10-Year-Old Wine Report 2025
By Christian Eedes, 25 February 2025
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Introduction
This year’s 10-Year-Old Wine Report convened by Winemag.co.za is now out. There were 98 entries from 47 producers and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
Top 12
The 12 best wines overall are as follows:
White
95
De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Wine of Origin: Durbanville
Alc 13.67%
95
Highlands Road Sine Cera 2015
Wine of Origin: Elgin
Alc 14%
95
Tokara Director’s Reserve White 2015
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Alc 14%
94
Flagstone Treaty Tree Reserve 2015
Wine of Origin: Elim
Alc 13.5%
Red
95
Jordan The Long Fuse Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Alc 14.5%
95
Tokara Director’s Reserve Red 2015
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Alc 14.5%
94
Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve 2015
Wine of Origin: Constantia
Alc 14.31%
94
Nederburg Auction Reserve Private Bin R163 Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Wine of Origin: Western Cape
Alc 14.69%
94
Neil Ellis Jonkershoek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Wine of Origin: Jonkershoek Valley
Alc 14.5%
94
Rust en Vrede Estate 2015
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Alc 14.6%
Fortified
96 – Best Overall
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2015
Wine of Origin: Calitzdorp
Alc 19.03%
Winemaking team receives a bottle of Barbeito Malvasia 40 Year Old Vinho do Reitor worth approximately R6,000, courtesy of Amorim Cork.
95
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2015
Wine of Origin: Western Cape
Alc 18.44%
About the Report
Just how well do modern-era South African wines perform as they get older? One of the most important measures of great wine is that it should be age-worthy, that is it should become more pleasurable and more interesting to drink with time in the bottle and the annual 10-Year-Old Wine Report sets out to examine precisely this.
In-depth analysis
To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top wines and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, download the following: 10-Year-Old Wine Report 2025
The benchmark
The Paul Sauer Bordeaux-style blend from Kanonkop is an important reference point for the 2015 vintage. Co-owner Johann Krige kindly supplied a bottle for comparison – read the report for a tasting note and score.
Several of the Top 12 wines are on sale as part of the Strauss & Co Vintage 2015 Auction which runs from 28 February to 10 March. For more information, click here.
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Gareth | 25 March 2025
Thanks Christian, that disproves my hunch
Gareth | 25 March 2025
Christian, can you share how long the wines were open / poured before judging?
I’m interested as I had a 2018 Sijn Red this past week. On opening, it was structured (suggesting it could go far longer), complex, intense and pretty special (living up to the Platters 97 and red blend of the year sticker). However, on day 2, it was tired and bordering on dull. I wonder if that relatively quick drop-off once open could be a contributing factor to how Sijn performed in this report?
Christian Eedes | 25 March 2025
Hi Gareth, Wines are typically opened an hour before pouring. To minimize the contrast effect – where a wine may seem better or worse due to direct comparison with the previous one – panel members taste in different directions. We assess wines in flights of 20, with each flight taking approximately 45 minutes to complete. As a result, any given wine is tasted between one hour and one hour 45 minutes after being poured.
Sarah | 3 March 2025
The Strauss & Co 2015 Vintage auction is now live for you to place your bids – one of the most anticipated catalogues.
https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/details/385-28-feb-2025
Wilhelm | 25 February 2025
Low scores for De Trafford (including Sijnn) across the board are very interesting.
Jamie Johnson | 25 February 2025
Interesting to see Tokara Director’s Reserve White at the top 5 years running – it’s one of the only wines we regularly buy from the larger producers and along with Savage White is often a standout White Bordeaux Blend for us 👌
Ashley Westaway | 25 February 2025
Thelema 2015 Shiraz
Hennie | 10 March 2025
I suspect the reason the panel does not rate the De Trafford because the wines are so big and powerful. I agree they age incredibly well, but the alcohols on these wines are off the charts, so elegance isn’t much on display.
Ashley Westaway | 25 February 2025
Not for the 1st time, the de Trafford reds have not been rated well in this competition. I regard the de Trafford Cab Sauv as one of the most age-worthy around. I’m also really enjoying the Thelema 2015 in the current drinking window. So, I find these particular ratings baffling. Needless to say, I will continue to buy and cellar de Trafford and Thelema.
Jos | 25 February 2025
Agree, I’ve some 2015’s from De Trafford, as well as earlier vintages, and they were all sublime. Might be bottle variation so I cannot speak for this tasting, but I do agree that they are very much age-worthy.
Jos | 25 February 2025
Were no Chenin’s submitted or am I blind?
Christian Eedes | 25 February 2025
You are not blind. Not a single Chenin Blanc submitted.
Jos | 25 February 2025
I don’t remember much from previous reports, but is that not surprising since well made Chenin’s can age better than many other white’s?
I recently bought a library case from Patatsfontein and they included a 2016 Chenin which still felt amazingly young despite the harsh vintage that 2016 was.