Kanonkop, Paul Sauer, Stellenbosch 2022

Cocoa, black plums, walnuts, bay leaves and spice box on the nose. Olives, too. It’s full-bodied, layered and well-structured, with firm but fine and polished tannins framing the dark, spicy fruit. Savory and tight at the end. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 27% cabernet franc and 18% merlot. Better after 2026.

The Kanonkop 2022 Simonsberg Stellenbosch Paul Sauer Estate Wine is still youthful and reserved, shaped by more marginal soils where 50-year-old vines struggle despite deep roots, contributing to the wine's layered complexity. This blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc is matured for 24 months in 100% new French oak. Named after the estate’s patriarch who bought this property in 1957, this wine embodies Kanonkop’s belief in minimal intervention.

The 2022 Paul Sauer is aged for 24 months in new French oak as usual, but, as usual, the wood is beautifully integrated and the fruit just shines: blueberry, black cherries and a touch of mint. Wonderful delineation and the higher percentage of Cabernet Franc really works here. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, very smooth and beautifully balanced. Not a powerful Paul Sauer, but loaded with fruit and demonstrating succulence on the controlled and sustained finish. Superb.