Miles Mossop new releases – 2019

Miles Mossop, winemaker at Tokara in Stellenbosch from inception, left after the 2018 harvest to concentrate on his own brand Miles Mossop Wines, a recent tasting revealing an astonishingly strong portfolio of wines. Tasting notes and ratings as follows:

The Introduction Chenin Blanc 2018
Wine Cellar price: R129
From Stellenbosch and Swartland grapes. Peach and apple on the nose. Clean and correct on the palate – medium bodied with bright acidity and a savoury finish.

Editor’s rating: 88/100.

The Introduction Red 2017
Wine Cellar price: R135
46% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Matured for 18 months in old oak. Red and black fruit, some attractive herbal character and a little turned earth on the nose. Juicy and fresh with fine tannins, the finish nicely dry. A very attractive, stylish entry-level red.

Editor’s rating: 89/100.

Chapter One Cinsault 2018
Price: R220
From Swartland grapes, winemaking involved 50% whole-bunch fermentation before maturation lasting nine months in a concrete tank. Red cherry, fynbos and earth on the nose. The palate is lean with pleasantly sour acidity and very grippy tannins, the finish super-dry (alcohol: 12%). Super-geeky. Total production: 993 bottles.

Editor’s rating: 90/100.

Chapter Two Chenin Blanc 2018
Price: R220
From a 48-year-old Paardeberg vineyard on granite. Top notes of hay and herbs before pear, white peach and apple plus a little leesy complexity. Great fruit purity to go with a lovely line of acidity, the finish long and saline. One 400-litre barrel produced, resulting in 517 bottles.

Editor’s rating: 95/100.

Chapter Three Chenin Blanc 2018
Price: R220
From a 34-year-old Stellenbosch vineyard on slate. Some struck-match reduction, yellow peach, apple and some lanonlin on the nose. The palate is rich with a creamy texture, coated acidity and a savoury finish (alcohol: 14%). Well balanced and complex. One 400-litre barrel produced, resulting in 520 bottles.

Editor’s rating: 95/100.

Spanking.

Saskia 2016
Price: R285
68% Chenin Blanc, 13% Clairette Blanche, 13% Verdelho and 6% Viognier, grapes from the Swartland and Voor Paardeberg. A gorgeous nose showing white and yellow fruit, flowers and herbs. The palate is exceptionally vivid – lovely fruit purity, zippy acidity with just a touch of phenolic grip on the finish. A wine of great precision, the different components combining seamlessly.

Editor’s rating: 97/100.

Max 2016
Price: R385
44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 23% Petit Verdot. Matured for 22 months in French oak, 29% new. A rather pretty nose with notes of predominantly red fruit, herbs and violets. The palate is relatively medium bodied (despite an alcohol of 14.5%) with good freshness and fine tannins, the finish long and dry. Understated and refined.

Editor’s rating: 92/100.

Kika 2017
Price: TBC
Noble Late Harvest. From Chenin Blanc, 30% of the grapes were botrytis infected. Some subtle mushroom-like character to go with citrus and stone fruit on the nose. The palate is super-concentrated with bright acidity and a pithy finish. Has a delicious sweet ‘n sour character. Layers of flavour, balanced and long.

Editor’s rating: 95/100.

Find our South African wine ratings database here.