South Africa

93 Points! The David & Nadia 2024 Swartland Chenin Blanc is built from eight single vineyards planted between 1968 and 1986 (and all recorded in the Old Vine Register), with 16 separate pickings forming the backbone of the blend. Whole-bunch pressing and restrained skin contact preserve clarity, aiming for a linear and tactile expression. While Swartland is often associated with shale, roughly 70% of this blend comes from granite soils, with additional iron-rich clay, limestone and ferricrete contributing nuance. The nose is expressive and focused, while the palate is tighter and less immediately expansive, favoring structure over volume. The wine reflects the region’s old-vine Chenin Blanc heritage and reinforces the Swartland’s growing identity as a benchmark for the variety. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! The Roundstone 2023 Swartland Red Blend reflects a forward-looking approach to climate resilience and site authenticity. The blend (52% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 23% Cinsault) leans on varieties well proven in the Swartland’s warm, dry conditions. The vineyards are farmed with a strong regenerative focus: tight spacing with no tractor work, permanent mulch under vine with hay bales, self-seeding cover crops and no-till soil management. The 20-hectare block includes 16 hectares of vines interwoven with four hectares of preserved fynbos corridors to support biodiversity and prevent erosion. Despite a challenging, cloudy vintage, the wine shows generous ripeness with plummy fruit and blackberry at the core. The palate is velvety yet composed, with a structural firmness on the finish that reflects the grip of the ancient Swartland soils. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! The Mullineux 2024 Swartland Old Vines White is reductively fresh yet texturally layered, showing citrus oil, stone fruit and saline minerality across a tense mid-palate. Chenin Blanc leads the blend, supported by Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Semillon Gris. Drawn from 72-year-old Swartland vineyards on granite soils, the wine is aged on the lees in large-format foudres without bâtonnage to preserve its natural texture. This is a terrific wine at an irresistible price. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

91 Points, #49 Wine Spectator's Top 100 2025! A lovely, silky white, with vivid acidity and a subtle streak of chalky sapidity layered with flavors of yellow apple, pear, lemon meringue and chamomile, plus a rich touch of hazelnut. Refreshing hints of quinine and grapefruit pith make a sweep on the finish. - Wine Spectator

91 Points! This creamy, rounded white has aromas and flavors of baked apples, nectarines, butter and mango crumble. It’s full-bodied, ripe and silky with tasty yellow-fruit character. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! The A. A. Badenhorst Family Wines 2025 Swartland Secateurs Chenin Blanc is sourced from 34 vineyards and blended progressively during harvest, with fruit picked between 11% and 14% potential alcohol. Fermentation unfolds naturally as fresh juice is added to active tanks over several weeks without temperature control. The wine matures in a mix of old casks, concrete and large barrels..."This wine feeds a lot of people," says Adi Badenhorst. The 2025 shows bright freshness, with honey and yellow flower layered over clean orchard fruit aromatics. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

99 Points! Given its consistently outstanding quality, it’s easy to forget that the average age of Porseleinberg's 14 hectares of vineyards is only seven years' old. Showing what Callie Louw calls a "little more crunch" in 2021, this is a Syrah with time on its side. Wild herb aromas of sage, oregano and rosemary introduce you to a palate that's dense yet refined, with lots of whole bunch spice and structure, negligible oak influence, detailed, layered tannins, some underlying grip and layers of dark berry fruit. One of the world's great reds from a very special site. - Tim Atkin, MW

97 Points! The 2021 Porseleinberg is whole bunch fermented and aged for 12 months in foudres. I gave my glass plenty of aeration. Chatting with winemaker Callie Louw, this wine can be closed, this being the first time I had tasted it at the remote Swartland estate. It has a compelling bouquet with fabulous delineation, a mélange of, say, one-third red and two-thirds black fruit, hints of iron filings and reflecting its soils, slate-like scents. Obstinately backward, after 10 minutes, it positively blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with filigree tannins framing the mineral-rich black fruit. Plenty of extract is interwoven, but perhaps unlike the vintages of old, Louw's winemaking sense means that it's not immediately tangible. A discrete build in the mouth reveals hidden layers as it sashays towards its crunchy finish and then delivers a dash of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Outstanding…but what else do we expect? - Neal Martin, Vinous

97 Points! What an intense nose of charcuterie, grilled herbs, iron, black berry fruit and cracked pepper. Flavor explosion on the palate, too, with a full body, yet so much freshness with an underlying iron and peppercorn character. Firm, yet fine tannins. Even better from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Savory notes of grilled rosemary and olives waft from the glass, joined by currants and wild berries. Lovely texture here, with sleek tannins, medium to full body and a long, creamy finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! The Klein Constantia 2023 Constantia Sauvignon Blanc is extremely linear and sharp with a mineral quality the persists throughout. Winemaker Matthew Day says it took him a long while to understand what the soils mean to this wine. He works with ancient decomposed granite and reddish sandstone from Table Mountain and along the riverbeds. With 42 blocks to choose fruit from, the blending possibilities are enormous. He can pinpoint the best blocks each year. He starts blending after the wine has seen six months in tank, but he wants to extend that to nine months. A salty marine theme is dominant, but the wine also offers white fruits and light floral nuances. A tiny part of declassified wine from oak may work its way into this blend, but you would never know. If you enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, as I do, I enthusiastically direct your attention here. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! Made by a man who understands Pinotage better than anyone, Abrie Beeslaar’s red is good to drink now but will also develop in bottle. Comfortably handling its 80% new wood, it has notes of Asian spices and toast, succulent blackberry and cherry fruit, refreshing acidity and a stony, mineral core. - Tim Atkin, MW

90 Points! Truth in advertising, the 2022 Skin Contact Chenin Blanc offers a fresh and leesy expression with notes of yellow apples and hints of arugula and lemon skin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate displays surprising depth and a pleasing texture. The wine ends with a spicy, mineral-laced finish and a lingering kiss of phenolic bitterness. - Anthony Mueller, robertparker.com

The best Syrah in South Africa? You be the judge. Her last reserve from 2018 was 97 points from Neal Martin and this one's better...

94 Points! The 2021 Chardonnay Estate Reserve is 100% from Greyton matured for 11 months in 500-litre barrels, 40% new. It has a wonderful bouquet with honeydew melon, apricot blossom and light crushed stone scents that percolate through with time. The palate is very well balanced with tropical hints of passion fruit and guava, but the acidity keeps everything on a tight course, very minerally on the finish. Top class. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

A complex and fresh wooded Chardonnay in a Burgundian style made by Philippe Colin. The subtle oak aromas bring to this wine a luxurious mouth feel. Grapes are handpicked early in the morning to keep the freshness of the grapes. The must is settled and the alcoholic fermentation starts with wild yeasts in a stainless steel tank for 1 week, before to be transferred into 450L Rousseau Piano oaks (French). Then, the malolactic fermentation is done naturally during the 12 months ageing. Batonnage are done every 2 weeks.