Newstead Brut 2015

Having previously farmed sugar and dairy in KwaZulu-Natal, Doug and Sue Lund founded Plettenberg Bay wine property Newstead in 2006. They enlisted the services of Anton Smal, previously of Villiera in Stellenbosch, as consultant winemaker and their first wines were made in 2012.

Plett is 520km east of Cape Town and the climate is warm and temperate with rainfall all year around – can this area make high quality wine? Judging by the Newstead Brut 2015, it seems so.

From 100% Chardonnay, lees contact lasted some 36 months. The nose shows lemon, fresh bread and maybe a touch of liquorice. The palate is rich but there’s also an arresting line of acidity while the mousse is nicely creamy. Quite a forceful example of Cap Classique but certainly no shortage of complexity. Price: R1 470 per six-bottle case (R245 a bottle).

CE’s rating: 92/100.

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