Vriesenhof, Kallista, Stellenbosch, 2016

Here’s the full tasting note for...

Vriesenhof, Kallista, Stellenbosch, 2016

A beautiful Bordeaux blend given ageing in plenty of new barrels, 40% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. It's the first vintage of this famed Cape red to have Cab Franc as the first ingredient. Lovely youthful tone. Very fragrant, cassis with a leafy hint. The palate is all about melting flavours, generous red fruit and refinement; and on the finish the Cab Franc aromatics return, all raspberry and violets. Already perfectly approachable, this will develop nicely for years. Now-2027

To visit Vriesenhof is to spend time with a Cape legend. Founder, owner and cellar master is Jan 'Boland' Coetzee. Son of a west coast farmer, in the 1970s he was simultaneously both a Springbok under Doc Craven and winemaker at Kanonkop. In 1980 he bought his own farm on the windy slopes of Paradyskloof on the southern edge of Stellenbosch. In the 1980s he was one of the first suitcase smugglers of Chardonnay cuttings (in his son's nappies or the lining of a jacket) from Burgundy into the Cape. Though he was a mover and shaker, he also worked with enormous patience - he had loved Pinot Noir for over two decades but didn't release one until he felt ready in 1990. Earlier this year he completed his 54th vintage. Yet here he was in March 2020, humbly pouring wine for visitors.