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Charles Back joined his late father Cyril to farm Paarl property in 1978, taking over full responsibility in 1995 and remains one of the industry’s most progressive thinkers to this day. The pick of the top-end wines tasted recently as follows:

Stok by Paaltjie Grenache 2022
Price: R260
Grapes from own vineyards planted on both shale and granite. 20% whole-bunch fermentation. Matured in old oak for nine months. Aromatics of rose, strawberry, raspberry, fresh herbs and white pepper. Good fruit definition, fresh acidity and fine-grained, quite soft tannins. Balanced and not insubstantial at 12.96% alcohol. Alc: 12.96%.

CE’s rating: 92/100.

Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2021
Price: R475
Grapes from the Agter-Paarl property of the same name owned by the Briers-Louw family. 20% whole-bunch fermentation. Matured for 22 months in oak barrels, 25% new. Red and black berries, fynbos, pepper and spice on the nose. The palate shows pure fruit, bright acidity and chewy tannins. Not too slight – good fruit concentration without sacrificing definition, the finish nicely dry. Alc: 13.98%.

CE’s rating: 93/100.

Cyril Back 2020
Price: R995
83% Shiraz sourced from Darling and Swartland, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon from Darling. Matured for 20 months in 225-litre barrels, 30% new. Red and black berries, fynbos, cocoa, earth and spice on the nose. The palate is big but not hot or sweet – dense fruit, bright acidity and firm tannins. Succulent on entry, the finish long and dry. Old-school but very convincing.

CE’s rating: 94/100.

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