South Africa New Releases: Don’t Deny Yourself (Nov 2019)

South Africa New Releases: Don’t Deny Yourself

BY NEAL MARTIN | NOVEMBER 06, 2019

I will keep this introduction short and sweet, and let the reviews do the talking. This year, my trip to the Cape was nixed by a spot of heart trouble, and consequently I resigned myself to omitting South Africa altogether. There was simply no time, since my calendar was chock-full of long-planned trips. So I am indebted to Greg Sherwood MW for nipping that defeatist attitude in the bud over lunch at Chez Bruce. If I could find just three or four days, then he could provide a tasting room and assist with logistics. Sure enough, I found three days in early October prior to the autumn Burgundy marathon that just might make it possible. It was this or nothing, and nothing simply wouldn’t do. I made a list of South Africa wineries to taste – a nigh impossible task, as there is a limit to how much one can professionally taste in a day.

Samantha O’Keefe’s wines from Lismore Estate in Greyton were singing

Subscriber Access Only

As someone privileged with more than his fair share of rare and expensive Grand Cru Burgundy and First Growths, I can unhesitatingly state that the best of South Africa punches at the same weight. This report burgeons with wines born in climactic knife-edge, dry-farmed vineyards, often from ancient vines, and with minimal intervention by talented and frequently young winemakers in the opening chapters of long careers. Those winemakers are creating a scene that is incredibly exciting and dynamic.