Tokara Wine & Olive Estate

Tokara Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

South Africa, Stellenbosch

2022

Made from low-yielding cabernet vines planted on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain near Stellenbosch, only the most prized plots are used for Tokara Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. The result is an inky red crammed with plush black fruit and meaty flavours that's made for a South African braai.

Tokara, perched on the Helshoogte Pass above Stellenbosch, is one of South Africa's leading modern estates, combining precision viticulture with art and architecture. Established by the Ferreira family in the late 1990s, Tokara quickly focused on Bordeaux varieties, recognising the potential of its high-altitude, decomposed granite slopes.

Tokara Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

The Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon is the estate's flagship, sourced from cool-elevated sites that deliver small, intensely flavoured berries. The 2022 vintage was hand-picked, fermented in stainless steel and oak fermenters, and matured in French oak barrels – predominantly new – to build structure and aromatic detail. Tokara's hallmark is finesse over power: purity of dark fruit, graphite, and fine, polished tannins.

The Reserve Collection Cabernet embodies the estate's mission to craft world‑class wines that reflect both Stellenbosch's heritage and a refined, contemporary South African aesthetic.

Tasting
NOTES

This inky-hued cabernet begins with aromas of ripe blackcurrant, dark plum, dried violet, and eucalyptus. There's a savoury aspect to it too, with flavours of grilled meats, bell peppers and sage coming through on the palate along with a coffee bean, vanilla and dark chocolate sweetness from the oak. Rich and ample with velvety tannins, it's a wonderfully aromatic expression with lively acidity and a smooth texture that complements its black fruit concentration.

Food
PAIRINGS

This powerful cabernet would be right at home paired with flame-grilled meats from a South African braai. Caramelised pork belly or lamb empanadas would also work.