Johan Meyer 2017 South Africa Palmiet Chardonnay

I was so pleasantly surprised by the finesse and restraint in this Chardonnay!  Johan Meyer is part of the burgeoning natural wine movement in South Africa. He farms the Palmiet vineyard with a small team using only organic treatments. The Elgin region is one of the coolest in South Africa, partly because of its higher elevation, but also it receives more cloud cover, and has colder winters which lead to better conditions for elegant Chardonnays. The grapes are whole-bunch fermented and aged in 4th-use  French oak for 10 months. Richly aromatic white flowers, freshly picked yellow and green apple, a little sea salt. The palate has a beautiful, creamy texture with a touch of grip on the finish recalling the shale and bluestone soil of the vineyard. This would be an excellent pairing for buttery monkfish with fresh herbs and a splash from the bottle. Michelle DeWyngaert

Mick Craven 2017 Stellenbosch Cinsaut

This is a beautiful light red from Mick and Jeanine Craven! The 2017 Cinsault comes from organically farmed 25 year-old bush vines on the Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch. The grapes are destemmed to preserve their acidity, aged in neutral barrels and bottled unfined, unfiltered, with just a dash of sulfur. The nose is a lovely mix of crushed violet, graphite and red currant. The palate is light and fresh, with juicy red plum and currant, a little herbaceous and just a hint of tannin to give the finish some texture. Perfect with a chill and some grilled swordfish! Michelle DeWyngaert

Mother Rock 2019 Swartland Liquid Skin Chenin Blanc

'Liquid Skin' is South African Chenin re-imagined. Johan Meyer, natural wine guru of South Africa, created a second line of wines, Mother Rock, to showcase the diverse terroir of the Southern Cape and play a little more with different techniques and grape varieties. This bottling is 100% bush vine Chenin Blanc  from the Kweperfontein Vineyard on the Paardeberg Mountain. This vineyard, which sits on decomposed granite and clay at 920ft elevation, has been dry-farmed since its planting in 1984, and farmed organically since 2014. The grapes are lightly foot-crushed whole cluster, and left with the stems and skins under a blanket of CO2 for eight weeks. It is then aged on the lees for a year in concrete eggs before bottling as is with no fining, filtering or SO2. I am very particular about skin-contact wines, in that they only appeal to me if they have something unique to say and drink cleanly. This wine is distinct, boldly aromatic of perfumed white flower, tangerine skin and juicy apricot. The texture is creamy and juicy, lightly textured and full of flavor without being cidery or funky. Michelle DeWyngaert  

Storm Point 2019 Western Cape Chenin Blanc

This is an excellent value from winemaker Mick Craven! Fruit is sourced from two Swartland sites, 20+ year-old vines in Riebeeck Valley, and 35 year old vines in Paardeberg. As Chenin Blanc is the calling card grape for South Africa it made sense to create Storm Point as a representation of the quality in this region. Though the climate is quite warm, a cool fermentation in stainless steel, and the blocking of malolactic fermentation keep this wine crisp and refreshing.

Storm Point 2019 Western Cape Red Blend

Storm Point Red is a juicy, fruit-forward red from three sustainably farmed  Swartland sites in Paardeberg, Malmesbury, and Riebeek Valley. The blend is 56% Cinsault, 29% Syrah, and 15% Carignan. Mostly destemmed, with just a quarter of the Syrah left whole-cluster, and then aged for 10 months in a combination of 75% neutral French barrels, and 25% stainless steel.