Metzer Family Mantra 2021

The Producer

Wade Metzer is one of the most exciting winemakers in South Africa — mentored by the legendary Eben Sadie (winner of the 2017 Winemakers’ Winemaker Award), Wade launched Metzer Family Wines in 2006 with a manifesto built on terroir, old vines and minimal intervention. His Cabernet Sauvignon has earned 5 Platter’s stars, his Chenin Blancs have claimed 5 stars on three occasions, and his Cinsault 2021 pulled Tim Atkin 93 points. Christian Eedes of winemag.co.za says his wines “grow in sophistication with each passing vintage.” Total production is just 4,500 cases a year across the entire range — and the Mantra is the rarest of them all.

Vintage & Terroir

The Mantra is Wade’s most personal wine — an homage to the lighter-bodied, elegant South African reds of the 1960s, wines built on drinkability and flavour rather than power and extraction. The 2021 vintage blends Shiraz from the Helderberg with 40% Cinsault from Firgrove — two sites that bring contrasting personalities to the glass. The Helderberg Shiraz, cooled by False Bay’s maritime breezes 300 days a year, delivers savoury depth and structure. The Firgrove Cinsault — from one of Wade’s prized old-vine sources — adds lifted floral perfume and a silky, juicy mid-palate. Platter’s taster Malu Lambert describes the result as having “compelling savoury delicacy” with “lifted floral perfume” — calling it a “notch above 2020 (4 stars, 88 pts).” With only 380 bottles produced, this is one of the most limited wines in the country.

In the Cellar

True to Wade’s philosophy of minimal intervention, the Mantra is naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts and includes a 30% whole-bunch component — stems and all — which contributes the “crunchy tannins” that Malu Lambert notes in her Platter’s review. The wine is matured for 10 months in seasoned French oak (no new wood), allowing the fruit and site character to dominate. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, as all Metzer reds are. This is winemaking stripped back to its essentials — no pumps, no filters, no reverse osmosis. Just grapes, time, and a winemaker who knows when to step back.

Tasting Notes

Pale ruby-garnet with a luminous rim — a visual clue that this is Grenache-school thinking applied to a Shiraz-Cinsault blend. The nose is intoxicating: red and black fruit, white pepper, violets, potpourri and a lifted floral perfume that draws you in. On the palate, this is all about savoury delicacy — light-bodied but layered, with juicy red-berry fruit, powdery tannins and a crunchy, fresh finish from the whole-bunch fermentation. There’s a lovely tension between the Shiraz’s savoury depth and the Cinsault’s silky, perfumed charm. Platter’s awarded it 4.5 stars (90 points), and winemag.co.za rated the 2018 Mantra 90/100 — confirming this as one of South Africa’s most compelling lighter reds. At 380 bottles, you’re drinking something that most collectors will never find.

Food Pairing

The Mantra’s lighter body and savoury elegance make it extraordinarily versatile. Brilliant with roast chicken, grilled salmon, pork belly with crackling, or a rich mushroom risotto. It’s the kind of wine that elevates a simple charcuterie board into an event. Try it slightly chilled (14-16 C) on a warm evening — the Cinsault component comes alive with a touch of cool. Also stunning with duck confit, lamb kofta or a fragrant Thai red curry. Drinking perfectly now; enjoy within 3-5 years.

Technical Details

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