Tim James: Whites from a dry wine season
By Tim James, 17 March 2025
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How long to put down wine to maximise its potential is a perennial and difficult question, quite apart from personal drinking tastes. It’s a question made all the more difficult in modern South Africa by an inevitable lack of experience (experts have been assessing and comparing vintages in Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Douro and Mosel for hundreds of years) – and just as we might be getting better at it, climate change tweaks the rules.
My foodie friend John sent a message last week, after taking delivery of some 2024 releases from Saga Vineyards. Sons of Sugarland goes into the cellar (he’s lucky enough to actually have one, a vertical cyinder with spiral staircase sunk into the ground beneath his house). But the chenin-colombard blend called Wit Versnit? He asks: “Do you think I should put age on this – or ready to drink now?”. I answered: “God knows. Sure it’ll be lovely now. I don’t plan on keeping mine for long.” I haven’t even tasted the wine, but bought three bottles because I’d always much enjoyed it (in youth). Of course there’s not really much track record to go on; I’m sure it’ll keep, perhaps even gain some weighty seriousness, but I think it’s essentially a wine to drink in youth. I notice that Christian Eedes, who reviewed this release recently, as usual regards discretion as the better part of wine criticism, and offered no opinion on when to drink it. A mug’s game, that.
Ageability of local whites has been on my mind for a few weeks now, since I opened a bottle of Rall White 2018. Seven years is the sort of age that I like drinking most of the best local whites – some will benefit from longer keeping, some should probably be drunk at maximum five years. This particular wine I’d had great hopes for. A mostly Swartland blend of chenin and verdelho with a dollop of viognier, it scored 97 in the 2020 edition of Platter’s over my name (I can’t remember what exactly I scored it, something like that, but that was the final rating from the panel), and it got 96 from Christian on this website.
It might of course be a bottle issue (though it had been well stored), but this later example was a disappointment with my dinner. Certainly it wasn’t dead, but equally certainly it wasn’t the “profoundly interesting” wine I’d described in Platter’s, “supple & silky, lively & intense” with a “core of sweet fruit”. A touch dull and dour – not giving me much joy, as I mentioned to David Clarke, of distributor Ex Animo. He responded with some general doubts about the development of both reds and whites from 2018.
It was a difficult vintage in many parts of the Cape, 2018. The third year of drought, with thirsty and weary vineyards; there was difficulty in achieving ripeness in warm areas, let alone grapes with decent levels of acidity. I asked a few other people for their opinions of especially whites from this vintage. Angela Lloyd thought back then that the wines were generally “four-square and didn’t promise much potential” (she thought the reds more affected than the whites). Christian Eedes expected that the drought “would have produced wines with lower acidity and slightly broader textures, and therefore prone to early evolution” – but he pointed out that there would always be exceptions, and cited a recently tasted and very good Alheit Magnetic North to illustrate that point. Pieter “Kwispedoor” de Klerk, like Angela a regular buyer, also hadn’t invested much in 2018, finding the wines generally softer than he wanted, with less vibrancy, freshness and complexity. But again, he knows of some good wines, citing, for example, particularly some from old vines, and from cooler, less-drought-ridden areas, like the South Coast.
One point worth making about Swartland, etc wines is that pretty certainly quite a bit of tartaric acid found its way into the tanks of winemakers who generally claim to avoid any additives. Whether or not they admit to it is quite another matter, of course – even if it resulted in better wines.
So if indeed Rall White should best have been drunk in comparative youth, what about others? I decided to open, over the next week or so, some of the not many 2018 whites that I had, with expectations not high. And in fact they surpassed expectation. Not all that surprisingly in the case of Vergelegen GVB white blend, equal sauvignon and semillon, which was drinking well – perhaps a little more advanced than I’d have expected, but still fresh and focused.
And so to the Swartland. Blackwater Piquet, chenin from Piketberg, is always a fresh, elegantly styled wine. In fact the 2018 always seemed a touch rich and ripe (but only by Blackwater standards), and is now drinking beautifully, benefiting from time in bottle; balanced and lively. The surprise for me was Badenhorst. Chenin-based Kalmoesfontein White Blend is drinking happily, perhaps more harmonious than it was in youth, rich and fruit-redolent but succulent – though I think with less complexity and intensity of flavour than usual, and less fresh. No real hurry to drink up though it’s unlikely to improve. But it was one of the single-vineyard chenins that was the star: Piet Bok se Bos. Less alcohol at 13% than the blend, but a little more of the wow factor, and with ripe flavours and a bit of residual sugar that is now fully integrated, balanced by a decent acidity and inoffensive. I’ve never much hedonically enjoyed Adi’s chenins in their youth, though many have been admirable, and this one proved a great advertisement for giving them time – even in such a difficult year. It was really delicious to drink. Then I noticed that I also had the Badenhorst Palomino, Sout van die Aarde, and thought I might as well open it, though expecting it to be past its best – this is always a pleasant but less serious wine, and I’d have thought it needed youth. Just 12% alcohol, but the 2018 is, in fact, still flavourful, balanced and sufficiently fresh.
Hardly a definitive survey of 2018 whites, but surely enough to show that quality wines from the vintage shouldn’t be dissed even after this time. Though that Rall White still troubles me. If anyone has a different recent experience from mine, I’d like to know. This bunch of wines also reassures me that, usually, the better local whites – especially from chenin, chardonnay, semillon – deserve some time in bottle: seven years, as I mentioned, is my guess for a desirable average age. However, drinking them younger is no hardship: just before my week with 2018s, I had a bottle of Celestina Sauvignon-Semillon 2022, and it was pure delight and I wouldn’t have wanted it any different. Perhaps though, I should suggest to John that it might be a good idea to keep back some of the Patatsfontein 2024 for a few years at least.
- Tim James is one of South Africa’s leading wine commentators, contributing to various local and international wine publications. His book Wines of South Africa – Tradition and Revolution appeared in 2013.
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Shane Gordon | 1 April 2025
Had a 2012 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay recently, my last btl that I had squirrelled away and found in my cellar searching for another.
It was sublime and had many more years left in it. By far the best btl of SA chardonnay I have drunk and easily comparable to a Premier Cru Puligny or even lesser Grand Cru burgundy.
MY favourite wine is white Burgundy and I have drunk many and many will not live overly long in my memory but the 2012 Hamilton Russell will be remain embedded. Top drop. On the same day I shared a btl 1975 Ch. Montrose and a 1989 Langoa Barton that also sung.
Kwispedoor | 31 March 2025
We drank a Mullineux Kloof Street Rouge 2018 the other night and it was downright delectable. I wish I had one left, because I’d love to have tasted it against their 2018 Syrah. It had more than 40% Tinta Barocca, if I recall correctly, (so a direct comparison is not possible) but it was just sooo good. A declared 14,5% ABV would usually put me a bit off, but there’s no denying the qyality.
Timothy Conn | 23 March 2025
We too opened a Rall white 2018 last night. It was delicious and characterful, but turning a little tertiary and the fruit was fading. I agree it would have been better a couple of years ago. I’m certainly glad I wasn’t opening it any later…
HP | 20 March 2025
I had a Rall 18 over the weekend and it was singing- suggesting bottle variation for yours. Mine was absolutely a step up from the past bottles I’d drunk from the case over the past six years (this was the penultimate bottle). Real stature, tropical fruits but still fresh, and not a hint of getting tired.
Kwispedoor | 21 March 2025
I’m not sure about nowadays – or the 2018 – but I know the early vintages of Rall White were under natural cork. That could very well be in play here. Especially as any wine gets older, marked bottle variation is usually a much bigger issue with wines sealed under natural cork. I still have a 2012, so I’m hoping for a good cork…
Gareth | 19 March 2025
Other Gareth here. While I mainly drink reds, I have changed my attitude towards cellaring whites in the last few years.
I have had quite a few Cape whites that have blossomed in the bottle – most notably Skurfberg and Magnetic North.
I had a Skurfberg 2012 last year and it was magnificent – and still full of freshness. Same for the 2016, which was even better and I think would still improve some.
More recently, a 2019 Rall White, which was superb, and a 2019 Patatsfontein which had lost a bit of acidity but was still drinking beautifully, peak maturity for my palate anyway.
I’ve also had quite a few duds – thinking now of heavier-style chardonnays (and some chenins) that have lost their freshness and become dull and flabby with age. Certainly it seems that Chenin’s acidity does stand it in good stead when it comes to bottle ageing
Wessel Strydom | 18 March 2025
Kwispedoor, please enlighten me. How in heavens name do you recall what you have drunk 10 years ago and how it tasted then. Do you keep tasting notes?
Kwispedoor | 19 March 2025
I honestly don’t know, Wessel. I used to keep all my tasting notes, but I hardly ever refer back to them so I throw most of them away nowadays. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast, but I can remember what the Klein Constantia Cabernet 1987 tasted like in 1994 (it had massive chunks of sediment, too, and was very dark compared to most other Cabernets of the time) or the Buitenverwachting Grand Vin 1989 (the forerunner of the Christine) in about 1997/8. Some wines make a bigger imprint in my mind than others, I suppose, but I still forget more than I remember. At the rate that I drink and taste wine, there’s definitely not enough room in my brain for all that info!
Gareth | 18 March 2025
I’ve had more than a few disappointing 2018 white wines for celebrated brands. Recent exceptions being Lismore Reserve Chardonnay and Alheit’s Cartology, which were both super.
Lisa Harlow | 17 March 2025
I’m also drinking up my 2018’s, I’ve had a few disappointments, where the wine is definitely not as good as it was. Wasn’t the case with the Alheit wines I’ve drink up though
I seem to have more whites than reds from the 18 vintage so hard to assess with the reds
Jos | 17 March 2025
Saga recently sold a library case which included a 2017 Patatsfontein and a 2014 Chenin. I tried both, the Chenin was still fresh and overall amazing. The Patatsfontein lost most of it’s freshness, but were by no means bad – just not how I prefer my whites.
Kwispedoor | 17 March 2025
Interesting, Jos. I found the 2019 Patatsblanc very reductive in its youth. I had a bottle again about a month ago and it was much improved, with no real reduction to speak of. With so many variables in play, I suppose we generally need quite a bit more info before being able to come to more certain conclusions, but this helps. The 2014 vintage was largely unheralded, but I must also mention that I’m experiencing and seeing more and more evidence that it was an underrated vintage.
Jos | 17 March 2025
Yeah, it’s always difficult when relying on such small sample sizes. I will say that the Syrah’s in the library case were all phenomenal. I tried a 2016, 2018 and 2021 and they all were by no means done. I expected the 2016 to be showing its age, given that no wood was used, but still plenty of freshness.
Based on my own observations from an SA context, Chenin ages very well in general. Our Chardonnay’s are a bit more of a mixed bag. Though, again, small sample size.