Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

97 points, “This attractive Hemel-en-Aarde Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulously dense and textured with multiple layers of creamy tannins coating the opulent fruit concentration. Full and glycerol in the mouth with refreshing acids, bright creme de cassis, black cherry and earthy baked plum fruit nuances. This vintage shows all the classic 2017 vintage elegance, focus and intensity with impressive mouthfeel and superb balance. You know this is something very special from the very first sip and certainly could be Craig Wessel’s finest Cabernet effort to date. Drink now and over 15+ years.” – Greg Sherwood MW

This may look like an old bottle of whisky but that’s just a nod to winemaker Craig Wessels’ other love. Cabernet Sauvignon is extremely challenging to grow in this cold corner of South Africa, which is probably why only about three people are doing it. However, Restless River has cracked it and is easily the pick of the bunch. Normally this wine sells out before release and previous vintages flew off our shelves, so we’re extremely lucky to have been able to secure a small parcel of the Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon 2017.

Our Wine Buyers are raving about the quality coming from Restless River and as you can see from Greg Sherwood MW’s score, they’re not alone. Aged in predominantly old oak for at least 21 months, it displays pristinely clean cassis, juicy cherry, red pepper, tomato leaf, wild herbs, pencil shavings, fountain pen ink, violets, fennel, thyme and an array of spices. This pure and crisp delight of a wine is going from strength to strength and having been bottled without fining, is also vegan-friendly.

When Craig Wessels isn’t working for his animation and design agency or directing films, he and his wife Anne can be found making Restless River wines on their tiny farm in Hemel-en-Aarde, located near the fishing village of Hermanus. They bought the only plot of land they could afford and have slowly transformed it into a 5-star rated winery in Platter’s guide. Armed with the coolest climate on the cape, self-taught confidence, tattoos, biker T-shirts, a couple of amphoras from Tuscany and a restless drive to experiment and learn, the Wessels family are producing some of South Africa’s most exciting wines.