Bellevue Reserve Tumara 2023 Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa 75cl

Every serious Stellenbosch estate makes a flagship Bordeaux-style blend, and Tumara is Bellevue’s. It sits at the top of the Reserve range, a wine where winemaker Wilhelm Kritzinger blends across the estate’s best red parcels to build something greater than any single grape can offer alone.

The 2023 is built around 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, with equal parts Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot filling out the frame. Cabernet gives structure and cassis, the Franc adds perfume, Malbec and Merlot lend flesh, and Petit Verdot brings colour and spine. Matured in French oak, it is Bellevue’s most complete red.

The small, cool 2023 vintage demanded patience, with a wet season and late rains raising disease pressure across Stellenbosch. For a blend, that made careful parcel selection all the more important, and the reward is a wine with fresh acidity and finely tuned tannins rather than the heaviness a hotter year can bring.

The nose is layered and inviting: earthy, loamy notes and graphite minerality behind sweet violets, white blossom, blackcurrant and black cherry. The palate is plush and polished, with a creamy, supple, fine-grained texture that stays fresh and balanced through a long finish. Drink now with air, or cellar towards 2034. Ideal with roast beef, lamb or a mature cheese board.

Greg Sherwood MW scored the 2023 a polished 95 points, praising its hedonistic harmony and balance. If you enjoy a right-bank-leaning Bordeaux or a top Cape red blend, this delivers real class without a trophy-wine price. It is the bottle to open when you want to make an evening feel like an occasion.