“This is, quite simply, stunning.“ - Tamlyn Currin for JancisRobinson.com, 17.5 points

“This Chardonnay represents a masterclass in classical elegance, focus and precision. Another stunner to drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.” - Greg Sherwood MW, 95+points

One of the great things about the wine scene in South Africa is that when a star rises, it tends to stay in the firmament. We’ve been visiting The Cape since 2003 and have been fortunate enough to witness the rise of such celestial talents as Adi Badenhorst, Chis Alheit, Duncan Savage, David and Nadia Sadie, Lukas van Loggerenberg and Chris Mullineux (we knew several of them when they were just ‘cellar rats’, as winemaking-assistants are affectionately known in The Cape) and if you gaze at the night sky today, they are all still shining. The beauty of South Africa’s wine scene is the feeling of camaraderie and collaboration, the philosophy that all boats rise with the same tide, so when a new winemaker breaks out, the reaction isn’t suspicion and envy, it’s “how can we help?”. The latest star to appear on the horizon is Draaiboek wines, made by ex-Thistle and Weed vigneron, Stephanie Wild, and boy have they hit the ground running. We have 60 bottles available of their inaugural ‘Kinkel’ Chardonnay, from cool-climate Elgin, and if you like Puligny-Montrachet, but can’t stretch to £100 a bottle, this might be the solution.

“One of the most impressive Chardonnays produced in the Cape.” - Greg Sherwood MW, 96 points

We normally write our own tasting-notes, but I have to accept, with atypical humility, that I can’t add value to the quality of the descriptions below by Master of Wine, Greg Sherwood, and Tamlyn Currin, two of the finest wine writers in the UK. I might have used some of the same flavour comparisons (yuzu, lemongrass, grapefruit peel, apple sherbet), but I’d be hard-pressed to come up with such evocative lines as “skin-tingling, spine-ringing purity of liquid timbre”, “angelic cascades of shining fruit” or “energetic crystallinity”. It was hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented in French oak barrels, 25% new, and matured on fine lees for 10 months. 13.5% alc. Drink now-2032.

Press reviews:

JancisRobinson (Tamlyn Currin): “This is, quite simply, stunning. It’s like listening to a single treble voice of a chorister filling the vaulted silence of a huge cathedral. Skin-tingling, spine-ringing purity of liquid timbre. Angelic cascades of shining fruit. I don’t even want to write ‘yuzu’, ‘lemongrass cream’, ‘grapefruit peel’, ‘fennel pollen’, ‘stream-pebble stones’ and ‘apple sherbet dusted with sanded terracotta’ (although I clearly just have, and I could add kumquat sweetness, frangipani flowers to the list) because although this wine is a mesmerising mosaic of flavour, it’s just so, so much more than that. It is a masterpiece of resonant, layered, saturated perfect pitch. It has so much integrity – in its chiffon folds, it captures South African sunshine, the glitter and wild whip of the cold Atlantic ocean, the geometric precision of salt crystals, the rockiness of the mountains that I am certain rise above the vineyard, and the fragrance of the flowers that I am certain surround it. I also love the intriguing label! And I see that I also loved the 2022 vintage of this wine. The person who makes this wine is gifted. Drink now-2033.“ 18 points

Greg Sherwood MW: “A bright brilliant crystalline pale gold in the glass, this is another tantalising expression of cool climate Elgin Chardonnay. The aromatics are wonderfully subtle yet sophisticated, just that little bit more ‘grown up’ than most other regional Chardonnays from the wider Cape, displaying seductive notes of wet stone minerality, waxy lemon peel, yellow grapefruit, fennel root, dried baking herbs, lemon biscuits and enticing savoury, leesy nuances. The palate resonates with the same purity and clarity as the nose, showing a bright, energetic crystallinity with impressive linearity and focus on the palate and a precise, polished, fine-tuned texture that is primarily shaped by fresh, cooling acids and a fine array of concentrated pithy white citrus and green apple fruit notes. This Chardonnay represents a masterclass in classical elegance, focus and precision. Another stunner to drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.” 95+ points