Cape Winemakers Guild

Ataraxia Under The Gavel Chardonnay 2021

100% Chardonnay

This forward looking “black” Chardonnay is sourced from a single, organically grown, cool, south-facing vineyard. It revives a centuries-old traditional Burgundian winemaking method now seldom used. Fruit is vigorously, even harshly worked; juice that is so excessively aerated that it turns to an ebony colour at the press; then a thorough, aerated pump-over before settling. Spontaneous fermentation occurred in custom ordered Burgundian barrels, followed by 10 months’ ageing before being bottled.

Tasting Notes: A pure articulation of Ataraxia’s “dirt”, this sublime wine effortlessly balances fruit intensity with mineral acidity. A touch of “grip” on a lingering finish deftly rounds off this stylish wine.

Drink now, and until at least 2030.

Estimate (6 bottles): R4 000 – R5 500

Winemaker: Kevin Grant

Bartho Eksteen Wine Estate Fluister Pinot Noir 2021

100% Pinot Noir

From the incomparable, cool Hemel-en-Aarde terroir. Dedication, attention to detail and the appreciated support of fellow wine companions resulted in a work of art which I am proud to put my name to.

From the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, the capital of Pinot Noir in South Africa. Harvested on the historic 2nd of February, when Jan van Riebeeck harvested his first grapes in 1659, and also my son and fellow winemaker, Pieter Willem’s birthday.

Tasting Notes: Come closer – a whisper; muted with a soft touch and light intensity. Think intimacy, privacy and the ambient whispering of the sea. Think Pinot Noir.

If you can put away some bottles for a couple of years, you can delay the pleasure and have it back with interest for anything up to 15 years after harvest.

Estimate (6 bottles): R3 000 – R3 500

Winemaker: Bartho Eksteen

Bartho Eksteen Wine Estate Vloekskoot Sauvignon Blanc – Wooded 2021

100% Sauvignon Blanc

Whole bunch pressed, no settling. Naturally fermented in older, big wood. Matured for 11 months on lees. Bottled with minimum interference. Serve with crayfish bisque, petit poulet and creamed spinach or alikreukel trio (ref. the CWG book “Cellarmasters in the Kitchen”).

This is the most successful Sauvignon Blanc in the history of the CWG Auction. Acclaimed by international wine advocate as the best wooded Sauvignon Blanc amongst 41 icons from around the world, making this a true benchmark.

Tasting Notes: Nods towards Pessac-Léognan, but has a Cape character all of its own. Flinty, grapefruit, fresh lime, green herb flavours. Focused, with superb intensity. Older oak adds complexity and gravitas.
If you can put away some bottles for a couple of years, you can delay the pleasure and have it back with interest for anything up to 6 years after harvest.

Estimate (6 bottles): R2 800 – R3 800

Winemaker: Bartho Eksteen

Beaumont Family Wines Hope Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2020

100% Chenin Blanc

We have two registered single vineyards on the farm that go into producing our flagship Chenin Blanc. One is called GG’s Vineyard and the other, Hope Vineyard. This wine is produced from one barrel of the Hope Single Vineyard block. It is a vineyard that was planted in 1978 and forms the backbone of the Hope Marguerite wine. Naturally fermented in 400 litre second fill French oak and matured on the gross lees until just before bottling.

Tasting Note: Bright in colour. Delicate green apple and tropical fruits on the nose with a hint of oak. Fresh acid and limey citrus flavours give the wine a medium weight and a fresh long finish.

Drink in three years’ time.

Winemaker: Sebastian Beaumont

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah Auction Reserve 2020

100% Syrah

Only two barrels made. One barrel sourced from a tiny, unique parcel grown on decomposed schist soils on our Porseleinberg vineyard and the other barrel from one of the best old vineyards in Stellenbosch. Spontaneous fermentation in concrete Nico Velo vats. 50% whole cluster and élevaged for 18 months in seasoned French barriques.

Tasting Notes: Complex with dark berries and floral notes abound. Exceptional texture, indicative of its Swartland pedigree. Explosion of pepper and spicy notes from the maritime-influenced Stellenbosch vineyard. The quality lies in the second half of the bottle!

The wine has proven its age-worthiness time after time: 5 – 10 years ageing will be rewarded.

Estimate (6 bottles): R6 500 – R10 000

Winemaker: Marc Kent

Boplaas Cape Tawny Reserve 2005

90% Tinta Barocca, 10% Touriga Nacional

The Nel family of Boplaas have garnered a reputation of resolutely crafting benchmark fortified wines from traditional Portuguese varieties in the harshly beautiful Klein Karoo hamlet of Calitzdorp. Crafted from hand-harvested, gnarled, old-vine Portuguese varieties, fermented in traditional lagares, fortified with the finest Cape brandy and matured for 16 cold Klein Karoo winters in large old barrels. A once-rambunctious obsidian wine has transformed into a fiery amber elixir.

Tasting Notes: Fiery red-brown tawny colour with flecks of olive green on the rim, the bouquet unfurls with the walnut, roast almond, butterscotch, mélange of spices, citrus, warming brandy and charred oak notes.

Drink now and until 2052.

Winemaker: Carel Nel

Boplaas CWG Daniel’s Legacy 2020

60% Touriga Nacional, 20% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tinta Barocca

In celebration of Oupa Danie’s folly of mistakenly planting Tinta Barocca in place of Shiraz, after his sojourn to the Swartland in the early 70s in an old Chevy El Camino, which set Boplaas on a path of crafting fine fortifieds and Portuguese table wines in the Cape. Blending the finest barrels of Tinta Barocca, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz originating from low-yielding old vines and traditional vinification has created a fulsome, buxomly-fruited and age-worthy auction offering.

Tasting Notes: Bright garnet-red wine, black hedgerow fruits, tart cranberry, ripe plum notes, spice and fynbos. This wine only reveals its true underpinnings with time in the glass and tempts one to return for more.

Drink from 2028 onwards.

Winemaker: Carel Nel

Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir 2019

100% Pinot Noir

The majority of grapes supplied for this cuvée are from the oldest vines on the property, with the average vine age exceeding 22 years. Fermented for 21 days with 30% whole bunch complement. Matured for fifteen months in new French oak barrels.

Tasting Notes: Fresh cranberry and juicy plum aromas weave through savoury, exotic spices. Powered by sleek and well-defined tannins, the wine glides elegantly across the length of the palate.

40 Cases of this wine were sold on the 2021 auction.

Ready for drinking now but will continue with many years of positive development.

Winemaker: Peter Finlayson

Cederberg Teen Die Hoog Shiraz 2020

100% Shiraz

Picked early mornings, 20% whole-bunch and the rest destemmed and whole-berry sorted followed by two days of cold soaking. During fermentation, two punch-downs a day of the grape cap, with gentle pump-overs every eight hours for extraction. Extended maceration for an additional 13 days before a light pressing. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new tight grain 225 litre French oak medium toast barrels. Barrel maturation of 15 months. A premium selection of only three barrels is made.

Tasting Notes: This Shiraz reveals intense layers of mixed forest berries accompanied by sweet spice and violets on the nose. A richly textured palate with a complex, velvety tannin structure on the finish.

Drink this wine from 2025 onwards.

Estimate (6 bottles): R6 500 – R8 500

Winemaker: David Nieuwoudt

David & Nadia Veiling Chenin Blanc 2021

100% Chenin Blanc

The grapes were hand-picked during multiple pickings from three Old Vine Project certified Single Vineyards dating back to 1968 from iron-rich clay on limestone, weathered granite and schist soils. The grapes were chilled before being hand-sorted, whole bunch pressed and naturally fermented in old French oak barrels for 11 months on its lees. Made as naturally and as stable as possible. 100% malolactic fermentation and no fining.

Tasting Notes: Focused on tension, purity, tightness, concentration and freshness with salinity as core.

Drink in 3 – 5 years’ time. Should mature well for 15 years.

Winemaker: David Sadie

David & Nadia Veiling Grenache Noir 2021

100% Grenache noir

Multiple hand pickings from a single vineyard in the Langkloof of the Paardeberg mountain. 50% whole bunch fermentation, gently extracted daily and macerated on the skins for a month in total. Pressed to old French oak barrels for 11 months before being bottled, unfined.

Tasting Notes: Focused on tightness, length, elegance and purity.

Drink in 3 – 5 years’ time. This wine should mature well for 12 years.

Winemaker: David Sadie

David Finlayson Edgebaston Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2017

95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc

Made from grapes picked off the clay-heavy section of our prestige GS vineyard; these grapes
were picked five days earlier than the rest of the vineyard. They were fermented in a small
1.5 ton fermenter and punched down three times a day. After 21 days on skins, they were
matured in new French oak for 24 months. A small percentage Cabernet Franc was added to
the barrels to soften the tannin structure and add a twist of difference to the usual CWG wine
which has always been 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting Notes: Typical of the house style, a big, iron-fisted style Cabernet Sauvignon with
boysenberry and cassis on the nose. Ripe bramble, cassis fruit with a touch of vanilla oak and
solid tannins on palate.

36 Cases of this wine were sold on the 2020 auction.

Ready for drinking from 2025 to 2035.

Winemaker: David Finlayson

De Grendel Op die Berg Pinot Noir 2019

100% Pinot Noir

The hand-picked grapes were 60% whole bunch clusters and 40% destalked in open fermenters. Pneumatic punch-downs were applied throughout the fermenting process. Basket pressed. The wine went through malolactic fermentation in barrel, with 12 months of maceration thereafter. It was then filtrated and bottled.

Tasting Notes: A traditional crimson red Pinot Noir proposes a spray of hibiscus, strawberry, and delicate whiffs of damp forest floor. Fresh sour cherry flavours are bolstered by nutty porcini with lengthy mouthfeel.

Ready for drinking now until 2027.

Winemaker: Charles Hopkins

De Grendel Wooded Sauvignon Blanc 2021

100% Sauvignon Blanc

Early morning hand-picked grapes from Darling were crushed, left for 18 hours of skin contact, whereafter the extraction of the juice took place. After that, settling and then racking took place. The juice was barrel fermented and the wine had 130 days contact with oak whilst lees stirring was applied. The wine was then stabilised and bottled.

Tasting Notes: Lemon zest, coriander leaves, and green capsicum are presented to the taster. Focused with superb intensity and medium-bodied, with a multi-dimensional palate. Older oak adds complexity and gravitas.

Ready for drinking now until 2025.

Winemaker: Charles Hopkins

De Trafford Ou Kopland Chenin Blanc 2021

100% Chenin Blanc

A 39-year-old bush vine block on the top of the Bottelary Hills on crumbly shale soil. Picked in the cool early morning and lightly squashed and left for a couple of hours skin contact before pressing in a traditional wooden basket press and barrel fermented in neutral oak. Matured for 10 months and the best 400 litre barrel was selected for this auction wine. No yeast or acid added, and the wine was bottled unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: Deep, vibrant straw colour. Still rather closed and takes a while to evolve in the glass. Dense mineral fruit on the palate. A wine that will unfurl over many years.

Ready for drinking in 2023.

Winemaker: David Trafford

De Trafford Perspective 2020

50% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot

All grapes are from our “Elevation 393” vineyard between the Helderberg and Stellenbosch mountains at the end of the Blaauwklippen valley, 393m above sea level. Narrow rows of between 1.5m and 2.0m. Destemmed and crushed, with natural yeast fermentation in small open-top tanks. Drained directly to new oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and maturation. Specific sections of the vineyard were earmarked for this wine and carefully blended for nine months before a further nine months barrel maturation and bottling unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: Deep, bright red colour. Still youthful with dark berry and cherry nose with graphite, herbs and cedar notes. Opulent, complex berry fruit on the palate with soft fine tannins.

Ready for drinking in 2024.

Winemaker: David Trafford

Delaire Graff Estate Banghoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from an 18-year virus-free vineyard on Delaire Graff Estate. Cool and slow partial whole-berry fermentation with limited punch-downs. Four weeks post-ferment maturation on skins before being basket pressed. Matured in new 225 litre French oak. Bottled November 2019.

Tasting Notes: Dark ripe blue fruit and subtle oak spice. Rich and powerful palate with firm and powdery fruit tannins with elegant, textured finish.

Ready for drinking now, and for the next 10 years.

Estimate (6 bottles): R3 800 – R5 500

Winemaker: Morne Vrey

Ernie Els Wines CWG 2019

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Shiraz, 10% Cinsault

The grapes are hand-picked in the cool of early morning. Whole berries are fermented in open-top tanks and barrels with intermittent pump-overs and punch-downs to ensure a balance between flavour, colour and tannin extraction from the skins. Ferments are meticulously monitored during fermentation to ensure that all the natural aromas and flavours are preserved and highlighted as required. Each variety is maturated separately (micro-vinified) in oak barrels before blending and eventual bottling.

Tasting Notes: Blend of the core Helderberg varieties, complex and fresh. Fragrant aromatics of purple violets, and Christmas spices follow to flavours of concentrated cassis and forest berries. Expressive and luxurious.

Ready for drinking 10 years from vintage.

Winemaker: Louis Strydom

Gottfried Mocke Wine Projects Chardonnay 2021

100% Chardonnay

Winemaker Gottfried Mocke

The Chardonnay grapes were sourced from a small parcel on decomposed granite. Hand-sorted and whole bunch pressed. The juice settled naturally and racked into a small Burgundian barrique where fermentation began spontaneously. Light bâttonage was performed throughout the 14 months of élevage.

Tasting Notes: The nose shows an inviting array of intense citrus aromas, yellow fruits, angelica and undertones of nutmeg, ginger and gently toasted oak. The palate is very focused, smooth and creamy.

Ready for drinking in 2023 and until 2027.

Winemaker: Gottfried Mocke

Hartenberg CWG Amphora Merlot 2020

100% Merlot

This wine spent 18 months in a hand-made, 400 litre imported Italian clay Amphora. A Merlot selected from our very best site for the varietal. The grapes were hand-sorted, fermented and macerated on the skins for 15 days with Italian yeast.

Tasting Notes: Ripe cranberry, cherries, gentle vanilla aromatics, underpinned by cigar box and spice. Silky smooth palate entry evolves to a rich, yet fresh, elegant mid-palate, loads of red and black fruit on finish.

Ready for drinking in 2024 and until 2039.

Winemaker: Carl Schultz

Hartenberg CWG Auction Shiraz 2020

100% Shiraz

Two of the best parcels of Shiraz on Hartenberg Estate were combined to create this wine. Hand-picked and sorted, the grapes were selected to be the very best. 50% new and 50% second fill French oak barrels were used to mature this wine for 21 months. This wine is a blend of our two flagship Shiraz wines, the Gravel Hill and the Stork.

Tasting Notes: Beautiful layered intensity showing violets, plums, red fruits and spice on the bouquet. Super silky and elegant on the palate. Tannins are velvety and linger, ending fine and dry.

Ready for drinking in 2024 and until 2044.

Winemaker: Carl Schultz

Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2019

75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot

The different vineyards are planted next to each other on the lowest-lying part of the farm. The grapes are destemmed, sorted, and then fermented in open top “kuipe” for 6 days. After malolactic fermentation in tank, the blend is made and the wine is then matured in 100% new French oak barrels for 24 months.

Tasting Notes: Blackberry, spice and freshly cut flowers on the nose. This wine has a complex structure, with a lively acid and a dry finish.

Ready for drinking in 2025.

Estimate (6 bottles): R 10 000 – R14 000

Winemaker: Abrie Beeslaar

Kanonkop CWG Pinotage 2019

100% Pinotage

Old unirrigated bush vines with yields of 4 tons/hectare were used to make this wine. The grapes were destemmed, sorted and fermented in open top “kuipe” for four days. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel and spent a total of 19 months in barrel.

Tasting Notes: Deep red colour with dark fruit and spices on the nose. The palate is rich but balanced with a long, savoury aftertaste.

Ready for drinking in 2024.

Winemaker: Abrie Beeslaar

Lismore The Sheltering Sky Syrah 2020

100% Syrah

Grown on iron soils in cool climate Elgin, 100% whole bunch fermented with extended maceration. Aged with 25% new French oak.

Tasting Notes: Cassis, blackberry and cherry. White pepper, ground herbs and the strong floral perfume of crushed violets. Elegant, but structured with a fresh acidity.

Ready for drinking in 2024 and until 2034.

Winemaker: Samantha O’Keefe

Lismore Valkyrie Chardonnay 2021

100% Chardonnay

Dry land farmed on shale soils resulting in concentrated fruit. Barrel fermented and aged in 500 litre French oak barrels, 30% new.

Tasting Notes: Intense citrus and stone fruit layered with jasmine, walnut, honey and vanilla, carried by a distinct minerality and crisp acidity with a lingering citrus finish.

Ready for drinking in 2023 and until 2032.

Winemaker: Samantha O’Keefe

Luddite Oupa Mourvèdre 2019

100% Mourvèdre

Hand-picked into open bins for fermentation. Punched down twice a day, with one week extended skin contact after fermentation, pressed directly into barrel and aged for one year in old wood.

Tasting Notes: Nose – Juicy, fresh, wild dark berries, with a hint of Mourvèdre wildness. Palate – fresh entry with dark fruit, fresh mid-palate with a long, earthy finish.

Ready for drinking now and for the next 10 years.

Winemaker: Niels Verburg

Miles Mossop Wines Maximilian 2019

92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot

A single Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard from the Helderberg, blended with a small amount of Petit Verdot and Merlot for complexity. Picked at a ripeness to express the density and structure typical of this part of Stellenbosch, while retaining freshness. Naturally fermented in a small wooden open top fermenter, then matured in 225 litre French oak barriques for 20 months, 46% being new. Bottled in December 2020.

Tasting Notes: Intense aromas of cassis and bramble fruit emanate from the glass with underlying notes of tobacco, cedar and toast. The palate mirrors the nose with a dry textured finish and lingering freshness.

Ready for drinking in 2029.

Winemaker: Miles Mossop

Mullineux Trifecta Chenin Blanc 2020

100% Chenin Blanc

This wine hails from Mullineux’s top three Chenin Blanc vineyards planted on three soil types: GRANITE, SCHIST and IRON. The grapes were whole bunch pressed to a single barrel and co-fermented in a layered fashion with indigenous yeast. Left on the lees, unsulphured until bottling.  The wine will be auctioned off in its 34th month of ageing.

“Oh, to capture just one drop of all the ecstasy
That swept that afternoon
To paint that love upon a white balloon
And fly it from the toppest top of all the tops that man has pushed
Beyond his brain
Satori must be something just the same”

Memory of a Free Festival Part 1 – Space Oddity (1990)

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring” – David Bowie

Winemaker: Andrea Mullineux

Neil Ellis Jonkershoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

A single vineyard, small batch, whole-berry fermentation was initiated in a stainless steel tank. The grapes underwent a series of punch-downs and pump-overs until dry. No barrels were used maturing this wine, a pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Jonkershoek Valley.

Tasting Notes: Intense dark colour. The nose shows restraint, with aromas, of cassis and cedar, so typical of the Jonkershoek Valley. The palate is nervous and fresh, followed by fine, dense and tight tannins. A wine that is built to last.

Ready for drinking now until 2033.

Winemaker: Warren Ellis

Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Sandford Chardonnay 2020

100% Chardonnay

The best quality juice fraction is whole bunch pressed directly to barrel without prior settling. The fermentation is spontaneous and no sulphur is used in the winemaking, allowing diverse micro-organisms from the grape itself to flourish unrestrained in the fermentation. Matured for 11 months in barrel (35% new) produced in Burgundy and custom made for this vineyard, with a further 5 months’ élevage in old oak. No fining. Coarse filtration and sulphur adjustment was applied before bottling.

Tasting Notes: Elaborate layers of green and ripe lime fruit juxtaposed with white flowers, baking spice, crushed stones and gunflint. The plush and compact texture is prolonged with vitality in the finish.

Ready for drinking now and for the next 10 years.

Winemaker: Gordon Newton Johnson

Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Windansea Pinot Noir 2020

100% Pinot Noir

This is a bare-bones glimpse of Windansea, the power dimension to Pinot Noir on our farm. In the stoniest and most clay-rich of our granite soils, the bunches were selectively picked by the family for this small cuvée. Made without sulphur in the winemaking, allowing diverse micro-organisms from the grape itself to flourish unrestrained in the fermentation, enhancing complexity. 11 months’ maturation with a further six months’ élevage in large oak. Unfiltered, it will age over many years in bottle.

Tasting Notes: A lavish wine, saturated with blackberry, liquorice and rich red currants. Lingering impressions of soft spice and freshly turned earth. Bountiful and seamless tannin texture in to a chalky finish.

Ready for drinking in 2 to 15 years’ time.

Winemaker: Gordon Newton Johnson

Paul Cluver The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2021

100% Chardonnay

2021 was one of the latest harvests experienced over the past decade. This wine is made from our oldest Chardonnay vineyard (34 years) which was harvested on the 24th of March. Grapes were whole bunch pressed, the juice naturally settled and transferred to 300 litre oak barrels for fermentation without yeast inoculation. Minimal lees stirring retains freshness allowing structure and texture to evolve, while showing the typicity of site. The wine was matured in barrel for nine months whereafter it was transferred to tank and stabilised for bottling.

Tasting Notes: A wine with great focus, purity, poise and minerality. The nose shows hints of lemon and tangerine, with the palate’s pronounced features being elegance and balance, the overall complexity of a terroir-driven cool climate Chardonnay leading to a long, lingering finish.

Ready for drinking now, but evolving over the next 5 – 10 years.

Winemaker: Andries Burger

Raats Family Wines Stella Nova Cabernet Franc 2018

100% Cabernet Franc

This wine is an expression of Bruwer Raats’ lifelong passion for, sustained focus on and commitment to master Cabernet Franc.

This single barrel was selected exclusively for the CWG Auction from sustainably farmed vines dominated by fruit from a block high on the granite slopes of Vlaeberg Mountain in Polkadraai Hills Stellenbosch. The block overlooks both Table Bay on the north side and False Bay on the south side of the mountain, allowing for cool air to circulate the vines continuously. Hand-harvested with vinification in small batches using optimally ripe grapes, we select the best barrel from the vintage to represent what we consider our finest expression of this variety.  The grapes are hand-sorted three times, crushed and left to cold soak on the skins for five days, before we basket press the grapes and allow the wine to undergo malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and then aged for 18 months in 225 litre French oak barrels.

Tasting Notes:  A superbly refined Cabernet Franc, the wine has a very engaging nose which entices with its perfume of rosemary, spicy notes of nutmeg, cloves, star anise and an intense brooding blackberry fruit.  The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a harmonious finish.  There is a beguiling purity to this wine and it will age supremely well.  

Drink 2024 until 2030 and beyond.

Winemaker: Bruwer Raats

Raats Family Wines The Fountain Terroir Specific Chenin Blanc 2021

100% Chenin Blanc

This wine is an expression of Bruwer Raats’ lifelong passion for, sustained focus on and commitment to master Chenin Blanc.  

This single barrel was created exclusively for the CWG Auction, using sustainably farmed vines from our premier trellised Chenin Blanc block in Stellenbosch’s Polkadraai Hills.  Hand-harvested, we reserve the best three rows from our Volstruisfontein vineyard, grown on decomposed dolomite granite, to produce three barrels.  From these three barrels we select the best barrel to represent what we consider our finest expression of Chenin Blanc.  Vinification is done in small batches using minimum intervention.  The wine is fermented and matured in 300 litre French oak barrels (third fill) for 11 months to accentuate soft and luscious flavours. 

Tasting Notes:  The aromatics are opulent, showing quince, yellow apple and mandarin orange, with ginger spice adding dimension alongside mineral intensity.  The stone fruit character follows through, adding balance, chalky minerality and great acidity to give incredible intensity, a harmonious balance and long piercing finish.

Drink now to 2026+

Winemaker: Bruwer Raats

Saronsberg Inner Circle 2019

75% Shiraz, 15% Mourvèdre, 5% Grenache, 3% Viognier, 2% Roussanne

This single barrel is the result of blending only the best single-barrel selections available in the cellar destined for our acclaimed Full Circle, arguably South Africa’s most consistently awarded Rhône-style blend. No compromise was made for volume, and only the best of the best was used. Aged for 20 months in new French oak and bottle aged for a year, this wine will bring joy for years to come.

Tasting Notes: Combining the most concentrated fruit from our best vineyards gives us greater complexity, a wine of unparalleled richness and concentrated flavours of fynbos, spice and dark fruit.

Ready for drinking in 2030.

Winemaker: Dewaldt Heyns

Savage Wines Auction Syrah 2020

100% Syrah

Granitic soil-grown Syrah fermented in open top fermenters, 50% as whole clusters. The wine spent two years in old 225 litre French oak barrels, followed by 5 months in bottle prior to the auction.

Tasting Notes: Lifted floral notes, white pepper, black olive and fynbos.

Ready for drinking now and over the next 10 years.

Winemaker: Duncan Savage

Silverthorn Big Dog Méthode Cap Classique 2017

71% Chardonnay, 29% Pinot Noir

Made in the traditional Cap Classique Method, both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were whole bunch harvested and pressed. The Chardonnay portion was barrel fermented and aged in old French oak barrels to enhance the complexity and richness, while the Pinot Noir was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks in order to accentuate the red apple characters. After blending, the wine was bottle fermented and aged on the lees for 52 months. The wine was aged on the cork for 9 months before the auction day.

Tasting Notes: Big Dog VIII is a rich and complex wine, made without compromising finesse and elegance. The nose has enticing roasted almond and marzipan notes from the Chardonnay and red apple from the Pinot Noir.

For maximum reward and expression drink from 2024 onwards.

Winemaker: John Loubser

Simonsig Heirloom Shiraz 2020

100% Shiraz

Grapes from a 25-year-old Shiraz block were hand-picked at 23.5 Balling, with 16% whole bunches added to a concrete fermentation tank. Cooler fermentation was followed, by extended skin maceration lasting 22 days. The young wine was immediately transferred to 500 litre barrels to allow malolactic fermentation to complete in oak. New French oak comprised 60% of the final blend with 40% second fill. After a total of 18 months in barrel, the wine was bottled specially for the auction.

Tasting Notes: Dried fynbos and perfumed white pepper spice on the nose give the wine a vibrant freshness. Refined black berry fruit in a tightly-knit frame of restrained tannins provides purity and finesse on the palate.

Ready for drinking in 2026 and until 2028.

Winemaker: Johan Malan

Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Decade Pinot Meunier 2011

100% Pinot Meunier

Hand-picked early in the vintage to preserve acidity and then whole-bunch pressed. The juice is fractioned and only the finest cuvée is used. After yeast and sugar is added, the prise de mousse took place in our cool cellars to create an extra fine mousse. Ageing on the lees lasted more than a decade before disgorging in May 2022. A very low dosage was added, the result being an extra brut with only 3.9 grams of sugar.

Tasting Notes: Complex aromas of roasted almonds and brioche. Showing beautiful evolution after a decade in the bottle, creating a rich, creamy texture and persistence on the palate. Fresh and bone-dry finish.

This is the first Pinot meunier Cap Classique that has ever been released by Simonsig.

Ready for drinking now.

Estimate (6 bottles): R3 000 – R4 200

Winemaker: Johan Malan

Spier Wines Frans K Smit CWG Special Edition 2018

52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet France

Grapes were hand-picked, destemmed and hand-sorted before fermentation. The wine was naturally fermented in stainless steel tanks, followed by maturation in 225 litre French oak barrels for a period of 20 months.

Tasting Notes: Hints of cigar box notes on the nose followed by berries, a faint sensation of mint and savoury undertones, the wine is complex and dense in structure with a silky mid-palate and a smooth lengthy finish.

50 Cases of this wine were sold on the 2021 auction.

Ready for drinking now or within the next 10 to 12 years.

Estimate (6 bottles): R4 200 – R5 500

Winemaker: Frans Smit

Strydom Family Wines The Game Changer Cabernet Franc – Merlot 2017

80% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot

The grapes are grown on the Helderberg mountain on north-facing slopes. Both varieties ripened during February and were harvested during the morning. In the cellar they were rigorously sorted before whole berry fermentation in open fermenters. During the first half of fermentation we pumped over and punched down three times a day and afterwards, only twice a day. After pressing, malolactic fermentation in barrels. Blending was done after 12 months with a further six months maturation before bottling.

Tasting Notes: Perfume, glazed red cherries and fresh raspberries with hints of graphite on the nose. The palate has a soft entry, elegant spicy mid-palate, red fruit power and finishes with a chalky edge.

20 Cases of this wine were sold on the 2020 auction.

Ready for drinking in 2025.

Winemaker: Rianie Strydom

Warwick The White Lady Auction Chardonnay 2020

100% Chardonnay

Two unique Stellenbosch Chardonnay vineyards are used in the production of this distinct Chardonnay; one situated on the foothills of the Simonsberg and the other on the Helderberg. Grapes are hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, followed by settling in tank overnight. Juice is racked to barrel the following day for fermentation in 33% new, 50% second fill and 17% third fill 228 litre French oak barrels, followed by an ageing period of nine months before blending, filtration and bottling in February 2021.

Tasting Notes: The nose is restrained and focused, citrus, stone fruits, roasted almonds, yellow apple and oatmeal. The palate is packed with fruit weight, green apple, citrus and spice, balanced by fresh acidity.

Ready for drinking in 2022 and until 2027.

Winemaker: JD Pretorius