All Wines

If you ask someone what is their favourite wine, most would mention a red or a white..very few would give a rosé. But, (for me) South Africa has taken the 'common' rosé and turned it into an art form. 

Such a delicate and perfumed rosé. Take a bit of sophisticated Provence rosé, give it a little hint of international dynamic, a little bit of relaxed "take me as i am" S'African personality and the result is this deliciously drinkable rosé from Stellenbosch.

Country:South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Mourvedre

ABV: at the delicious level.....13%

Biodynamic

From the true masters of Cape Cabernet - the benchmark Stellenbosch Cab. 2015 was the winner of platter 5* best Cabernet Sauvignon in South Africa.

This is the only red wine produced by Le Riche that is not 100% Cabernet. A reincarnation of Le Riche's classic Cab Merlot blend, this is an exceptionally lovely, classically Bordelaise blend. Restrained but appealing on the nose with typical red fruit aromas of plum, cherries and milled pepper are balanced by an aroma of finely ground graphite found in Left Bank Bordeaux. The palate is a masterpiece of blending - hugely appealing with juicy mouth-filling flavours of red berries, plums and smoky hints balanced with a fine, soft tannic structure and rounded finish. Finely structured and phenomenally fine, Christo Le Riche has more than stepped into his father’s shoes!

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Petit Verdot

The backbone of the range, it’s a phenomenal expression of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon when it’s allowed a maritime influence, and it is this that sets it apart and marks it as truly Bordelaise. With carefully selected fruit from the cool gravelly slopes facing False Bay to the rich red granitic soils around Stellenbosch, the wine gains its complexity by expertly blending fruit from 4 specifically diverse terroirs. 

This is superb value for money rosé, 100% Cabernet Franc rose from the slopes of Stellenbosch's Simonsburg Mountain.

Country: South Africa

Region: Bankhoek, Stellenbosch

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13.5%

Zorgvliet's focus is entirely Bordelaise so a Cab Franc rose is a natural fit and a delightfully different product within our South African portfolio. Pale onion skin colour with bright, crunchy red cherry fruit flavours and a full, textural finish.

Crushed laurel on the nose with more than a nuance of residual seaside salt.... or if you want a less pretentious description...bl**dy delicious!

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13%

Vegan, Vegetarian friendly

Biodynamic

This has a big and textured palate with stone fruit and fennel hints – it is rich and minerally, showing even a slight rocky quality about it. As bracing as the wind through the vines at Waterkloof.

Founded by Paul Boutinot in 2004 this majestic and fully-fledged biodynamic estate is perched high on top of hill overlooking the Western Cape’s False Bay and produces delicately fine wines with a real sense of place.

Gorgeous, dark garnet colour with a bright ruby edge. Aroma’s of black cherry, plum and peppery notes with a subtle hint of liquorice. The palate shows dark fruit and sweet spice supported by fine, supple tannins and a fresh finish. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14.5%

Chablis freshness with lees contact and light wood influence obtained during 5 months in barrel. A fresh, lemony style with rich mineral, melon and citrus characters, hints of lemongrass and butterscotch. In the words of Christo Le Riche, "We make it to drink it!"This wine has all the best of the Chardonnay character whilst remaining poised and elegant, clean and fresh. The wine sees no malolactic fermentation to maintain the freshness and bite achieved in the fruit. Superb value for money!

Hand selected grapes were delicately pressed as whole bunches and then fermented in steel tanks and oak barrels (50% was inoculated with a yeast and 50% wild yeast). Malolactic fermentation was inhibited to ensure a firm acidity and retention of the fruit flavours. Maturation included 25% new French oak, 25% older French oak, and 50% stainless steel tank. The wine spent four months in oak barrels, then blended with the stainless steel portion. Thereafter, it spent six months on the lees in lined concrete tanks.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

Champions of Biodiversity and Sustainable Biodynamic Farming.

A hugely compelling wine. Deeply refined single estate expression showing bounds of character, finesse, length, breadth and structure - it really does have it all! A classically styled wine with notes of cassis and cedar. The seamless, elegant palate is encased by fine tannins.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: 56% Syrah, 27% Petit Verdot, 17% Merlot

Organic, Biodynamic

WATERKLOOF estate was founded in 2004, ending Paul Boutinot’s persistent and uncompromising 10 year search for a vineyard site with the potential to produce truly fine wine with a defining sense of origin. Located on the south-facing slopes of Schapenberg Hill near Somerset in the Stellenbosch district of the Western Cape’s Coastal Region, Waterkloof shares its magnificent Atlantic views with free-roaming peacocks and other natural fauna and flora attracted to this haven. Certified by Demeter in 2015, their vineyards are of only a few in the Cape to boast official biodynamic approval and status. The estate has 56 hectares under vine and Tim Atkin’s Cape Classification currently ranks Waterkloof as 5th Growth level. With production around 165,000 bottles per year, Waterkloof make “honest wines” from their unique biodynamic coastal site. Respect for nature, traditional winemaking practices and minimal intervention are all key to their success.

 Dolomite wines express great purity of fruit and balanced elegance. The nose shows dark and red cherry. Dark berries, spiciness and herbs linger on the palate. The wine has great purity of fruit with a hint of wet-stone minerality and a velvet soft finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Franc 90%
Malbec 10%

Bruwer Raats, the winemaker, must be a front-runner for the accolade of ‘King of Chenin’. Not just in South Africa, but globally.

The wine has a distinctive yellow apple and pineapple core, alongside notes of green melon and limes. The wine is thus bursting with fresh fruit flavours. The wine ends with zesty citrus flavours, and has a long mineral finish

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

Bruwer has established a reputation as a New World leader in the production of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Neil Martin called him ""one of the top growers in the region, perhaps in South Africa"" and gave his Eden High Density Cabernet Franc 95 points. He crafts soil specific wines that embody the unique characteristics of the Stellenbosch region. The Original Chenin Blanc epitomises the balance between power and elegance, while the Family Chenin delivers a refined complexity with firm minerality.

Juicy, crunchy and fresh red fruit. Soft tannins. Very easy drinking. Biodynamic. -----

This wine is playful in its aromas with pronounced cassis tones. Furthermore, a combination of blackcurrant, candied orange zest, violets and spices can be appreciated on the nose. In the mouth cassis fruit dominates with some spiciness to it, which is complemented by soft tannins that develop effortlessly.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV:11.5%

Grapes: Cinsault

Cinsault vines have been grown for centuries in Southern France. In the Rhône and Languedoc regions it is primarily used as a supporting agent in red blends, especially Châteauneuf-du- Pape, to add spice and aromatics whilst mellowing out harsh tannins.

But perhaps its most important role in wine history took place in South Africa, where in 1925 it was crossed with Pinot Noir by Stellenbosch University Professor A.I. Perold in an attempt to create a unique South African varietal. Today this proudly South African varietal is known as Pinotage.

Seriously Cool Cinsault is produced from more than 40 year old bush vines on the cool slopes of the Helderberg region. Older vines are known to have reached optimal balance in growth and production through time. This allows for low yields and ripe fruit with intense flavours. The soils are of decomposed granite origin with medium-sized stones, helping with drainage and moisture retention. Production was approximately 4t/ha.

Aromas and flavours of pure dark red berry and cherry fruit, with intriguing notes of nuts and spices, with a touch of forest floor. Lovely fine, dry tannin and a soft, long finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch, Helderberg

Grapes: Merlot

ABV: 14.5% 

Aromas and flavours of cassis, violets and freshly ground black pepper. An intense, complex, red wine with fine tannins and a lingering finish.

Aptly named the 'Cape Doctor' south easterly wind - this wine has benefited from cool coastal breezes which are clearly reflected in its delicate yet intense nature!

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

ABV: 13.5%

An elegant rendition of this normally unruly varietal. Features raspberry, dark fruit and herbal notes whilst an almost meaty, wild aroma can be detected on the nose. Typical vigour expected from this varietal, with a high concentration of fine tannin and a surprising lightness of touch helped by the lower alcohol.

Country : South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grape: Mourvèdre

ABV: 12.5%

Living soils and a natural approach to winemaking means that each of the single-varietal wines in the Circumstance range is truly defined by the circumstances influencing the chosen varietal and vineyard blocks, including: soil, aspect, altitude and vintage. The Mourvedre is from a single, windswept, south-facing (less sun exposure) block 250-300m above and a mere 2 miles from The Atlantic. These factors combine to produce low yields, balanced grapes and wines with a true sense of place. Production was a miserly 4 tons per hectare. Mourvedre is one of the few varietals with enough wind-resistance to plant as bush-vine on Waterkloof. Grapes are hand-harvested and brought to the cellar by horses for hand-sorting. Bunches are sorted and whole-bunch fermentation happens spontaneously with wild yeast in large, open-top wooden fermenters. Manual punch-downs or foot-pressing take place 1-2 times per day and the wine is left on skins for 30 days before going through malolactic fermentation in old 600 litre barrels then ageing for 16 months in the same vessels. No fining, just a light filtration. No additons other than sulphur. Vegan friendly, biodynamic wine. 6 barrels made.

Fresh cut grass and tropical fruit are the highlights of this refreshing Stellenbosch treat.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13%

Rich, citrus, lime and almond nose. The ripe and fleshy palate. Creamy mouthfeel with the lime acidity and a super-long finish

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

What a treat from this highly regarded organic and biodynamic producer in Stellenbosch! On the nose there are complex notes of yellow peach and nectarine stone fruit, honey, burnt oranges, citrus peel and a gorgeous salinity. Vibrant and clean on the palate, perfectly balanced with lemon and lime flavours, red apple fruit intensity with spicy ginger and a stony minerality on the finish. This wine is beautifully poised. Sadly there was very little of it made, so try it on our wines dispensers if you can and hopefully we will still have it in stock.....

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 12.5%

Organic

No Added Sulphites

Vegan/Vegetarian

Winemaker Rudiger Gretschel notes:

'The dry 2016 vintage saw our 5ha of old Chenin hardly giving us a crop. In a normal year we average between 6-10 tons out if this vineyard. In 2016 we got a mere 1,7 tons of the entire block. We picked the grapes rather late despite the dry year waiting for the sugar to pick up. The fruit tasted amazing with a very fresh acidity. Once we whole bunch pressed the grapes I was amazed again by the clear, fresh juice. For this reason we decided to not do an overnight settling and took the juice directly to 300l, 2nd fill barrel for natural ferment. We ended getting 3 x 300l barrels from 5ha of vineyard.
The must fermented in barrel in a cold room. After ferment we kept the wine in
the cold room for maturation, because I wanted to inhibit the secondary
fermentation. In January this year we racked it out of barrel under a blanket
of ‘dry ice’ and bottled it the next day without any filtration, or SO2.'

94 points Tim Atkin MW

5 Star Platter Winery

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 12.5%

Organic and Biodynamic

Vegan/Vegetarian