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.
South Africa
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Vinous (90)
The 2017 Man In The Moon comes from a block of Clairette Blanche that is shared with Craven, the vines 30 years old, and matured in used oak. It has a refulgent straw color with fat tears. The generous bouquet features yellow plum, nectarine, candle wax and light vervain tea aromas. The palate is quite phenolic on the entry, well balanced with a waxy texture and resinous in style; ginger and light pepper notes emerge toward the finish. More tactile than overt in fruit, this is a left-field wine from John Seccombe, one I feel is well made and fascinating.د.إ515.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2017 Rocking Horse is a blend of five grape varieties that was matured in used oak. It has a knockout bouquet of well-defined citrus peel, orange blossom, nutmeg and light peppery scents. The palate is well balanced, with a fine bead of acidity and quite saline in the mouth, and displays lovely viscosity toward a finish that feels full of tension. In a word: rocking.د.إ707.00 -
Vinous (96)
The 2020 Rocking Horse is a blend of 35% Sémillon, 28% Roussanne, 16% Chardonnay, 15% Chenin Blanc and 6% Clairette Blanche, whole-bunch-pressed and matured in used oak. It has a well-defined, flor-like bouquet offering brioche, grilled walnut, bales of straw and smoke. The fabulous palate presents a sensual honeyed texture effortlessly counterbalanced by acidity. Very harmonious, revealing dried honey, walnut and ginger on the finish. This is a masterclass in winemaking and it will age brilliantly in bottle... if you can resist pulling that cork.د.إ486.00 -
Christian Eedes (97)
32% Roussanne, 29% Semillon, 19% Chardonnay, 16% Chenin Blanc and 4% Clairette Blanche sourced from the Cape winelands. Sensational aromatics of green, white and yellow fruit, flowers, herbs and spice plus a touch of flinty reduction – very expressive but not at all vulgar or overwrought. The palate has great fruit definition, a lovely line of acidity and finish that is long and dry. Precisely made, the whole very much more than the sum of the parts.د.إ515.00 -
Christian Eedes (98)
‘30% Roussanne, 28% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay, 15% Semillon and 7% Clairette Blanc sourced from across the Western Cape. A triumph being both multifaceted but also completely coherent. Flowers, pear, peach, citrus, apple, earth, spice and a hint of leesy complexity on the nose while the palate has it all: depth of fruit, texture, a lovely line of acidity and long, savoury finish. A wine of pin-point accuracy. Alc: 13.63%.’د.إ417.00 -
Experience the exquisite craftsmanship of Thorne & Daughters Semillon Tin Soldier 2017. This majestic South African vintage is produced from venerable old bush vines in the Franschhoek Valley. Expertly crafted by winemaking duo John and Tasha Seccombe, it exudes an expression of fruit purity without parallel. Handpicked grapes, gentle basket pressing, and oak fermentation contribute to its distinctive profile. Bright straw in colour, the wine's bouquet is ripe with star-fruit and fennel notes, while the palate enchants with a brilliant interplay of concentrated citrus, waxy apple textures, and salivating acidity. Thorne & Daughters Semillon Tin Soldier 2017 sets itself apart in its elegance, complexity, and a clear representation of its terroir. This wine celebrates the creators' love for Semillon, offering a beguiling liquid testament to the couple's commitment to produce South African wines, unmatched in precision, purity, and nuance.
د.إ589.00 -
Emanating from the esteemed Thorne & Daughters, Semillon Tin Soldier 2018 is a quintessential example of old vine Semillon richness. This wine is meticulously crafted by John and Tasha Seccombe, who founded Thorne & Daughters in the Western Cape of South Africa in 2012. The Seccombes carefully select grapes from remarkable old vineyards across the beautiful Cape, using minimal intervention to elicit the essence of their terroir.
The Semillon Tin Soldier 2018 is produced from old Whole Berry Pressed Semillon Gris vines, aged for 10 months on its fine lees in neutral oak. The wine exudes elegance with its splendid textures and refined fruit profile -predominantly apple and quince- underscored by a streak of savoury, saline complexity. Its appealing acidity and focused finish lend it an exquisite balance.
Relish the Thorne & Daughters Semillon Tin Soldier 2018's immense depth and personality, a wraparound experience of quality South African wine at its finest.
د.إ579.00 -
Vinous (91)
The 2017 Wanderer’s Heart is a multiregional blend of Rhône varieties driven by the Grenache, matured in used oak with higher proportion of whole clusters on the Grenache. It has a floral, pure bouquet that features light scents of broom, fennel and white pepper. The palate is well balanced with gentle grip in the mouth, nice structure (perhaps more so than expected) and a precise, lightly spiced finish where the Mourvèdre imparts a subtle medicinal note. Excellent.د.إ579.00 -
Vinous (92)
The 2018 Wanderer’s Heart has a lovely, lilting bouquet of wild strawberry, dark cherries, pressed rose petals and light fynbos scents. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and moderate fruit concentration. The fleshy, slightly herbal finish is nicely composed. This is very well crafted by John Seccombe.د.إ579.00 -
Greg Sherwood MW (95+)
This really is a sensational expression from Andre and the team at Vergelegen. A blend of 20% Sauvignon and 80% Semillon, this wine screams premium white Bordeaux from the minute you smell the alluring aromatics. All the classical white Bordeaux hallmark notes are there including a crunchy white citrus, grapefruit zest, pineapple pastille fruits, lime peel, dried coconut and reductive hints of black currant and vinyl. The palate is broad and powerful with a leading edge of sweet and sour grapefruit acidity, tangerine juice, green mango flesh and white citrus fruit intensity. Slightly pithy with hints of dried grass, this wine is a never ending profusion of fruit concentration, minerality and dried herb complexity all knitted together in a very tight, intense, classical package. This wine would go down an absolute treat blind with the Bordelaise producers in the Graves or Pessac-Leognan. With pyrazines well and truly conquered in this wine, this expression is lined up for a long and successful ageing period. Drink from release and for another 12 to 15+ years.د.إ1,690.00 -
(6x75cl) 2017Tim Atkin MW (95)
Reviewed alongside the 2018 release as they are both on the market, this is Semillon dominated with 40% Sauvignon Blanc. Barrel-aged in one-third new oak, it has flinty, struck match aromas, stylish wood spice, notes of lanolin and grapefruit and a pithy, refreshing finish.د.إ836.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Every bit as good as the 2017, even though the vintage is less celebrated, this is an equal marriage of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc with an even lower pH. Grapefruit and elderflower flavours combine appealingly with the stylish vanilla oak, embellished by a herbal undertone.د.إ638.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Proof the remarkable ageing potential of Vergelegen's flagship white wine - and it's only just settling into its stride - this is a gloriously complex blend of Sauvignon Blanc and 36% Semillon, with appealing freshness and zip, good focus, a salty undertone and flavours of grapefruit, gooseberry and fresh toast.د.إ540.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18)
Tasted blind. Blackcurrant pastilles on the really interesting, sophisticated nose. Some savoury inkiness and lots of pleasure. Firm and confident and set for the long term. Lots there with tannin evident only on the end for future development. Long. This is the first wine that reminds me of ambitious bordeaux … luscious – a sort of right-bank style.د.إ423.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
Showing much better is the 2006 “V” that demonstrates a little more opulence and fruit intensity on the nose with ripe blackberry, raspberry, sloe and cedar with good definition. The palate has firm chalky tannins and a good sense of tension, a citrus-like acidity towards the long poised finish. This has great potential, but again it deserves time in the cellar. Drink 2014-2022.د.إ2,815.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Made as a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon since 2008, this is the top red at Vergelegen and demonstrates André van Rensburg’s mastery of the variety. It’s a focused, classically proportioned red, combining freshness with concentration, suppleness with structure. Aromatic and refined, it has plenty more to give.د.إ2,765.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
First made in 2001, with a break in 2002 and 2010, V is the top wine at Vergelegen and is suitably ambitious stuff, aged entirely in new oak. Polished, elegant and refined, with smooth tannins, notes of graphite and iron and a long, complex finish that promises more in bottle.د.إ2,295.00 -
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.د.إ2,210.00 -
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.د.إ1,965.00 -
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.د.إ1,355.00 -
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.د.إ2,215.00 -
Decanter (94)
Exciting flavours of sweet mulberry, black plum, cinnamon and cedar. Super fresh and elegant, concentrated yet light on its feet.د.إ726.00 -
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.د.إ810.00 -
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. 2022-29د.إ1,180.00 -
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. 2021-27د.إ1,720.00
