Vergelegen GVB Red
£40.00
£53.33 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 1 bottle left
93Tim Atkin SA Report
International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) GoldLyon International Wine Competition Gold
Here's a Cape classic that earns its place on any serious table. The GVB Red is Vergelegen's Bordeaux-style flagship: a Cabernet-led blend of dark cassis, cigar box and spice, framed by firm, rolling tannins. Polished, age-worthy and quietly confident, it's the bottle that makes a Sunday roast feel like an occasion. Delivered to your door across the UK.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We rate the GVB Red as one of the most quietly accomplished Bordeaux-style blends coming out of the Cape, and it's a wine we keep recommending to drinkers who think they have to spend twice as much for this kind of polish. There's a precision and structure here that speaks to Vergelegen's pedigree, with international gold medals and a 93-point Tim Atkin score backing up what the glass already tells you. It's perfect for the collector building a cellar or anyone marking a special occasion. We hold limited quantities, so if a structured, age-worthy red is your thing, don't linger.
Tasting Notes
This is a Cabernet-led Bordeaux blend with real presence. The nose draws you in with dark berries, cassis and that classic cigar-box note, all wrapped in gentle spice from time in French oak. On the palate it's full-bodied and generous: black cherry and blackcurrant fruit carried by firm tannins that have softened into something rounded and rolling. The oak adds warmth and structure rather than dominating, and the finish runs long and savoury, leaving you reaching for the next sip.
About This Wine
Some South African reds shout. This one simply commands the room. The GVB Red is Vergelegen's Bordeaux-style flagship, and it carries three centuries of estate history in every glass, from a property near Somerset West that was first planted back in 1700 and reborn in 1987 under careful, ambitious hands. Expect a Cabernet-led blend, woven through in different years with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The result is layered and generous: blackcurrant and dark cherry up front, then cassis, sweet spice and that unmistakable whiff of cigar box. French oak adds a gentle cedar warmth without ever stealing the show, and the tannins are firm but beautifully rounded, carrying a long, savoury finish. The magic is in the location. Just six kilometres from the cool Atlantic at False Bay, these vineyards ripen slowly on slopes between 140 and 310 metres, giving wines real structure and the kind of poise that only comes from a maritime climate. It is precise, age-worthy and built to reward a few years in the cellar. This is a wine for proper occasions. Pour it with grilled fillet or rib-eye, or a slow-roasted lamb shoulder studded with rosemary. And if you're sending a thoughtful gift to someone who appreciates a serious red, this delivers anywhere in the UK, ready to impress.
Food Pairing
This wants red meat and a flame. Think a fillet or rib-eye seared over coals, the char playing off the dark fruit and oak. A slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary is just as good, the rich meat softening those firm tannins beautifully. For a quieter night in, a mature Cheddar with a little quince paste lets the savoury, cigar-box side shine.
- —Rib-eye steak grilled over coals
- —Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary
- —Char-grilled beef fillet with peppercorn sauce
- —Mature Cheddar with quince paste
- —Venison casserole with root vegetables
How to Serve
Decanting
Give this an hour in a decanter, especially when young. The firm tannins need air to soften, and the cassis and cigar-box aromas really unfurl with a little time in the glass.
Behind the Wine
The vines here sit just six kilometres from the cool Atlantic at False Bay, and that maritime breeze does the heavy lifting. It draws out the ripening, letting these later-maturing red grapes hold onto colour and flavour while the structure stays firm. Vergelegen farms with a careful hand across slopes that climb from 140 to 310 metres, and the payoff is in the glass: deep cassis fruit, a savoury edge, and tannins with real grip rather than weight.
Ageing Potential
Built to age. This drinks well now, but a Cabernet-led Cape blend with this structure rewards patience: give it five to eight years in the cellar and the firm tannins will mellow further while the fruit deepens into something more savoury and complex.
The Land
The vineyards range from about 140 to 310 metres in altitude, planted on slopes that face north to north-west and south to south-east. That spread of aspect and elevation, combined with the maritime cool drifting in from False Bay, gives the fruit a long, even ripening and the firm backbone that defines this blend.
The Winemaking
This is a Cabernet-led Bordeaux blend, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot stepping in to round out the frame. The fruit gets time in French oak, which lends that telltale cigar-box and spice lift without smothering the dark berry core. The result is a wine built for the long haul: firm but rounded tannins, a long finish, and the kind of structure that drinks well now yet rewards a few years in the cellar.
The Western Cape Region
Le Domaine draws its fruit from vineyards scattered across the Western Cape, from coastal sites cooled by Atlantic breezes to warmer inland slopes, all planted between 50 and 300 metres above sea level. This broad sourcing is deliberate. By blending components from different microclimates, the cellar builds a consistent house style that balances the crisp acidity of cooler sites with the ripe generosity of warmer ones. It's the Western Cape's extraordinary diversity captured in a single glass.
About the Producer
Vergelegen
Vergelegen has been making wine since 1700, founded by Cape governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel and now standing as the third-oldest winemaking estate in the country. Anglo American took stewardship in 1987 and committed to the kind of long-horizon thinking the place deserves, restoring 2,240 hectares of native fynbos across the 3,000-hectare estate and earning South Africa's first BWI 'Champion' status for its conservation work. The winery itself is built into a hilltop, an octagonal structure echoing the walled garden van der Stel laid out three centuries ago. Today Luke O'Cuinneagain leads the cellar, bringing experience from Bordeaux, California and Stellenbosch, and a quiet philosophy of minimal intervention and patient stewardship.