halliday, the UK importer of Beast’s wine, to see what all the fuss was about!
The Beast Wine Collection Cabernet Sauvignon – Syrah 2016, WO Franschhoek, 14.5% Abv.
Shows a dramatically fragrant aromatics of exotic sweet scented incense, Middle Eastern spices in a souk, with notes of rose water, Turkish tobacco, pomegranate, blood orange and deliciously mouthwatering black berry and saline creme de cassis nuances. Silky soft with sweet ripe tannins, the palate shows a creamy, opulent and generous texture with seamless Cabernet and Syrah integration through masterful blending, and a really sumptuous long finish. Really quite a fine tuned and classy wine with an understated power.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Wine is available from The Sporting Wine Club for circa £40 per bottle in a case of 6.
I was recently introduced to the wines of Karoo Hoogland Winery by wine consultant extraordinaire Adam Mason. I had never heard of the winery before so was intrigued to taste these unique expressions from the Hendrikse family. The Karoo Hoogland wines come from an impressive high-altitude terrain located at 1,100 meters above see level in a semi-desert region.
Here, the Hendrikse family have gone from humble beginnings as fifth generation sheep farmers to vignerons growing vines on incredibly ancient alluvial soils, laden with lime. Each wine in the Karoo Hoogland range represents a zodiac sign of a Hendrikse family member and I recently sampled two vintages of their exciting Shiraz as well as their incredibly accomplished Cap Classique.
Karoo Hoogland Capricorn Brut Cap Classique
This is a truly impressive Cap Classique from Karoo Hoogland. Never an easy style of wine to truly master, the unique terroir of this winery lends itself to cool elegance, minerality and classical restraint. On the nose, the aromatics are impressively delicate and pure with plenty of dusty minerality, dried herb intricacy, pithy white citrus, crystallized lemon slices, crushed gravel, and a white citrus blossom complexity … all very compact and tightly wound into an incredibly attractive sparkling wine. The clarity, purity and precision continue onto the palate which shows an accomplished level of winemaking, a notable degree of terroir expression and plenty more pithy citrus, grilled nuts, and crunchy green apple nuances cloaked in a leesy, stony liquid minerality. The acids are sleek, pinpoint, and well-integrated and the mousse sufficiently vibrant, creamy and fine. Ultimately, this is a sparkling wine where less is definitely more, where elegance, minerality and fruit restraint play a winning hand. A really impressive Cap Classique that in my mind rubs shoulders with some of the top producers’ premium South African MCCs being produced in South Africa. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8 years.
A 100% Shiraz wine made from a single vineyard and matured in French oak for 6 months. The 2021 Hoogland Scorpio Shiraz boasts and attractively lifted, perfumed aromatics with genteel notes of spicy red apples, incense, pressed violets, lavender, lipstick, red currant and sweet and sour plum with just the faintest earthy forest floor note. Complex and compelling, the palate of the 2021 is equally seductive with silky soft fine svelte tannins, an ethereal weightless mouthfeel, soft delicate layers of red berry fruits, black olive, tart black cherry and a creamy mineral laden length. This is an attractive, cool fruited Shiraz (despite its 14% alcohol), that is tender, texturally very polished and delicately seductive. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5 years. (746 bottles produced.)
The new release 2022 Scorpio Shiraz shows a tangible increase in outright quality, focus and precision, with aromatics lead by sweet lavender, pure red and black berry fruits, Parma violets, sun dried cranberries, red cherry, and raspberry nuances. The fruit purity is next level and the perfumed complexity seductive and utterly hedonistic. As pretty as the nose is, the palate excels in equal measure with beautifully seamless sweet, silky, elegant tannins, weightless red berry fruit concentration, and a texture so fine your senses lose their bearings trying to navigate the start and finish of the wine. Simply packed with pristinely pure fruit, intelligently handled oak, allowing the beguiling dusty, stony, cool slatey minerality to shine through. This is really very classy indeed with a finish simply gob-smackingly delicious! Drink on release or savour over 5 to 8+ years.
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.
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.
