Storm wines have very quickly established themselves as firm favourites for both Farr Vintners’ customers and staff alike (all of the sales and buying team have bought these wines). Both the Pinots and the Chardonnays are of such high quality that it almost seems clumsy to mention prices, though the wines that Hannes Storm is making in this cool corner of South Africa offer some of the best value and quality we have seen from anywhere in the world in recent years. “Cannot afford your favourite Burgundy anymore? Step this way”, writes Neal Martin on Storm.
The wines come from three sites in Hemel-en-Aarde. Vrede is northeast-facing with stony clay-based shale and low vigour vines - both wines from this site are open-knit and giving, bursting with fruit yet modest in alcohol. The Ridge wines are always more driven and deep, perhaps in need of more bottle age - the soils are similar to Vrede but on a cool eastern slope of the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge (hence the name). Ignis is a 2.4 hectare site covered in pebbles with an underlying granite soil, lending the wine a smoky depth and chiselled frame.
The 2025 whites and 2024 reds have just been released and they more than meet our expectations. The 2025 Chardonnays are imbued with a poise and freshness that is simply disarming; the 2024 Pinots are arguably Hannes’ best Pinots yet. In both cases the wines are hitting new heights as the vines get older and winemaking is fine-tuned. Comparisons with the wines of the Côte d'Or are inevitable; we'll just say that fans of Vosne, Chambolle or Puligny will likely love these.
Despite an increasingly strong following, and smaller yields for the 2024 Pinots, prices remain laughably reasonable: all wines are priced at £190 per six in bond. The wines are currently lying in South Africa and will be available for delivery in autumn this year.
