South Africa
At the bottom of its great continent, South Africa is a country of unlimited natural advantages. With the confluence of two oceans at the Cape, the sheltering effect of inland mountain chains and some of the most dynamic soils in the world, every piece is in place for the production of fine wine. The most well-known region has historically been Stellenbosch, but it is the wines of Swartland that have really turned South African wine on its head in recent years.
The wine industry is in the midst of a renaissance with classically styled wines making full advantage of remarkable terroir and an adventurous spirit. As a result, South Africa is producing some truly exceptional wines of great character and value. Striking blockbuster Syrahs and Bordeaux blends to full bodied Chardonnay and crisp Sauvignon Blanc are some of this great nation’s offerings. South Africa’s own grape, Pinotage, leaves critics divided yet can produce excellent single-variety offerings as well as distinguished Cape blends.
Read More
South Africa
Photo
AI Chat
-
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Give or take 2% Cabernet Franc, this is a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 100% new wood. It’s a brilliantly focused wine that carries its 14.5% alcohol lightly, with notes of tobacco and aromatic spices, filigree tannins and layers of mint, green herbs and dark fruit.Inc. VAT£563.98 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
V is spectacularly good in 2015, a one-site expression of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon in a great vintage. Big, bold, grippy, concentrated and built to develop in bottle, it’s like a Cape Château Montrose, with savoury, tobacco leaf complexity, layers of tannins and dark berry fruit, fine 75% new wood and deftly judged acidity.Inc. VAT£504.80 -
Wine Mag (96)
Whereas it’s the 2020 vintage of MR de Compostella and the 2019 of Kanonkop Paul Sauer that are currently on the market, Helderberg property Vergelegen is only now about to release the 2017 of its top-end red that is V. Happily, it’s extraordinarily good. Consisting of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot, the nose shows red and black berries, tea leaf, violets and a hint of reduction while the palate is marked by reined-in power – lovely fruit purity, fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. It’s focused and tight with a finish that’s long and dry and should mature with benefit.Inc. VAT£356.38 -
Wine Advocate (99)
Flirting with triple digits, the 2021 Series C is constructed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Still incredibly tight yet exuding that special “it” factor, the red blend is layered with gorgeous dark red and succulent black fruit tones with gobs of attractive oak essences that sway with power and finesse. If you're a cult California Cabernet collector, you'll want to add this to your cellar as fast as possible. Just under 20,000 bottles rested for about two years in French oak barrels, 81% new. It's utterly profound.Inc. VAT£565.18 -
(12x75cl) 2022Wine Advocate (95+)
The Vilafonté 2022 Paarl Series C is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine ages in French oak for 22 months, with 70% new oak. The barrels are mostly Taransaud with thinner staves for better oxygen exchange during fermentation to set the wine's deep colors and velvety appearance. The Malbec component also helps to draw out the wine's pretty color saturation. This wine was a little shy during my tasting, and this bodes well for its future ability to evolve in the bottle. However, you do taste good clarity with sweet blackberry and spice over the full-bodied mouthfeel.Inc. VAT£1,129.61 -
(12x75cl) 2022Wine Advocate (95)
The Vilafonté 2022 Paarl Series M is a blend of 40% Merlot, 39% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The two Cabernet grapes add structure and firmness plus a grippy quality to the tannins. Both the Merlot and the Malbec contribute textural richness and softness. The wine boasts lasting complexity with a ferrous signature, lead pencil, dark fruit, iris root and a slightly menthol tone that borders on eucalyptus. Punch-downs are gentle (Winemaker Chris de Vries calls them "gentle-downs"), and they basically consist of squeezing the berries by hand under the cap). Pump-overs are also used. This barrel-fermented wine is given early exposure to oak in order to favor integration, and aging takes place over 22 months, with 20% new wood.Inc. VAT£738.41 -
Decanter (94)
Exciting flavours of sweet mulberry, black plum, cinnamon and cedar. Super fresh and elegant, concentrated yet light on its feet.Inc. VAT£199.92 -
Greg Sherwood MW (94)
The 2021 Seriously Old Dirt is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc and shows a bright and piercing black cherry coloured core with an enticing ruby red rim. The aromatics are wonderfully seductive showing attractive notes of ripe mulberry, pressed violets, sun raisined black cherries, smoky wood embers, dried herbs and subtle earthy black currant nuances. Given time in the glass, the wine unfurls to reveal a complex savoury earthiness underpinned by sleek plush velvety tannins, soft sumptuous acids and a seamless core of red and black berry fruits with a definite Cabernet crème de cassis signature note. This is an incredibly fine-tuned, focused red blend from a great vintage that is silky and soft textured with incredible length and persistence. Devotees of Seriously Old Dirt are in for a thrilling treat this vintage as this exceptional wine will allow immediate drinking but will also reward 6 to 8+ years of extra cellaring.Inc. VAT£220.32 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Often among my favourite Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignons, this textbook Helderberg red was blended with 3% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc in 2017. Scented, refined and effortlessly dense and complex, with aromatic 30% new wood, mocha, cedarwood and cassis flavours and a long, balanced, herbal finish. 2022-29Inc. VAT£310.32 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
You can almost count the good producers of Sangiovese outside Italy on the fingers of one hand, so well done Waterford for the impressive first release of this blend with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Herbal and spicy, it has aromas of pine and rosemary, succulent red berry fruit, classic Italian acidity and savoury tannins and stylish second and third use wood. 2021-27Inc. VAT£444.80
-
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Give or take 2% Cabernet Franc, this is a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 100% new wood. It’s a brilliantly focused wine that carries its 14.5% alcohol lightly, with notes of tobacco and aromatic spices, filigree tannins and layers of mint, green herbs and dark fruit.In Bond£450.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
V is spectacularly good in 2015, a one-site expression of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon in a great vintage. Big, bold, grippy, concentrated and built to develop in bottle, it’s like a Cape Château Montrose, with savoury, tobacco leaf complexity, layers of tannins and dark berry fruit, fine 75% new wood and deftly judged acidity.In Bond£400.00 -
Wine Mag (96)
Whereas it’s the 2020 vintage of MR de Compostella and the 2019 of Kanonkop Paul Sauer that are currently on the market, Helderberg property Vergelegen is only now about to release the 2017 of its top-end red that is V. Happily, it’s extraordinarily good. Consisting of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot, the nose shows red and black berries, tea leaf, violets and a hint of reduction while the palate is marked by reined-in power – lovely fruit purity, fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. It’s focused and tight with a finish that’s long and dry and should mature with benefit.In Bond£277.00 -
Wine Advocate (99)
Flirting with triple digits, the 2021 Series C is constructed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Still incredibly tight yet exuding that special “it” factor, the red blend is layered with gorgeous dark red and succulent black fruit tones with gobs of attractive oak essences that sway with power and finesse. If you're a cult California Cabernet collector, you'll want to add this to your cellar as fast as possible. Just under 20,000 bottles rested for about two years in French oak barrels, 81% new. It's utterly profound.In Bond£451.00 -
(12x75cl) 2022
Wine Advocate (95+)
The Vilafonté 2022 Paarl Series C is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine ages in French oak for 22 months, with 70% new oak. The barrels are mostly Taransaud with thinner staves for better oxygen exchange during fermentation to set the wine's deep colors and velvety appearance. The Malbec component also helps to draw out the wine's pretty color saturation. This wine was a little shy during my tasting, and this bodes well for its future ability to evolve in the bottle. However, you do taste good clarity with sweet blackberry and spice over the full-bodied mouthfeel.In Bond£900.00 -
(12x75cl) 2022
Wine Advocate (95)
The Vilafonté 2022 Paarl Series M is a blend of 40% Merlot, 39% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The two Cabernet grapes add structure and firmness plus a grippy quality to the tannins. Both the Merlot and the Malbec contribute textural richness and softness. The wine boasts lasting complexity with a ferrous signature, lead pencil, dark fruit, iris root and a slightly menthol tone that borders on eucalyptus. Punch-downs are gentle (Winemaker Chris de Vries calls them "gentle-downs"), and they basically consist of squeezing the berries by hand under the cap). Pump-overs are also used. This barrel-fermented wine is given early exposure to oak in order to favor integration, and aging takes place over 22 months, with 20% new wood.In Bond£574.00 -
Decanter (94)
Exciting flavours of sweet mulberry, black plum, cinnamon and cedar. Super fresh and elegant, concentrated yet light on its feet.In Bond£148.00 -
Greg Sherwood MW (94)
The 2021 Seriously Old Dirt is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc and shows a bright and piercing black cherry coloured core with an enticing ruby red rim. The aromatics are wonderfully seductive showing attractive notes of ripe mulberry, pressed violets, sun raisined black cherries, smoky wood embers, dried herbs and subtle earthy black currant nuances. Given time in the glass, the wine unfurls to reveal a complex savoury earthiness underpinned by sleek plush velvety tannins, soft sumptuous acids and a seamless core of red and black berry fruits with a definite Cabernet crème de cassis signature note. This is an incredibly fine-tuned, focused red blend from a great vintage that is silky and soft textured with incredible length and persistence. Devotees of Seriously Old Dirt are in for a thrilling treat this vintage as this exceptional wine will allow immediate drinking but will also reward 6 to 8+ years of extra cellaring.In Bond£165.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Often among my favourite Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignons, this textbook Helderberg red was blended with 3% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc in 2017. Scented, refined and effortlessly dense and complex, with aromatic 30% new wood, mocha, cedarwood and cassis flavours and a long, balanced, herbal finish. 2022-29In Bond£240.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
You can almost count the good producers of Sangiovese outside Italy on the fingers of one hand, so well done Waterford for the impressive first release of this blend with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Herbal and spicy, it has aromas of pine and rosemary, succulent red berry fruit, classic Italian acidity and savoury tannins and stylish second and third use wood. 2021-27In Bond£350.00
