South Africa

95 points Vinous"The 2020 Hemelrand Vine Garden comes from a field blend albeit planted in rows that makes it easier to manage. It is aged on the gross lees for 12 months. It has a wonderful bouquet with yellow plum, honeysuckle and a very slight...

91 points Wine Advocate"Composed of 29% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 12% Malbec and 12% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Faithful Hound offers a ripe, succulent and healthy frame of red fruits that burst out of the glass. Medium-bodied, the...

99 points Tim Atkin MW"Boekenhoutskloof has always made impressive, age-worthy Semillons, but Gottfried Mocke has taken 2020 to another level of complexity. Using grapes from three old parcels, planted in 1902, 1936, and 1942, with the largest...

95 points Wine Advocate"Beginning with a floral grip, the 2019 Iron Syrah offers a seductive nose filled with red flowers, wild raspberry and dusty cherry as elegant spice tones waft from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine has a fine mineral...

98 points Wine Advocate"From the first sniff, the 2020 Columella is an instant champion that is pointing and swinging for the fence. With its fresh frame of fruit and expertly layered oaky essences, the wine is incredibly complex as it bursts from the...

95 points Tim Atkin"Year in, year out, this exceptional Chenin Blanc vineyard delivers the goods.... it produces a wine with wonderful energy, poise and focus. Lime, pear and green apple flavors are complemented by understated oak and a tangy,...

96 points Vinous"The 2021 Treinspoor is Sadie's Tinta Barocca that the man himself likens to Nebbiolo, also opining that it is a wine that needs considerable ageing. These vines were planted in 1974, and the blend includes 40% whole clusters. It has a...

92 points Wine Spectator"A fresh, focused red, with black currant and black raspberry fruit showing lovely purity. Offers sculpted tannins that create a sleek frame, while accents of violet, iron, milled pepper and black tea leaves provide fine...

96 points Tim Atkin"This wonderfully ageworthy Chenin Blanc comes from the same five sites in the Swartland as it has since its maiden vintage in 2015. Barrel-fermented with full malolactic, it has amazing grip and minerality, with thatch, nutmeg and...

92 points Vinous"The 2021 Chardonnay The Agnes from Crystallum is tight and minerally on the nose, sharp and stony to the point where it can easily deceive you into thinking it comes from far cooler climes. The palate is fresh and tensile, almost steely,...

95 points Vinous Media"The 2018 Hoë-Steen is predominantly Chenin Blanc, planted toward Darling on deep iron-clay soils and usually picked after the reds. The vines were planted in 1968. This has a more stony bouquet than the Skaliekop, a very...

97 points Tim Atkins“You can smell the grapes from 100 yards away," says Lukas van Loggerenberg of this unique Polkadraai Hills Syrah, which comes from a vineyard at a comparatively elevated 300 metres. With aromas of pine, lavender and black...