Elgin is a beautiful spot for winemaking in South Africa, just below Stellenbosch and a three-hour drive from Cape Town.
Neil Ellis is an excellent producer, known for its light touch and varietally correct bottlings. This Shiraz is not in the Australian model but an American one. Lively and ripe, fresh red fruit opens into round but substantial tannins. Notes of smoke and burnt sage are balanced by white pepper in the finish. A fantastic value, too.