"The palate is composed – neither too powerful, nor too taut – with excellent fruit concentration and bright acidity."
95/100 – Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
Jocelyn Hogan Wilson has built a reputation as one of South Africa’s most respected winemakers through consistency, instinct and world-class knowledge. After making award-winning wines at La Bri in Franschhoek, she stepped away from the cellar to focus on family life — a pause that would have slowed many down. Instead, she came back with absolute purpose.
When she launched Hogan Wines in 2014, it didn’t feel like a comeback so much as a statement. Her debut Swartland Chenin Blanc immediately turned heads. Critics and collectors alike are drawn to the precision, elegance, and honesty of her wines; refined, site-specific bottles that feel deeply personal yet effortlessly confident.
What makes us admire Jocelyn is how she strikes balance in everything she does. She’s intensely detail-oriented but never overworked in style; thoughtful without losing energy or soul. Her wines carry freshness, restraint, and texture, but also real emotion — the kind that only comes from someone making wine with a real passion.
And maybe that’s the best part of her story: she took time away, came back stronger, and built a brand that feels completely authentic to who she is. No hype, no shortcuts, just incredible wines and a winemaker whose signature keeps evolving with every vintage.
The 2025 harvest was marked by a sustained mild, dry season without the usual heat spikes. Thanks to a well‑replenished water table, the vineyards delivered fruit that reached full phenolic ripeness at naturally low alcohol levels — a result shaped by the vintage’s conditions rather than cellar intervention. The results are wines with great natural acidity and low pH which show fine, delicate aromatics, a broad mid-palate and well-balanced interplay between texture and tension on the finish.
The 2023 Divergent has enjoyed the benefit of bottle age and it’s rewarding to observe the results of a carefully composed blend. By combining the traditional method of blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault with the inclusion of future‑leaning Carignan, Jocelyn has crafted a wine that bridges heritage and innovation in South African winemaking.
From two Stellenbosch sites, this Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed and naturally fermented in old French oak. A more robust vintage, showing concentration and depth, balanced by bright tension and freshness. Clean, poised, and quietly powerful.
“80% of the grapes from Simonsberg, 20% from Helderberg. Matured for 10 months in older oak. Lemon plus hints of oatmeal, vanilla and reduction on the nose. The palate is composed – neither too powerful, nor too taut – with excellent fruit concentration and bright acidity. A lightly creamy texture and a gently savoury finish add to the wine’s sense of completeness. Alc: 12.5%.95/100”
From old bush vines on decomposed granite, this Chenin is naturally fermented and gently handled throughout. A little more open this year, with subtle fruit layered over fennel, spice, and a clean mineral line. Textured yet precise, finishing fresh and focused.
“Grapes from two Paardeberg blocks, one planted in 1979 and the other in 1987. Matured for 10 months in older oak. Expressive aromatics of pear, peach, citrus, floral perfume and herbs. The palate has impressive fruit purity, moderate but sufficient acidity and a gently savoury finish. A charming, subtle rendition of this wine. Alc: 12%. 94/100”
From Helderberg fruit close to the coast, this Cabernet Franc is softly handled and matured in older oak. Perfumed and lifted, supported by well-judged acidity and a distinctly Loire-like freshness. Elegant, focused, and quietly structured.
“From a vineyard the lower Helderberg on granitic soils. Matured for nine months in older oak. Red cherry, raspberry, rose, garden herbs and white pepper on the nose. Lovely fruit expression – ripe in the best way, by no means underdone – alongside bright acidity and soft tannins. Immensely pleasurable to drink. Alc: 14%. 94/100”
A re-release showing just how well this blend has settled. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, and Cinsaut come together with clarity and poise—cranberry, cassis, rose, and fynbos layered over a dense yet fresh core. Fine, mouth-coating tannins and a lifted, herbal edge keep it focused. Complex, balanced, and drinking beautifully now.
“38% Carignan, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Cinsault – the Carignan from Wellington, Cab from a young untrellised Helderberg vineyard, the Cinsault is from a 1976 block, also Helderberg. Cranberry and cassis, rose, fynbos and fresh herbs on the nose while the palate shows a dense core of fruit but also plenty of freshness, the tannins fine and mouth-coating. Inspired by the red blend of the great Lebanese winery Chateau Musar, this is again nicely realised. 94/100” Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za – May 2024
Jocelyn Hogan makes compelling wines | New Vintage
"The palate is composed – neither too powerful, nor too taut – with excellent fruit concentration and bright acidity."
95/100 – Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
Jocelyn Hogan Wilson has built a reputation as one of South Africa’s most respected winemakers through consistency, instinct and world-class knowledge. After making award-winning wines at La Bri in Franschhoek, she stepped away from the cellar to focus on family life — a pause that would have slowed many down. Instead, she came back with absolute purpose.
When she launched Hogan Wines in 2014, it didn’t feel like a comeback so much as a statement. Her debut Swartland Chenin Blanc immediately turned heads. Critics and collectors alike are drawn to the precision, elegance, and honesty of her wines; refined, site-specific bottles that feel deeply personal yet effortlessly confident.
What makes us admire Jocelyn is how she strikes balance in everything she does. She’s intensely detail-oriented but never overworked in style; thoughtful without losing energy or soul. Her wines carry freshness, restraint, and texture, but also real emotion — the kind that only comes from someone making wine with a real passion.
And maybe that’s the best part of her story: she took time away, came back stronger, and built a brand that feels completely authentic to who she is. No hype, no shortcuts, just incredible wines and a winemaker whose signature keeps evolving with every vintage.
The 2025 harvest was marked by a sustained mild, dry season without the usual heat spikes. Thanks to a well‑replenished water table, the vineyards delivered fruit that reached full phenolic ripeness at naturally low alcohol levels — a result shaped by the vintage’s conditions rather than cellar intervention. The results are wines with great natural acidity and low pH which show fine, delicate aromatics, a broad mid-palate and well-balanced interplay between texture and tension on the finish.
The 2023 Divergent has enjoyed the benefit of bottle age and it’s rewarding to observe the results of a carefully composed blend. By combining the traditional method of blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault with the inclusion of future‑leaning Carignan, Jocelyn has crafted a wine that bridges heritage and innovation in South African winemaking.
R350.00Add to basket
Hogan ‘The Galvanised’ Chardonnay 2025
From two Stellenbosch sites, this Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed and naturally fermented in old French oak. A more robust vintage, showing concentration and depth, balanced by bright tension and freshness. Clean, poised, and quietly powerful.
“80% of the grapes from Simonsberg, 20% from Helderberg. Matured for 10 months in older oak. Lemon plus hints of oatmeal, vanilla and reduction on the nose. The palate is composed – neither too powerful, nor too taut – with excellent fruit concentration and bright acidity. A lightly creamy texture and a gently savoury finish add to the wine’s sense of completeness. Alc: 12.5%. 95/100”
Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
R430.00Add to basket
Hogan Chenin Blanc 2025
From old bush vines on decomposed granite, this Chenin is naturally fermented and gently handled throughout. A little more open this year, with subtle fruit layered over fennel, spice, and a clean mineral line. Textured yet precise, finishing fresh and focused.
“Grapes from two Paardeberg blocks, one planted in 1979 and the other in 1987. Matured for 10 months in older oak. Expressive aromatics of pear, peach, citrus, floral perfume and herbs. The palate has impressive fruit purity, moderate but sufficient acidity and a gently savoury finish. A charming, subtle rendition of this wine. Alc: 12%. 94/100”
Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
R465.00Add to basket
Hogan ‘Mirror for the Sun’ Cabernet Franc 2025
From Helderberg fruit close to the coast, this Cabernet Franc is softly handled and matured in older oak. Perfumed and lifted, supported by well-judged acidity and a distinctly Loire-like freshness. Elegant, focused, and quietly structured.
“From a vineyard the lower Helderberg on granitic soils. Matured for nine months in older oak. Red cherry, raspberry, rose, garden herbs and white pepper on the nose. Lovely fruit expression – ripe in the best way, by no means underdone – alongside bright acidity and soft tannins. Immensely pleasurable to drink. Alc: 14%. 94/100”
Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
R475.00Add to basket
Hogan ‘Divergent’ Cabernet Blend 2023
A re-release showing just how well this blend has settled. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, and Cinsaut come together with clarity and poise—cranberry, cassis, rose, and fynbos layered over a dense yet fresh core. Fine, mouth-coating tannins and a lifted, herbal edge keep it focused. Complex, balanced, and drinking beautifully now.
“38% Carignan, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Cinsault – the Carignan from Wellington, Cab from a young untrellised Helderberg vineyard, the Cinsault is from a 1976 block, also Helderberg. Cranberry and cassis, rose, fynbos and fresh herbs on the nose while the palate shows a dense core of fruit but also plenty of freshness, the tannins fine and mouth-coating. Inspired by the red blend of the great Lebanese winery Chateau Musar, this is again nicely realised. 94/100” Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za – May 2024