South African Wine

"I should have to admit approaching our meeting with Arendsig with a degree of scepticism as Robertson still struggles to command the respect afforded to Stellenbosch and Hermanus but my doubts proved to be totally unfounded as these were some of the most exciting wines that we tasted during our visit. Lourens Van Der Westhuizen’s winery may lack the grandeur and, let’s be honest, size of some of his peers to the west but this is a property that just screams ‘authenticity’. We had been fortunate to visit some stunningly beautiful wineries over the previous 10 days, many with stylish restaurants and showpiece cellars but this is the reality of winemaking for so many – battling against shortage of space and ferments that won’t do as they’re told, to create wines of unbelievable class.

All the wines are very site specific with the block no. stated on the label together with the (frequently tiny) number of bottles produced. Neutral vessels are used for maturation such that the character of the vineyard is allowed to shine through and only natural yeasts are used for the fermentation. Elegance and balance are the keywords here, together with length; these are wines that just beg to be drunk.

The Cabernet is delicious, in a juicy style. Fermented in 5,000 ltr foudres and 4-5 year old smaller formats this is scarcely touched by oak but has a fine, underlying richness and depth. Lovely red fruit core and great backbone." Chris Connolly

"I should have to admit approaching our meeting with Arendsig with a degree of scepticism as Robertson still struggles to command the respect afforded to Stellenbosch and Hermanus but my doubts proved to be totally unfounded as these were some of the most exciting wines that we tasted during our visit. Lourens Van Der Westhuizen’s winery may lack the grandeur and, let’s be honest, size of some of his peers to the west but this is a property that just screams ‘authenticity’. We had been fortunate to visit some stunningly beautiful wineries over the previous 10 days, many with stylish restaurants and showpiece cellars but this is the reality of winemaking for so many – battling against shortage of space and ferments that won’t do as they’re told, to create wines of unbelievable class.

All the wines are very site specific with the block no. stated on the label together with the (frequently tiny) number of bottles produced. Neutral vessels are used for maturation such that the character of the vineyard is allowed to shine through and only natural yeasts are used for the fermentation. Elegance and balance are the keywords here, together with length; these are wines that just beg to be drunk.

Fermented in a mix of foudres and smaller formats. Restrained notes – light pineapple and minerality. Very long, slatey mineral tones. Great balance. " Chris Connolly

Quite a serious wine with a furrowed brow this is a textural, gently muscular and tight expression of Cab Franc Malbec.

A single vineyard Pinot Noir from the cool Elgin region near Grabouw. Elegant and light in style, with an abundance of ripe red berries, juicy strawberries and subtle spices on the nose which follow through on the palate where it marries perfectly with a savoury meatiness.

Accolades.

4* – John Platter Wine Guide 2018, 91/100 Tim Atkin MW 2017

Longridge Wine Estate

The grapes from the Helderberg region stem from an old vine block dating back to 1974. Aromatic on the nose, yet soft and smooth on the palate. Lightly tinted and medium bodied, this wine greets you on the nose with aromatic floral notes which follow through onto the palate with ripe strawberries, cherries, sweet spices and soft tannins on the mid palate.

Accolades.

NEW RELEASE 92/100 Tim Atkin MW 2017; 4 ½ * – Platter Wine Guide 2018

Longridge Wine Estate

Single vineyard wine from the Helderberg region with notes of cinnamon and sweet spices. Barrel matured with ripe yet soft tannin.

Accolades.

4 * – John Platter Wine Guide 2017, South Africa; Top 100 SA Wine Awards; 93/100 Robert Parker – Wine Advocate 2017; Top 100 & Double Platinum Awards 2017

Longridge Wine Estate

A highly terroir expressive cultivar, this Riesling is produced in a typical German kabinett style with an off-dry residual sugar.

The fruit for this wine is sourced from the Vrede en Lust Elgin farm, Casey’s Ridge. Most Rieslings are consumed when they are young, showing the most aromatic characteristics.

The Riesling is an elegantly styled and fragrant wine with notes of honey and minerals followed by lingering citrus flavours.

Vrede en Lust

• 10 Barrels/500 x 6 cases created
• W.O. Western Cape (Darling, Wellington, Durbanville)
• Spontaneous fermentation, 3 days on skins
• Pressed, at 18 balling, to old French barrel with lees to finish alcoholic and malolactic ferment
• 10 Months maturation
• No fining

• Tim Atkin: 93
• Platter: 4.5 Stars

• 10 Barrels/500 x 6 cases created
• W.O. Western Cape (Darling, Wellington, Durbanville)
• Spontaneous fermentation, 3 days on skins
• Pressed, at 18 balling, to old French barrel with lees to finish alcoholic and malolactic ferment
• 10 Months maturation
• No fining

• Tim Atkin: 93
• Platter: 4.5 Stars

• 10 Barrels/500 x 6 cases created
• W.O. Western Cape (Darling, Wellington, Durbanville)
• Spontaneous fermentation, 3 days on skins
• Pressed, at 18 balling, to old French barrel with lees to finish alcoholic and malolactic ferment
• 10 Months maturation
• No fining

• Tim Atkin: 93
• Platter: 4.5 Stars

• 40% whole bunch with 60% on top
• Overberg 40% – 7 days fermentation on skins
• Hemel-and-Aarde Ridge 60% – 27 days on skins
• Pressed and taken with lees to barrel
• All wine into old French Oak barrels
• Lees stirred every two weeks, for first four months, then monthly for four months, last two months no stirring
• Wine racked before bottling – 10 months maturation
• rough filtration only

• Viognier 34% - Durbanville and Elgin
• Chenin Blanc 29% - Durbanville and Swartland
• Verdelho 20% - Botriver
• Semillon 17% - Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

• 40% Whole bunch with 60% crushed on top
• Spontaneous ferment
• 7 days on skins and whole bunch
• pressed around 16 balling to tank, then immediately taken to barrel where fermentation completed
• All wine into old French barrels
• 80% of the lees went to barrel
• Lees stirred every 2 weeks for the first 4 months, then monthly for 4 monts, last 2 months no stirring
• Wine raced before bottling - 10 months maturation
• Rough filtration only

• 10 Barrels/500 x 6 cases created
• W.O. Western Cape (Darling, Wellington, Durbanville)
• Spontaneous fermentation, 3 days on skins
• Pressed, at 18 balling, to old French barrel with lees to finish alcoholic and malolactic ferment
• 10 Months maturation
• No fining

• Tim Atkin: 93
• Platter: 4.5 Stars

• 10 Barrels/500 x 6 cases created
• W.O. Western Cape (Darling, Wellington, Durbanville)
• Spontaneous fermentation, 3 days on skins
• Pressed, at 18 balling, to old French barrel with lees to finish alcoholic and malolactic ferment
• 10 Months maturation
• No fining

• Tim Atkin: 93
• Platter: 4.5 Stars

• 5 barrels/240 x 6 cases created
• Spontaneous fermentation, 3 days on skins
• Pressed, at 20 balling, to old French barrel with lees to finish alcoholic and malolactic fermentation
• 10 Months maturation
• No Fining

• Tim Atkin. 95
• Platter. 5 Stars

• W.O. 50% Hemel & Aarde Ridge 50% Overberg
• 16 Days skin ferment
• Pressed to old french barrel with lees
• 10 Months maturation
• Rough filtration

• Tim Atkin. 92
• Platter. 4.5 Stars

• 12 Barres/600 x 6 cases created
• 3 Days skin ferment
• Pressed, at 20 balling, to old french barrel with lees to finish alcoholic and malolactic ferment
• 10 Months maturation
• No fining

• Tim Atkin. 94
• Platter. 4 Stars

Dark garnet with a violet rim. Fresh lifted berry fruit that draws you in! Full yet elegant with bramble aromas and cream, cassis and black cherry flavours on the palate with structure provided by fine tannins with a long rich, ripe finish.

The long wild yeast ferment provides bready aromas and additional complexity to the wine. Dried herbaceous notes, including fennel and aniseed from the nearby Fynbos, dominate the nose, followed by a creamy lemon character. The palate is reminiscent of the nose, with great textural complexity (attributable to the long, slow wild yeast fermentation), and more herbal characters.

The grapes for False Bay Whole Bunch Cinsault Mourvedre stem from bush-vine Cinsault (mostly old vines) in Stellenbosch and The Swartland, along with a small proportion of Mourvedre from Stellenbosch which adds a savoury depth to the wine. Although The Swartland is not as coastal as most of the vineyards used for the False Bay wines, it is an area where, quite frankly, grapes from old vines are available at the required prices. Thankfully, the area's old vines produce naturally low yields and retain good acidity despite being warmer and less windswept than Stellenbosch, so cooler, coastal Atlantic winds are less of a necessity for these gnarly old vines. Made by Waterkloof's talented young Cellarmaster Nadia Barnard. Balanced grapes are hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed and fermented spontaneously with wild yeast in stainless steel and wooden foudre. The wine is left on lees for a minimum of three months before bottling. No additions other than sulphur as a preservative. Grown, made and bottled in South Africa.

Old bush vine Cinsault forms the backbone of this ‘proper’ rosé. A pale, spicy and textural Rosé mostly sourced from bush-vine Cinsault with summer fruits on the palate and a lovely clean, savoury, dry finish.

False Bay Vineyards

Our Flagship wine crafted from 5 specially selected barrels. Powerful, concentrated, rich, multi-layered wine with aromas and flavours of black currant, dark chocolate and hints of cedar and cigar box. The wine is approachable now, but will develop in complexity with careful cellaring.

Sauvignon Blanc with a splash of Semillon and Nouvelle. Full of crunchy apple and white, Spring blossom. Crisp and concetrated with a stylish minerality

Wood matured, well-developed structure and textured complexity. This oak-aged Sauvignon boast a nose redolent with dried apricot, subtle oak and minerality. The palate is rich and textured, with a multi-layered structure and great complexity.

"I should have to admit approaching our meeting with Arendsig with a degree of scepticism as Robertson still struggles to command the respect afforded to Stellenbosch and Hermanus but my doubts proved to be totally unfounded as these were some of the most exciting wines that we tasted during our visit. Lourens Van Der Westhuizen's winery may lack the grandeur and, let's be honest, size of some of his peers to the west but this is a property that just screams ‘authenticity’. We had been fortunate to visit some stunningly beautiful wineries over the previous 10 days, many with stylish restaurants and showpiece cellars but this is the reality of winemaking for so many – battling against shortage of space and ferments that won't do as they're told, to create wines of unbelievable class.

All the wines are very site specific with the block no. stated on the label together with the (frequently tiny) number of bottles produced. Neutral vessels are used for maturation such that the character of the vineyard is allowed to shine through and only natural yeasts are used for the fermentation. Elegance and balance are the keywords here, together with length; these are wines that just beg to be drunk.

23 year old vineyard managed by Lourens. Really appealing, nutty style. Interesting and beautifully textured. Great length." - Chris Connolly

The profile of this wine is based on the vines planted on a variation of Shale and Clay based soils. The wine therefore expresses the zip and texture of the clay on the palate and aromatic lime, white floral and stone fruit, mineral character on the nose.

La Vierge Wines

A deep purple tint on the rim with delicious flavours of ripe strawberry, banana, juicy plums and rich, red cherry.

Produced in an early drinking style with well integrated wood and a soft, smooth finish.

This wine shows cool climate poise and elegance with an earthy and bright fruit character.This vintage expresses the typical earthy and savoury aroma of this fine Burgundy variety and is backed by a red fruit character.

La Vierge Wines

Distinct notes of minerality, combined beautifully with citrus and lime aromas on the nose are complemented by shortbread and dessert peaches on the palate, ending in a refreshing, lingering and perfectly balanced finish.

Longridge Wine Estate

Green sweet melon, rich citrus, lime and perfume greets you on the nose while hints of nuttiness on the palate ends in a crisp fresh finish.

Longridge Wine Estate

Dark and concentrated in colour, this wine greets you on the nose with aromas of ripe red fruits, plums and pencil shavings which follow through onto the palate with chewy black cherries, sweet spices and tannins on the mid palate. The wine ends with a lingering umami finish.

Longridge Wine Estate

A medium bodied wine with a savoury nose and slight cedar characters. Ripe, yet soft tannins complement the aromas of plump dark, red fruit and ripe strawberries with a hint of dark chocolate and cocoa on the nose.

Longridge Wine Estate

A toasty marmalade, pineapple, lime and honey nougat character on the nose gives way to a fresh acidity on the mid pallet ending, in a long lingering finish, with tropical fruits and charry vanilla.

Longridge Wine Estate

An elegant, well rounded wine with soft juicy tannins, the nose offers sweet spices, cassis and ripe berries, sugared orange peel, rooibos and a smoky charcuterie character which follows through onto the palate, with a long and lingering aftertaste.

Longridge Wine Estate

A fresh wine with a lovely hue, bursting with aromas of ripe guava, pineapple, kiwi, green apple and a hint of strawberry, ending with a well-balanced acidity and a lingering finish.

Longridge Wine Estate

A fine balance of fresh citrus, vanilla and white peach flavours, this Chardonnay offers hints of butterscotch and citrus on the nose.

Louisvale Wines

Dominique is an elegant red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Intense fruit aromas of black currant and plum are underpinned by toasted oak.

Louisvale