Tembela Wines new releases

Banele Vakele began working as assistant winemaker at Savage Wines in 2019, and his time alongside Duncan Savage has clearly been formative. His wines have shown steady progression, with the 2024 releases his most assured to date. Tasting notes and rating as follows:

Chenin Blanc 2024
Price: R295
Grapes from Bottelary. Fermented and matured for 10 months in older 500-litre barrels. The nose is subdued but not unbecoming with notes of peach, melon and just a touch of leesy complexity. There’s ample side-palate presence, the wine luscious but not overdone – acidity is moderate, the finish gently savoury. The winemaker speaks of it as “splashy” (relative to 2023) and that’s a nice description. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 94/100.

Syrah 2024
Price: R295
80% Polkadraai Hills, 20% Paardeberg. Approximately 80% whole-bunch fermentation before maturation lasting 10 months in older 500-litre barrels. Flinty reduction, dark berries, hints of olive and fynbos, and a marked pepperiness. Good fruit density, punchy acidity and firm but not coarse tannins, the finish ultra-dry. More “oomph” than ever before – a bold, unapologetic expression of the variety. Alc: 14%.

CE’s rating: 95/100.

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