Stellenbosch Vineyards Credo Limited Release Grenache 2015

Grenache plantings in South Africa amounted to a mere 322ha making it South Africa’s 23rd most planted variety at the end of 2015 but with such talented winemakers as Adi Badenhorst, David and Nadia Sadie and Eben Sadie working with it, it’s no doubt set to feature more prominently in the future.

On trend.

Stellenbosch Vineyards has its taken cue from these hotshots and has a Grenache 2015 under its Credo Limited Release label selling for R250 a bottle. Matured for 12 months in second- and third-fill oak, it shows some floral fragrance before red fruit and a hint of spice on the nose. It’s medium bodied with fresh acidity and soft tannins. Precise if a bit anodyne.

#WinemagRating: 91/100.

The companion white wine to this is a Verdelho, also R250 a bottle. Fermented and matured in French oak, 60% new, the wine shows a top note of potpourri before notes of yellow peach and pineapple plus some yeasty complexity and a hint of spice. It’s sweet, rich and ripe on the palate. It’s obviously carefully made but comes across as rather imposing.

#WinemagRating: 89/100.

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