Magna Carta Sémillon 2022

Each year I vaguely think about the wines that I want to acquire and explore. Magna Carta wines have been on this list every single year since I first learned about the wines around 2020. And, more than ever, Mphumi, his wines and his story resonate with me.

The Wine:

The truest golden glow bursts with...erm...everything I want: orange blossoms and honeysuckle; blue oranges, lemon & orange oil that almost cross over into floor wax or lanolin; ripe yellow apples add to the feeling of harvest in a rustic contract, as do the straw and damp hay. There’s a touch of buttery creamy caramel, creamy opaque honey, toasted nuts and brandy fumes.

On the palate it is unashamedly Sem! Yum! Dry, good acidity, pithy texture, and a lengthy finish. Intense limes, wrinkly sweet yellow apples and musty apple core, ripe oranges, loquats, fresh hay, honey, and even savoury spices like dried coriander. As much as the lemony zest drops fairly quickly...the honeyed apple flesh and citrus linger...but also stop quite abruptly. Which is one’s cue to take the next sip. I had to convince myself to move the bottle away from myself after 2 glasses

Vini + Viti:

Based in Koringberg, Swartland, Mphumeledi Ndlangisa is a former investment banker from KwaZulu-Natal who left finance to become a self-taught winemaker.

He established Magna Carta Wines, building a sustainable, long-term legacy brand where his winemaking philosophy focuses on low-intervention methods, extended skin-contact whites, and experimental styles.

Final thoughts:

It’s sometimes hard to talk about things that I love and believe in. Because Mphumeledi Ndlangisa, the owner/winemaker, is doing the damned thing!

There’s so much talk about change and opportunity and ownership in SA...Mphumi is doing it! Planting his own vineyard in the Swartland. Making the wines that he wants to drink.

The wines are pretty loud and bold. His story is clear and confident. And he does it quietly...with grace and unpretentious humility that speaks volumes...and that resonates into waves of optimism that rub off on me each time I think about Magna Carta.