Christiaan Coetzee is in the UK, and Daniel has been accompanying him around the trade, from Kudu and the Good Wine Shop to dinners with our private customers. It’s a useful reminder that some of the most interesting South African wines are not necessarily the ones making the most noise.

Uva Mira is a case in point.

Perched high on the Helderberg, overlooking False Bay, the estate has built a reputation for wines that are remarkably precise, restrained and age-worthy. And while Cabernet Sauvignon has traditionally been the obvious red variety here, Christiaan has been working with Cabernet Franc for more than 12 years.

The result is this:

100% Cabernet Franc, Helderberg

95+ Points- Greg Sherwood MW | 17 Points – Jancis Robinson MW
“Fruit from Helderberg, Stellenbosch. Vineyards on west- and north-west-facing slopes on decomposed Tukulu granite. 420 m above sea level. 9 km from False Bay. 17 months in French oak barrels, 35% new. Sumptuous nose of redcurrant, red-cherry, blackberry fruit and oregano. Very, very aromatic – heady scent of armfuls of crushed herbs. Orange peel. And very, very succulent – the fruit glows, spills, bleeds into every tiny crevice and crack of tannin and acidity. Glossy and glamorous. Napa-esque without the excess. I’d love this with duck a l’orange.” – Tamlyn Currin. 

“It is impossible not to be positively influenced by the 2021 vintage on this new release bottle of Cabernet Franc! Fortunately, the Mira 2021 delivers in spades, boasting rich, intricate aromatics of floral perfume, berry fruit, and oak spice. The bouquet leads with a medley of pressed violets, cherry blossom, and sweet cedar spice before ripe, bright notes of wild strawberry, red currant, and red plum surge to the fore. The oak is delicate, caressing, and finely integrated, expressing itself with a delicate spicy sapidity and a gentle vanilla pod kiss. On the palate, the wine is impressively silky, smooth, and harmonious, with bright, racy acids underpinning weightlessly textured layers of red currant, blackberry, and boysenberry fruits. A wonderfully precise, articulate wine that continues Uva Mira’s sterling reputation for producing premium, eye-catching Cabernet Franc wines in the Helderberg. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 12+ years.” – Greg Sherwood MW.