Kanenkop Kadette Cabernet Sauvignon
£20.00
£26.67 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 2 bottles left
92Tim Atkin SA Special Report
Kanonkop is one of South Africa's benchmark estates, and the Kadette Cabernet is your way into that pedigree without the top-shelf price. Expect blackcurrant, black cherry and a whisper of sweet oak spice, all wrapped in plush, approachable tannins. A classic Stellenbosch red, built for steak night and ready to drink now. Delivered across the UK.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We rate Kanonkop as highly as anyone in Stellenbosch, so a Cabernet from its second label at this price always had our attention. What won us over is how much estate character survives the price drop: real cassis depth, graceful tannins and oak that knows its place. Tim Atkin scored it 92 points, and we agree it punches well above £20. Perfect for someone who wants a serious Cape Cabernet for a weeknight steak without overthinking it. One of our most-ordered Stellenbosch reds, and stock is currently limited, so do not wait too long.
Tasting Notes
Bright ruby in the glass, with a nose of blackcurrant and black cherry lifted by a thread of red florals and gentle oak spice. The palate follows through with juicy cassis and bramble fruit, a touch of blueberry, and a savoury whisper of dried herbs that keeps it from feeling sweet. Tannins are fine and plush rather than firm, so the wine drinks smoothly now, and fresh acidity carries a long, fruit-driven finish that leaves you reaching for the next sip.
Blackcurrant Core
Pure cassis and black cherry sit at the heart of this wine, ripe and focused, the unmistakable signature of Stellenbosch Cabernet.
Sweet Oak Spice
A year in older French oak adds a soft, warming spice and gentle structure without masking the fruit underneath.
Dried Herb Edge
A savoury lift of bramble and dried herbs gives real interest, balancing the ripe fruit and adding grown-up complexity.
About This Wine
Here is the thing about Kanonkop: it is one of the names serious Stellenbosch drinkers reach for, a fourth-generation family estate on the slopes of the Simonsberg that has been setting the standard for Cape reds for decades. The Kadette is its second label, made to the same cellar standards as the estate wines. So when you pour this, you are drinking properly pedigreed Cabernet for a fraction of what that pedigree usually costs. Your good taste, their generosity.
In the glass it is bright ruby red, with blackcurrant and black cherry leading the way, lifted by sweet oak spice and a pretty note of red florals. Twelve months in older French oak barrels means the wood sits in the background, adding subtle spice and structure rather than shouting over the fruit. The tannins are plush and well integrated, which makes this Cabernet unusually approachable. You do not need to lay it down for a decade. It is drinking beautifully now.
This is a Sunday roast wine, a braai wine, a midweek-treat-yourself wine. Pour it with a charred ribeye, slow-cooked venison, rosemary lamb shanks or braised beef short ribs. A wedge of mature Cheddar works just as well. It also makes a confident, thoughtful gift for anyone who loves a proper South African red, delivered to their door anywhere in the UK.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for the Sunday table. Pour it alongside a rosemary-studded roast lamb or a slow-braised beef short rib and the plush tannins handle the richness with ease. The savoury herb edge loves grilled steak with a peppercorn sauce, while a wedge of mature Cheddar makes a simple, satisfying match for the last of the bottle.
- —Rosemary roast lamb shanks
- —Braised beef short ribs
- —Grilled ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce
- —Slow-cooked venison casserole
- —Mature Cheddar with quince paste
How to Serve
Temperature
Cool room temperature. Pull it from the rack about 30 minutes before pouring so the fruit shows at its best.
Decanting
Worth a 30 to 45 minute decant. It is approachable young, but a little air softens the oak spice and lets the blackcurrant and floral aromatics open out fully.
Glass
A large-bowled Bordeaux glass gives the cassis and herb notes room to gather and express themselves.
Cellaring
Store on its side somewhere cool, dark and steady. It will hold and slowly evolve for five to six years if you want to follow its development.
Behind the Wine
Stellenbosch wears its warmth lightly. The granite-flanked mountains funnel cool maritime air off False Bay across the vines, stretching out the ripening season and letting Cabernet hold onto its natural acidity and deep colour. Kanonkop farms for balance rather than sheer power, picking when phenolic ripeness lines up with freshness. That patience is what you taste here: dark, structured fruit framed by tannins that feel polished rather than firm, accessible young yet built to keep.
Ageing Potential
Made in an accessible style with soft, integrated tannins, this drinks beautifully now. It also has the structure and acidity to reward another five or six years in the cellar, where the bright fruit will settle into more savoury, cedary complexity.
The Land
Kanonkop sits in the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward, on the mountain's lower slopes where decomposed granite soils drain well and keep the vines working for their fruit. The elevation and aspect catch cooling air off False Bay, slowing ripening just enough to preserve freshness. It is classic structured-Cabernet country, and you can feel that mineral firmness underneath the fruit.
The Winemaking
This is old-school Stellenbosch craft. Fermentation happens in open-top concrete tanks, with the cap of skins punched down by hand roughly every couple of hours to coax colour and gentle structure from the fruit. The juice comes off the skins after only five or six days, a deliberately short stay that keeps the tannins supple rather than chewy. After malolactic fermentation, the wine spends twelve months in older 225-litre French oak barrels, seasoned wood that adds a whisper of spice while leaving the cassis and dark cherry firmly in the lead.
About the Producer
Kanonkop
Ask anyone who's spent time in South African wine circles which estate defines Stellenbosch reds, and Kanonkop comes up before you've finished the question. Tucked on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg mountain, this is a producer that has never chased fashion. Instead, it has spent decades perfecting two things: old-vine Pinotage and Bordeaux-style blends built to age.
What makes Kanonkop worth your attention is its refusal to modernise for modernising's sake. The red wines are still fermented in open concrete kuipe, with cellar hands physically punching down the cap by hand rather than relying on mechanical pumps. It's labour-intensive, slower, and exactly why the wines carry such depth and structure. Some of the Pinotage vines here are bush-trained and over fifty years old, planted long before the grape earned any international respect.
Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar has led the cellar since 2002, taking over from Beyers Truter, the man widely credited with putting South African Pinotage on the world map. Beeslaar has more than kept pace, picking up the International Winemaker of the Year title at the IWSC three times, a rare feat for anyone, anywhere. The estate remains a family business, run today by brothers Johann and Paul Krige, whose family has owned this land since 1929.
We stock Kanonkop because it answers a question UK customers often ask us: what does serious South African wine actually taste like? The Kadette range, the estate's second label, gives newcomers an honest, accessible route into that answer, built on the same philosophy and fruit sourcing as the flagship wines, just at a friendlier price point. If you want to understand why critics call this a First Growth of the Cape, starting here makes complete sense. Delivered across the UK, it's as close as you'll get to Simonsberg without a plane ticket.