Ridgeback Reserve 5 Syrah 2018 Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa 75cl

The Reserve 5 is Ridgeback’s premium red in the Rhone mould, a barrel selected blend the northern Paarl estate makes only from its best parcels. Where the Reserve 10 looks to Bordeaux, this looks north to the Rhone, and it is arguably the estate’s most distinctive wine.

Shiraz leads the blend, with a little Grenache and Mourvèdre for lift and spice, in the classic Rhone trio. Eighteen months in French oak, most of it new, gives the wine polish and grip. This is a serious, savoury red made for the cellar and the table, not for a casual weeknight.

2018 was the low point of the Cape’s long drought, the smallest crop in more than a decade. The vines yielded little, but that little was concentrated and intense, exactly what a structured, age worthy red wants. It is a vintage that punished carelessness and rewarded the patient, and this wine is proof.

The aromatics are wild and savoury, all grilled herbs, cured meat and black olive tapenade over earthy red and black fruit. The palate is silky and polished, with very fine tannins, a powdery, chalky minerality and a long, garrigue scented finish. It is drinking well now and will hold for six to ten years or more. Serve it with lamb, game or a herb crusted roast.

This is Cape Syrah at its most Rhone like, a wine for people who love the savoury, meaty side of the grape. If you enjoy a Northern Rhone Syrah or a serious Swartland red, the Reserve 5 will speak your language. Presented in a gift box, it is a wine for an occasion, and one to give or cellar with real confidence.