2023 MAN Family Cabernet Sauvignon

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cinsault, 3% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec, 1% Shiraz, 1% Cabernet Franc, all dry farmed and sustainable.  Hand harvested and cold macerated for two days. Fermented in stainless steel and mostly aged in tank, with 5% of the blend aged in new 225L American oak barrels and 20% in older barrels for a year. 13.5% alcohol. “Ou Kalant” means “old rascal” in colloquial Afrikaans- it’s used endearingly to describe anyone clever.

This excellent value Cab combines New World ripe fruit flavours with Old World elegance and charm. Aromas of dark cherries and chocolate, followed by cassis and red fruit flavors on the palate. Ends with silky tannins and a long smooth finish. Mellow and soft.

MAN Family Wines is one of the great South African success stories — and fittingly, it started with a promise. Three friends (José Conde and brothers Ty and Philip Myburgh) wanted to make high-quality, everyday-priced wines from the Cape that could compete with anything in the world. But they also wanted to make sure their wives were on board, so they named the winery after them — Marie, Anette, and Nicky. A bold move, and one that guaranteed the wines would be made with care, consistency, and zero nonsense.

They source fruit from dry-farmed bush vines across the Agter-Paarl and Coastal Region — farmers they’ve worked with for years, many of whom have old vines that were virtually unknown outside South Africa until this generation of winemakers came along. MAN’s ethos is simple: great fruit, minimal manipulation, honest farming, and wines that dramatically overdeliver for the price. In a world where “value wines” often taste exactly like value wines, MAN continues to prove that delicious, character-filled bottles don’t have to cost a fortune.