2020 Reyneke - Reserve Red Stellenbosch (750ml)

Johan Reyneke took over his family's Uitzicht farm in the Polkadraai Hills outside Stellenbosch in 1998, and rather than following convention, the philosophy graduate immediately began converting the vineyards to organic and later biodynamic farming. In 2008 the estate became the first in South Africa certified biodynamic by Demeter International, and Reyneke has since become as well known for its progressive labor practices as for its wine, funding housing and education for farm workers through the profits of its Cornerstone label.

The Reserve Red is a blend led by Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, with proportions shifting slightly from year to year depending on how each variety performs. The grapes come from granite-based vineyards on the Polkadraai slopes, hand-harvested and partly left as whole clusters to be foot-trodden in open concrete tanks, while the rest is destemmed before joining the ferment. The wine then matures in oak for roughly twenty months, developing structure without heavy-handed wood influence.

Dense and dark in color, the wine offers black cherry, black pepper, wild sage, and a touch of aniseed, with the crushed-pepper character carrying through to a deep, structured palate built around firm tannins and real length. Its concentration makes it a natural match for duck breast finished with a fruit-based sauce.