First release: David & Nadia 2025

A blend of four Swartland vineyards, all on granite sites in the Paardeberg, this is deeper and darker than the previous vintage and has a gorgeous wild berry and rosemary perfume. Really juicy salivating bramble fruit is supported by a firm yet fine tannic structure. There is great concentration here and a thrilling twist of white-pepper spice threading through the fruit. This still carries the purity and elegance we expect of grenache in David & Nadia’s hands, but it has more substance and promises greater longevity in 2025, with an impressive mid-palate depth. Drink from 2028 to 2035. 14%

When David & Nadia started out, they were only going to make two wines: one white blend and one red blend. While the site-specific chenin obsession took hold and they deviated from their original path (luckily for us), Aristargos occupies a special place in the hearts (and cellars) of David & Nadia collectors. There are three pillars to Aristargos’ identity; the first is chenin blanc (it’s always chenin-based), the second is old-vine fruit and the third is the Paardeberg. The 2025 vintage marks the 16th release of this characterful Swartland white, which is truly one of the ‘OG’ Cape white blends, and it’s absolutely delicious. With a gentle perfume of spring blossom, thatch and lemon thyme, it is brilliantly zesty on the palate, with flavours of lime, grapefruit and just-ripe white peach. Bright and energetic with a lovely, round mouthfeel, this is proof that chenin works harmoniously in tandem with semillon, marsanne, roussanne, clairette, and colombard. Drink from 2028 to 2037. 13%

A blend of eight registered single vineyards, this chenin blanc is David & Nadia’s calling card, capturing the canvas of the Swartland through its most famous grape. While everyone goes wild (rightly) for the single-site expressions from David & Nadia, this blend of all Old Vine Project certified vineyards should not be seen as a stepping stone to them but a remarkable wine in its own right. Subtle and restrained, it unfurls with aeration to show white peach, yellow apple, spring blossom and beeswax aromas. Mineral and intense on the palate, and tightly wound, it is more backward than the 2024 vintage was at the same time and should be decanted if approaching in its first five years (in fact, decanting all of David & Nadia’s chenins is always a good idea). There is a seamless, unforced elegance to this vintage even in its extreme youth. Drink from 2028 to 2037. 13%

David & Nadia’s red blend has seen a shift in make-up over the years, from being syrah-led in the early vintages (2011-2014), carignan dominant in 2015 and 2016, to grenache-based since the 2017 vintage. Now the only wine that they release following an additional year in bottle – in sync with their good friends Donovan Rall and his Rall Red, and Eben Sadie and his Columella – the 2024 exudes pure blackberry and even cassis fruit, along with liquorice, violet and fynbos. The circa 30% syrah component this vintage really makes its presence felt in the aromatic and spicy character on the palate, too. Densely fruited with fine, chalky tannins that pleasingly grip the palate, freshness and energy abound here. Drink from 2028 to 2036. 13%

Drink from 2029 to 2037

A three-bottle case containing one bottle of each of the following:

David & Nadia Langland Chenin Blanc, Swartland 2025
As Rondevlei chenin banc exited David & Nadia’s single-vineyard chenin range after the 2023 vintage, this newcomer was a welcome addition, debuting with the 2024 vintage. Langland (‘long valley’ in Afrikaans) hails from an east-facing vineyard on decomposed granite soils which was planted in 1971 on the Paardeberg (not far from Chris Alheit’s Nuwedam farm of Fire by Night fame). The Sadies have been buying fruit from this site since 2012 and farming it themselves since 2023. As with the inaugural 2024, this has a cool, crisp and composed demeanour, with an understated but absolute elegance; it speaks of a site that is protected from the sun and takes longer to ripen. More mineral than fruit-driven, though there is a whisper of conference pear, this has a chalky freshness and gentle grip on the finish. Drink from 2029 to 2037. 12.5%

David & Nadia Plat'bos Chenin Blanc, Swartland 2025
Plat’bos is a north-west-facing vineyard planted in 1981 on decomposed granite, the biggest single vineyard David & Nadia farm, at 3.6 hectares (contributing also to their signature chenin blanc and to their Aristargos white blend). This is habitually the first vineyard they harvest, and it is immediately arresting on the palate with a powerful mineral intensity and real presence and stature (which you wouldn’t believe, if you just read the alcohol level). David describes the searing acidity at the core of this wine as ‘extreme,’ and it gives a firm mouthfeel to the wine. With flavours of ripe apple and white peach and a moreish salinity, this has a long, structured finish. Of the four single vineyards, this is the one which most demands patient cellaring. Drink from 2029 to 2037. 11.5%

David & Nadia Skaliekop Chenin Blanc, Swartland 2025
Skaliekop, alongside Hoë-Steen, is one of the pair of original single-vineyard chenins bottled by David & Nadia in the 2014 vintage. It comes from a dryland bushvine plot on the Paardebosch farm on which their winemaking operation is based. Unusually for the Paardeberg (known for its granite soils), this vineyard – a 1.4-hectare plot, planted in 1985 – sits on a small hill (‘kop’) of shale (‘skalie’) soil. There is beautifully concentrated and pure fruit at the heart of this wine – vivid lemon and apple – and the fruit breadth is balanced by a nervy energy and tension. With lots of salty, iodine savouriness, this is a fantastic rendition of one of the Cape’s great chenin vineyards. Drink from 2029 to 2037. 13%

Notes PDF