New South African Reds Make a Bordeaux Connection

James Molesworth
Posted: July 3, 2001

Bordeaux vintners continue to expand their reach into the Southern Hemisphere, this time with a new venture coming out of South Africa. Alain Moueix, manager of Bordeaux châteaus Mazeyres and St.-André-Corbin, has joined up with South Africa's Graham Knox, founder of Savanha Wines (now owned by Winecorp South Africa).

The two are producing a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot, called Naledi and Sejana, respectively, along with full-time winemaker Stéphane de Saint-Salvy, who trained in Bordeaux at the estates run by the firm of Jean-Pierre Moueix.

The wines are being made from grapes purchased from the Stellenbosch and Durbanville regions of South Africa's Western Cape, generally considered to be the country's premier winegrowing region.

The wines debuted at the VinExpo trade show in Bordeaux in 1999 with the 1998 vintage, but those bottlings were not exported to the United States. However, the 1999 vintage of both wines has been brought into the country. Made in relatively small quantities, about 2,000 cases each, the wines retail for $50 per bottle.

The Naledi Cabernet Sauvignon Western Cape 1999 recently scored 89 points, or "very good," on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale, while the Sejana Merlot Western Cape 1999 scored 88 points.

Full-access subscribers can check out past ratings of Mazeyres, St.-André-Corbin and Savanha wines.

Read more about Bordeaux vintners' projects in South Africa and other areas of the Southern Hemisphere: