Piekenierskloof Old Vine Caryl van Zyl Grenache Noir
£21.49
£28.65 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 1 bottle left
SA Terroir Wine Awards
Old-vine Grenache from one of the Cape's best-kept secrets. Grown on ungrafted bush vines high on the Piekenierskloof plateau, this is South African Grenache at its most perfumed: juicy strawberry and red berry, a lift of cracked pepper, a whisper of cloves and smoke. Supple, elegant and quietly serious. If you love Rhone reds, you need to meet this one.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We have a soft spot for old-vine Grenache, and this is one of the wines that explains why. Piekenierskloof works with some of the oldest, most characterful Grenache plantings in South Africa, and you can taste that heritage: perfume, lift and a savoury depth that belies the gentle price. It even took Best Red Wine in the Heritage Vineyards category at the SA Terroir Wine Awards. This is for the drinker who has worked through the Rhone and wants to see where else Grenache can go. Stock is limited, so if you are curious, do not wait too long.
Tasting Notes
Grenache at its most lifted and perfumed. The nose leads with juicy red berry and crushed strawberry, edged by a savoury, earthy undertow that keeps it grown-up rather than sweet. On the palate, that bright fruit carries notes of cracked pepper, clove and bruised cardamom, with a whisper of smoke from time in older French oak. Tannins are supple and finely woven, never gripping, so the wine glides into a long, elegant finish that genuinely makes you want the next sip.
About This Wine
Here is a wine that rewards the curious. While everyone else reaches for the usual Cape reds, you will be pouring something genuinely special: old-vine Grenache from Piekenierskloof, a high plateau in the Citrusdal Mountains that has quietly become Grenache HQ for South Africa. The vines tell the story. Ungrafted bush vines, some planted back in the 1950s, dig deep into sandy loam soils with no irrigation, surviving on rainfall alone. That struggle concentrates everything. At 650 to 700 metres, warm days and cool nights stretch out the ripening, and you taste the result: bountiful red berry and strawberry, an earthy thread of pepper, hints of cloves, cardamom and a curl of smoke. The tannins are fine and supple, the finish long and gently complex, drawing you straight back for the next sip. Fourteen months in large 500-litre French oak, none of it new, frames the fruit without ever shouting over it. This is Rhone-style winemaking with an unmistakable Cape accent. Pour it with slow-roasted lamb shoulder, a herb-crusted rack, or a Sunday roast as the British weather finally turns. It is also a thoughtful gift for anyone who loves Grenache or misses the Cape, delivered to your door anywhere in the UK.
Food Pairing
This loves slow-cooked, gently spiced food. Picture a Sunday roast of herb-rubbed lamb, or a Moroccan-style tagine where the clove and cardamom in the glass echo what is on the plate. It also handles a charcuterie board with cured meats and a few olives beautifully, and has the freshness to sit happily beside roast chicken with thyme.
- —Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic
- —Lamb and apricot tagine with couscous
- —Roast chicken with thyme and lemon
- —Charcuterie board with cured meats and olives
- —Grilled pork chops with a peppercorn sauce
How to Serve
Decanting
A short decant of 30 to 45 minutes helps. It is not a tannic monster, but air lifts the strawberry perfume and lets the clove and cardamom spice settle into focus.
Behind the Wine
Up on the Piekenierskloof plateau, vines work between warm, sun-filled days and cool nights that sweep down at around 650 to 700 metres. That swing slows ripening right down, which is exactly what you want with Grenache: it builds complex flavour and bright colour while holding onto freshness and a lower pH. The old bush vines are dryland farmed, with no irrigation, so they root deep and concentrate everything. You taste that in the glass as perfumed red fruit, peppery lift and a savoury, earthy core.
Ageing Potential
Drinking beautifully now, with supple tannins and vivid fruit already on show. The concentration from these old dryland bush vines means it will hold and gain a more savoury, earthy complexity over the next four to six years if you would rather wait.
The Land
Everything here is dryland and ungrafted: old bush vines digging into sandy loam and Tafelberg sandstone, with no irrigation to lean on. The poor, free-draining soils and east-west aspect keep yields tiny, while cold evening air rolling across the plateau preserves acidity and lift. The wine carries that signature: small, intensely flavoured berries translating into perfume, fine tannins and a clear thread of minerality.
The Winemaking
Whole grapes were given a 24-hour cold soak before fermentation kicked off in stainless steel, with regular pump-overs and a gentle ferment held around 24 degrees to coax out perfume rather than power. Malolactic fermentation and a fourteen-month maturation then followed in 500-litre French oak barrels, all of them second and third fill. That choice matters: older, larger barrels round the tannins and add a whisper of structure without ever stamping vanilla or toast over the bright, spicy fruit. The result is supple, balanced and unmistakably Grenache.
About the Producer
Piekenierskloof Wine Company
Piekenierskloof Wine Company takes its name from the plateau it calls home, a high-altitude pocket in the Citrusdal Mountains about 50km north of Swartland. The Piekeniers were Dutch soldiers sent from the Cape centuries ago to explore the Olifants River region; today their name marks one of South Africa's most quietly important wine zones. Under winemaker Hendrien Vercueil, the team specialises in Rhône-style wines built around the area's old, ungrafted bush vines. Some of these were planted back in the 1950s and still produce small, intense bunches that give Piekenierskloof's wines their distinctive depth and authenticity. This is a producer that lets the place do the talking.