South Africa

Platter Wine Guide 4.5 Stars. ‘Could Meerlust follow up on its spectacular 2021 Rubicon? The answer is not quite, but that's mostly a reflection of the hotter vintage. Sourced from the estate's four distinct terroirs, this is a very classy cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Coffee bean, cedarwood and fresh herb aromas segue into a palate that has good density and concentration, bramble, plum and dark berry fruit, a top note of graphite and nuanced tannins. 2026-35’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2025, 96/100.   The 2022 Rubicon is a harmonious blend of 44%...

Porseleinberg is the result of Marc Kent’s search for the best Syrah grapes, a journey that inevitably took him to the Swartland. It was here that Kent found an isolated and windswept wine farm perched atop the Porseleinberg mountain. The site is now recognised as one of the greatest Syrah vineyards in the world.   "Given its consistently outstanding quality, it’s easy to forget that the average age of Porseleinberg's 14 hectares of vineyards is only seven years' old. Showing what Callie Louw calls a "little more crunch" in 2021, this is a Syrah with time on its side. Wild herb aromas of sage, oregano...

Rich aromas of blackberries, cassis, eucalyptus and dark chocolate follow through to a smooth palate that is both balanced and well-rounded with fine grained tannins.

Tim Atkin 95 points. The Peter Barlow, derives it’s name from the man who bought the property and lovingly restored it to become a South African icon in the wine industry. Being made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the oldest vineyard on the estate, the Peter Barlow is a rich, robust varietal example of the exceptional quality and ageability of Cabernet made on the Estate and in the Simonsberg region. A highly collected wine which will age gracefully under the correct cellaring conditions.

Recognised globally as one of South Africa’s top five wine estates, Rustenberg is also one of the oldest in the Cape. In 1941 the Rustenberg Farm, which sits 6km north of Stellenbosch, was bought by Peter Barlow. Vineyards producing the grapes for Rustenberg wines climb the rich red slopes of the Simonsberg and Helderberg; a range of slopes and aspects allows site-specific plantings that enhance varietal characteristics. With a long and very proud history of producing exceptional wines, Rustenberg’s winemaking style is simple: produce quality wines true to the style of the estate and the brand. Named after a former Rustenberg...

"This is fragrant and polished with aromas of peach pits, sandalwood, cherry stones, hazelnuts and orange zest. Fabulously intense, building on the palate to a crescendo, slowly, with supple and very fine tannins giving an elegant structure to the fruit and spice. Elegant and immensely long. Syrah, mourvedre, carignan, cinsault, grenache and tinta barroca." James Suckling 97   #TOP20   #JS

This is the fourth vintage of this wine after re-planting. Our idea has always been to make what is basically a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from this unique vineyard. It is not a true single-vineyard in that we have blended in barrel selections of the best of our other vineyards. The Cabernet has a very intense cassis aroma with unique citrus-rind notes. It has a firmer tannin structure than many of our wines, but still with the elegance for which Jonkershoek Valley wines are known. This wine is based around the highest elevation vineyard on the estate, which at 550m is arguably one of Stellenbosch’s highest Cabernet vineyards....

Platter 4.5 stars. WINEMAKER’S NOTES WINEMAKER: CRAIG MCNAUGHT The name pays homage to the Roman poet, Ovid, who is quoted on the front label of this wine: “Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it there will be a fish.” Despite a really tough vintage in 2018, this wine shines through. Always an early ripener, our Tempranillo was harvested in the first week in February, just before the searing heat we experienced later on that Summer. As has become protocol with this wine, we meticulously hand-picked, hand-sorted and destemmed each bunch before a 6 day pre-ferment cold...

Wine of Origin Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge Production 577 cases (of 12). Release date April 2025 96 Points – Tim Atkin SA Report 2024.   "Hannes Storm’s Ridge Pinot Noir uses grapes from a dry-farmed, 1.1-hectare parcel at La Vierge that’s planted with 7,500 vines per hectare. Firmer and more backward than his other two Pinots, it has flavours of plum and orange zest, a hint of clove spice and the concentration and intensity to age beautifully in bottle. The finish goes on for a minute. 96 points." Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, September 2024   #Heemel   #JS  

VITICULTURE Sourced from a 1-hectare vineyard at Fijndraai in Stellenbosch on heavily de-composed granite soils and just 4 km from False Bay. The vineyard is North-West facing and managed by Chris Williams. Planted in 2005, the Foundry Grenache Noir 2020 is the fourth vintage. The vineyard is starting to come into its own in terms of quality and site expression. The vines are trellised which allows us to manage the canopy precisely to enhance fruit, complexity and balance. A small crop was ripened under the perfect conditions of 2020 and harvested at modest sugar levels, but at full flavour ripeness to ensure lower alcohol but...

VITICULTURE This is the first vintage from our own vineyards in the Voor Paardeberg, planted in 2000. The vineyards are planted on low vigour, well-drained, granitic origin soils. The vines are managed to retain a healthy balance between grape production and growth, and the crop was reduced to 5.5 tons per hectare. The mature vines are naturally low yielding, and all damaged or unripe grapes were removed before harvest. The fruit was uniformly ripe and was picked on the basis of analysis, taste and vine physiology. VINIFICATION The grapes were partially de-stemmed with approximately 40% remaining as whole bunches directly into custom-made...