Wine Advocate (93+)

Composed of 38% Grenache, 36% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 9% Carignan and 7% Pinotage, the 2020 Elpidios comes from 12 different vineyards and was made from 50% whole-cluster fruit. On the nose, the wine offers soft herbal hints of mint and menthol with a delightful undertone of wild brush before swaying with a red-fruited nature and delicate dusty essence. Medium-bodied and with 13.5% alcohol, the wine is juicy and mineral on the palate and offers delightful herbal essences across the structured mid-palate. The wine glides to a delightfully minty finish that will remain food-friendly for over a decade. Give it at least one more year in the bottle, and decant for at least 30 minutes before enjoying.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Hoë-Steen is a cooler, south-facing site on red, iron-rich clay soils that's generally picked last at the winery. Planted in 1968 with 2% Palomino and Crouchen Blanc, it's one of the Cape's most intense Chenin Blancs. Dense, layered and structured, the 2021 has aniseed and wild flower aromas, lots of grip, focus and extract and a palate of acacia honey, waxed lemons and wet stones.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

It's always hard to pick a favourite among David and Nadia Sadie's superb array of whites, but this is mine in 2021. Sourced from a north-facing site on granite that's always picked early to retain acidity, Plat'bos is effortlessly balanced and complete, with salty minerality, lots of concentration, wax and lanolin undertones, spice and citrus flavours and a thrilling, energetic finish.

Christian Eedes (96)

Grapes from a 1984 vineyard on iron-rich gravel situated in one of the more arid parts of the Swartland. 40% matured in concrete egg. A hint of reduction precedes dried herbs, white peach, citrus and melon while the palate has great purity, bright acidity and a pithy finish. Not without weight and texture despite an alcohol of just 12.5%.

Christian Eedes (98)

Grapes from a 1985 vineyard on shallow shale. Pretty aromatics of hay, potpourri and dried herbs before lime and white peach. The palate is crystalline in structure – great clarity of fruit and zippy acidity before an extremely long and dry finish. Poised and super-intricate, this is just about pitch perfect.

Tim Atkin MW (99)

This remarkable site has established itself as one of the world's great Syrah vineyards in less than a decade. Sourced from four blocks totally 4.5 hectares, Callie Louw's stunning red is just short of perfection this year, but is still brilliant, confirming the evolution in style of the Jamet-inspired 2018. Leafy, spicy, rose petal aromas are supported by pure red berry fruit, detailed tannins and the faintest hint of oak.

Matthew Jukes (20++)

There are 12 rows of Shiraz, which were planted in c1852 and they made their way into this inaugural vintage of The Forebear. The Torbreck team started to resurrect these vines in 2014, and when Ian Hongell joined Torbreck in 2017, he saw something genuinely momentous here. This fruit was previously tucked away in Woodcutters (the ‘estate-level’ Shiraz) while its vineyard transformation was underway, and in 2019, this wine was given its chance to perform solo under The Forebear name. The verb – to forebear – means to hold oneself back. As a noun, it means ancestor, which refers to the founders of this vineyard who left Wiltshire in 1848 and settled in Lyndoch. Therefore, The Forebear is the perfect name for this incredible wine. Whereas the Laird is a Marananga-based wine, The Forebear is from Lyndoch, and consequently, it cannot be compared to the wine below. The Forebear is matured in 100% new, tight-grained French oak barriques for 24 months, and the Laird sees three whole years. The origins and regimes are different, and they suit the fruit perfectly. There were only 100 dozen made of 2019 The Forebear, and I cannot imagine this yield will change, so this will always be a very rare wine. As I tasted this wine and watched it evolve in the glass over four hours, I knew I was in the presence of greatness. As always with a Torbreck wine, there is a flavour transparency despite the density of black fruit, liquorice, tar and butcher’s apron notes. It is difficult to understand until you spend several hours unlocking its code. I wrote the word ‘Mordor’ in my notebook – it is that dark – and this might be a barrier to entry for some, particularly those unfamiliar with Torbreck wines, but it is sensational! I have never tasted the inaugural vintage of a wine to which I have given a perfect score. I hoped it would happen one day, and it took 38 years working in the wine trade for this to happen, and it happened with 2019 Torbreck The Forebear.