Editorial: Five red wines for the medium haul

By , 21 January 2025

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11

“What four reds,” asked my brother James, “did you encounter last year which are drinking well now and might be better in five years or even longer, and were made in sufficiently large volumes that I might realistically be able to get my hands on them?”

“What’s the occasion? What’s the budget?” I inquired.

“No particular occasion,” he replied. “More for cellaring purposes… doesn’t have to be best of the best but just really nice to drink in a couple of years or more.”

An intriguing little professional problem to solve. My brother is a private equity principal in the renewable energy sector and therefore has disposable income. His wine enthusiasm is significant but not to the extent that his budget is unlimited, nor does he chase after obscure bottles. He might not be entirely wedded to big-name brands but his friends and associates are going to be reassured if they are served labels with which they have at least some passing familiarity.

I therefore understood my task as follows: 1) The wines should be of unimpeachable intrinsic quality; 2). The wines should come from producers with a reputation for reliability rather than being too experimental; 3). The wines should be investable but not exorbitantly priced and I consequently set a cap of R500 a bottle; 4). The wines, as stipulated by my brother, should be readily available; 5). The wines should have some prospects of maturing with benefit between now and 2030.

Put more succinctly, wines that have broad critical acclaim, aren’t too geeky, come in at R500 a bottle or under, aren’t as rare as rocking-horse poo, and have a good chance of developing well over the medium term.

James asked for four, but because I’m a nice guy, he gets five:

  1. Delaire Botmaskop 2021 – R430 and 95 points
    A smart Cab-led Cape Bordeaux red blend from this Stellenbosch property owned by diamond magnate Laurence Graff that also offers art, fine dining and luxury accommodation.
  2. Leeuwenkuil Heritage Syrah 2019 – R460 and 96 points
    Hanker after some top Swartland Syrah? This top-end offering from the large-scale, family-owned operation consistently under-promises and over-delivers.
  3. Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2022 – R225 and 94 points
    There are more expensive (and perhaps slightly better) versions of Cab Franc from Bruwer Raats and cousin Gavin Slabbert but this simply can’t be beat when it comes to bang for buck.
  4. Tokara Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 – R395 and 94 points
    Terrific wine from a terrific vintage from the showpiece Stellenbosch property belonging to GT Ferreira, co-founder of the investment firm FirstRand Group.
  5. Trizanne Signature Wines Elim Syrah 2023 – R340 and 96 points
    Arguably the most boutique (and hence least widely known) producer on the list but Trizanne Barnard of Trizanne Signature Wines typically makes wines of complexity and elegance. Try this and you’ll want to try the rest of her beautifully packaged range.

A few exclusions warrant mention: No Pinot Noir because you have to pay over R500 a bottle (“Pinot tax”) to get anything decent; no Cinsault or Grenache because however delicious many of them are, I can’t say they’re going to become very much more interesting after five years in bottle; no Pinotage because there combine sufficient brand cachet under R500 a bottle; no Merlot because, well, it’s Merlot.

Also, a quick word on drinking windows: While South Africa’s finest wines of the modern era should age gracefully for a decade or more, the reality often falls short. Predicting a wine’s maturation potential is a tricky and largely thankless exercise—high-profile wines can underperform, while more modest offerings occasionally exceed all expectations. Allowing five years from release provides a reasonable window for a wine to evolve, gaining complexity and elegance. Beyond that, it’s less about objective quality and more about the drinker’s personal preference for the nuances of developed aromas and flavours.

James, I hope this selection ticks all your boxes. Here’s to lunch at your place in five years’ time!

Comments

11 comment(s)

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    Johan | 25 January 2025

    Delaire Botmaskop is one of my best

    Owen McDonald | 21 January 2025

    I was always told if you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say it.

    Gareth | 21 January 2025

    We need more articles like this. As someone who regularly buys wine for medium to long term cellaring, I’m always interested in new options.
    It would also be great to have some more articles reviewing wines that have been cellared for 5-8 years.
    To add to your list, I’d probably nominate Hartenberg Cab (old school and utterly reliable), as well as Thelema Cab.

      Christian Eedes | 21 January 2025

      Hi Gareth, As I’m sure you are aware, we generate the 10-Year-Old Report every year. Entries for this year’s tasting (which features the much-vaunted 2015 vintage) are currently open…

        Gareth | 21 January 2025

        Hi Christian,

        Yes, and I do really enjoy reading those. The problem is that not all producers want to enter their wines, probably because the results might not be to their benefit.

        It would be nice to see some more reviews of well-aged wines. I very much enjoy the reviews of the very old wines you have been posting, I think from your own personal cellar, but most of these predate anything that I (or most people) have in cellar.

        Just a comment, not a criticism. This is a great article.

    Olga | 21 January 2025

    Pity no Pinotage – because it is PINOTAGE
    Pinotage is, unfortunately, consistently undervalued by local wine connoiseurs.

    David Swingler | 21 January 2025

    And Radford Dale Vinum Pinot Noir at under R200 is bang for your buck.

    David Swingler | 21 January 2025

    My family ask me the same questions, at R180/blle >-( A different proposition…

      Joost Bosland | 23 January 2025

      Experimented with this a few years ago, and Secateurs Red, Kloof Street Rouge, TSW Syrah and even False Bay reds are all fun to drink at the five year mark.

    Andrew Gunn | 21 January 2025

    Beg to differ Christian, Iona Elgin Highlands Pinot Noir is less than R500/bottle from +15 year old vineyards, delivers consistent quality on a par with good Burgundy.
    Andrew Gunn

    Kwispedoor | 21 January 2025

    A good list, given the brief. While there’s no denying “Pinot tax”, I’d like to see a few blind tastings of top Pinots against some good cheaper ones, like Moya Meaker, etc. I suppose that’s exactly what happened at the Platter’s 5-star Pinot tasting, where the R200 Julien Schaal trumped all the rest.

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