The Producer
Vondeling is a single-estate winery on the Voor-Paardeberg, a granite-dominated massif northeast of Paarl. Cooled by southerly Atlantic winds funnelling through the Paardeberg, the estate sits at one of the Cape’s most distinctive addresses for structured, terroir-expressive reds — far from the tourist trail and focused entirely on the vineyard.
Vineyard & Terroir
The Barrel Selection Merlot 2022 comes exclusively from the Spice Block — a steep, Southwest-facing slope of predominantly granite, with traces of gravel and clay that add texture and depth. The vines are approaching twenty years of age. Moderate crop loads keep concentration high; fruit is hand-picked and sorted to remove any green material before it reaches the cellar.
In the Cellar
Grapes arrive pre-chilled and are gently destemmed before a two-day cold soak. A combination of whole and crushed berries enters open-top fermenters, where natural fermentation begins slowly and hand plunging encourages careful, unhurried tannin extraction. After fermentation, the wine rests on its skins for an additional week — extended maceration that weaves the wine’s components into greater harmony. The free-run is drained to 300-litre French oak barrels and the skins are pressed in a traditional wooden basket press. Malolactic fermentation completes in barrel, after which the wine is racked and returned to oak for a minimum of one full year. Total barrel time: 18 months. The wine then rests briefly in bottle before release.
Tasting Notes
Deep, ruby-red in the glass. The nose is engaging: raspberry, red cherry, and a subtle hint of oyster shell salinity alongside tea leaf and tobacco. The palate is fresh and sublime — cigar box, vanilla, and hints of smoky oak carried through by exceptionally fine tannins to an elegant, long, lingering finish. Drink through 2029. Rated 91/100 — Tim Atkin South Africa Special Report, 2025 (timatkin.com). Awarded Platter’s Guide 4.5 Stars, 2025 (platters.com) and featured in the Taransaud Hallo Merlot Top 10, 2025 (hallomerlot.co.za).
Food Pairing
Pairs wonderfully with tomato-based pasta, Tandoori chicken, and barbecued lamb chops.
