Dark Leap Red Blend

RedRed BlendSustainableVegan

MulberryLavenderOliveDark CherryCrowd Pleaser

92Vinous Neal Martin'24

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Details

Variety

Red Blend

Style

Red

Region

Western Cape

Appellation

Western Cape

Producer

New Dawn

Country

South Africa

Trade Materials

Tasting Note PDF Shelf Talker PDF Bottle Shot

The Inspiration

Dark Leap embodies pure audacity. A red blend that breaks the rules. We work with committed growers across the Western Cape who farm remarkable single vineyards. Each site chosen for its unique voice. Each variety selected to push boundaries. We source Syrah and Carignan from granite hillsides in Breedekloof. Grenache from a single vineyard in Stellenbosch. A touch of perfumed Cinsaut to tie it all together. Mediterranean varieties, thriving in South Africa's wild terroir. Everything happens in small lots to preserve character. Three separate picks for the Syrah with varying whole bunch percentages. Split fermentations for the Carignan. Native yeasts drive the process. We step back and let each vineyard sing its own song before conducting the final blend. The result is electric. Dark fruit intensity meets savory spice and granite-driven minerality. Fresh acidity from those cool mountain slopes. Tannins that grip without overwhelming. This is a wine of energy and movement - never static, always evolving in the glass. Complex. Unconventional. Utterly alive.

About New Dawn

This isn't nostalgia. It's momentum.

Rüdger van Wyk is the founder and winemaker of New Dawn Wine Company, a bold South African wine brand rooted in storytelling, terroir and cultural fusion. Raised in a family of educators and driven by a deep sense of legacy, Rüdger rose from humble beginnings to become one of South Africa's most exciting winemakers, earning his place through working in some of the country's most respected cellars. With New Dawn, he champions an open-world philosophy that celebrates freedom of expression, ethical farming and the creative potential of South African wine on the global stage. The brand is built on the belief that wine should be a deliberate act of evolution: shaped by place, elevated by craft, and designed to change how the world sees South African wine. This isn't nostalgia. It's momentum. New Dawn is a Black-owned label, the first of its kind in this style, and from the accessible New Dawn White and Red to the premium OG Chenin Blanc and Dark Leap Red Blend, every wine tells a story of a new generation of South African winemaking that honors tradition while boldly forging its own path forward.

SustainableVeganBlack OwnedOld Vine

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