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)

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

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.

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.  

Pinotage is the signature grape of South Africa - a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, created by Professor Abraham Perold in 1925. It is known for its spiced red fruit and smoky aromas, which combine to make a full bodied, deeply fruity and complex red. 

This wine lives up to Pinotage's classic flavour spectrum, delivering layers of spicy interest and a succulent, delicious, complex taste.

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

Complex, savoury Pinotage from South Africa (home to this quirky red grape variety). This wine has red fruit flavours, savoury earthy notes and a charred taste on the finish. 

Dry, flinty South African Chenin Blanc with a twist; winemakers Vincent and Tania met when he was visiting her home in South Africa. They got married, returned to his homeland in France and now make small volumes of high quality wine in both countries. 

This dry, flinty, deliciously complex and succulent white is inspired by Vouvray from the Loire Valley - the classic home of Chenin Blanc.
This wine is made from grapes that were all hand picked, whole bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts. It comes from Swartland, one of the most beautiful regions in a drop dead gorgeously beautiful country.

Chenin Blanc is the most popular grape in South Africa and it classically over delivers with great freshness and depth of flavour. Its naturally high acidity is softened in this wine with a rounded textural mouthfeel, citrus characters marrying harmoniously with ripe pears and stony, complex aromas that add interest.

Mullineux was established in 2007, when Chris and Andrea Mullineux settled in the Swartland wine region, 60 kilometers north of Cape Town. Within a very short time the winery established itself as one of South Africa?s most celebrated wine brands, both locally and on the international front. 

By 2020 the winery had received 30 five star ratings from Platter?s South African Wine Guide.

Southern Right is re-defining Pinotage with this intense classically styled, clay-grown wine, packed with complex berry fruit, beautiful tannins and subtle wood spice. Full ripeness and the longer hang-time afforded by cooler sites, combined with the complex, more classic fruit aromas and structure resulting from clay-rich soil, make this wine a highly individual expression of South Africa?s unique grape variety.