93 pts winemag,co.za March 2020

The Driehoek vineyards, located in the Cederberg, are tended by the Du Toit family and the wines are made at the nearby Cederberg Private Cellar. The Shiraz 2017 is very much in mode that Cederberg’s chief winemaker David Nieuwoudt tends to advocate, which is to say rich and full-bodied.

When this approach works, the result is wines that are powerful but not short of complexity and that is the case here. The nose is quite heady with a top note of lilies before red and black fruit, black pepper and a hint of vanilla. The palate has plenty of concentrated fruit (alcohol: 14.5%) but also good freshness while the tannins are nicely grippy. There’s no ignoring the use of oak (maturation lasted 15 months, 70% of the barrels new) but it suits the wine.

4 ½ Stars 2020 Platter’s South African Wine Guide

Attractive fruit flavours (black cherries, blackcurrants) tweaked with classic black pepper & cloves, 17 (92 pts) promises lots of pleasure to come. Tarry tannins need time to merge with fresh acidity but plenty to look forward to. 70% new oak.