Winshaw Vineyards new releases

JP and Pierre Winshaw have quite a legacy to live up to – great-grandfather Dr William Charles was founder of Stellenbosch Farmers Winery, and grandfather Bill was also a key figure in the running of the company. In addition to beef cattle and chickens, they farm wine grapes on their Lynedoch property supplying a number of prestigious producers but in recent years have been hard at work to establish the credentials of their own label. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:

Malbec 2022
Price: R280
Matured for 12 months in older oak. Red and black berries, violets and tea leaf plus hints of vanilla and spice. Good fruit density, bright acidity and tannins that are firm in the best sense. Easily accessible, this should have many fans. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 90/100.

The Fox Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Price: R240
Part of the mid-tier “Story Range”. Matured for 20 months in barrel, 18% new. Red and black berries, a definite leafy note as well as cigar box on the nose. Medium bodied with quite shy fruit, fresh acidity and fine tannins, the finish dry. Old-school Stellenbosch “dry red” and oh, so drinkable. Alc: 13%.

CE’s rating: 91/100.

Bill Winshaw 2019
Price: R340
82% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec and 6% Stellenbosch. Matured for 20 months in barrel, just over 50% new. Red cherry, cranberry and a hint of cassis to go with fresh herbs, rose and pencil shavings while the palate medium bodied and beautifully poised – pure fruit, good freshness and powdery tannins. Shows the elegance that marks so many of the best examples of this vintage. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 94/100.

Charles Winshaw 2019
Price: R340
61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 11% Cabernet Franc and 11% Merlot. Approach to maturation as above. Red and black berries, vanilla and spice. Richer and broader than its Cab-Franc-driven counterpart above, not quite the same fruit integrity, the tannins not entirely integrated yet.

CE’s rating: 91/100.

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