Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2017

Would I or wouldn’t I give this 100 points? I tasted it over a period of five days against a number of its competitors, and it nearly got there. Time may prove me wrong, but I don’t think this is quite at the level of the 2015. But it’s still a stunning wine, combining Cabernet Sauvignon with 17% Cabernet Franc and 7% Merlot. Youthful, concentrated and less immediate than the 2015, with a little more oak spice, it’s a taut, ageworthy style with layers of bramble, cigar box and blackcurrant fruit and sinewy tannins. Drink date: 2025-2035. Score – 98. (Tim Atkin, MW, timatkin.com, South Africa Special Report 2020)