South African Walk-Around Tasting
At the beginning of the month we hosted a relaxed walk-around tasting to showcase some of the new South Africa releases for 2025, as well as some old favourites from our portfolio.
With 20 bottles opened, these walk-around tastings offer a fantastic opportunity to try many outstanding wines - look out for our upcoming walk-around Rhône and Spanish tastings.
James has kindly shared his tasting notes from the evening - so if anything sounds particularly delicious, do get in touch to see if we have stock left!
Chardonnay, Tesselaarsdal, Hemel-En-Aarde Ridge 2024 | 5* Platter
Ten years on and former Hamilton Russell wine maker, Berene Sauls is into a wonderful rhythm and well in tune with her vines. More than half of this is tempered in amphora with the rest in oak. Soft lemon sherbet, orange blossom, kiwi with a peachy mid palate the 2022 Chardonnay is uplifted by a toned acidity that will aloe for a little more improvement in bottle. Long and lush. Less than 4000 bottles made.
Kershaw Clonal Selection Chardonnay, Elgin 2021
Soft and attractive pale yellow to the eye. Exotic, tropical fruits, pineapple and citrus nose with a layer of coconut milk and vanilla. Plenty of complexity here. This is of 1er Cru quality. The palate mirrors the nose but adding a waft of nutmeg and seashore, salty minerality too. The exotic notes are enhanced to ripe mango. One of the most popular wines of the night.
Mullineux Schist Chenin Blanc, Swartland 2024
Paler yellow and more closed on the nose, the palate offers an intense lemon and lime popsicle with magnificent purity.
Alheit Vineyards, Cartology, Hemel-En-Aarde Ridge 2024
Lovely vintage of Cartology this showing super bright acidity but with no hard edges. The mid palate is full of pear and lime with crystalline fruit notes. There’s power and tension that will allow the 2024 to develop over 5 to 8 years. Not the most long lived, but no shortage of opulence and flavour. A great compromise me thinks!
Alheit Vineyards, Hemelrand Vine Garden, Walker Bay 2024 | 5* Platter
A field blend of five varieties gave the Vine Garden less distinction and perhaps tough competition on the night! Plenty of density and mouth feel, and a bundle of energy waiting to flower in a year or two.
Saurwein, OM Pinot Noir, Elgin 2021
Pale and pure in appearance with a wide, pinkish rim that is just starting to turn to garnet with a little age. Open, aromatic, heavenly, spiced raspberry and rhubarb but with purity at the fore. Opulence without heavy weight in the mouth and with cool notes of fruit tea. This is very well integrated (a feature of many wines on this tasting) and super elegant.
Leeu Passant Old Vine Basson Cinsault, Wellington 2018
Mid intense to the eye and with orange, garnet maturity. Sweet, chocolate orange, light spice and clove notes. Tastes of Christmas with its red apple, cranberry, pepper and spice notes.
Restless River, Wanderlust Grenache, Upper Hemel-En-Aarde 2019
Deep and slightly purple, red. Intense for Grenache. Despite the age there remain some reductive notes here. Almost the inverse of Basson this is a Grenache made to keep even longer. Stunning weight and persistence. Give it a year or two more in bottle.
Duncan Savage, Follow the Line, Cape Town 2023
Pale mauve, more ruby to the core, this is open, aromatic with spices, cinnamon, clove, and with fresh plum. Cool, raspberry finish, long and even. More plum than spice on the palate and with a fresh grape pulp feel. Outstanding!
Boekenhoutskloof Porseleinberg Syrah, Swartland 2023
The last vintage for winemaker Callie Lou but he is going out on a high! 90% whole bunch but with a long gentle extraction, this leads to a beautiful highly perfumed and texture wine, A bright and energetic nose, with black cherry, loganberry, bramble nose with hints of fennel seeds and black cracked pepper. The palate at this you stage is a little tauter and more precise, with darker blackberry and crushed rock notes, melded together beautifully with firm but sleek tannins, the finish is long and persistent, with beautiful salinity. It oozes class and was a joy in the glass tonight and will no doubt go on for the long haul.
Sam Lambson, No Place Like Home, Elgin 2024
Even, pure, purple red. This from higher up in the valleys of Elgin shows layers of blackberry and apple fruit with herbal notes. Smells like walking into a winery during the cruch! Fresh acidity, no hard edges. These wines are made in a slightly reductive style and so like to sit in bottle for a few months. Cool, even and harmonious finish.
Sam Lambson, Stars in the Dark, Cape Agulhas 2024
More intense, red/black in appearance there is a good deal more intensity. The nose is more open of tomato leaf, eucalyptus, sweet and sour and cassis. Warmer, more homely on the palate with a ripe and sumptuous core. Lovely density and very easy on the eye.
Warwick Estate Cabernet Franc, Stellenbosch 2022 | 5* Platter
It’s been a while since we’ve offered Warwick. As A Cab Franc fan I’Ve always loved their work! Deeply coloured with flecks of black. Focussed, fine and deep black fruited nose. There’s only a hint of the herbs and flowers that so often define Cab Franc, such is the intensity of fruit here. More classic palate with gritty acids and ripe, black cherry fruit. Very popular on the night!
Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch 2017 | 5* Platter
Deep and lush black, red that feels dense in the glass! Intense nose of mineral, sparklers, cassis, new leather and still with a youthful hint of reduction (note there was a very small and fine sediment). Classic, old-fashioned Cabernet filling the mouth with joyous blackcurrant juice, cedar wood, a dab of black spice and tobacco leaf too. Still has time on its side!
Kanonkop Paul Sauer, Stellenbosch 2020
This is a monster of a wine with tarry tannins fighting for space on the tongue with forceful, black cherry and cassis fruits. If truth be told, it’s a bit clunky right now. There’s a sweet edge and a persistence that favours the tannin and acidity. A moody adolescent that will transform with another decade in bottle!
Kanonkop Paul Sauer, Stellenbosch 2022
The 2022 is more even, integrated and with pure cool fruits that can be enjoyed any time in the next 5 to 8 years. Stylish.
Glenelly Lady May, Stellenbosch 2020 | 5* Platter
I’ve been watching this project with interest. The 2015 is coming ready now and 2017 is a slight improvement with a little more of that hallmark Pichon elegance. 2020 is the best yet. Like the Paul Sauer it’s a keeper. Unlike the Paul Sauer it does show finesse and elegance from the outset. Cool, mint and cassis nose with a fine focus. Layers of soft biscuit tannin are filled with black fruits, spice and liquorice like a millefeuille. Pure and delicious, this is one of a few on this tasting that are near to perfection.
Mvemve Raats, MR de Compostella, Stellenbosch 2022 | 5* Platter
44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 20% Malbec, 9% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Like many 2022s the MR is lighter, vibrant, open, intense from the outset with juicy fruit, raisin, grape, red apple and cassis notes. Lovely drinking through the coming decade.
Taaibosch Crescendo, Stellenbosch 2021 | 5* Platter
More lightly coloured than the average Cab blend this is a grainy, red, ruby offering the most attractive, perfumed, rose petal and soft red berry nose. Integrated, pure, dense at the core with layers of currant fruit, silky fine tannins and a mouth-watering finish. The value red of the night.
You can view our full list of new releases and Waud Handford favourites here.
