Bold Reds
Bold Reds
Grangehurst Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Regular price £29.95Country: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
ABV:
Handcrafted. Traditional. Unhurried. These three words epitomise Jeremy Walker’s
winemaking, with one notable omission - Delicious. By ‘Unhurried’, Jeremy is alluding to
the fact that he doesn’t release a wine until he believes it is ready to be enjoyed, which is
evident in the current vintages being 2008, 2009 and 2011!
Jeremy Walker founded Grangehurst in 1992, when he converted his fathers’ squash
court into a makeshift wine production cellar. He used the ‘squash court cellar’ to make
his first 6 vintages, only moving out after the 1998 vintage.
Jeremy was invited to join the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild in 1996 and was one
of the longest standing members when, in order to let a young winemaker take his
place in the sun, he elected to step down in 2021.
Porseleinberg 2021
Regular price £69.95Porseleinberg 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.
Country: South Africa
Region: Swartland
ABV: 13.9%
Grape: Syrah
Organic
The 4th vintage of applying the submerged cap technique, which continues to emphasise Porseleinberg's unique tannin profile. A reserved start is noticeable, after which the wine opens to red and black fruit, with a mineral and savoury spice. A crunchy, dry and grippy, yet fine tannin soundly carries the fruit to cover ones palate. The finish is long and fresh with good fruit concentration and some salty minerality. Drink from 2031-35. Winemaker Callie Louw
Waterkloof Syrah 2020
Regular price £30.75Lifted, perfumed, red berry nose with peppery, smoky notes. Ripe and fleshy on the palate with fine, fresh plummy fruit leading to a long, savoury, structured finish.
Country : South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
Grape: Syrah
ABV: 14%
Hand-picked and hand-sorted. Whole bunch wild yeast ferment in an old open-top French oak fermenter. Foot-treading and manual punch-downs followed by 24 months ageing in old 600l French oak barrels. No additions other than sulphur.
The third release under the Waterkloof label, an elegant, northern Rhone-ish Syrah with lovely purity of crushed red berry fruit. Supple and plush but built to last.
Kosher Backsberg Sparkling Brut NV
Regular price £22.50Notes of plums, dark chocolate and raspberries. Yum!
Country: South Africa
Region: Paarl
Grapes: Merlot
ABV: 14.5%
De Trafford Elevation 393 2014
Regular price £59.95Deep red colour. Lifted aromas of fruitcake and tomato paste, cinnamon, cloves and smoky blackberry emerging too. Syrah spice complimenting the Bordeaux varietals and new oak component nicely integrated. Elegant dry tannin running with the complex spicy fruit from beginning to end of a long fine finish. Best 2023 to 2030.
Country: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch, Helderberg
Grapes:Cabernet Sauvignon 31%, Merlot 19%, Shiraz 32%, Cabernet Franc 18%
ABV: 14.5%
Eikendal Charisma 2021
Regular price £17.95A unique red blend living up to its name! The Shiraz offers a tight, fresh structure with aromatic and peppered undertones. The Petit Verdot gives a rich, red and black berry character, and the Sangiovese, in a true Italian style, adds fruity, cherry flavours within the palate. The result is a bold, charming and elegant wine.
Country: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
Grapes: 66% Shiraz, 33% Petit Verdot, 1% Sangiovese
ABV: 13.5
Eikendal Vineyards sit between the foothills of the Helderberg and the edge of Stellenbosch Mountains.
Hermanuspietersfontein Swartskaap 2019
Regular price £31.95Swartskaap (‘black sheep’).
Country: South Africa
Region: Hemel en Aarde
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
ABV: 13.5
You’ve probably heard of the quaint beach town of Hermanus, situated on South Africa’s
famous Whale Coast. Between 1855 and 1902, it was called Hermanuspietersfontein. In
1902, the local postmaster decided to shorten the name of the town to make addressing
letters to the locals easier.
150 years later, the wine farm Hermanuspietersfontein, or HPF for short, craft outstanding
wines with a serious sense of place. Their grapes come from Sondagskloof (they produce
90% of WO Sondagskloof wine), which competes with Elgin and the Ceres Plateau for
South Africa’s coolest wine growing region. This area is perfectly suited to Bordeaux
varietals and, with the exception of Shiraz, is exclusively planted with them.
The Afrikaans wine names might look like a bit of a mouthful, but they are good fun;
Bloos (‘blush’), Kaalvoet Meisie (‘barefoot girl’), Kat Met Die Houtbeen (‘cat with the
wooden leg’), Posmeester (‘postmaster’), Kleinboet (‘little brother’) and Swartskaap
(‘black sheep’).
Paul Wallace Black Dog Malbec 2019
Regular price £27.95A delicious, concentrated blend of berries and plums, subtle liquorice aromas a flavours with a hint of cherry tobacco aromas followed by lively and finely structured tannin.
On a picturesque hillside overlooking a dam, where Golden Delicious and Granny Smith
Orchards once stood, 12 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec and Pinot Noir can now be found.
Paul Wallace, who has worked as a viticultural consultant to many of South Africa’s top
estates, finally had his dream come true in 2003 - he purchased his family farm in Elgin
and, alongside his wife Nicky, put his life’s work to the test. Based on his belief that Elgin
would become one of South Africa’s premium cool climate regions, he threw caution
to the wind and pulled out groves of apple and pear trees, replacing them with vines.
As always, his advice proved sage, and Paul Wallace is now producing some incredibly
exciting wines that show exceptional finesse and clarity.
Country: South Africa
Region: Elgin
Grapes: Malbec
ABV: 14%
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2021
Regular price £49.95Subtle, lifted, fragrant black pepper, blueberry and rose petal nose with ripe cherry and plum fruit characters. The palate has a beautiful silky texture with fresh red berry fruit and a fine savoury tannin finish. Drinking well now and for the next 10-15 years.
Country: South Africa
Region: Swartland,
ABV: 14%
Grapes: Syrah
The Syrah grapes come mainly from the Porseleinberg vineyard - one of the best sites in the world to grow the variety. Renowned winemaker and viticulturalist Callie Louw farms the land. The 'brutal' soils (according to winemaker Marc Kent) are made up of Mica and Schist. 10% of the grapes are from the Goldmine vineyard which has brown schist soil.
Tim Atkin MW
97 points. Given that 90% of its raw material comes from Porseleinberg - the other 10% comes from Boekenhoutskloof's Roundstone property - it's no surprise that this is such an impressive Syrah. Fermented with 65% whole bunches, it combines fynbos, lavender and Asian spice aromas with a palate of white pepper, barbecued meat, oregano and blackberry framed by sappy, granular tannins. World class. 2025-35.
James Suckling
94 points. Lovely fragrance with thyme, cracked pepper, iron, coriander and black berry fruit. Medium-bodied, peppery and compact, with vibrant acidity and a focused finish. Long and persistent. Drink or hold.
Neal Martin – Vinous.
93+ The 2021 Syrah was picked later than the 2020. It contains more whole bunches than prior vintages (65%) and matured for 18 months, 90% in Stockinger foudre and Stockinger demi-muids. This is quite concentrated on the nose with dark berry fruit, bay leaf and white pepper, perhaps less floral than some of its peers. The aromatics feel tightly coiled at the moment. The palate is smooth and harmonious on the entry, with a fine structure. It is compact at the moment with cracked black and white pepper and garrigues notes flourishing toward the persistent finish. Much more backward than expected. I would cellar this for three to five years before cracking open as it’s a serious Syrah.