DEBUT VINTAGE and already a champion! Scored 97/100 and winner of the trophy for best blend at the 2026 Investec Trophy Wine Show: the Rhône-style Zwartwater Red Blend 2024 from the farm Lammershoek, established as far back as 1718 in the foothills of the Paardeberg mountain outside Malmesbury. Shiraz is the dominant varietal component, the vines planted in 2002 and including both bush and stok-by-paaltjie trellised vines. Carignan plays a special role, with the bush vines planted in 1976 and thought to be the oldest of this variety South Africa. While the Mourvèdre comes from blocks planted in 2002 and 2013.
One of the oldest farms in the Paardeberg area of the Swartland, Zwartwater is open for farm visits and tastings: wine lovers are welcome to drop in during the week and by appointment on weekends. Whereas Lammershoek used to produce a range of wines that included single-varietal Syrah and Chenin Blanc, the focus at Zwartwater since the Johannes family acquired the property in 2022 has been honed down to just two wines with the aim of reflecting the terroir more so than varietal character – the Red Blend and a blended white comprising Chenin, Viognier, Hárslevelú and Marsanne.
ZWARTWATER RED BLEND 2024
WO Paardeberg-Swartland (Lammershoek Estate). Vines planted in weathered-granite soils between 1976 and 2013. Blend of Shiraz (68%), Carignan (27%) and Mourvèdre (5%). Grapes harvested between 22 January and 23 February 2024. Fruit cooled overnight before a three-to-four day cold soak. The varieties were fermented separately – the Shiraz and Mourvèdre as whole bunches, the Carignan destemmed beforehand. Fermentation ran for three weeks, followed by the pressing and transfer of the wine to barrel and concrete – a fifth was matured in new barrels, a fifth in concrete, the remainder in seasoned barrels (barrels made by small family coopers in Austria and Italy who select trees from throughout Europe). Blending took place in June 2024 and in January 2025, followed by six months in tank. Bottled on 19 June 2025. Total production: 24 000 bottles.
Alc 13.5% | RS 1.8 g/L | TA 5.3 g/L | pH 3.52
From Owner-Winemaker Stefan Johannes's Tasting Notes: Dark spice rises, a lift of red fruit follows, then a sudden bloom of floral fragrance… Lengthy palate and lingering finish… Salt, dust, stone, black olives…
R395pb ex-cellar.