2022 Damascene, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Critics reviews
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch was aged in 50% new barriques for the first year and 2,000-liter oval Austrian foudres for the second. This has more complexity on the nose compared to the Cabernet Franc, revealing cedar- and graphite-tinged black fruit—clearly defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and cassis-like fruit that is ripe but not overly sweet. There is lovely purity here. It’s silky-smooth in texture, and the oak is seamlessly integrated into the finish. This is a very seductive and moreish Cabernet Sauvignon.
Jean Smit welcomed me to Damascene, which I visited for the first time last year. I asked Smit about the vintage in question. “Twenty-three is a vintage where people who make proper wines are the ones to follow. We had a drought in winter and then thunderstorms in December that gave us [vine] growth. We had to spray to prevent mildew and oïdium, and then we got the rains at the end of March.”
These latest releases, mostly though not exclusively from the 2023 vintage, reinforce Damascene as one of the finest estates in South Africa. There is an attention to detail and meticulousness here that I feel comes from Smit himself and is translated into the wines, just the Cabernet Franc behind the pack. Readers should look out for the Semillon Old Bush Vines Franschhoek, Chenin Blanc Old Bush Vines Stellenbosch, though the crowning glory is the Syrah from Swartland.
Drink 2025 - 2035
Neil Martin, Vinous.com (September 2024)
About this WINE
Damascene Vineyards
Damascene is the shared project of Jean Smit, former winemaker at Boekenhoutskloof and Canadian entrepreneur (and former owner of Château Gaby) David Curl. Together, they scour South Africa for outstanding, well-established vineyards to produce Damascene’s wines – each one displaying the regional variety of South Africa’s wine regions. Jean and David select only the finest performing vineyards, so the wines are produced in particularly small quantities. The wines are all regional, varietal examples, showcasing these South African wines in their purest forms. From the rich peach and almond palate of the Swartland Chenin Blanc to the elegant cranberry and black cherry notes of the Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, the scope of this country’s renowned viticulture is palpable in these bottles.
Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch is South Africa’s best-known wine region, producing a wide variety of wines from leading estates, even though it accounts for less than 20 per cent of the country’s total production. Designated wards within the wine region are Jonkershoek Valley, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Bottelary, Devon Valley and Papegaaiberg.
At 17,500 hectares, Stellenbosch remains the Cape's most famous and important fine wine district, thanks to its proximity to Cape Town, to the cooling influences of False Bay, its mountainous (ie Helderberg, Simonsberg), granitic topography and its centres of learning such as Elsenburg Agricultural College.
It's notable for the refinement of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, especially from the likes of Glenelly Estate, Keermont Vineyards Oldenburg Vineyards, Raats Family and Anwilka
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
If there was ever a Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon that tasted like a Margaux, this is it. With an intense, gravelly nose (even though the vines are on granite), this is floral and perfumed, and incredibly elegant. The palate is equally gorgeous with a beautiful bouquet and a kick of concentration that comes through in such a stylish, restrained way. The fruit is pure blackcurrant and the wine has a wonderful intensity that leads into the floral, vibrant and beautiful finish. This is already so impressive but would benefit from a little more time to shine even more brightly.
Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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