Pinotage that Tastes Good; Southern Right
There are winery side projects, and then there’s Southern Right. This is the negoc arm of Hamilton Russell Vineyards that still feels tiny and slightly allergic to corporate behavior. Total production hovers around just 15,000 cases, which in wine terms is somewhere between “small” and “the owner still knows where every fermenter leak is.”
Founded in 1994 after Anthony Hamilton Russell returned to South Africa, Southern Right has always carried a bit of edge to it. Anthony had left South Africa during apartheid while Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, even going so far as to return his passport in protest because he wanted no part of the situation. When he came back after the political tide turned, he didn’t return to make anonymous bulk wine. He came back to prove South Africa could make world-class, site-driven bottles with restraint and seriousness. Thankfully, he also came back with enough perspective not to make wines that taste like homework.
First, I’d like to address the elephant in the tasting room: Pinotage has a reputation. Some of it was deserved. Too many examples taste like someone accidentally smoked a banana next to a tire fire. This is not that.
In fact, this may be the best Pinotage at an entry-level price point anywhere, largely because it tastes like what the grape should taste like. The reviews keep saying the same thing: in a blind tasting, you might not even identify this as Pinotage, which is one of my favorite backhanded compliments in the wine world. Instead of rubber, bitterness, or overripe chaos, you get dark cherry, blackberry, spice, and a savory earthiness wrapped in polished tannins and fresh acidity. It drinks more like a cool-climate Syrah crossed with Pinot Noir than the caricature many people expect, or at minimum forces them to stop making jokes about Pinotage for ten minutes. (My favorite joke is ‘Pino-Tage rhymes with Gar-Bage’).
On to the white! If your idea of Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s neon-green explosion of grapefruit, passionfruit, and freshly mowed lawn clippings, this wine is going to feel almost suspiciously civilized.
Southern Right’s Sauvignon Blanc is made in a far more restrained, White Bordeaux-inspired style. Instead of tropical fruit overload, you get lemon zest, lime leaf, honeydew melon, subtle minerality, and quiet herbal notes. You can really tell this wine was made by a Frenchman.
Southern Right does still remain one of the great under-the-radar stories in the world of wine. Get to know it.
90 Points, Vinous Media
A blend of Swartland, Hemel and Stellenbosch fruit, the 2023 Pinotage has a delightful bouquet with mulberry and light blueberry scents, fine definition and purity. Maybe you would not guess it was Pinotage if tasted blind. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity and a caressing texture, with a touch of black olive tapenade on the grainy textured finish. Very fine.
Winery Notes
The 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, which comes from 27 different parcels with 8% barrel ferment, has a lively bouquet with gooseberry, Conference pear and light dewy meadow scents. The palate is well balanced and articulates the variety with style. Fine weight, bright, with just a hint of pepperiness towards the finish.