Red Bordeaux Varieties & Cabernet Blends

From grapes from the Vergelegen estate, this is an impressive Bordeaux blend. Notes of graphite and a core of dark fruit, with lots of spice and a hint of smokiness. Already approachable and delicious, this will surely age well, too.

From Somerset West, with 60% Cabernet Franc this year. This is utter class, not overdone in the slightest with aromas of white pepper, violets, fresh strawberry and cherry. Grilled herbs and cocoa dust linger on this detailed, finessed Bordeaux blend.

This is fermented in barrel, and has a decent dollop of Cabernet Franc in the blend. The incredibly intensive winemaking gives this a precision and finesse that marks it out as surely Franschhoek’s best red? The tannins are just so refined and pure. Wonderful.

Arguably our favourite wine from the Gabrielskloof range, this comes from a 19 year old vineyard on the property. It treads the line of ripeness and freshness beautifully, with notes of bell pepper and thyme, alongside lifted red fruits, and a beautifully balanced finish.

Just an incredibly delicious Merlot from Ginny's Stellenbosch estate, this is plummy, juicy, and fine-boned, with a lovely thread of acidity. One to pop and pour.

A very classical Cabernet focused nose with aromas of violet, graphite and cigar tobacco. On the palate there is ripe cassis, cocoa and wild herbs. The tannins are clothed in ripe bramble fruit with a building in tension and energy to the finish.

While Paul Sauer gets the plaudits, this is a brilliant value red from Kanonkop. In 2018 it's intense and refined, with notes of cassis and dark cherry, and also lots of grippy tannins and store cupboard spice. A benchmark Cabernet from the Cape.

The Keermont Amphitheatre 2017 opens with delicate spiced notes of nutmeg and cloves, wild herbs matched with ripe, bramble fruit. The palate is structured and tight-grained tannin and vibrant red fruit flavours of strawberries and cherries with accents of sandalwood.

Quite simply a brilliant Cabernet from Christo Le Riche, following marvellously from the 2020. More tightly wound than the 2020, this has superb direction on the palate, a sense of drive and focus. Ripe, supple cassis fruit, cocoa and sandalwood with a little pepper and wild herb spice. The palate shows the compact, fine grained tannin structure that means this will be a superbly long-lived Cabernet. Excellent.

Quite simply a brilliant Cabernet from Christo Le Riche, following marvellously from the 2020. More tightly wound than the 2020, this has superb direction on the palate, a sense of drive and focus. Ripe, supple cassis fruit, cocoa and sandalwood with a little pepper and wild herb spice. The palate shows the compact, fine grained tannin structure that means this will be a superbly long-lived Cabernet. Excellent.

In 2022, Lukas sees this as his blue-eyed boy. 45% is aged in concrete to maintain purity, and this is a wine all about subtlety and balance, with wonderfully refined tannins and a core of pure fruit on the palate. Wonderful stuff.

As always, a truly benchmark Stellenbosch Cabernet giving note of coffee bean, cocoa nib and blue and black berry fruit. The tannins are sinewy but coated in ripe plum fruit with accents of wild herbs and violets on the finish.

This is a brilliant iteration of one of the most interesting reds in our range. From a region that is marginal for Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 is beautifully floral, with hints of oak and refined but grippy tannins. There’s real tension on the long, savoury, mineral finish.

A supple Cabernet blend offering tobacco spice, violets, and cherry fruit. A little tea leaf, green pepper and wild herbs too, the palate is fine grained with a sinewy feel on the palate. Very pure and fresh on the finish.

A lifted, aromatic style of Cabernet which flows across the palate. Aromas of black tea, violets and black cherry with Margaux like elegance and fine grained, supple tannins giving the backbone to the wine.

A Bordeaux blend with a little Syrah and Sangiovese, this is a really charming, approachable wine from Schalk and his team. Notes of morello cherry, and also plenty of cinnamon and clove spice. Just delicious, and great value.

The third vintage of this reborn wine, that's predominantly Cabernet Franc. It's grippy and intense, but more approachable than the 2019 at the same stage. However, this is sure to age brilliantly, with the freshness, tannic structure, and flavour complexity to make old bones.