Syrah

The Ongoing Resurrection of the Journey’s End Estate – Tasting a Selection of New Releases with Owner Rollo Gabb…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The first Cabernet Sauvignon was produced from the Journey’s End estate in 2001 and the first Chardonnay in 2002, all from estate fruit. The Kumala brand, which used the Journey’s End name for its premium tier for a short period of time, was sold off in 2004 followed by a complete separation of brands. The first real resurrected “Journey’s End” brand personality started in 2007 when Rollo Gabb took over and a first shipment of wine was exported to the UK through Bibendum Wines, consisting of the 2005 vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Merlot, signalling the end of the old regime and the start of the new.

The Journey’s End winery is now comprised of a 120-hectare estate which produces a small range of premium hand-crafted wines following minimal intervention, sustainable and organic practices. I caught up in London recently with Rollo Gabb at Quo Vadis, one of the more famous restaurants in his UK business empire, and had an opportunity to reacquaint myself with some of the latest releases from Journey’s End.

Journeys End V6 Sauvignon Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

Made from vineyards situated 200m above sea level on south facing slopes, the wine remains on its lees for circa nine months in stainless steel tanks. Lush, vibrant and energetic with tangy tropical fruit acids, and notes of green papaya, mango, white peach, gooseberry and a deliciously vibrant fruit concentration and intensity. A really charming expression with plenty of precision and character. 

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

Rollo Gabb tasting in London in 2023.
Journey’s End winemaker Mike Dawson

Journeys End V1 Sauvignon Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Aged in 10% new oak and 80% second fill barrels with 10% also in egg / amphora. 50%/50% wild and inoculated yeasts in the fermentation with malolactic discouraged. Shows powdery aromatics of green melon, green apple, and white blossom with a beautifully round, harmoniously textured palate that is very subtle with no edges, round and voluptuous, but also delicately spicy with a lovely long length.

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

Journeys End V1 Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 12.9% Abv.

An 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon blend mostly naturally fermented. Classically vibrant and fresh, this wine encapsulates the maritime freshness, energy and zestiness of the Helderberg. The aromatics display lovely notes of wet slate, gooseberry, melon, greengage plums and cut grass that melt into a seamless, harmonious palate bolstered by a tangy acidity, plenty of fleshy peachy fruit and a long, tropically kissed finish. Very impressive indeed. 

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

Journeys End Destination Chardonnay 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.38% Abv.

A 100% Chardonnay from a single block, that is vulnerable to uneven ripening. Picked in 5 to 6 passes over two weeks. Whole bunch pressed into 228 and 300 litre barrels, 15% new and 85% used oak. Normally, 10-15% malolactic from a few rogue barrels. Shows layers of white pepper and oak spice over pear, green apple and pithy white citrus complexity. A very sophisticated expression with a subtle hint of sapidity before a cool, creamy, elegant mid-palate brimming with vitality, silky soft textured phenolics and a stony, granitic pithy finish. Classy and plush with lovely concentration on the finish.

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

Journey’s End V5 Cabernet Franc 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

First vintage produced in 2017 with increasing production slowly over time. The wine was aged in French old oak barrels for 14 months. Delicious aromatics offer chocolate, cherry, mocha, sweet tobacco, sappy cedar, sweet leaf and an attractive underlay of cassis and blue berry fruits. Picante and spicy on the palate, this is a very well honed, vibrant and superbly elegant expression that is neither too cedary or nor too peppery. Simply blissfully fresh, vibrant and perfectly balanced.

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

Journey’s End The Griffin Syrah 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

From a 24- to 25-year-old Syrah block using 100% whole bunches on the stems incorporating carbonic maceration and full malolactic fermentation in oak barrels. Spends 18 months in 16% new American oak with the remainder going into second fill French oak barrels. The aromatics are dark and tarry, packed with stewed black cherries, black plum, olive tapenade over a sappy, resinous, smoky black berry complexity. Super rich and unctuous on the palate, the wine boasts textured layers of black berry fruit concentration, sweet mulberry, sappy sweet plum with a vanilla pod kiss of American oak on the finish.

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

Journey’s End Cape Doctor Red Blend 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

A complex blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aged in 100% new French oak barrels. An opulently textured, plush red blend that really shows a bit of swagger. Jam packed full of red berry confit, plum compote, smoky granitic minerality, tobacco leaf, and a hint of sweet vanilla pod spice. Creamy textured, sumptuous and plush, hedonistic but also beautifully approachable, expressive and accessible now. Very impressive blend.

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

Wines are imported into the UK by Bibendum Wines.

Mullineux Wines Release a Trio of 2021 Single Terroir Syrahs That Could Redefine a New Level of Quality in the Swartland…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Mullineux Wines run by Chris and Andrea Mullineux is one of the most respected quality producers in South Africa as further evidenced by their recent inclusion in the Top 5 Wineries of South Africa poll conducted by Winemag.co.za. With their Signature red and white range only released onto the market as recently as 2008, and their Single Terroir Series wines first released in 2010, they have wasted little time in elevating their wines to some of the most sought-after in the Swartland and the Western Cape.

With Andrea Mullineux in London recently, I caught up with her over lunch to taste what she considers are her finest expressions of Mullineux Syrahs to date. With the Swartland experiencing a very long, cool, atypical vintage, I was intrigued to see what all the hype was about.

Mullineux Single Terroir Syrah 2021s:

Mullineux Granite Jakkalsfontein Syrah 2021, 13.5% Abv.

2.2g/l RS | 5.7g/l TA | 3.70pH

Beautifully taut and tight knit with pinpoint aromatics of crushed granite, gravel, delicate violet and lily perfume, juniper berries and subtle broody black berry fruit notes. The minerality and sappy herbal spices bristle in the glass with an incredibly fine-grained palate with delicately drying, chalky, satin textured tannins that will ultimately come to define this incredible vintage and its astounding weightless focus, dry extract power, cool freshness and seductive finesse. This is a truly exceptional, awe inspiring creation that pushes new quality boundaries for tannin management and palate precision. Drink from 2024 to 2044+.

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

Mullineux Schist Roundstone Syrah 2021, 13.5% Abv.

2.5g/l RS | 5.5g/l TA | 3.78pH

This beautiful Schist vintage is a real stunner, a gorgeous head turner that oozes quality, confidence and class. Deep, dark and multi-layered, the aromatics boasts complex notes of pressed pink blossoms, Parma violet candies, creme de cassis and saline black berry with delicate notes of cigar ash, graphite, and a concertinaed liquid mineral spice. Fabulously deep, tightly wound, and tight knit at its core but still incredibly, displays its own stylish opulence, expressive character and generosity without compromising the delicately dry tannin extract intensity on the finish. A beautifully spellbinding, seductive expression of Syrah that is sure to take on new dimensions of textural and flavour complexity with extra time in bottle. Drink from 2024 to 2040+.

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

Mullineux Iron Kasteelsig Syrah 2021, 13.5% Abv.

1.8g/l RS | 5.5g/l TA | 3.80pH

Another incredibly intense, densely textured, finely crafted wine displaying a uniquely individual terroir personality of damp earth and iron from the koffeeklip soils, black liquorice and black olive tapenade with saline cassis and black berry, graphite and oyster shell nuances. The beauty and precision on the palate is spectacular and this is where you really get to witness the compact, dry extract density of the Iron vineyard combined with the cool, intense, highly finessed tannin structure of the 2021 vintage. This is a simply sublime composition of classical terroir-driven Syrah that really stops you in your tracts with its utter majesty and poise. Possibly the finest Iron Syrah produced since 2010. Drink from 2024 until 2044+.

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

The Mullineux wines are imported into the UK by Liberty Wines and available retail from South African fine wine specialist Museum Wines.

Jasper Wickens Muscles His Way Into the Leading Pack of Top Syrah – Shiraz Producers in the Swartland…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Jasper Wickens and his viticulturist wife, Franziska Wickens, live and make wine on her family farm, Waterval (Waterfall), in the very heart of the Swartland. Neighbouring some of South Africa’s most sought-after Swartland producers in the Siebritskloof Valley on the northern side of the Paardeberg, they are in the proverbial thick of it with people like Adi Badenhorst, Jasper’s previous employer on Kalmoesfontein, Eben Sadie on Rotsvas, and David & Nadia Sadie.

The Paardeberg, with its 500-million-year-old magma and the resulting domes of granite and microclimates, makes for an intriguing winegrowing terroir. The different soil types, specifically decomposed granite, offer a freshness unique to the Valley to both whites and reds – something the whole wine-drinking world has started cottoning on to. With an unusually cool and slow ripening vintage like 2021, Jasper Wickens has produced some of his most profound wines yet.

Jasper’s Waterval farm wine cellar in the Paardeberg.
Tasting new vintages with Jasper in March 2023.

At a recent tasting, I caught up with famous wine critic Dr Jamie Goode from the Wineanorak.com and shared a bottle of the latest release Swerwer 2021 Shiraz from Jasper. We were all suitably impressed.

JC Wickens Swerwer Shiraz 2021, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.

The Swartland is a warm, dry grape growing environment which makes this beautiful new release Shiraz 2021 from Jasper Wickens all the more remarkable. A bright vibrant ruby red colour, the expressive aromatics simply burst out of the glass, teasing the senses with incredibly intense, pure floral aromatics of violets, cherry blossom and rose petals that melt into pristine notes of sweet red cherries, tart red plums together with hints of cranberry and wild strawberry. The subtle notions of white pepper and salty red liquorice follow to the exquisitely elegant tight-knit palate that displays wonderful freshness and energy, drawing on the cooler vintage conditions of 2021 to offer up such impressive purity and precision matched by a deft pinpoint structure. The finish is delightfully cool, mineral and restrained delivering a deliciously focused raspberry and cherry fruited saline persistence that will definitely lure you back again and again for another sip. A truly noteworthy expression of Swerwer Shiraz. Drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

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

The JC Wickens Swerwer wines are imported and distributed in the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Fernando Rueda Takes His Torero Project to the Next Level with a New Maiden Syrah and Second Pure Carignan 2022 Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

I reviewed Fernando Rueda’s first Rueda Family Wines Carignan in December 2021 and the review garnered a lot of interest as one of the very few single varietal Carignan cultivar wines produced in South Africa. The second release from the 23-year-old Wellington vineyard is now joined by a sumptuous Syrah produced from Stellenbosch fruit on Karibib. Both wines are produced with minimal intervention in a more artisanal style but shouldn’t be view as ‘natural wines.’ Not yet available in the UK, but do track them down if you are in the Cape.

Torero And Pasiphae 2022 Syrah, WO Stellenbosch, 14.37% Abv.

1.02g/l RS | 4.75g/l TA | 3.81pH

This 2022 Syrah displays a wonderfully exotic aromatics that combines intricately fragrant notes of Parma violets, purple rock candy, grape soda, raspberry confit, melted black liquorice and piquant black cherry with more subtle hints of smoked meats, black pepper corns and graphite spice developing in the glass. The palate is beautifully full, plush and fleshy with sweet creamy tannins, tangy acids and a seductive peppery layer of blue berries, creme de cassis and mulberry nuances. An impressively intense, powerful expression of Syrah that shows its obvious ripeness without compromising either its fruit purity or its mineral focus. A very well-honed expression of Stellenbosch Syrah! Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years. (1,292 bottles and 28 magnums produced)

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

Torero And the Suit of Lights Carignan 2022, WO Wellington, 14.86% Abv.

2.19g/l RS | 5.36g/l TA | 3.61pH

The maiden release of the Torero Carignan 2021 was an impressively tight, taut, slightly reductive creation that led with a stony mineral precision. The 2022 is an altogether riper, richer, more densely fruited example that boasts a flamboyant bruleed black fruited aromatics of black currant confit, plum spice and black cherry over black olive tapenade, iron filings and a subtle roasted vanilla pod nuance. Where the 2021 was a cool, slightly lean 12.5% Abv., the 2022 is a riper, more opulent 14.86% Abv. which lends a massive amount of extra glycerol depth and breadth to the palate. Carignan can quite often be quite a meaty, rustic variety, but this impressive Torero tames the wild side of Carignan, offering up pure, plush blue and black berry fruits with creamy soft sweet tannins and a long, spicy, densely fruited cola tinged finish. This is surely one of the finest single cultivar examples in the country!? Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years. (856 bottles and 12 magnums produced)

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

Sakkie Mouton Captivates Collectors and Connoisseurs with his Maiden Release Red – Tasting the Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

This maiden release red is certainly a big deal for Sakkie Mouton. Having worked so hard with his past vintages of white wine releases since 2018 to cement a solid unwavering reputation for characterful terroir driven Wes Kus quality, an incremental amount of attention to detail has gone into this maiden release 100% Syrah to make sure it impresses.

The label, as Sakkie tells me, “is a reference to the rise of the West Coast as a new wine region and showcases divers picking grapes under the ocean, which contributes to the salty taste on the palate.” The label of course also refers to the “salty tongues” of the hard-working Wes Kus farmers, miners, grape growers, labourers and fishermen – a very hardy bunch who are known to speak often using some rather colourful language.

The grapes for the 2022 Syrah were picked early in the morning and chilled before fermentation using 30% whole bunches in open top fermenters. Fermentation started after three days of cold soaking and lasted for around two weeks with pump overs three times per day. After fermentation, the wine was racked into one 500 litre and one 300 litre barrel for ageing for around nine months. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined with a small addition of sulphur.

Another mesmerising wine from Sakkie Mouton.

I have tasted this wine four times since its birth – once in tank, once in barrel and then again twice in the form of a finished bottling, and each opportunity has left me feeling completely exhilarated as I saw the wine evolve and progress. The final offering is certainly something to behold, revealing beautifully perfumed aromatics so redolent of the fragrant Northern Rhone Syrahs that Sakkie often finds himself fawning over at tastings.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2022, WO Oliphants River, 12.94% Abv.

3.0g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.6pH

Made from 100% Syrah grapes from vines planted in 1999 on decomposed Sandstone soils 25 kilometres from the cold Atlantic ocean, the nose boasts a salty, sappy tinged perfume of rose petals, violets, and sweet lavender with underlying notes of red cherries, cranberries, tart wild strawberries, and a subtle savoury, peppery, cured meat hint accompanied by a delightful herbaceous dried herb and graphite smoky spice. The delicate maritime influences on the nose follow to a vivacious, vibrant, energetic palate that shows a suave structure with finely cultured mineral tannins all in perfect balance and harmony, being wonderfully cool, pure, and crystalline allowing the palate fruits to shine but also for the true salty, maritime influences of the West Coast to make their mark with hints of kelp, nori seaweed, salty liquorice and picante black cherry and cassis on the finish. What else can I say other than this is undoubtedly one of the most exciting new additions to the South African Syrah landscape in the past 5+ years… which is saying a hell of a lot! Drink on release to experience the wines incredible veuve and energy but be sure to bury a few in the cellar for 5 to 8+ years. Baie mooi Sakkie!!

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

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines are imported exclusively into the UK by South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines and for the UK on-trade by Wood Winters.

The Rising Greatness of the Brookdale Estate in Paarl is Amplified by their Impressive new Mason Road 2022 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

They often say the true measure of the greatness of any winery is made by assessing how good their entry level wines are every year. The Brookdale Estate in Paarl is undoubtedly a grand venture and already owner Tim Rudd has spared no expense trying to elevate the estate’s wines to the highest level possible in the shortest amount of time possible. Ambitious indeed. However, with most of the original estate’s vines having been grubbed up after purchase out of necessity, the time scale for producing the full envisaged Brookdale Estate flagship wine range has inevitably been lengthened considerably.

But every cloud has a silver lining and in the case of all the younger vine fruit coming from the new plantings, Brookdale Estate have established a very impressive entry level range… (if you can call £15 – £16 wines entry level?). But with other similarly ambitious larger scale South African wine brands like Adi Badenhorst’s Secateurs range now hitting the shelves at a similar price level, the Mason Road range from Brookdale can only be viewed as well priced considering the plaudits the whites and reds have already garnered over the past 2 years. I recently tasted through the Mason Road 2022 new releases and was suitably impressed.

The 2022 vintage will be remembered as a cool season before harvest, followed by a sudden temperature spike from January. Good vineyard practices were followed, and canopies were managed well, which delivered exceptional grape analyses and wine quality. Temperatures rose sharply during early January and accelerated the early cultivars’ ripening dates, although Brookdale harvested more than a week later than in 2021. Frequent high temperatures during February further contributed to harvest dates shifting sooner and harvesting returned to normal timing by the end of February. Brookdale were fortunate not to experience any crop losses or mildew infections leading into harvest.

Brookdale Estate Mason Road Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Paarl, 13.56% Abv.

2.2g/l RS | 5.8g/l TA | 3.43pH

From a 30-year-old Chenin Blanc vineyard planted in 1993 that was picked in four separate batches at differing degrees of ripeness, has allowed winemaker Kiara Scott to create a wine with incredible depth and presence for the price. We can all name a few budget Chenin Blanc brands in South Africa, but the Mason Road has continued to impress from day one making it an incredibly savvy purchase. The 2022 shows complex aromatics of dusty dry stable hay, fynbos, pineapple pastille, lemon cordial, white citrus and a stony granitic crushed rock minerality. Classic old vine Paarl Chenin Blanc traditionally boasts rich exotic layers of peach and pineapple fruit on the palate and this vintage is positively brimming with a tangy sweet and sour concentration, bright mouth-watering acids and a long, intense, crystalline limey finish that is both salty and tart with a pleasing glycerol gloss. Simply put, this wine performs in a manner more akin to super premium expressions of Chenin Blanc from the Cape making it something very special indeed. Drink on release and over the 5 to 8+ years.

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

Brookdale Estate Mason Road Serendipity Rosé 2022, WO Paarl, 12.91% Abv.

3.2g/l RS | 5/6g/l TA | 3.42pH

This is a delightful coppery salmon pink Provencal-styled Rosé made from Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah with exotic and enticing aromatics of fraise de bois wild strawberries, dried apricots, hibiscus and subtle watermelon nuances over dried herbs, fynbos and a delicate granitic minerality. The palate is cool, crisp and classical but fabulously intense and evocative with a vibrant tangy sweet-sour acidity of blood oranges, raspberries, lime cordial and sour cherries before an energetic but incredibly precise, pristine crystalline finish. An instantly attractive Rosé that looks set to continue building its growing cult following internationally. Drink on release and over 2 to 3 years.

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

Brookdale Estate Mason Road Syrah 2022, WO Paarl, 14.56% Abv.

2.6g/l RS | 5.1g/l TA | 3.66pH

This is another impressive Mason Road Syrah release that aims for the stars and comes pretty close to hitting the bullseye! With a small percentage of the Syrah grapes fermented whole bunch without destalking, the nose reveals a complex array of aromatics led by sweet cherry kirsch liquor notes, hints of sweet coriander laced with red peppercorns, cured meats, bresaola, sappy vanilla wood spice and an undertone of salty crème de cassis. The palate is delightfully supple and fleshy showing an impressive density and textural breadth, while always remaining incredibly harmonious and balanced. The juicy acids add a fine tangy, mouthwatering frame from which delicious layers of black berry, bramble berry and spicy plum fruits are proffered for your palate pleasure, before the savoury finishing finale. A simply wonderful expression of Syrah offering sophistication, value for money and incredible drinkability.

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

Brookdale Estate Mason Road GSM 2022, WO Paarl, 14.68% Abv.

2.4g/l RS | 5.0g/l TA | 3.60pH

Despite the cooler vintage conditions running into the pre-harvest period in January 2022, warmer temperatures from February onwards have ensured a deliciously ripe and opulent red boasting exotic aromatics of crushed sour cherries, Parma violets, burnt bushveld, ripe cranberries, salty red liquorice and a broader inviting melange of summer berries. This really is a fabulously complex maiden release focusing on Grenache and Syrah grapes that were separately whole bunch fermented before a short maceration and then further ageing in 500 and 300 litre barrels. The energy and vibrancy revealed on the nose follow succinctly to the palate that’s packed full of spicy, peppery black currant fruit, tart bright tangy acids and a silky soft fine-grained finish showing a subtle kiss of salted caramel. I’m not sure how much more wine drinking enjoyment you can pack into a bottle!? Drink on release and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

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

The Brookdale Estate and Mason Road ranges are imported exclusively into the UK by South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines.

http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Tasting De Toren Black Lion Shiraz 2020 – A Testament to Modern Precision Viticulture…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

One of the most luxurious 100% Shiraz produced in South Africa, the Black Lion is a finely crafted wine cultivated from specially selected vines that are nurtured by special ‘hand manicuring’ and individual attention to produce grapes for a truly modern premium international wine, positioned to stand proudly amongst its global peers. A mere 1000 – 1300 individually numbered bottles are produced annually with the maiden vintage being the 2012, when only 608 bottles were produced.

I remember visiting the De Toren Stellenbosch winery in the Polkadraai Hills when the maiden Book XVII Bordeaux blend 2010 had just been released and the maiden 2012 Black Lion Shiraz was still ageing in barrel, made up of components of pure Shiraz grown on three different vineyard sites including the Swartland and the Helderberg, but importantly, made using the same extreme precision viticulture as the Book XVII Series, albeit with less barrel rotation and slightly different barrel cooperage. The 2020 Black Lion edition is made from fruit from one site in the Swartland and one site in Stellenbosch.

With the new 2020 release hitting the market, it was time to put this extraordinary Shiraz through its paces. Using 200% new oak ageing, there is always going to be a certain overt opulence to the wine, a hedonistic indulgence, but with stylistic perfection always front and foremost in the cellar master Charles Williams’ mind, the end product is always going to be eye-catching. More Napa Valley than Rhone Valley undoubtedly, but certainly a unique expression of premium luxury South African Shiraz.

De Toren Private Cellar Black Lion Shiraz 2020, WO Coastal Region, 15.5% Abv.

Three things strike you when you nose and taste this premium wine for the first time… firstly that it’s incredibly youthful as you’d expect from a 2020 vintage, secondly, the integration of the new oak on such a young wine is simply exceptional, and lastly, the all round creamy, dense intensity, harmony and balance of fruit and structure points to something very serious in the bottle. Without any obfuscation of oak, the aromatics are laid out regally like crown jewels on display, showing a deliciously rich black berry, blue berry and mulberry complexity, with hints of grilled herbs, sweet roasted peppercorns, sweet tobacco leaf and seductive notes of cured bresaola. Texturally, this wine is faultless, revealing a suave, opulent, richly layered palate that leaves little to the imagination. Sleek, fine grained, broad in the mouth, the palate shows black cherry and liquorice, black currant and black stewed plums with sweet savoury herbs, vanilla pod spice and a seductively long finish. Perhaps a little modern in style for hemp shirt wearing Syrah traditionalists, but for everyone else, this iconic red is the product of modern precision viticulture at its very best. A truly extraordinary wine. Drink from 2024 to 2038+. (Only 1,215 bottles produced)

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

The De Toren wines are imported into the UK by The Wine Treasury and retails for circa £250 per bottle.

Revisiting Some of the Impressive Lukas Van Loggerenberg 2021 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

As we await the new 2022 releases from Lukas Van Loggerenberg, I thought I would revisit three wines that I tried with him in the UK a few months ago. While his Kameraderie Chenin Blanc drew all the early market attention in the first few vintages, Lukas’s Trust Your Gut Chenin Blanc has now found its own comfortable quality niche and following among old vine Chenin Blanc lovers making this wine a real steal within the range.

But if it’s Rosé wine you are looking for, the 6th vintage of Break a Leg Cinsault will charm you with its subtle reductive flintiness, hints of dried herbs, fynbos and stony minerality. Certainly one of the more serious Rosé expressions produced in the South African market. But if very fine reds, and Northern Rhône style Syrah is your preference, the Graft Syrah is simply drop dead gorgeous and well worth the effort to track down a bottle. Alternatively, get in quick when the 2022s are released in the coming months. Lukas remains one of the most exciting winemakers plying his trade in the Cape at the moment.

Lukas Van Loggerenberg Break a Leg Cinsault Rosé 2021, WO Stellenbosch 12% Abv.

The sixth vintage of this sophisticated Rosé but the first use of this 29-year-old Helderberg located vineyard planted on soft, sandy decomposed granite just above the Craven Cinsault vineyard owned by Pieter Bredell. Several pickings make up the final wine which is fermented in old oak which removes the New World tooty fruity Rosé character to expose the more grown-up serious side of the wine a la Provençal Rosé wines. The nose if loaded with aromatics of wet granite, sun dried strawberries, oyster shells and pithy red cherry with a saline, dusty dried herb sapidity. Cool, textured and quite glycerol in the mouth, this wine has lovely intensity and a fine precision, finishing with purity and a dry minerality. Another fabulous gastronomic Rosé wine.

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

Lukas Van Loggerenberg Trust Your Gut Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Western Cape, 13% Abv.

About 60% of the grapes for this superb wine were sourced from the Paardeberg and 40% from the Polkadraai Hills ward in Stellenbosch. The aromatics display a notable crushed gravel minerality with hints of struck-match reduction before notes of pineapple, ripe pears, white peach, wet straw and dried herb nuances. As always, the palate is beautifully intense and concentrated possessing impressive phenolic structure together with a bright vibrant acidity. It is striking how Lukas harnesses such power, intensity and depth of flavour at a modest 13% alcohol, reaffirming his real mastery of the Chenin Blanc grape. Drink this on release or cellar for 8 to 10+ years.

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

Lukas Van Loggerenberg Graft Syrah 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Made from higher altitude grapes sourced in the Karibib vineyard, this 2021 is an incredibly special Syrah creation with complex perfumed aromatics of violets, lilies, sweet red cherries, crushed raspberries over spicy black pepper, dried herbs, fynbos and savoury black berries. This is a spellbinding wine with overt precision, translucent purity of fruit, fabulous focus and seamless tannins. A really classy, chiselled wine displaying effortless balance and power. Very, very impressive indeed.

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

The Lukas Van Loggerenberg wines are available to the UK trade from importer Dreyfus Ashby or to retail customers from specialist South African merchant Museum Wines. http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Oldenburg Vineyards Reveal an Alluring Array of New Red and White Wines in London…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 3 Comments

Oldenburg Vineyards is perched high-up in the scenic Banghoek Valley, just above Stellenbosch. In this impressive natural setting, winemaker Nic van Aarde plies his craft making some of the most captivating wines in Stellenbosch. Nestled within a soaring mountain amphitheatre, cooling ocean winds funnel though the warm valley creating optimal temperatures during both day and night, allowing Oldenburg to grow high quality grapes suitable for a premium selection of both red and white wines.

When current owner Adrian Vanderspuy bought the farm back in 2003, this was already and area he knew well, having been born on an adjacent property in the valley. This long-term project is finally bearing fruit and the red and white wines being produced on the farm are nearing the quality level Adrian knew this unique terroir was capable of reaching. Ahead of the 2022 vintage releases, I caught up in London recently with both Adrian and winemaker Nic van Aarde to run through the current releases from Oldenburg on the market.

Winemaker Nic van Aarde and owner Adrian Vanderspuy.

The Oldenburg Vineyards wine range currently consists of the more affordable CL white blend and CL red Bordeaux blend, the Oldenburg single varietal range and then the premium Rondekop Reserve wines that include the Stone Axe Syrah, Rhodium Right Bank styled blend (Cabernet Franc and Merlot), and the Per Se Cabernet Sauvignon, all made from 8 hectares of older vines around 14 to 18 years old, and 12 hectares of younger vines planted more recently.

Oldenburg Vineyards Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

18 year old vines from a single vineyard of 1.5 hectares on sandy black alluvial soils. Slow whole bunch pressed oxidatively then fermented in 300 litre old barrels and 2500 litre Stockinger barrels. Natural slow fermentation with 50% malolactic fermentation, aged 11 months in foudre and bottled in February 2022.

Steely and intense, super focused and energetic, showing white pear, classic straw and dried herbs and peach stone. Seamless purity with bright refreshing acids, effortless concentration and a delightful focus. Really very pure and princely with a wonderfully premium feel.

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

Oldenburg Vineyards Chardonnay 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Sourced from two vineyards on alluvial and brown river rock soils. Whole bunch pressed with no SO2 in a more oxidative handling method, then fermented in 228 litre barrels with partial malo with lees stirring during fermentation. Barrels were rolled post-fermentation once a week. Wine saw 11 months oak ageing with light blond toast, 33% new / 33% 2nd / 33% 3rd fill.

Lovely natural purity to the wine with a gentle elegance, supple soft textural breadth, lemon and vanilla pod spice with a mineral note adding extra interest. Acids are glassy and fresh and the mid-palate creamy but crystalline with the signature effortless intensity. Impressively balanced and poised.

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

Oldenburg Vineyards Stone Axe Syrah 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

Grapes from a vineyard at 410 metres altitude, NE slope on the warmer side. Earlier picked to express the site with 1/3 whole bunch pressed and lightly stomped with destemmed fruit on top. Natural fermentation allowed with 1-2 punch downs per day, wetting the cap gently. Aged in new Stockinger foudre and 5-6 year old 500 litre older foudre for 16 months.

Plenty of tarry, smoky black bramble berry fruits, olive, sweet black peppercorns, grilled herbs, cured meats and saline black berry fruits. Palate is super sleek and elegant with lovely intensity but light touch intensity, pristine purity and a weightless, savoury, spicy concentration with manicured tannins. Wonderfully characterful, classy and pure but beautifully classical. Very impressive.

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

Oldenburg Vineyards Rhodium Red Blend 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Shows a classical Stellenbosch nose of sweet cedar, tilled earth, sappy black and blueberry fruits, bouquet garner and dusty graphite hints. The palate is sleek and beautifully polished with a silky texture, bright red and black cherry fruit notes, some iodine and salinity, finishing with a harmonious, effortless intensity but also an understated, compact concentration. Lovely length, elegance and pedigree.

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

Oldenburg Vineyards Per Se Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.

NE facing single vineyard with a coffee klip bank of 1.2 hectares. Grapes were crushed and destemmed with strict sorting, 6 days 12 degree C cold soak and then a natural fermentation was allowed to begin. Wine saw a 3-week cold soak post fermentation and was then basket pressed. Aged in 55% new 225 litre French oak barrels and was bottled early Sept 2022 after being aged 19 months. 

Show and expressive nose of tilled earth, savoury black berry, tobacco, earthy cassis, black cherry, fynbos, delicate dried herbs and graphite… then cherry and parma violet. A fine sinewy line of tannins is evident with a precise mineral focus supported by fresh glassy acids. Opens and develops beautifully in the glass. A very smart Cabernet Sauvignon indeed.

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

Sam Lambson and Minimalist Wines Releases a New Single Site Elgin Syrah – Tasting the No Place Like Home Syrah 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Sam Lambson is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s rising star producers and after only four vintages (2018 to 2021), has introduced another exciting single site Syrah to his growing range. The 2020 Minimalist Wines ‘Experimental’ Syrah was produced from this same Elgin vineyard but was made differently, showing a more accessible, crunchy, fresh, herbal fruity expression compared to this very fine, focused, cool fruited 2021 bottling that is greatly elevated in stature, joining Sam Lambson’s Stars In the Dark Syrah among his more premium range of wines.

The grapes all come from Niemandsrivier, a beautiful 3 hectare vineyard in Elgin that are leased from Johan and Milanie Vosloo and farmed by the Minimalist team themselves. Planted in 2006, the vineyard features three Syrah clones on a geographically complex mix of Sandstone and Shale soils and is the perfect canvas to produce fine premium Syrah wines. Vines located in the same block can react to their environment in unique ways, says Sam Lambson, and No Place Like Home is an exploration of the variation that exists within a single vineyard. Using a mix of drone technology (with a Near Infrared Camera flying 80m above the vineyard) and good, old-fashioned soil analysis, Sam and his team identified four distinct pockets across the 3 hectare parcel, then harvested and fermented them separately before marrying them together for this unique wine.

I met up with Sam in the UK in the Autumn of 2022 and was thrilled to taste this new, premium expression of Elgin Syrah. I was one of the first wine trade professionals to taste a barrel sample of his 2018 Stars in the Dark way back in late 2018 and knew from that moment that this was the beginning of a new exciting wine. When I tasted the maiden No Place Like Home 2021 Elgin Syrah with him in September 2022, I experienced a similar feeling and felt confident that this was also the beginning of something special. Track down an allocation now before the hype goes mainstream!

Minimalist Wines No Place Like Home Syrah 2021, WO Elgin, 13.5% Abv.

An alluring and instantly impressive classically styled wine aged in neutral 228 litre French oak barrels for 16 months, reveals complex aromatics of ripe black plum, boysenberry, potpourri, sweet black peppercorns with a hint of sweet grilled herbs and black berry reduction. The intensity and precision of this 2021 are notable and follow to an elegant, medium-bodied palate that coats the mouth with sumptuous, saline cassis fruit layers, sweet smoky black currant and subtle hints of kelp and oyster shell minerality. This is another delightfully vibrant expression that will seduce many Syrah obsessives, with its 20% whole bunch portion adding an extra little complexing sapidity on the long finish. Undoubtedly a wine that is going to cause a stir… but that is exactly what Sam Lambson has become famous for! Start chasing an allocation now and drink this beauty on release and over the next 6 to 10+ years.

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

Wines available in the UK from Museum Wines from February 2023. http://www.museumwines.co.uk or email sales@museumwines.co.uk to secure an allocation. Retail price is circa £32.99 inc per bottle.