Trizanne has some Serious Signature Wines | Seascape release 2026

Six wines from six awesome South African sites, all through the lens of Trizanne Barnard. This mixed case moves from the cool-climate vineyards of Elim and the Hemel-en-Aarde to Napier and the Overberg, showcasing Trizanne’s thoughtful, site-focused approach to winemaking.

Included:

The new kid in the Seascape Collection, and perhaps the best illustration of Trizanne’s curiosity.

She wasn’t actually looking for another Sauvignon Blanc. While helping a friend with picking decisions in Napier, she found herself walking and tasting through vineyards outside her own portfolio. One particular block stopped her in her tracks. There was spare fruit available; Trizanne took a small amount  to see what it could do.

The vineyard sits at around 220 metres, unusually elevated for the area, and Trizanne was able to select just a few rows from the blocks she liked most. The open canopy and careful farming immediately appealed to her, but more importantly, the site showed her a side of Sauvignon Blanc she hadn’t found elsewhere.

“NEW. Matured for 10 months in older oak. White peach, yellow apple, dried herbs and a hint of white pepper on the nose. The palate is rich and textured yet beautifully poised, with bright, well-integrated acidity. Compact and coiled, it has ample weight and flesh without sacrificing drive, finishing long and bone dry. 95/100” Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za

This is one of the vineyards that really explains the Seascape Collection. High up, exposed and around 12 kilometres from the ocean, the site gives Trizanne exactly the kind of raw material she wants to work with: a strong sense of origin and very little need for embellishment.

What makes the 2025 particularly interesting is Trizanne’s willingness to change course when the vintage asks for it. She has a way she likes to make this wine, but she is not wedded to a formula; components that didn’t say what she wanted them to say simply didn’t make the final wine. At these tiny volumes, there is nowhere to hide and no reason to compromise.

It’s a brilliant example of what Seascape has become: less about repeating last year’s success and more about getting the clearest possible expression of the vineyard in front of you.

“From Sauvignon Blanc. Approximately 20% underwent three weeks of skin contact in new oak, the balance fermented and matured in older oak for 10 months. Intensely aromatic, showing guava, granadilla, blackcurrant and a subtle leafy nuance. The palate is steely and linear, with a dense core of fruit offset by arresting acidity before a long, dry finish. “Tightly wound” scarcely does it justice – this is a cerebral, uncompromising wine that deserves at least two or three years in bottle. 95/100” Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za

If there is a vineyard Trizanne can relax about, it might be this one.

She speaks about grower Günter with enormous confidence. The farming is meticulous, the fruit arrives in beautiful condition, and despite the considerable distance between them, there is a level of trust that means she doesn’t feel the need to hover over every decision.

Then there is the site itself. Trizanne describes the amount of limestone here as unlike anything else she works with, particularly this close to the ocean. She takes only a small portion of the vineyard, working with fruit that arrives healthy enough to allow her to keep the cellar work wonderfully simple.

For this particular Chardonnay vineyard, 2025 was a welcome return to form. The 2024 fruit had demanded unusually rigorous selection in the vineyard; but in 2025, Trizanne felt she had the pristine fruit she has come to expect from this remarkable site.

“Matured for 10 months in barrel, partially new. Blossom, pear, peach, citrus and a touch of vanilla on the nose. Light bodied yet assured with clean fruit, crisp acidity and a pithy finish. A wine of restrained charm. 93/100” Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za

The Pinot Noir comes from two vineyards on opposite sides of the valley, with different aspects and different personalities. Trizanne keeps working with both because each brings something the other doesn’t.

What they share is serious farming. Both growers are meticulous about canopy management, fruit health and picking, with the grapes often harvested in several passes rather than all at once. One of the vineyards is also being converted to organic farming.

For Trizanne, there’s no need to make the two sites behave alike. Their differences are exactly the point; together they give her the Pinot Noir she wants to make.

“Matured for 10 months in barrel, 20% new. Pretty aromatics with notes of floral perfume, cranberry, raspberry, red cherry and strawberry. The palate is all about precision, with pure fruit, soft but sufficient acidity and powdery tannins. Despite its 13.92% alcohol, it carries its weight with ease, finishing dry but not austere. Svelte, sexy and sophisticated. 94/100″ Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za

For the 2025 Syrah, Trizanne went looking for a new piece of the puzzle.

The Berrio vineyard remains at the heart of the wine, but this vintage sees Strandveld as the second source. The fascinating part is how differently the two vineyards behave. Despite being only a few kilometres apart, Trizanne can pick them as much as three weeks apart. Each brings something different, and that contrast is precisely what she wants in the final wine.

The vineyards sit in the wild, cool landscape of Elim, on soils of shale, gravel and iron-rich ferricrete, known locally as Koffieklip. Once the fruit reaches the cellar, Trizanne keeps her hand light: destemming, spontaneous fermentation in open-top fermenters and minimal intervention throughout.

It’s a wine that really shows what Trizanne does so well: finding vineyards with distinct personalities and knowing when to let them do the work.

“Matured for 10 months in barrel, partially new. Aromas of cranberry, black cherry, violets, cured meat and black pepper. Medium bodied, with bright acidity, fine tannins and a gently savoury finish. Intricate and finely judged, it is a study in restraint: perfumed yet not slight, structured yet never aggressive. The fruit has real clarity, the overall sense of balance impressive. 96/100” Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za

This might be the wine that tested Trizanne’s patience most.

The vineyard itself isn’t easy. Shallow roots in heavy clay soils mean the vines can struggle for vigour, and Trizanne and grower Shane have been putting real work into improving soil health and encouraging the roots to go deeper. It’s a site that demands attention rather than simply delivering perfect fruit year after year.

Then the 2024 took things one step further.

The wine’s malolactic fermentation simply refused to finish, leaving Trizanne waiting far longer than expected before she could bottle it. For someone working with tiny volumes and very little room for error, that meant trusting the wine and giving it the time it needed rather than forcing it along.

That patience paid off. More importantly, it says something about why Trizanne continues to work with this vineyard: it may not be the easiest site in the Seascape Collection, but easy has never really been the point.

“MLF hugely delayed; matured in barrel, bottled in January 2026. Heady aromatics of red and black berries, flowers, herbs and some meaty character. Concentrated fruit matched by punchy acidity, the tannins firm but fine, the finish long and savoury. Not heavy but intensely flavoured, an idiosyncratic wine with plenty of interest. 95/100” Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za