Swartland Limited Release Mourvedre
£13.99
£18.65 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Out of Stock
Mourvèdre is the Rhône's dark horse, and Swartland is where it's really found its voice in South Africa. This single-vineyard bottling from decomposed granite soils is deeply coloured, boldly perfumed and beautifully structured. If you love Syrah and want to explore something a little wilder, a little more savoury, start here.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Expert curated
Our Verdict
Mourvèdre doesn't get nearly enough attention in South Africa, and that's exactly why we listed this one. We tasted it alongside a handful of Rhône blends and standalone Syrahs from the Swartland, and what struck us was the perfume: violets and mocha over that lovely savoury, earthy pull. It's the sort of bottle we'd open for someone who thinks they've tried everything the Cape has to offer. Stocks come and go on this one as it's a limited release, so if you're curious, don't hang about.
Tasting Notes
Deep, saturated colour in the glass, with a perfumed nose that leans into violets, mocha and dark chocolate over a core of ripe blackberry and dark cherry. There's a herbaceous, earthy thread running underneath, classic Mourvèdre character that keeps the fruit honest. The palate is full-bodied and soft in texture, with spicy undertones and a rounded tannin frame that carries the flavour long after you swallow. Concentrated, savoury, unmistakably Swartland.
About This Wine
You've stumbled onto one of the Cape's most rewarding under-the-radar reds. Mourvèdre is the grape that gives Châteauneuf-du-Pape its dark, brooding heart, and in the sun-baked hills of the Swartland it takes on a whole new personality: perfumed, generous, and just a touch wild. Pour a glass and you'll see why we rate this so highly. There's an inky depth to the colour, and the nose lifts with violets, mocha and dark chocolate before the fruit arrives: black cherry, blackberry, a savoury herbaceous edge that hints at the granite soils these single-vineyard vines call home. On the palate it's full-bodied and softly spiced, with a rounded tannin frame that gives it real staying power. Decant it if you're drinking now, or tuck a bottle away for a few years and watch it unfurl. This is a wine that begs for food. Think slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, a proper Sunday braai, oxtail stew on a cold evening, or a mushroom risotto if you're keeping it meat-free. Mature Cheddar and aged Gouda work brilliantly too. Delivered anywhere in the UK, it's an easy call for anyone looking to explore beyond the usual Cape Cabernets and Pinotages. And for the Syrah fan in your life, homesick expat or curious friend, it makes a genuinely thoughtful gift.
Food Pairing
Built for hearty, savoury cooking. A slow-roasted lamb shoulder studded with garlic and rosemary is the obvious call, but it's just as brilliant with a Sunday sirloin, a smoky braai, or a rich beef and mushroom casserole on a cold evening. The earthy edge also loves a wedge of mature Cheddar or a slice of mushroom-heavy pie.
- —Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with garlic and rosemary
- —Chargrilled ribeye with peppercorn sauce
- —Beef and mushroom casserole with buttery mash
- —Venison sausages with red cabbage and juniper
- —Mature Cheddar with quince paste and oatcakes
How to Serve
Decanting
Give this an hour in a decanter, especially when it's young. Mourvèdre can feel reserved on opening, and a bit of air coaxes out the violets, mocha and dark berry perfume while softening the firm tannin frame.
Behind the Wine
Swartland's Mediterranean rhythm suits Mourvèdre down to the ground: hot, dry summers give this late-ripening grape the long, unhurried hang time it needs to reach full phenolic ripeness, while cool wet winters recharge the soils. Constant Atlantic breezes moderate the heat, and the free-draining decomposed granite stresses the vines just enough to produce small, deeply concentrated berries. That's the source of the wine's intensity, its perfumed lift, and the rounded, age-worthy tannin frame you feel on the finish.
Ageing Potential
Drinks beautifully now with a good splash of air, but the concentration and rounded tannin frame mean it will happily hold and evolve for another 5-8 years. Expect the primary dark fruit to soften into more savoury, leathery notes with time, while the violet and mocha aromatics deepen.
The Land
Decomposed granite is the quiet hero here. It drains fast, reflects heat back up into the canopy, and forces the vines to work hard for what little moisture they get. Small berries, thick skins, concentrated juice. You taste that stress in the glass: deep colour, mineral-tinged dark fruit, and tannins with genuine backbone.
The Winemaking
Fruit is drawn from a single vineyard planted on decomposed granite, which sets the tone before a grape ever reaches the cellar. The winemaking keeps faith with that site: careful extraction to build the deep colour and layered dark-berry, mocha and chocolate character without over-pushing, then time in oak to knit the rounded tannin structure and add a whisper of spice. The result is a wine with real grip, but a soft, lingering mouthfeel; concentrated, not clumsy.
The Swartland Region
Swartland, 'the black land' in Afrikaans, named for the renosterbos that darkens after rain, rolls out north of Cape Town across the hills around Malmesbury and Riebeek-Kasteel. It's hot, dry, and stubbornly characterful: a place of old bush vines, granite and koffieklip soils, and a community of growers who've made it the most quietly thrilling corner of South African wine. Concentration, freshness, and a wild streak you don't find elsewhere, that's Swartland in a glass.
About the Producer
Swartland Winery
Swartland Winery has been a quiet workhorse of the Western Cape for over seventy years. It started life as a cooperative cellar, farmers pooling their fruit, sharing the work, building something bigger than any single grower could manage alone. That cooperative spirit still runs through the place, even after it restructured into a private wine company with three business units under one roof. Today, from its base just outside Malmesbury, the winery turns out around fifty-one different styles across red, white, sparkling and fortified. The Founders range sits at the everyday end of the lineup: lifestyle wines designed for the dinner table, not the cellar, but made with the same attention as the single-vineyard bottlings further up the range.