New releases from Radford Dale, South Africa: the over-delivering Vinum wines, plus their new organic wines
Radford Dale are producing some very smart wines at the moment. They are getting the style right (aiming for freshness and elegance over power), and they also have a nice portfolio structure. Here are my notes on the latest releases. The Vinum range is the one that offers some really excellent value for money, with very smart wines at non-crazy prices. And they also have an excellent organic range, which was bolstered by the purchase of what was previously Elgin Ridge, a biodynamically farmed vineyard established by Brian and Marion Smith.
Radford Dale Vinum Chenin Blanc 2024 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. This is concentrated and has lots of flavour, but it’s also a fresh wine with a nice salty twist to the lively lemon and pear fruit, as well as a slight touch of baked apple. There’s a really nice fresh, floral, mandarin edge to the nose that’s quite inviting, and it finishes with a nice acid flourish. A brilliantly poised example of Chenin Blanc. 93/100
Radford Dale Renaissance Chenin Blanc 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. This is a complex, richly textural expression of Chenin Blanc with pear, apple, peach and apricot notes, but it’s not blowsy. Very expressive with nice weight. Bold, rich fruit on the palate with a wide dynamic range, hitting the rich bass but also with good mid and enough treble. Very fine. 95/100
Radford Dale Vinum Chardonnay 2024 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12% alcohol. This is layered and more complex than you’d expect at this price point, with crystalline citrus fruit as well as some pear and peach. Fresh with nice acidity, but it’s not at all harsh. Lovely textural character with some appley detail adding interest and depth. 93/100
Radford Dale Touchstone Chardonnay 2024 Elgin, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. Organic. Beautiful aromatics with broad pear and peach fruit as well as some grapefruit and a hint of nice parmesan and salt. The palate shows bitter lemon and pear fruit with a saline twist and some spicy framing. It’s a really expressive wine with lots of fruit and some apple notes accompanying the citrus. Lovely flavour dynamics here. There’s even a hint of tequila. So interesting. 94/100
Radford Dale Revelation Semillon 2024 Elgin, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. Organic. This is so distinctive: it’s bright and fresh with pear and lemon fruit, with nice density and some grapefruit pith. There’s depth but it stays very focused, and the crystalline fruit is supported with really good acidity. There’s a concentration of flavour here as well as freshness and acidity. Lovely wine. 94/100
Radford Dale Vinum Grenache 2024 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13.5% alcohol. This is bright, supple and fresh with raspberry and strawberry fruit. It’s juicy, pure and vivid with an appealing green hint to the fruit. Tending towards elegance, but with a bit of grip and nice density of fruit. Very stylish, showing off the elegant, understated side of this variety. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Gamay Noir 2024 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13% alcohol. This is bright, juicy and vibrant, with cherry and raspberry fruit. Floral with some nice green notes, showing vitality and intensity. This really captures Gamay well, with vibrant berry fruits plus some appealing greenness, and a juicy brightness. Stony and mineral, too. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinotage 2024 Coastal Region, South Africa
13.5% alcohol. This is ripe and sweetly fruited with soft strawberry as well as a bit of raspberry crunch here. So textured and interesting with lovely sweet fruit backed up with a bit of spicy framing and some structure. This is delicious and massively drinkable, and doesn’t taste much like Pinotage of old, which is a good thing. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinot Noir 2024 Cape Coast, South Africa
13% alcohol. This is bright and sweetly fruited with ripe cherries and some red berry notes. There’s a good volume here with a core of sweet fruit. Ripe, rich and quite tasty, with lots of sweet fruit in the mix. 91/100
Radford Dale Frankenstein Pinotage 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12% alcohol. This is a really interesting interpretation of Pinotage. There’s some density to the fruit here, with raspberries and cherries as well as a hint of damson, with some earthy hints, a twist of green, and some grippy structure. There’s a Pinotage-like sweet and sour character, with herbs and ripe sweet fruit, but overall this is quite focused, fruit-driven and deliciousness, with just a hint of sourness and bitterness on the finish. Herbs, cherries, plums and some liquorice notes. 92/100
Radford Dale Higher Purpose Cabernet Franc 2024 Elgin, South Africa
13.5% alcohol. This is really bright, vivid and focused with brisk cherry and raspberry fruit as well as some herbal hints and a fine spiciness, as well as some sweet acidity. There’s a chalky note in the background that’s really appealing, and typical of the variety. This is supple and quite elegant with nice precision. Not a big, heavy wine, but one that shows nice poise. 94/100
Radford Dale Freedom Pinot Noir 2024 Elgin, South Africa
This Pinot is supple and delicately structured with sweet cherry and raspberry fruit with a hint of aniseed and some dried herb notes. It’s tending to elegance and shows nice precision, with a sweet, smooth core of fruit and then a touch of dustiness and a bit of structure. 94/100
Older notes:
Radford Dale Vinum Chardonnay 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12% alcohol. Lovely aromatics here: fruit-focused with pear, pineapple and citrus, showing nice restraint. The palate has lovely delicacy with ripe but fresh pear fruit as well as some lemon and a subtle twist of almond and hazelnut. Such finesse here: pure and well balanced. 94/100
Radford Dale Vinum Chenin Blanc 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13% alcohol. There’s a lovely sweetness to the nose, with honeyed pear and apricot fruit as well as some subtle toasty notes. The palate is light bit also broad with rich pear and peach fruit. Such balance here, with depth and freshness as well as moderate alcohol. 92/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinotage 2023 Coastal Region, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. This is textured and ripe with strawberries and cherries, as well as a touch of raspberry. There’s a hint of green here, with some sappy, herby notes under the sweet fruit. Some cured meat and sweetness. A really appealing, accessible and classy Pinotage. 91/100
Radford Dale Vinum Gamay Noir 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. So fresh and direct with red cherry, raspberry and black pepper, and even some redcurrant. There’s a really creamy, smooth mid-palate with ripe fruit and then a nice focused finish. Subtle green hints here. Beautiful. 94/100
Radford Dale Vinum Grenache 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. Beautifully pure fruit here: elegant, sweet red cherry and strawberry fruit. Enticing and fragrant with a sense of ease. No rough edges, with lovely fine silky fruit and good precision and purity. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinot Noir 2023 Western Cape, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. This is beautifully fruit driven and pure with raspberry and cherry fruit, as well as some supple green notes. This is silky and fine with nice purity and good fruit presence. 93/100
Radford Dale Frankenstein Pinotage 2002 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13% alcohol. This is a really elegant, supple, refined expression of Pinotage. It’s silky and textural with a hint of cured meat and olive as well as smooth cherry and berry fruit. There’s a slight sappiness, too. This makes me think of a really refined Cinsault with it’s silky, ripe mid palate of strawberry and cherry fruit, combined with an elegant, ripe Pinot Noir. Supple, elegant and very fine. Quite beautiful. 95/100
Radford Dale Higher Purpose Cabernet Franc 2023 Elgin, South Africa
13% alcohol. Organic. This is focused and fresh with a leafy edge to the sweet cherry and plum fruit, with a bit of stewed strawberry. There’s a lushness to the fruit, but also some refinement, with a smooth mid-palate. Fine-grained with nice structure. It’s not at all over-ripe with good definition to the fruit. Leafy and chalky, and showing some silkiness. 92/100
Radford Dale Revelation Semillon 2023 Elgin, South Africa
12% alcohol. Organic. This is rich and nicely concentrated, with a core of sweet citrus fruit as well as some baked apple and pear skin. It’s ripe and bold, but also has a lovely acid tension, and a crystalline quality to the fruit. Really distinctive with nice weight and presence. Finishes bright and mineral, and really long. Such a distinctive wine with real presence. 94/100
Radford Dale Touchstone Chardonnay 2023 Elgin, South Africa
13% alcohol. Organic. Finely aromatic with bright citrus fruit, showing some pear and apple richness, and a slight mealiness under the fruit. There’s real energy on the palate with a lovely acid line, some bright spiciness and plenty of texture. There’s a saline, mineral presence here providing tension and working nicely to balance out the slightly richer apple and pear notes. A beautifully complex expression of Elgin Chardonnay that’s quite special. The pricing (R550) is ambitious, but this is a serious wine. 95/100
Radford Dale Renaissance Chenin Blanc 2022 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12% alcohol. This is linear and fine with bright lemon and pear fruit as well as fine crystalline character. Refined with good acidity, showing concentration and also restraint, with a lovely acid line. There’s a real elegance to this wine. 94/100
Radford Dale Freedom Pinot Noir 2023 Elgin, South Africa
13.5% alcohol. Organic. This is supple, fine and elegant with a stewed strawberry edge to cherry and plum fruit. There’s real texture here with a core of sweet fruit but also subtle spice-laden savouriness. Smooth, ripe and warm but with elegance and fine herbal detail. 94/100
Older notes from 2023:
Last year I reported on this exciting new range of wines from Radford Dale, and here are my notes on the second release, the 2022. They had been using the Vinum range for a while (it’s 20 years old), but here we have new wines, new packaging, and the wines massively over-deliver for the price. Full details can be found on their website. These wines hit the UK retail market at RRP £15.95 (agent is Les Caves de Pyrene), which is a nice price point for this quality level.
The Chenin Blanc typically includes around 40% of fruit from the vineyard supplying their flagship Chenin, Renaissance (in 2022, this rose to 50%). Winemaker Jacques de Klerk has worked with this vineyard since 2009, and has rehabilitated it. Multiple pickings yield a range of ingredients for the Renaissance, which leaves lots of bits to go into this Vinum – there’s even a bit of skin contact. The Pinotage takes some fruit from their Frankenstein vineyard, plus other portions, and is made in a Burgundy meets Beaujolais style, focusing on the elegant side of this variety.
Because the Radford Dale Chardonnay in the terroir series will now come from the Radford Dale Organic farm in Elgin (ex-Elgin Ridge) this leaves the Polkadraai fruit free for the Vinum wine: this is a SE-facing site with 28 year old vines. And the Vinum Gamay fills the slot between Thirst and Antidote, and uses fruit from the young Polkadraai vines planted in 2017 (0.5ha) and 2019 (0.4ha). Finally, there’s the Pinot Noir, from Stellenbosch and Bot River, which may seem a bit surprising, and the Grenache which comes from 8 year old vines Radford Dale planted in Stellenbosch.
Radford Dale Vinum Grenache 2022 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13% alcohol. A second vintage from the Stellenbosch mountain is included this year, in addition to the young vines on the home Helderberg farm. Juicy and vivid with sweet plums and cherries, with pepper and mint notes. Sweet strawberry and raspberry on the palate with a juicy edge, fine green hints and a touch of pepper. There’s a lovely finesse to this with good acidity and a sense of purity. 94/100
Radford Dale Vinum Grenache 2021 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13.5% alcohol. Supple, fresh aromatics of strawberry and cherry with some herbal overtones. The palate is light, fresh and direct with bright cherry and plum fruit, as well as some stony mineral notes and a twist of fresh herbs. There’s real drinkability to this light, elegant expression of Grenache, but there’s also a bit of stuffing too. Juicy and supple, and with lots of drinkability. On day two this really comes into its own. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Gamay Noir 2022 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13% alcohol. There’s a second vineyard in the mix this year, and they were able to pick the younger vineyard on the Polkadraai a bit later. Nice depth here with warm, sweet spicy cherry and berry fruit with a slight herby, peppery edge and nice depth. There’s a sweet, viscous core to the fruit. Rich and spicy. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Gamay Noir 2021 Stellenbosch, South Africa
11.5% alcohol. This is a very light, fresh, supple expression of Gamay, with cranberry and cherry notes, a slight leafiness and some real brightness. There’s lovely perfume and the fruit on the palate is deliciously crunchy – despite the low alcohol, this wine is ripe and it has a lot of drinkability. As with all these young Vinum reds, a decant is advised (they all taste great on day 2), and it can be served slightly chilled too. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinotage 2022 Coastal Region, South Africa
Vivid, bright raspberry and blackberry fruit on the nose. Juicy and lively with subtle green herby notes. So fresh, but also rich at the same time. Shows blackcurrant, blackberry and a lively sweet spicy quality. Beautifully dense. 91/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinotage 2021 Coastal Region, South Africa
11.5% alcohol. Bright, vibrant raspberry and redcurrant fruit aromas with a liqueur-like sweetness and some freshness. The palate is bright, vibrant and focused with a slight sternness under the sleek, fresh cherry and plum fruit. There’s a touch of greenness as well as some cedar, adding some savoury elements/ This is direct, with nice purity, and superb drinkability and balance. 91/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinot Noir 2022 Western Cape, South Africa
13% alcohol. Supple and sweet with lovely cherry and strawberry fruit showing nice texture and a slight sappy edge. So juicy but with silkiness and smoothness too. Very fine and accessible. But elegant, too. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Pinot Noir 2021 Western Cape, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. Fresh, bright and aromatic with some green herby hints as well as vibrant plum and strawberry fruit. Bright and quite elegant, with sweet raspberry, cherry and plum fruit on the palate as well as some notes of spice, tar and wet stones. This has lovely poise: it tastes quite Elgin-like, with that stony, savoury, slightly grunty twist under the vibrant fruit, which melts away into silky elegance on day two after opening. Massive drinkability and nice freshness. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Chardonnay 2022 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. A bright, fresh style but with some body. Lively citrus fruit (lemon, mandarin) with some spicy grapefruit freshness. Such focus and intensity, with some baked apple richness at the bass end and bright spicy citrus at the treble. 93/100
Radford Dale Vinum Chardonnay 2021 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. This is stony, mealy and citrussy on the nose, with a hint of pear drop. The palate is lively and intense with a stony, mineral edge to the citrus fruit, a hint of peach and pineapple richness in the background, and some bready hints. But the key theme is keen lemony fruit with a twist of pithiness and a tapering stony finish. 92/100
Radford Dale Vinum Chenin Blanc 2022 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. A lovely balance here between the rich pear and peach fruit, with some bright tapering citrus fruit. Nice tangerine finish. Fresh and expressive with good precision. 92/100
Radford Dale Vinum Chenin Blanc 2021 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12% alcohol. This is bright, vivid and citrussy with lovely acidity, but also some attractive pear and white peach notes. The keen acid line is the real backbone here: it’s got plenty of concentration, but it’s made in a linear, incisive style with real freshness, and a stony minerality. There’s some mandarin and citrus peel on the finish, adding interest. Don’t serve too cold. 93/100
UK agent: Les Caves de Pyrene
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