IT WAS NOT one of the Quoin Rock winery's oft-vaunted Black Series Cap Classique bubblies reviewed as ‘Outstanding' in the July 2026 issue of Decanter Magazine (UK), but rather the more premium Brut Reserve, the 2015 vintage released in 2022/23 and still available at the time of writing for R2K/bottle ex-cellar in Stellenbosch (more than twice the price of the Black Series).
Also scored 95/100 in the report that followed a panel tasting of 51 of South Africa's traditional-method sparkling wines was the 2012 Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvée Blanc the Blancs from Boschendal in Franschhoek (R1350pb ex-cellar), with 24 ‘Highly Recommended' wines including three scored 93/100, namely the 2013 Jacques Bruére Blanc de Blancs from Bon Courage in Robertson (R292pb ex-cellar) as well as two wines from Robertson’s Graham Beck Estate, the 2019 Cuvée Clive (R1340pb ex-cellar) and their 2017 Ultra Brut (R420pb ex-cellar).
The judges: Master of Wine Anne Krebiehl, drinks writer and broadcaster David Kermode and Decanter World Wine Awards judge Jason Millar. Among their comments was that wine lovers can find long-aged, vintage-dated Cap Classique wines for around the same price as non-vintage Champagne. And, said Krebiehl MW, compared to vintage Champagne, “Cap Classique is absolutely unbeatable when it comes to value.”
For the most highly rated Cap Classiques in top panel tastings this year and last, click here. For the Cap Classique Classification spanning the past 10 years, click here.
