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 Semillon Force Celeste Swartland Waterval Vineyard Semillon

This is not your typical Semillon, but it is definitely tasty! The 'Force Celeste' comes from the  organically farmed Waterval Vineyard on the Paardeberg Mountain which is made up of decomposed granite and clay. The grapes are picked on several passes to create a balance of acidity and ripeness in the wine and are pressed as whole clusters with 10% left on the skins for a month making this a not-quite orange wine. The direct-pressed Semillon is fermented and aged in stainless steel on the lees for six months, and the remainder in neutral French barriques, before bottling together without fining, filtering or the addtion of SO2. The nose shows a mix of pea shoots, dried white flowers, and lime zest, and on the palate is freshly squeezed lime juice, underripe peach, and touch of tannin recalling the sandy-clay soils of the vineyard. 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.