South Africa

Dark berry fruit, spice and brush of tobacco on the nose. Richly fruited palate - with cassis, black berries and plum to the fore. The tobacco and spice notes of the nose are also apparent, along with deep fruitcake flavours and hints of licorice. Gentle grip and backbone make for a beautifully supple, soft-textured wine but with good intensity, body and structure. Supple and generous with a deliciously long aftertaste.

{***}{region}South Africa{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}{***}

This seductive blend of Southern Rhône varieties has a perfumed nose of violets, spice and purple fruit. The medium to full bodied, food-friendly palate is finely textured with firm but approachable tannins and a fresh, lingering finish. Best served at 16 to 18 °C.

{***}{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
  [] 4/5 Stars Platter{ratings}{***}

This perfumed Syrah has notes of spicy citrus rind, refined black fruit, violets and lilies. The palate is elegant and restrained yet with good body and a silky texture balanced by a fresh, natural acidity. The finish is long with supple tannins. Best served at 16 to 18 °C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling.

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-improve{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}
{ratings}                                                                                                               []2016 – 4.5 Stars Platter
[]Tim Atkin:: 93/100
{ratings}
{***}

This medium to full bodied wine has aromas of bergamot, tobacco and dark fruits. The palate is structured, with firm, grainy tannins, spices and herbs, and fresh dark fruits. The finish is dry, layered and long. Best served at 16-18°C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling and will reward if cellared properly over the next few decades.

{***}{region}Western Cape{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] James Suckling:: 94/100
   [] Wine Advocate:: 92/100
   [] Vinous:: 91/100{ratings}{***}

This medium to full bodied wine has aromas of bergamot, tobacco and dark fruits. The palate is structured, with firm, grainy tannins, spices and herbs, and fresh dark fruits. The finish is dry, layered and long. Best served at 16-18°C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling and will reward if cellared properly over the next few decades.

{***}{region}Western Cape{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{ratings}
  [] 4.5/5 Stars Platter
  [] Tim Atkin:: 94/100{ratings}
{***}

This is beautifully perfumed Syrah, with hints of dark bramble fruit, black pepper spice and herbs. Hints of leather and earthiness emerge on the nose and full-bodied, but refined palate. The tannins are taut in form, but smooth and velvety in texture and a natural acidity brings added balance. The finish is fresh, long and concentrated. Drink 2019-2030.

{***}{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{ratings}
  [] 4.5/5 Stars Platter
  [] Wine Spectator:: 93/100
  [] Tim Atkin:: 96/100{ratings}{***}

This is the most structured Syrah in their Single Terroir range. On the nose there are notes of black pepper, black fruit and spices. The palate is full-bodied with a meaty, savoury character, plenty silky tannins giving structure and a balancing natural acidity. The finish is fresh, long and supple. Best served at 16 to 18 °C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting when drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling.

{***}{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{ratings}
  [] 4.5/5 Stars Platter
  [] Wine Spectator:: 92/100
  [] Tim Atkin:: 95/100{ratings}{***}

This violet-perfumed Syrah is the most elegant of our single-terroir Syrahs. The palate is medium to full bodied and delicately spicy, with a silky texture balanced by a fresh, natural acidity. There are notes of black pepper, violets and lilies, red berries and herbs. Best served at 16 to 18 °C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling.

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] 4.5/5 Stars Platter
  [] Wine Spectator:: 92/100{ratings}{***}

Deep golden straw in colour, with a rich, viscous appearance. The nose and palate is a complex, enticing blend of dried peaches, apricots and marmalade, with savoury, nutty aromas of almonds, marzipan and honey. The intense mouth-feel is balanced by a clean, fresh and very long finish of dried apricots. The wine is best served chilled at 9 to 11 °C.

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
  [] 5/5 Stars Platter
  [] Platter's "Straw Wine of the Year"
  [] Tim Atkin:: 96/100{ratings}{***}

This Columella has a much deeper colour and concentration and is still very compact and in need of obvious ageing, but it is already showing great complexity in that the aromatics are not a singular line, but the coming together of many aspects. The aromas are a combination of bright fresh red fruits which then pass over to the riper black stone fruit. The wine is also very earthy and seems to live on a bed of freshly ploughed earth – and then there is the appearance of much darker graphite aromatics as well. The texture is still super compact and needs time: it is the result of 12 months ageing in barrels (8% new) and thereafter an additional 12 months in old, big oval casks. We bottle directly from the cask and the philosophy is to have minimum impact on the character of the grapes and rather just have the fruit express itself.

Review 27th April 2020 by Eben Sadie & Paul Jordaan:
Displayed very dark red fruit that seemed to be all coiled up in tannins and very neatly woven together. The wine is under tension and rightfully so. The focus in this wine is serious and all in all this one shows very high potential and reminds one of a mega complex helix - the only aspect that will reveal the true potential is time! This wine should be left alone for at least the first decade plus and will drink well into 2048 and possibly beyond.

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Wine Spectator:: 94/100
  [] Vinous:: 93/100{ratings}{***}

This 2017 Columella is the first of ‘the drought years’ to be bottled and this very wine stands as evidence of the great stability to be achieved in a region with multiple varieties and vineyards planted in diverse sites. It shows that the greatest and most stable quality is to be achieved by a selection of vineyards rather than just one. The expression of a singular site has its place, but there is simply no better strategy than the combination of a bigger variety of terroirs to build up the most stable representation of our region. This wine is the result of 12 months ageing in barrels (8% new) and thereafter an additional 12 months in old, big oval casks. This 2017 vintage has incredible tension and density and is very much ‘locked in’. The firmness of the wine suggests that it is a great keeper. It does exhibit amazing herbal, spicy and perfumed aromas and there is more than enough fruit – but it is a highly-strung wine that needs time. The tannins are fine, powdery and almost silky with a slightly lower acidity and more expanded palate than the 2014 and 2016. The wine is super-tight and will require at least 2 hours of decantation if opened prior to 5 years of age in the bottle. 

Review 27th April 2020 by Eben Sadie & Paul Jordaan:
Perplexing, in that there is almost no point of entry on the wine from an aromatic or taste aspect and the wine is still holding its cards to the chest. It does have some of the earthy aspects that were found in the early 2006 vintage. This wine is incredibly dry and restrained at this point but shouts of potential into the future. It will possibly develop into the same incredible complexities as was the case in the 2002 & 2004 vintage, but it needs the next 20 years to reveal itself.

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{***}

This 2016 vintage of Palladius has the simplicity of minimalistic design with nothing that shouts out and every one of the 11 varietals that drive this wine just seems to be in perfect synchronization. The aromas are a journey of more tropical, ripe fruit aspects going all the way to a very saline and mineral texture. The most exciting aspect of this 2016 vintage is simply the length and the persistence of the tannin on the palate. This wine spends its first year of ageing in clay amphorae and in concrete eggs and then an additional year of ageing of the final blend in big oak casks. The result is incredible stability and the wine leaves one with the clear impression that the Palladius is on the very same level as the Columella and they can truly run together as Signatures.

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Neil Martin:: 93/100{ratings}{***}

Palladius 2017 displays the magnitude of layers that is to be expected from a blend of 11 varietals across 17 vineyards, but unlike the previous two vintages there are more fresh fruit flavours and the stone fruit and peach skin aromas almost suggest a cooler vintage… this is in part the result of us picking slightly earlier than usual to try and save plant reserves for the vines to deal with the drought. This wine normally has more tropical aromas, but this year there is none of that to be found. Some white cassis and green apple skin make up a very restrained version with salty, mineral and slight honey and lime undertones. 

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{***}

The 2017 Mev. Kirsten is pure Chenin Blanc from the oldest Chenin Blanc in South Africa, planted in 1905. It has a very intense bouquet of yellow stone fruit, chamomile and touches of orange blossom. The harmonious, beautifully defined palate offers perfect acidity and flavors of orange peel, ginger, fynbos, white peach and, again, a hint of chamomile that lingers beautifully in the mouth. This is another stunning white from Eben Sadie, one of the best wines he’s ever made. - 97 pts Neal Martin, Vinous 

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}White{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Neil Martin:: 97/100

[] Wine Spectator:: 93/100

{ratings}{***}

The 2017 Skurfberg is 100% Chenin Blanc from a 1.5-hectare parcel planted between 1940 and 1955 and was fermented and aged in old foudres. It has a very sophisticated bouquet of Japanese yuzu, mirabelle, a little honeysuckle and a light turpentine scent. The palate is beautifully balanced with perfect acidity, veins of stem ginger and a touch of curry leaf fanning out wonderfully on the finish along with hints of white peach and melon. This is one of the standouts from Eben this year. - 96 pts Neal Martin, Vinous 

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}White{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Neil Martin:: 96/100

{ratings}{***}