“Very Old World in style, with a graceful profile and mouthwatering acidity standing firmly behind notes of cherry, savory mineral, rose hip and rosemary. Supple tannins create good harmony and give this more muscle. Needs a bit more time, but well-executed. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.”

“The vintage I have chosen, 2016, probably has more of a seven- to nine-year window, not least because it is drinking so beautifully now that I suspect people will struggle to stop themselves opening it. Its tannins are present, but supple and plump, and backed with a certain freshness of acidity as a counterpoint to its nicely ripe black fruit. It is lip-smacking and moreish.The wine spent 16 months in 55% new Nevers oak barrels, with the oak giving cedar and some incense-like spice notes which worked in harmony with tobacco-leaf aromas that are most likely from the Cabernet Franc component. This was a wine that brought a smile to my face, which is just what an impulse purchase on the way home should do.”

“Cedar wood, spice, a touch of fynbos on nose and palate. Good acidity and layers of flavour that balance the ripe fruit, with a deft touch.”

“The 2016 Rubicon has an expressive nose of mulberry with subtle oak and red and brown spices. Comprised of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the full-bodied palate is still tight and structured with a grippy, chewy edge, but elegance can be gained with age and this wine ends well structured with focused balance.”

The Meerlust 2023 Stellenbosch Chardonnay shows generous aromas of stone fruit and Golden Delicious apple layered with sweet almond. Matured in a combination of new and neutral 300-liter barrels, with a small 5% portion of the fruit fermented in concrete tanks before blending, the wine balances richness with measured texture. Grown on estate vineyards farmed by the Myburgh family for eight generations, the decomposed granite soils of Stellenbosch contribute a quiet firmness to the character of the wine.