Neal cannot sing enough praises for Elizma & Ferdi Visser and the incredible work they’re doing at Olifantsberg. The 95-point Soul of the Mountain Matriarch 2022 is a white blend that ‘proves both the region’s potential and Elizma’s talent’, he enthuses. If you love Rhône-style whites, this one’s for you.
‘I have always found these wines to be amongst the finest in Swartland’ says Martin of David & Nadia. Their Grenache 2024 comes in at 94 points and ‘ranks alongside the outstanding 2023’.
With his 95-point Sons of Sugarland 2024, Reenen Borman has claimed his place among the top echelon of Syrah producers. ‘Reminiscent of a top-notch Cornas’, notes Martin, praising ‘the ethereal sense of weightlessness on the finish, yet there is grip and presence’.
Bruwer Vintners is a brand that often flies under the radar – a collaboration between Gavin Slabbert and Bruwer Raats focused on single-site vineyards devoted to South Africa’s heritage varieties. From vineyards dating back to 1950 in the Bottelary Hills, the Lone Wolf Cinsault stands out as one of our favourites for its serious profile. ‘There is a little more structure than its Cinsault peers, gentle grip, a little "serious" and spicy towards the finish, with a lingering peppery, almost Cornas-like finish’, wrote Neal.
