Some legendary wines are centuries in the making, whereas other wine legends appear to be born in the blink of an eye.
The latter would seem to be the case for Delaire’s Laurence Graff Reserve, which, within just a few years on the market, has been hailed as South Africa’s best Cabernet Sauvignon by respected wine critic Tim Atkin MW. In his annual report, published in September 2019, the British Master of Wine gave the 2012 vintage an outstanding 97 points, making it the top-scoring Cabernet Sauvignon and one of the highest-rated wines out of the thousands he tasted in South Africa throughout the year.
The Laurence Graff Reserve has been iconic since its first release seven years ago, setting the benchmark for South African Cabernet Sauvignon. Its debut price of over $200 USD a bottle instantly made it South Africa’s most expensive wine. A bold move, one might say, for an inaugural vintage, but Delaire believed that the quality of the Laurence Graff Reserve was superlative and deserved to be positioned as such.
Within a week of its release, the wine had received the coveted, perfect five-star rating from South Africa’s leading wine guide, Platters, and great critical acclaim has followed ever since. Today, it is one of the New World’s most sought-after wines and sells out en primeur each year on a strict allocation basis. Its critical and commercial success doesn’t only validate the quality of Delaire Graff Estate wines but proves that Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon rivals the best in the world.