A silky red with light spicy aromas and lovely depth of flavour with layers of red and dark fruit on the palate due to the inclusion of four different grapes in the blend of this wine. Three French grapes lead the way with Shiraz 56%, Grenache 17% and Cinsault 17%, all supported here by the dark deep flavours of Portugal's Tinta Barocca which contributes 10%. 

A portion of foot stomping helps to extract colour and juice prior to fermentation.
Ageing is in older, larger 4000 litre oak for 16 months.

From the winery...
The 2014 AA Badenhorst is our ninth release of this appellation wine. The wine has the potential to age very gracefully for the next decade or so. The tannins are prominent and well integrated and refreshing as a number of the parcels were picked quite early. The aromas are more upfront than normal with complex notes of pepper, liquorice, perfume and black cherries. The palate entry is quite dense with lavender and dark berry fruit. The finish is dry with well spread tannins ending with savoury and currant flavours.

Succulent dry white modelled on the great dry whites of Bordeaux. This classic and beautifully balanced, bone dry blend contains 44 % Sauvignon Blanc, 36 % Semillon, 11 % Clairette Blanche and 9% Chenin Blanc from South Africa's Western Cape.

What the critics say...

"There is no doubt that Duncan Savage is one of the best white wine winemakers in South Africa. His track record speaks for itself. Taming Sauvignon Blanc and more so, Semillon, from cool climate sites in the Cape, has revealed the real potential of these varietals in a blend to a whole new generation of winemakers and consumers. The 2015 however, must be Duncan's most anticipated wine with the vintage lauded as possibly the best ever in SA for white wines. A Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon based blend incorporates small amounts of Clairette Blanche and Chenin Blanc this year. This slightly bigger blend perhaps explains the wines broader aromatic profile. There is still the dusty lemon and herb spice, yellow grapefruit and lime peel freshness, but also extra notes of white pear, white pepper, white crunchy peaches and green apple zest. Once again, the pithy minerality of crushed gravel underpins both the nose and palate and there's an almost German, Pfalz-like strawberries and vanilla ice cream exotism in play. The palate is bold, intense and concentrated with pithy gravelly notes balanced by massive fruit concentration and length. The vintage's sublime quality is indeed standing up to be counted! Duncan has perfectly captured the essence of 2015's greatness. But the wine remains classical, measured, restrained and fresh and finally unlocks its hallmark lemon and pineapple pastille fruit character on the long, intense finish. This is a truly grand expression, a wine that will demand its place in your cellar. Could this be Duncan's greatest white expression to date?" Drink now to 2028+ (96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

A complex wine with red fruit flavours. Big, elegant and ripe tannin structures. Will over time show more secondary and forest floor characteristics.

Fab dry South African Chenin Blanc ? one of the best and one of our favourites in store here at Regional.

Winemaker's notes...

Our Palomino is produced using the grapes from a traditional Spanish varietal planted here on Brakkuil farm back in 1978.

The vineyard at the foot of "Klein Tafelberg" (small Table Mountain) is comprised of limestone rich coastal soil - adding hugely to the Palomino's subtle notes of natural sea salt minerality.

During harvesting, the grapes are pressed and their juices inserted into tanks until primary fermentation has been successfully executed.

It is then when the veil starts its process for a couple of weeks to months. After this process the wine is transferred to French oak barrels and left for 6 to 12 months to reach maturity.

? John Bouwer, Winemaker

Winemaker's notes...

Our own Sauvignon Blanc grapes are used which were planted in 2002 even though Savagnin grapes are traditionally used.

After harvesting, the grapes are crushed and left exposed to the skin for several hours. Hereafter, the grapes are pressed and transferred to temporary tanks for a couple of days until moved to French oak barrels.

Due to our natural climate, temperature and culture in the cellar, we are able to produce this Jura-style wine using French Oak barrels to allow the wine to form a veil to naturally mature until the final bottling process.

This Johra matures after a period of a little over three years, which is notably shorter than the maturing of the famous "Vin Jaune" wine, which traditionally could take as long as six years or more to reach its maturity.

? John Bouwer, Winemaker

South Africa makes some great wines and this new Cabernet is not to be missed. Full bodied, dry, rich and dark; just like the world's best expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Kaapzicht is a fourth generation winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The winery was founded in 1946.

Another cracker from South Africa's master craftsman Duncan Savage. This is a blend of Cinsaut, Grenache and Syrah from Citrusdal Mountain in the Olifants River Valley, Western Cape. This is a pretty wine real depth and sees 70% whole clusters in the ferment. 

"The wine shows a real individuality and personality with bright fragrant violet perfume, sappy spicy peppery raspberry and redcurrant confit complexity, hints of sun raisined cranberries, cured bresaola, boiled raspberry sweets and wild strawberries. The palate weight is soft and sensual, combining the best of both Grenache and Cinsault to form an impressively harmonious, silky soft sappy red blend. The wine seems to grow exponentially in the glass, unfurling and unravelling to reveal layers of strawberry jam, raspberry compote and Turkish delight all framed with bright crystalline acids that really amplify the wines purity, minerality and sense of place.

Such a pretty wine with the sleekest and most polished tannins and a mellow fruit intensity. Despite its eminent drinkability in youth, this is no frivolous ?vin de soif? and could just maybe, over time, acquire a similar cult following to that of Duncan?s excellent Cinsault-dominated Follow The Line red from Darling. A very confident debut!" Drink from 2018 to 2028+. (93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

From Mullineux...

The Swartland is blessed with an abundance of old vine Chenin and we use this as the backbone of our white blend. We then add several small parcels of Mediterranean varieties for complexity, balance and aromatic lift. The grapes come from vineyard parcels in different parts of the Swartland:  the stony Shale and Schist based soils of the Kasteelberg,  the decomposed Granite of the Paardeberg and the rolling, iron-rich hills west of Malmesbury.

Fermentation is in barrel with indigenous yeasts and the wine is aged for 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% new.

TASTING NOTES
Pale straw in colour, this wine has a nose of ripe, green citrus fruit and Christmas spices. The palate is fresh and richly textured, with notes of ripe pears, almonds and peaches, and a clove-like finish. Best served at about 12 ?C, this wine will show optimally when decanted in the first 3 years after bottling.

From Mullineux Wines

The aim with our Syrah is to give true and complete expression to the Shale & Schist and Granite terroirs in which the vines grow. Approximately half the grapes are whole-bunch fermented and all fermentation is with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for 11 months in French oak, 15% new. The wine is bottled unfiltered and unfined.

TASTING NOTES
This perfumed Syrah has notes of spicy citrus rind, refined black fruit, violets and lilies. The palate is elegant and restrained with 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.

If you like warm southern French reds, you will love Mullineux's Kloof Street Rouge, which pays homage to Mediterranean style red blends based on Syrah with other classic southern Rh?ne red grape varieties jostling for character and adding complexity to this super smooth wine. The grapes are sourced from vineyards on the different soils in various parts of the Swartland.

This seductive blend of Southern Rh?ne 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

Supple, succulent and incredibly drinkable. This is a classic blend of southern French grape varieties, modelled on a Cotes du Rhone blend with Cinsault in the lead, contributing 54% towards this juicy red, supported by Shiraz and Grenache. 

Winemaker A A Badenhorst suggests that the Cinsault component will provide the structure for excellent ageing and enough suppleness for drinking young. Aromas here are perfumed, peppery, spicy and exhibit ripe red fruit flavours.

David & Nadia is a family owned Swartland driven project and we focus on a spectrum of organic, old and dry land bush vine vineyards from different areas with different soil types throughout the Swartland, farmed by like-minded people. We are members of the Swartland Independent Producers. 

In the vineyard we aim for biological farming and in the cellar we work as natural as possible. It is all about the soil and vineyards after all. We believe in a pure, fresh and natural style where site and soil are at work with minimal influence from a winemaking point of view.

Chenin blanc (47%), Semillon (11%), Verdelho (9%), Clairette blanche (7%), Roussanne (7%), Grenache blanc (6%), Marsanne (6%), Colombar (5%) and Viognier (2%). 

The Aristargos 2022 is yet again predominantly both Chenin blanc and Old Vines driven (Chenin blanc, Semillon, Clairette blanche and Colombar), and the focus remains on the granitic soils of the Paardeberg. Chenin blanc from shallow shale soils in the Paardeberg and iron rich clay soils to the west of Malmesbury are also added. Dry land farmed bush vines have stood the test of time and it showcases the ultimate reason why Chenin blanc is our main focus in the Swartland. Planting dates vary from 1960 until 2013. The grapes were whole bunch pressed and naturally fermented and then matured for 11 months in old neutral French oak barrels. The grapes from the two Sémilllon vineyards were fermented on their skins for a week before being pressed and matured in a very old 2500 L foudre for a year. The Colombar was also fermented on the skins (for 5 days) and matured in old oak barrels. Two Chenin blanc components were fermented and matured in concrete vessels - one an egg, the other a square tank. In total the grapes from 21 different vineyards were used, picked in 28 different lots.

Made with 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec with fruit from Stellenbosch and Paarl grown only on decomposed dolomite granite, which gives a great acidity and freshness to the wine and adds minerality to the finish. Beautifully ripe and oozing with brooding dark fruit flavours of cherry and blackberry.  

A delicious dry and savoury Chenin Blanc with crisp apply acidity and a full body, showing off the fleshy citrus and stone fruit flavours in this wine, which comes from South Africa - the world's headquarters of Chenin Blanc, in terms of volume of grapes planted. 

Chenin Blanc is the leading grape variety in South Africa and is made in a wide range of styles. This is one of the best and was made by A A Badenhorst in South Africa's Swartland region, where Chenin grows superbly well. With a smattering of Palomino, the grape typically used for sherry, this wine is deliciously dry and savoury with crisp apply acidity and a full body, showing off fleshy citrus and stone fruit flavours.