This rockstar wine is from a cold site south of Sebastopol fed by the Petaluma Gap. Peaty and piquant in licorice, it is rich and balanced, with elongated tannin. Smooth, velvety texture carries strong flavors of blueberry,black raspberry and a tease of grapefruit.

Crisp tones of raspberry and strawberry give this coastal-driven red a sense of place and tangy freshness. The acidity is spread evenly throughout on the robust palate, while a forest floor tone and dense tannins add complexity and balanced weight.

This wine is sourced from an estate site planted to 100-year-old vines, with half the parcel head-trained and the other half trained on a high wire, thus the name. Tangy orange peel, cherry and blackberry mesh around a densely layered core. It’s complex and rich, but buoyed by bright acidity and a shock of white pepper.

South Africa 2020 Special ReportFijnbosch in the Banghoek Valley was part of the regular Capensis Chardonnay in 2013 and 2014, but so impressed winemaker Graham Weerts that he decided to bottle it as a single vineyard release in 2015. The result is assertively wooded, to be sure, but there's plenty of depth, concentration and focus here too. Ageing nicely. 2020-25

Aged in all French oak, 56% of it new, Dina Arata’s old-vine site contributes soft supple waves of mocha, coffee and black-cherry-berry flavors. Juicy lengthy tannins and generous oak give it power and substance within a graceful buoyancy and lasting freshness.

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.