While some wine farms pride themselves on growing a wide variety of grapes to make a diverse portfolio of wines, others sharpen their focus on a small number of varietals that they believe do best on their particular patch of the Cape winelands.
There’s merit in both approaches, but what makes the narrowly-focused approach interesting is being able to taste several different styles of wine from the same grape, grown on the same piece of land, made by the same winemaker.
It becomes a fascinating exploration of how one grape varietal grown in one place can produce very different wines through differing winemaking techniques and blends — and then deciding for yourself what kind of style of chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon, say, you like best.
Such is the case with exploring the wines of Stellenzicht, where they have narrowed the focus to chardonnay, cinsault, cabernet sauvignon and syrah.
Syrah is key, since Stellenzicht has long been credited with putting SA shiraz/syrah on the world map with its 1994 vintage that was dubbed an “icon wine” long before the age of influencers and easy superlatives.
It’s a little bit of fascinating SA wine history, from the days when we were just emerging from global pariah status, this wine that attracted global accolades and beat a lot of Aussie winemakers at their own shiraz game in an infamous SAA-sponsored contest in 1995 that saw SA wines perform dismally, except for the shining light of Stellenzicht Syrah.
To this day, that 1994 Stellenzicht Syrah is legendary, if you can get your hands on it — a six-bottle case was sold on a Strauss & Co auction last year for R21,105.
Fast-forward to today — past a steady decline of Stellenzicht until German businessman and avid global wine collector Baron Hans von Staff-Reitzenstein bought the property in 2017.
The injection of capital and fresh thinking by a young South African viticulture and winemaking team have made a world of difference.
While the vineyards have been extensively replanted, the winemaking team’s “pride and joy” is the syrah vineyard grown from plant material taken from the original vines that produced the legendary 1994 vintage.
Variations on the syrah theme can be explored in the estate’s “lifestyle range” of Thunderstone wines (±R120) — the aromatic, fresh, elegant Thunderstone Rosé 2025 from syrah and cinsault with a dash of grenache; and Thunderstone Red 2023 (Platter’s 4.5*) that over-delivers on quality-for-price.
Thunderstone Red unites the estate’s key red grapes of cinsault, syrah and cabernet in a wine that balances delicacy with quiet power, blending juicy red fruits and spicy savouriness, soft tannins holding it all together.
Interesting to compare the Thunderstone Red, with cinsault as its leading component, with the Acheulean Red 2019 (±R875, Platter’s 5*) from the premium range — the same three grapes, but this led by cabernet sauvignon, for a powerful, complex, ageable wine, matured in oak up to 18 months and allowed to mature further in bottle before release.
The components all in balance and the rich dark cassis and berry fruit well integrated with smoky spice, cigarbox and savoury aromatics, with fine, ripe tannins — polished power, balance, elegance, rather glorious.
Syrah appears solo in the Arenite Syrah 2023, brilliant value at ±R245 for a wine that swept the boards at last year’s Investec Trophy Wine Show, earning 98/100 points, the trophies for best shiraz and best red wine overall, and joint winner of the “pick of the show” trophy awarded by the competition’s international judges.
Incredibly vibrant in colour and palate, with rich dark fruit, plummy sweetness, mixing with all-spice and smoky-savoury touches, lush, plush and velvety smooth.
The single varietal reds also include Tristone Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 (±R240), bold and richly aromatic, intense fruit and typical cab pencil shavings, plush tannins, a fine balance of cab boldness with a lightness of touch and elegance.
Silcrete Cinsault 2024 (±R300) is relatively light-bodied for a red, complexity unfolding in layers packed with bright juicy mulberries and sweet-sour cranberries, contrasting with chalky mineral tannins, earthy and savoury flavours, velvety texture. A Stellenzicht highlight.
Chardonnay is the only white grape grown at Stellenzicht, and offers an equally fascinating journey through the grape, starting with the vibrant, citrus, green apple and toasty Cap Classique 2024, with its pretty label of proteas and dragonflies highlight the regeneration of biodiversity at Stellenzicht.
Thunderstone Chardonnay 2025, barrel-matured for 12 months, is all the good things about chardonnay — fresh lemon drops, peachiness and florals, super enjoyable on its own and versatile with food.
Much more serious, and seriously enjoyable, Acheulean Chardonnay 2024 (±R450, 4.5*), matured for 12 months on the lees in oak barrels and clay amphorae, is more linear and mineral than the fruit-focused Thunderstone, elegant with subtle stone fruit, citrus and light buttery toast.
Stellenzicht wines are available at selected Preston’s and SPAR Tops stores. The Thunderstone range wines are on a year-long special at Preston’s for R99.99 — a real win.
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