If you know Natte Valleij, chances are you know it for Cinsault.
Alex Milner has made the variety something of a signature, producing site-specific wines from some of the Cape’s most fascinating vineyards, with a level of restraint, freshness and precision that has earned Natte Valleij a devoted following.
But Cinsault is only part of the story.
Tim Atkin MW’s latest South Africa report is a timely reminder of the breadth of Alex’s winemaking, with both the Natte Valleij Kaapse Ode 2025 and Axle Chenin Blanc 2025 earning 93 points.
These are very different wines, but they share the same Natte Valleij fingerprints: old vines, distinctive sites, minimal intervention and Alex’s knack for making wines that are as much about place as they are about variety.
66% Clairette Blanche, 34% Chenin Blanc, Darling & Voor-Paardeberg
94 Points – Greg Sherwood MW | 93 Points – Tim Atkin MW
Alex’s most personal wine yet. Kaapse Ode is a new Cape white inspired by generations of winemaking in Sumari Milner’s family, combining Clairette Blanche from the Voor Paardeberg with Chenin Blanc from Darling. Racy, saline and mouth-wateringly fresh, it’s a fascinating new expression of the Natte Valleij style.
Just 800 bottles produced, and Museum has secured a sizeable fraction of this tiny maiden release.
100% Chenin Blanc, Darling
95 Points – Greg Sherwood MW | 93 Points – Tim Atkin MW | 17.5 Points – Jancis Robinson MW
From a single block of 1985-planted dryland bush vines on decomposed granite, Axle is the wine that began with Alex’s wife asking him to make one white for summer drinking, and became one of Natte Valleij’s fastest-selling wines. The 2025 is taut, steely and intensely focused, with the old-vine Chenin’s mineral character front and centre.
If Natte Valleij means Cinsault to you,
it’s time to discover the other side of Alex Milner.
Two whites. Two very different expressions of place. One unmistakable Natte Valleij philosophy.
