Top South African Wines
Robert Parker Ratings
Robert Parker’s latest ratings for South African wines. Here are the top wine highlights.
Anthony Muller recently rated South African wines for Robert Parker's Magazine.
"South Africa's often-overlooked Western Cape boasts stunning natural beauty and some of the world's most expressive and ancient soils for viticulture and winemaking. Over the years, the country has become known for producing some of the 'most value-oriented' wines on today's global wine market—a reputation that will hopefully be broken and replaced in consumers' minds with wines that are 'quality-oriented'," says Muller in his article.
Robert Parker's magazine confirms that for many months they have been "on the hunt for new producers, new bottlings, and wines from the Western Cape." Anthony Muller was surprised by what he found in this assessment. "I must say that I continue to be extremely impressed by the quality, value for money, and expression of site and terroir in many of the new vintages I have tasted. With impressive expressions that grab drinkers' attention, some sweet wines received the highest scores, along with an outstanding presentation of Swartland bottlings from Mullineux and Sadie Family and some rather impressive wines from Hamilton Russell, Keermont, Kershaw, Klein Constantia, Le Riche, Lismore, Raats, Rall, Tesselaarsdal, and Warwick," he wrote in his article.
Anthony Muller warns us with very good news: "Stay tuned for more critical reviews and a series of regionally focused reports that I plan to release in the coming months, along with full vintage reports, as I continue my coverage of South Africa, its wine industry, and my search for the next wine, the next story, the next voice." We look forward to the new wines that you will be tasting and that we, at KapWeine, can serve at our tables in Switzerland.
Here you will find the top category wines with Anthony Muller's reviews from Robert Parker. Enjoy!
Promotion
MULLINEUX
Olerasay – Straw Wine No .2
CHF 129.00 instead of CHF 149.00
98 Points by Robert Parker
The NV Olerasay, bottled in 2020, is a solera wine made from Chenin Blanc, with a portion of previous vintages from 2008 to 2019 blended in. In the glass, the wine is medium gold and explodes with picturesque stone fruit aromas reminiscent of white peach, satsuma, applesauce, Meyer lemon, and candied citrus, followed by hints of jasmine and honeysuckle. The medium to full body is perfectly balanced, and the 8.5% alcohol content is spot on. However, it is the dynamic and impressive acid structure that beautifully frames this wine, giving it its elegant yet concentrated power. With a nearly perfect rolodex of classic Chenin Blanc aromas – without any wooliness – I would easily compare this wine to any of the world-class sweet Chenin Blancs from the Loire Valley. I understand and appreciate the power of the solera and cannot wait until this solera is at least 25 years old. Bravo! This is undoubtedly one of the best Chenin Blancs I have ever tasted.
Sold Out – Best Hit
Promotion
KLEIN CONSTANTIA
Vin de Constance – Sweet Wine – 2017
CHF 69.00 instead of CHF 89.00
94 Points by Robert Parker
The 2018 Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine, while similar in color to the 2017, is richer and rounder than the previous vintage. On the nose, the wine is stunningly beautiful, exuding ripeness, precision, and focus, overflowing in the glass with glorious aromas of apricot puree, white nectarine, and yellow peach with intoxicating floral notes. On the palate, the wine is compact, medium to full-bodied, and smooth, literally exploding to show the greatness of the Muscat. In the mouth, the wine continues to unfold, expressing additional layers and complexity as it sits on the palate. It is beautifully structured, and I find myself almost chewing the wine because it has so much to offer. I draw air over the palate and continue to sip the wine, and it reveals more and more of its secrets and complexity. No spitting today. This is incredible stuff.
Sold Out – Best Hit
Promotion
SADIE FAMILY
T-VOETPAD – Matured – 2018
CHF 89.00 instead of CHF 99.00
96 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 Old Vine Series T Voetpad opens with a floral and citrusy nose. It has amazing focus and bright citrus notes that unfold with a soft waxy and floral nature. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and perfectly balanced, offering a taste of sour peach and an acidity that will last for more than two decades. This wine has an amazing mineral tension and a hint of nuts, but the amazing acidity drives the constantly evolving and persistent finish, leaving a hint of sea spray. Absolutely stunning stuff!
Sold Out – Best Hit
SADIE FAMILY
Columella – Matured – 2018
CHF 125.00
96 Points by Robert Parker
The 2019 Columella is impeccably balanced and seductive on the nose. It captivates with juicy red fruits that waft around the nose with grace and elegance before offering bright red blossoms. On the palate, the Columella is medium to full-bodied and impresses with its nimble lightness in the mid-palate, before presenting power and finesse in the form of complex layers. The wine somersaults to an epic finish that lingers long in the mouth. Absolutely overwhelming!
Promotion
MULLINEUX
Schist Roundstone – Syrah – 2018
CHF 109.00 instead of 119.00
95 Points by Robert Parker
The 2018 Schist Syrah begins with a compact frame and an intoxicating floral expression with dark red fruits and complex stony notes under glorious aromas of violet and white pepper. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and perfectly balanced, with juicy acidity and fine-grained tannins that will undoubtedly integrate seamlessly over time. This delicious Syrah ends with fantastic notes of crisp red fruits and hints of game and is my top choice for this year's Mullineux soil series Syrah. Bravo! I pause and smell the wine in the glass instead of drinking it, which to me is a sign of a world-class wine.
Promotion
SADIE FAMILY
Palladius – 2019
CHF 79.00 instead of 99.00
95 Points by Robert Parker
With aromas of lemon oil, raw honeycomb, wax melon, and unripe peach skin, the 2019 Palladius is beautiful on the nose, with a glorious floral uplift and dusty nuances. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, offering flavors of dusty honeysuckle, unripe peach skin, and citrus blossoms along with a beautiful mineral tension and a hint of phenolic bitterness. This wine will remain enjoyable until its 20th birthday. Every time I taste these wines, they seem to bring joy again and again. Absolutely stunning!
Promotion
LE RICHE
Cabernet Sauvignon – Reserve – 2018
CHF 39.90 instead of CHF 49.00
94 Points by Robert Parker
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is already firing on all cylinders and ready for action. Juicy aromas of dark fruits pour from the glass, reminiscent of wet stone and sweet herbs, while elegant baking spices waft from the glass. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, generous, complex, balanced, and refined. This spectacular Cabernet is delicious, enjoyable, and deserves to stand in the cellar alongside the world's other top-tier Cabernets. The wine tumbles with excitement to a brilliant, long-lasting, and sustained finish. More importantly, the aftertaste offers an impressive flavor profile of crushed violets, fresh sage, juicy plums, spiced blackberries, and baking spices. I consider it a moral imperative to finish this glass. I will be putting some bottles of this wine in my cellar.
Sold Out – Best Hit
Promotion
MULLINEUX
Leeu Passant – Chardonnay – 2017
CHF 69.00 instead of 79.00
93 Points by Robert Parker
The 2018 Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Chardonnay impresses in the glass with aromas of ripe, round, and fresh citrus and orchard fruits, combining with elegant oak spices and alluring aromas of graham cracker crust, popcorn kernels, citrus blossoms, and lemon meringue pie. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and impeccably balanced, with juicy acidity, a round mouthfeel, and a silky mid-palate. On the palate, flavors of white peach, unripe pineapple, Marcona almonds, and poached yellow apples on cardamom madeleines unfold. In the long, lingering finish, the wine reveals its layeredness and complexity. Bravo! You have captured beauty and finesse in this bottle.
Promotion
HAMILTON RUSSELL
Chardonnay – 2020
CHF 43.00 instead of CHF 49.90
93 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 Chardonnay seduces in the glass with aromas of citrus pastry, caramel, nutmeg, crème brûlée, and yellow apple panna cotta. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and impeccably balanced, with a pleasant texture, followed by bright acidity that frames the mid-palate. The finish is long-lasting and inspiring, with lingering aromas of toasted almonds, citrus blossoms, and quince peel on the aftertaste. A beautiful and delicious wine that I definitely want to try again in 10 years. Bravo!
LISMORE
Viognier Age of Grace – 2020
CHF 29.00
93 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 The Age of Grace Viognier is stunningly beautiful in the glass, exuding finesse, sophistication, and precision with a wonderfully floral and aromatic nose accompanied by oak aromas, tropical and stone fruit aromas, and a cereal element. The Viognier is full-bodied, opulent, and compact, unfolding in the mouth with multi-layered complexity as it struts across the mid-palate with careful purity. It offers aromas of apricots, white peach, popcorn kernels, caramel apple, pineapple, and cream of wheat with a balanced structure and a hint of phenolic bitterness. The wine explodes on the finish, showing the ripeness of the fruit and the purity of the varietal. Another outstanding Lismore bottling for the books. Samantha O'Keefe has done it again.
Promotion
MULLINEX
Granite – Chenin Blanc – 2019
CHF 69.00 instead of CHF 79.00
93 Points by Robert Parker
The 2019 Granite Chenin Blanc impresses immediately with floral and dusty citrus blossom elements before offering a fantastically balanced citrus fruit and minerality. The wine is medium-bodied and has a great impact on the palate with juicy acidity and an alluring mineral tension that is both food-friendly and slightly phenolic. The wine unfolds in the mid-palate and somersaults in the mouth before offering a long, structured finish that is absolutely stunning. Bravo! My problem will be keeping my hands off this bottle when I see it in the cellar.
Promotion
MULLINEX
Granite – Syrah – 2018
CHF 109.00 instead of CHF 119.00
93 Points by Robert Parker
With aromas of blackberries and black pepper and a hint of smoke, the 2018 Granite Syrah offers classic and rocky renditions of well-made Syrah. Medium-bodied, flavorful, and elegant, the palate offers aromas of dusty black cherry, smoked plum, and wild bush, before fine-grained tannins lift the mid-palate. The wine glides to a fine, firm finish with a compact, tannic edge. Enjoy with food.
SADIE FAMILY
Mev. Kirsten – Old Vine – Chenin Blanc – 2020
CHF 139.00
93 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 Mev Kirsten Old Vine Series begins with an almost electric nose, offering a fine, dusty mineral essence and elements of underripe pineapple, yellow pear, sweet citrus, and lanolin. On the palate, the wine is balanced with energetic acidity that races across the mid-palate with finesse and precision, followed by a soft, chalky, mineral tension and a light kiss of phenolic bitterness. The wine unfolds in the long finish with subtle notes of arugula and underripe peach skin. Bravo!
SADIE FAMILY
Treinspoor Tinta Barocca – Old Vine – 2020
CHF 59.00
93 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 Treinspoor Old Vine Series is wonderfully juicy in the glass, offering ripe, spiced plum notes with a pleasant mineral touch and nuances of black raspberries and sweet tobacco, with an undertone of charming dark red fruit notes. The medium to full body is compact and precise on the palate, with a firm, tannic edge that will remain enjoyable for years to come. This delicious and complex wine unfolds its complexity in the long and juicy finish. It is magnificent in every sense of the word.
Killer Deal – from 6 bottles
WARWICK
White Lady – Chardonnay – 2020
CHF 18.90 instead of 24.90
93 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 The White Lady Chardonnay emanates elegant aromas of French oak in the glass with seductive notes of pastry cream, spiced pineapple, and sweet caramel apple, as well as delicious hints of creamed corn and citrus blossoms. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, clean, elegantly expressive, and slightly nutty with flavors of spiced orchard fruits, crème brûlée, and Meyer lemon. The wine finishes with a long, silky, and creamy aftertaste. The wine matured in about 25% new Burgundian oak barrels. Only 16,000 bottles were produced. Bravo! I won't spit this one out.
SADIE FAMILY
Pofadder Cinsault – 2020
CHF 59.00
92 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 Pofadder from the Old Vine Series begins with a light and cheerful nose, offering Pinot Noir-like aromas with a hint of potpourri and red spice, before ripe, dusty cherry skin with a kiss of green herbs wafts from the glass. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and offers a ripe fruit quality with flavors of sour cherries and wild strawberries and a fine mineral tension. The wine has a balanced structure and finishes with a slightly tannic and dry aftertaste. Let it mature for another year in the bottle and then drink it until 2038.
Six Pack Special – from 6 bottles
ANWILKA
Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz – 2017
CHF 39.90 instead of 49.00
92 Points by Robert Parker
On the border between the New and Old Worlds, the 2017 Anwilka begins with aromas of dusty blackberries, ripe plums, cedarwood, and cigar spice, before notes of graphite, sage, and wet river stones waft from the glass. The wine is medium to full-bodied, has a ripe yet rustic mouthfeel, powerful acidity, and fine-grained tannins that lift the mid-palate. As the wine lingers in the mouth, it continues to unfold, revealing its elegance and complexity in the persistent and long finish. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petit Verdot matured for 19 months in French oak, 50% of which was new. It is very drinkable now, but give it another year in the bottle and drink it until the middle of the next decade.
Promotion
HAMILTON RUSSELL
Pinot Noir – 2020
CHF 59.00 instead of 69.00
92 Points by Robert Parker
After the majority of the winery's Pinot Noir grapes were rejected in 2019 due to wildfires, the 2020 Pinot Noir marks the return of the bottling from the Hemel-En-Aarde Valley. The nose is earthy with a slightly rustic charm and a fresh, red fruit essence reminiscent of Willamette Valley and Burgundy. The wine is medium-bodied and beautifully layered, the mouthfeel is bright and delicious, with juicy acidity and youthful tannins. The wine finishes with aromas of raspberry peel, Bing cherry, and red spiced tea.
Promotion
KEN FORRESTER
FMC – Chenin Blanc – 2019
CHF 49.00 instead of 59.00
92 Points by Robert Parker
The 2019 The FMC captivates with alluring aromas of raw honey, sweet citrus, elegant baking spices, and lemon meringue. It has a medium body, energetic acidity, juicy flavors of green and yellow apple peel, toasted brioche, and popcorn, and a hint of phenolic bitterness, while flavors of white peach and a touch of apricot gain in richness. The wine further develops with a generous and waxy mouthfeel and finishes with a surprisingly long aftertaste. I will have a second sip. Bravo!
LISMORE
Estate Reserve – Chardonnay – 2020
CHF 59.00
92 Points by Robert Parker
The 2020 Estate Reserve Chardonnay begins with a spicy nose reminiscent of popcorn, cardamom madeleines, yellow apple, and lemon panna cotta. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, showing volume, breadth, and depth, as well as increasing complexity. Juicy acidity and oak spice dominate the mid-palate, while flavors of candied citrus, sautéed almonds, and a hint of caramel effortlessly float across the ever-evolving finish. It is delicious.
Edition of "Robert Parker", from 09.07.2022
All prices in CHF incl. VAT. Daily price from 13.07.2022.
Offers valid while stocks last. Errors and price changes reserved.
