Fleur Du Cap Laszlo 2015

Full-bodied South African red with serious “special dinner” energy, without needing a decoder ring. Fleur du Cap Laszlo 2015 is a Bordeaux-style blend from Stellenbosch, the part of South Africa that does Cabernet-led reds with real backbone. This is the bottle you open when you want depth, dark fruit, and tannins that actually show up to the party.

In the glass, it drinks like a classic: ripe blackcurrant and plum up front, then the grown-up stuff, think cedar, tobacco, and a savoury herbal edge. It’s dry, structured, and built for a proper meal, not background noise.

• Appearance: Deep ruby with a dark, youthful core.
• Nose: Blackcurrant, blackberry, dried herbs, cedar, and a hint of tobacco leaf.
• Palate: Dark fruit and spice with firm, grippy tannins and fresh acidity that keeps it lively.
• Body: Full-bodied.
• Finish: Long and savoury, with fruit fading into cedar and spice.

Food pairing (mandatory and happily so): pour this with grilled ribeye, roast lamb with rosemary, or a peppery mushroom pasta. Basically, if it’s charred, herby, or umami-heavy, Laszlo’s in its element.

When to open it: weekend dinner, a braai where you want to quietly flex, or any night you’re upgrading from “easy red” to “wait, what is this?” Give it a bit of air in the glass and it starts showing extra layers.

If you usually reach for Cabernet Sauvignon or a Bordeaux blend, this is a fun detour that still feels familiar, just with that Stellenbosch twist, riper sun-kissed fruit and a savoury backbone that begs for food.

Why 2015 matters: it’s a vintage with enough time in the rear-view mirror to feel integrated, meaning the flavours knit together and the tannins feel more confident than aggressive.

Fun Fact: “Laszlo” is Fleur du Cap’s flagship red, named after Laszlo Papp, the winemaker who helped put the winery on the map.