Graham Beck Wines is now entering its third generation as a family winery. It was established in 1983 when entrepreneur Graham Beck purchased Madeba farm outside the Western Cape town of Robertson with a fervent ambition to establish a world-class winery in this region.
The vineyards are located on four diverse farms in the Western Cape province of South Africa, enabling the Robertson and Franschhoek Cellars to have access to grapes varietals grown in the climatic conditions and soils to which they are best suited. Group viticultural expert Leon Dippenaar is responsible for tending to these vines, which are spread over a total of 386 hectares.
The vineyards are located on Madeba Farm outside Robertson (189 hectares), Franschhoek (97ha), Skoongesig Farm (36 ha) and Vredenhof Farm (64ha). The latter farms lie in the Firgrove area in Stellenbosch’s Helderberg district. The Stellenbosch region is universally recognised as South Africa’s premier wine region due to its array of excellent terroirs suited to the growing of a variety of cultivars.
An extensive renewal programme has resulted in premier red and white varietals on these farms. Great care has been taken to match the obliging micro-climates and rich variety of soils with the most suitable varietal. This ensures that the cellarmasters have access to optimum quality fruit from which to make their specific wines.
Colombard Chardonnay ('Waterside White' in the off-trade) 2001 Tasty. Good intensity in a fresh, crisp style, with a bit of citrus fruit. Clean and modern.
Cabernet Shiraz 2000 (called 'Railroad Red' in the off-trade) Bright cherry and berry fruit on the nose with some richness. There’s a liquoricey edge to the palate which is quite juicy, showing vibrant fruit. Good concentration to this tasty quaffer.
Chardonnay 2000 Rich nutty nose shows good intensity, and a savoury freshness. Lively palate shows vivid fruit and well integrated, nutty oak. A dense, savoury wine. Delicious. Very good/excellent
Viognier 2001 Lovely ripe, lively nose with fresh peachy/floral character: varietally true. Delicious ripe peach and pear fruit on the palate with a nice texture (not too fat) and crisp acidity. Quite lovely.
Merlot 2000 Lovely, vibrant nose of pure raspberry and blackcurrant fruit. The palate is richly fruited with more raspberry fruit and a savoury, slightly spicy edge. A delicious effort: fruity, juicy and good concentration. Very good+ (£5.99 Waitrose, Lay & Wheeler)
Pinotage 2000 Bright fruit on the nose with a dark, slightly exotic herbal edge. The concentrated palate shows typical medicinal, cheesy Pinotage character with a rubbery edge. Interesting and savoury.
Shiraz 2000 Deep red/black colour. The nose shows forward berry fruit with a stern, spicy edge. The rich, concentrated palate has an attractive liquoricey edge to the spicy fruit, with some tannin. A modern, delicious wine.
Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 Brilliant commercial winemaking. There’s a cedary, minerally core to the classy blackcurrant fruit. The palate shows a nice density of pure blackcurrant fruit with well judged oak and a nice minerally, tannic undercurrent. Savoury.
Sparkling Pinotage 1999 Very odd, as you might expect. Lively berry fruit nose leads to a savoury, juicy palate, with good acidity. Hard to assess this sort of thing
The Ridge Shiraz 2000 Great density here. The nose shows tight berry fruit and oak influence. Chunky, spicy palate with quite a bit of oak. The firm tannins make this quite a structured wine, and one that I suspect will need some time to show its best.)
The Cornerstone Cabernet 1998 Quite a serious, expensive-smelling nose with spicy blackcurrant fruit and well integrated oak. The palate is dense and quite structured, showing a fair whack of oak. Needs time to open out, when it may merit a higher rating.
The Old Road Pinotage 2000 The remarkable nose is very spicy with a distinct ginger note. The concentrated palate is immediately recognizable as Pinotage, showing a lovely spicy character with an animal, cheesy edge. Very savoury, interesting and unusual, and great if you like Pinotage. Very good/excellent.
Graham Beck Wines is now entering its third generation as a family winery. It was established in 1983 when entrepreneur Graham Beck purchased Madeba farm outside the Western Cape town of Robertson with a fervent ambition to establish a world-class winery in this region. 
