This impressively complex wine is breezy in lemon, grapefruit and strawberry flavors, with quenching acidity lifting it up. Salmon in color, it unfurls a balanced texture of richness and crispness with ease, lasting on thepalate and mind.

South Africa 2020 Special ReportThe price is certainly ambitious, but Graham Weerts' ambitious, pan-regional Chardonnay, mostly made from clone 95, certainly lives up to its reputation. With subtle malolactic notes and 40% new wood, it's mealy, stony and focused, with stone fruit and citrus flavours and a smoky, toasty finish. 2021-27

From a low-yielding, head-trained vineyard planted more than a century ago, this wine tastes of dried fruit, dust and nutmeg, with a depth of rich black cherry. Leathery texture leads to an elegant length of velvety softness.

Dusty sage, earth and leather exude out of 100-plusyear-old vines from this famous dry-farmed site in the heart of the appellation. The fruit is intensely brambly and feral, a mix of blackberry, black cherry and dark fig with dustings of cocoa powder and clove.

Tangy in strawberry and dark cherry, this impressively full-bodied, richly constructed wine is expansive and elegant. Tremendous structure upholds its core of tannin and oak, finishing with a tangy, high-acid crispness and length.

From a stellar site planted in 1975 to a heritage clone, this wine is aged in French oak for 16 months. Plum, strawberry and blood orange flavors contribute a palate of balanced richness that is both complex and wide in appeal.

This is an outstanding wine for the price, made from a majority of estate-grown grapes across the appellation. Given 10 months in French oak, 27% of it new, it is designed to be delicious out the gate, with a lush opulence that is soft, broad and supple across the palate. Plummy and brimming in dark cherry and cola, it finishes with moderate structure and baking spice.

Robust in oak from barrel fermentation and 10 months of aging, this wine is made from four sites within older plantings within the appellation—a showcase of blending and vine age that delivers fleshy lushness and texture. A tension of acidity boosts strong flavors of apple, nutmeg and pear.

This is an outstanding appellation wine, made in larger quantities at a remarkably fair price. Grapes come from throughout the diverse valley and the wine barrel fermented and given nine months to rest. Full bodied, layered and widely appealing, it shows a density of peach, pear, baking spice and sweet oak, all of the components coming together seamlessly at the end.

This appellation wine comes from a blend of five vineyard-designated sites, all old vine, dry farmed and low yielding. Velvety and expansive on the palate, it has broad appeal in its rich density of cherry, strawberry and fleshy texture. Supple tannins and integrated oak allow a finishing touch of white pepper.

Head-trained old vines give this wine substantial concentration and a soft fleshy core of lush dark-berry fruit. Nutmeg and black pepper give it a contrast of savory and sweet seasoning wrapped in well-integrated oak.

Fresh and inviting on the nose, this is richly round, high-quality red that is structured and lengthy. Mocha, cassis, oak and clove provide a seamless, integrated experience across the palate, with powerful concentration settling into a softened finish.

A spicy nose leads the way to the appellation’s earthy funk and a length of cherry vanilla that balances it well. Powerful and weighty, the wine is juicy in orange and tangerine on the midpalate, with firm, supple tannin support and hearty oak.

Juicy, smooth and velvety, this block selection is full bodied, fleshy and lushly opulent, with soft integrated tannin. The ripeness pushes and offers a warmth of rich cherry cola, baked plum and earthy cinnamon.

From a foggy site near Forestville, this is a reductive, brawny wine with plenty of weight and backbone. Earthy and herbal, it offers a density of red and black raspberry, with hints of tangerine, the tannins expansive andvelvety smooth.

Near the outpost of Fort Ross, this is a wild, coastal site, and it provides intense grip and power. Juicy and broad in orange peel, dark cherry and strawberry, it has undeniable earthiness and accents of rock and iron, finishing with a lengthy lushness.

South Africa 2020 Special ReportSilene is the cheapest of the three Capensis Chardonnays, with less new oak as a result. It's also the tautest and most restrained of the trio, showing aromas and flavours that are almost Chablis like: oyster shell, citrus and green herbs with racy acidity and a mealy undertone. 2020-24

This is a grown-up wine that offers more than simply fruit or oak and boasts a good, moderately tannic texture that’s quite appetizing. It develops nice complexity on the palate, showing blackberry, black pepper and a touch of tobacco.

Blended with 22% Merlot, this shows a wealth of herbal intensity and sizable concentration—the fruit profile a mix of cassis, dark cherry and baked plum. Tannins and oak are integrated yet highly present, underscoring the wine’s full-bodied intensity.

This is a well-balanced, well-rounded, dry wine that pairs ripe cherry and blackberry with moderate tannins and subtle oak flavors. It’s full bodied and will be great with comfort food.

Smelling of ripe peaches and apricots with a light touch of honey and reiterating the same in its slightly sweet flavors, this clean and carefully balanced Riesling shows a fine sense of fruity substance in a direct, all-out-in-the-open style. A tasty choice for drinking as a slightly sweet aperitif or pool-side refresher, it will be equally welcome as a foil to milder curries and moderately spicy Thai and Chinese dishes.

Cleanliness, acidity and profound, ripe fruity flavors present immediately. One picks up notes of apricots, papayas and limes and hints of white flowers.

Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay — Standing as America’s #1 selling Chardonnay for 26 years and counting, Kendall-Jackson’s classic Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay ($17/bottle) is a true crowd-pleaser and pairs perfectly with any number of summertime events thanks to its tropical pineapple and papaya notes with hints of vanilla. Wine lovers can also feel good about popping open a bottle as the 2017 varietal now carries the CCSW (Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing) logo on its label.

Stunningly precise, vivid and mouthwatering, with a hint of butterscotch to the lemon curd, pear and mango flavors. Intense and juicy, finishing fresh and vibrant. Details of white tea and roasted hazelnut emerge on the finish. Drink now through 2030. From Australia.

Offers polished notes of toffee, baking spices, tobacco and cedar, featuring a core of plush, plump plum, kirsch and blackberry flavors that are succulent, juicy and polished. Shows seamless integration on the finish, with a chorus of flavors and velvety tannins. Drink now through 2035.