Piekenierskloof Samson Straw Wine

£31.00

£41.33 per litre · incl. 20% VAT

In Stock

A South African straw wine made from Muscat de Frontignan bush vines planted in 1962, dried on straw beds before a slow press and a year in seasoned French oak. Peach essence, dried apricot and honeysuckle, rich and unctuous on the palate but lifted by bright acidity. A genuine treasure for the end of dinner.

Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.

Region

Swartland, South Africa

Grape

Blends

Oak

The wine matured in used 500L French oak barrels for 12 months. Oak Ageing - Piekenierskloof Samson Straw Wine Time: 12 Months Type: 500 litre French Oak % wine oaked: 100 % new oak: None Tasting Note Sublime notes of peach essence, dried apricot and honeysuckle

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Our Verdict

South African straw wines rarely get the attention they deserve in the UK, and this is the bottle we reach for when we want to convert a sceptic. There's a precision and freshness here that lifts it well clear of the syrupy stickies you might be picturing, sixty-year-old bush vines and twelve months in seasoned French oak give it the kind of textural depth most dessert wines simply can't match. Pour it after dinner with a wedge of blue cheese and watch the conversation shift. Stock is limited, as it always is with wines made in such tiny quantities.

Tasting Notes

Pour it and the nose hits you first, sun-warmed peach skin, dried apricot, a curl of honeysuckle, all concentrated into something almost confit. The palate is rich and unctuous, the way a great dessert wine should be, but there's a thread of bright acidity running through the sweetness that keeps it lively rather than cloying. The French oak adds a textural breadth, a subtle nuttiness, and the finish lingers on candied citrus peel and warm honey long after the glass is empty.

Dried Apricot Concentration

Two weeks on straw mats concentrates the Muscat grapes into intense dried-apricot sweetness, deepened with whispers of peach essence and candied stone fruit.

Honeysuckle Lift

Muscat's signature floral aromatics carry honeysuckle and orange blossom across the palate, lifting the richness and adding perfumed elegance.

Honeyed Unctuousness

A thick, golden texture coats the mouth like warm honey, balanced by surprisingly bright acidity that stops the sweetness ever feeling heavy.

French Oak Texture

Twelve months in used 500-litre French oak adds a subtle creamy weight and gentle nuttiness without imposing toast or vanilla on the fruit.

About This Wine

Straw wines are one of the great hidden pleasures of the wine world, and South Africa makes them better than almost anyone. This one comes from Piekenierskloof, a high plateau in the Citrusdal Mountains about 50 km north of the Swartland, bush-vine country, where dry-farmed vineyards planted in the 1950s and '60s still yield tiny crops of extraordinarily concentrated fruit.

The Muscat de Frontignan vines used here were planted in 1962. Yields are kept below two tonnes per hectare, the grapes are hand-picked in March and then laid out on beds of straw for a fortnight to shrivel and concentrate. A slow whole-bunch press releases a viscous, golden juice that ferments gently before twelve months in seasoned 500-litre French oak, no new wood to overwhelm it, just texture and breadth.

The result is pure liquid sunshine. Peach essence and dried apricot lead, with honeysuckle drifting in behind, and the palate is rich and unctuous without ever feeling heavy, the acidity sees to that. Serve it lightly chilled with a tart of dried figs and almonds, a wedge of blue cheese, or a bowl of poached pears. It also makes a lovely gift for anyone who appreciates the wines that don't shout for attention. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK.

Food Pairing

This is dessert wine in the classic sense, pour it alongside something rather than after. Dried figs are the obvious match, their concentrated sweetness mirroring the wine's own. It's also brilliant with apricot or peach tarts, a wedge of blue cheese, or a board of mature hard cheeses with quince paste. Sip it slowly with crème brûlée and let the caramelised top do the talking.

—Fresh and dried figs with honey and walnuts
—Apricot frangipane tart
—Roquefort or Stilton with oatcakes
—Crème brûlée or vanilla panna cotta
—Mature Comté with quince paste

How to Serve

Temperature

Lightly chilled, around 10°C. Too cold and the aromatics shut down; too warm and the sweetness dominates.

Decanting

No decanting required. A small pour into the glass and a few minutes' patience is all this needs, the aromatics open quickly once the wine warms slightly from the chill.

Glass

A small dessert wine glass or tulip-shaped white wine glass concentrates the perfumed nose beautifully.

Cellaring

Store on its side in a cool, dark spot at 10-14°C. Stable conditions matter more than perfection, straw wines are resilient and forgiving over the long haul.

Ageing & Cellaring

Straw wines like this are built to last. Drink now for the bright stone-fruit lift and floral aromatics, or cellar for 8-10 years to let the honeyed, marmalade and dried-citrus characters deepen. The high sugar and balanced acidity are natural preservatives, so there's no rush.

The Land

The fruit comes from a single Muscat de Frontignan vineyard planted in 1962, bush-trained, dry-farmed, and rooted in clay-loam soils at altitude. Yields are kept well below two tonnes per hectare, so every bunch arrives small, intense, and packed with the perfumed character that makes Muscat de Frontignan such a beautiful candidate for straw-wine treatment.

The Winemaking

Straw wine is patient work, and this one shows it. After hand-harvesting into small boxes, the Muscat de Frontignan bunches are laid out on beds of straw for a fortnight, slowly losing water and concentrating their sugars and aromatics into something jewel-like. The shrivelled whole bunches are then pressed gently, with only the free-run juice taken forward. A slow fermentation with a selected yeast keeps everything precise, and twelve months in used 500-litre French oak barrels adds texture and polish without ever stepping on the fruit.

The Swartland Region

Swartland, 'the black land' in Afrikaans, named for the renosterbos that darkens after rain, rolls out north of Cape Town across the hills around Malmesbury and Riebeek-Kasteel. It's hot, dry, and stubbornly characterful: a place of old bush vines, granite and koffieklip soils, and a community of growers who've made it the most quietly thrilling corner of South African wine. Concentration, freshness, and a wild streak you don't find elsewhere, that's Swartland in a glass.

About the Producer

Piekenierskloof

Piekenierskloof takes its name from the Dutch soldiers, the Piekeniers, sent out from the Cape centuries ago to explore the wild country around the Olifants River. They left behind a name; the vines came later. Today the estate is something of a Grenache headquarters, working with some of the largest old-vine Grenache plantings in the Cape, including un-grafted bush vines planted back in the 1950s. Winemaker Hendrien Vercueil keeps the focus where it should be: small yields, meticulous farming, and Rhône-inspired wines that taste unmistakably of where they come from. This straw wine is a quieter side of the cellar, but it carries the same fingerprint.

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