Somewhere on the Helderberg, 7km from False Bay, there is a block of Cabernet Sauvignon that spends its growing season being worked over by a cool southerly wind. The foliage is trimmed to let the bunches take that wind on the chin, colouring and ripening slowly. The berries stay small. Their flavour does not. That windswept corner of Stellenbosch produced our highest-scoring red in this year’s Tim Atkin report: the 21 Gables Cabernet Sauvignon 2022.

For fourteen years, British wine critic Tim Atkin MW has returned to the Cape, tasting his way through the country’s cellars and writing up what he finds. This year he sampled 1,831 wines from more than 350 wineries. His South Africa Special Report has become one of the benchmarks the wider wine world turns to for an informed, independent read on where the country stands. He visits often, tastes widely and scores strictly, so a place on his list is not handed out lightly.

Six Spier wines scored 90 points or more, spanning three ranges and a broad mix of varieties and styles:
Spier 21 Gables Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 93 points
Spier Frans K. Smit White Blend 2025 – 93 points
Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2024 – 92 points
Spier 21 Gables Pinotage 2022 – 92 points
Spier Creative Block 5 2022 – 91 points
Spier Creative Block 3 2022 – 90 points

What pleases us most is the breadth. Two Cabernet-led reds off the Helderberg, a Pinotage from vines overlooking False Bay, a barrel-fermented Chenin from a heritage vineyard planted in the early eighties, a Shiraz-led Rhône blend and a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Different varieties, sites and intentions in the cellar, all recognised in the same report. Taken together, the results say more about the range of our team’s prowess than any one bottle could.

Congratulations to Johan, Bennie and our vineyard and cellar teams, and to every South African producer recognised this year. Good company to be in.