2023 Van Loggerenberg

Lukas van Loggerenberg only started his eponymous winery in 2016, working from makeshift facilities in a shed. In the nine years since he has quickly gained a reputation for making some of the best wines coming out of South Africa. As with many of the new wave of South African producers, he works on a micro-negociant model: he owns no vineyards and cherry-picks fruit from some of the finest old vineyards in Stellenbosch, Swartland and Paarl. Neal Martin writes “Lukas van Loggerenberg has established himself as one of South Africa’s leading winemakers in recent vintages. One of the most affable and passionate winemakers you could meet, he seems to impart a bit of his own personality into these wines.”

The combination of high-quality, old vine fruit, with a fresh view to winemaking that is very much inspired by the cooler climate regions of Europe – the Loire in particular – makes for wines that are elegant, ethereal and totally unforced. New oak is not a feature, and whole-bunch gives the wines textural and flavour complexity without dominating the fruit. As he says, Lukas wants "elegance, balance and bags of flavour". Samples of the 2023 vintage that found their way to the Farr Vintners tasting bench greatly impressed us all, as staff sales already attest.

We have four wines available: Graft Syrah, High Hopes Syrah, Lötter Cinsault and Breton Cabernet. Each one of these wines is quite individual and the way in which they channel the flavour profile of each variety is remarkable. They are unsurprisingly hard to source; for the most part they are bought, cellared and drunk by those quick enough to get an allocation. Those seeking high purity, vibrant and fresh wines with distinct personalities should look no further than this fantastic range.

Graft Syrah comes from 21 rows planted in the Polkerdraai Hills. It sees 100% whole-bunch fermentation and no new oak (two thirds is raised in concrete), lending this wine beguiling aromatics and a deft balance built on vibrancy. It is one of the best wines we have tasted from South Africa, with Neal Martin giving the 2023 96 points and saying "Just like a fine Côte-Rôtie, it’s saline on the finish with peppercorns on the aftertaste—for serious Syrah lovers." Côte-Rôtie in style, but not in price.

The value pick is unquestionably High Hopes Syrah. The 2023 showed beautifully when we tasted it this week, bursting with fruit, pepper and game, the texture is seamless: it is very approachable now. There's a dash of Grenache in there, but it is led by single-trellised vines as you would see in Côte-Rôtie. This has 95 points from Martin, who writes "svelte tannins, a wonderful silver thread of acidity and a pure, Côte-Rôtie finish".

Those looking for something different should seek out the Lötter Cinsault or Breton Cabernet Franc. The former is pale, pure and chalky, growing with air in a manner that straddles Pinot and Nebbiolo in style. It comes from the second oldest Cinsault vineyard in the Cape, planted in 1932. 94 points from Martin who writes that it "keeps you coming back for more." Breton is a "Loire doppelgänger" according to Martin, who gives it 93. This has all the herbal, edgy blue and red fruit you would expect from cool climate Franc. It is remarkably fresh for a wine from two sites in Stellenbosch.