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Badenhorst, Secateurs Red, Swartland, 2022

For several years this wine was predominantly Cinsault (backed by Grenache and Shiraz). From the 2021 vintage it reverted to being based on Shiraz with Grenache and Cinsault.  It's juicy, perfectly clean and full of fresh brambly fruit. Now-2025

After many years as the chief winemaker at Rustenberg, Adi Badenhorst was ready to take on the challenge of making wines from the family-owned vineyards at Kalmoesfontein farm on the Paardeberg, and bringing back to life an abandoned winery, now fully renovated. What is his secret? Well, he is crafting wines in a very traditional, minimal interventionist manner, using concrete fermentation tanks and old oak, often big old barrels which give no wood tannins at all. Whilst he professes total naivety along the lines of "Ach, man, we dump it all in here and it just makes itself", he is also highly thoughtful. He prefers to leave his reds, post-fermentation, on their skins for 6-12 months - as he believes this delivers smooth tannins, texture and suppleness. He has also moved towards picking earlier, to avoid jamminess and to seek a more perfumed, Rhône-like style.