Back in 2013, Neal Martin called the 2011 Reyneke Syrah the 'best value red wine in the world'. It’s quite a statement but the best part is that it still rings true today. We tasted the 2017 Reyneke Biodynamic Syrah on Monday and immediately tried to secure as much of the remaining stock as we could. This is an absolute knock-out Syrah! It’s a serious northern Rhône look-alike with loads of power but available at a fraction of the price. Frankly, is there a better value Syrah in SA?

This 2017 Syrah is classic in style; brimming with granular, firm and dry tannins underscored by the precise acidity and crystalline purity that is so typical of the excellent 2017 vintage. The 2017 Reyneke wines are masterful and exude all that is great about this vintage. Certified organic and biodynamic, they are the most sustainable wine producer in SA. Be sure to look out for their 2017 Reserve Red in the months to come.

We are currently drinking the 2012 which is absolutely sublime right now and confirms the pedigree of Reyneke as a leading Syrah producer in Stellenbosch. Considering the step up in quality of the amazing 2017s, this is a stunning, cellar-worthy wine under R200 per bottle.

Reyneke, Biodynamic Syrah 2017
If you can't afford the Reyneke Reserve Red, this costs around a third of the price and is another stonking Syrah. With some whole bunch fermentation adding some white pepper and clove notes, this is savoury and very aromatic, with red fruit sweetness and understated oak. Drink 2020-25. – Tim Atkin MW, 93/100

Wines from the Southern Hemisphere which display tannic structures with genuine kinship to those in many of Europe’s great fine wines are rare, but that’s what you’ll find in this pure, biodynamically-grown Syrah. It's made with 30% whole-bunch fruit, crushed by foot in concrete Nomblot eggs with the grape balance being added on top. A wild-yeast fermentation follows with gentle punch downs and pump overs. Malo is in third-fill or older French barriques and larger oak vessels, where the wine ages for 14 months followed by three months in steel. It smells of dark, glowing embers – a campfire blown about by the wind at night. There’s splendid granite purity here too: it's smoky, a touch rasping, grippy and chiselled. The Cape in liquefied form. – Decanter, 93/100