CREW MEMBERS

MAZE: THE FIRST WINE!

Maze is a pedigree idea. It began with the Motley Crew and was built into reality by the Single Barrel Wine Co. partners. It is a Cape Mediterranean Blend: fresh, lighter in body, red-fruit driven, born out of the partners’ travels through Italy and along the Mediterranean coast. 



This is a limited release, not sold on a first-come, first-served shelf. Apply now to join the Crew and be the first to enjoy Maze 2024 with the founding partners and The Motley Crew. 

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A NOTE ON THE NAME.

Maze is a Cape Mediterranean Blend, deliberately not a “Cape Blend”, a term that in South Africa specifically requires Pinotage. The distinction matters. “Cape” here refers to the origin of the grapes: South African fruit, South African soil.

The style is inspired by Mediterranean and Italian wines, and the Western Cape backs that up. It shares the Mediterranean’s climate, and it shows: warm, dry summers; two oceans sending in cooling breezes; nights that drop just enough to hold onto freshness and fruit. It’s the same alchemy that built the wines of Italy, in different soil, on different vines. The grapes are Cape. The conditions that shape them are Mediterranean. Maze is what happens where the two meet; a category the team defined and trademarked (The Cape-Med). 

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MAZE.

The name also captures what friendship actually is: dynamic, shifting, full of unexpected turns, and always worth navigating. Making your way through a maze is not about getting lost. It is about finding the way through, together.

THE 
BLEND.

Six grape varieties, each chosen for a specific job rather than for its own sake. Structure, perfume, palate flow and depth, rather than six voices shouting at once.
SHIRAZ (SYRAH): - THE CORE AND DRIVE.
Backbone, weight and impact: dark fruit, pepper and spice, mid-palate density. The high pH of Swartland fruit lends it extra elegance. It anchors the blend and gives it presence and length.
Backbone, weight and impact: dark fruit, pepper and spice, mid-palate density. The high pH of Swartland fruit lends it extra elegance. It anchors the blend and gives it presence and length.
CABERNET FRANC: LIFT AND STRUCTURE.
Aromatic lift and linear structure: red and black currant, raspberry, herbal notes of bay leaf, graphite and violets, with fine, firm tannins and freshness. It brings tension and keeps the blend honest.CEO
Aromatic lift and linear structure: red and black currant, raspberry, herbal notes of bay leaf, graphite and violets, with fine, firm tannins and freshness. It brings tension and keeps the blend honest.
CINSAUT: JUICINESS AND FLOW.
Palate softness and drinkability: bright red fruit, low tannin, gentle acidity, floral and slightly earthy notes. It prevents heaviness and adds charm and early accessibility.
Palate softness and drinkability: bright red fruit, low tannin, gentle acidity, floral and slightly earthy notes. It prevents heaviness and adds charm and early accessibility.
GRENACHE: SWEET FRUIT AND VOLUME.
Generosity and warmth: ripe raspberry, cherry and pomegranate, subtle spice and glycerol richness. It fills the palate and softens the edges.
Generosity and warmth: ripe raspberry, cherry and pomegranate, subtle spice and glycerol richness. It fills the palate and softens the edges.
CARIGNAN: ENERGY AND GRIP.
Freshness and structural tension: tart red and black fruit, high natural acidity, firm rustic tannins, and a savoury, gravel-driven minerality. It adds backbone and longevity, and keeps the blend lively.
Freshness and structural tension: tart red and black fruit, high natural acidity, firm rustic tannins, and a savoury, gravel-driven minerality. It adds backbone and longevity, and keeps the blend lively.
PETITE SIRAH (DURIF): DEPTH AND AUTHORITY.
Power and colour, with a dash of sass: inky colour, dense red-black fruit, liquorice, made in a carbonic style that keeps its tannins soft and perfumed. Used sparingly, to add gravitas and a serious, sweet finish.
Power and colour, with a dash of sass: inky colour, dense red-black fruit, liquorice, made in a carbonic style that keeps its tannins soft and perfumed. Used sparingly, to add gravitas and a serious, sweet finish.
PUT TOGETHER:
Aromatics from Cabernet Franc and Cinsaut, a fruit spectrum running from Grenache's sweet red through to the darker notes of Shiraz and Petite Sirah, structure from Shiraz, Carignan and Petite Sirah, drinkability from Cinsaut and Grenache, and ageing potential carried by Cabernet Franc, Carignan and Petite Sirah. Southern Rhône and Italian in spirit, Swartland in fruit. Layered and textural, with immediate appeal and serious underlying structure.
Aromatics from Cabernet Franc and Cinsaut, a fruit spectrum running from Grenache's sweet red through to the darker notes of Shiraz and Petite Sirah, structure from Shiraz, Carignan and Petite Sirah, drinkability from Cinsaut and Grenache, and ageing potential carried by Cabernet Franc, Carignan and Petite Sirah. Southern Rhône and Italian in spirit, Swartland in fruit. Layered and textural, with immediate appeal and serious underlying structure.

WHERE THE FRUIT COMES 
FROM.

The wine is produced with Riebeek Valley Wine Co. in Riebeek Kasteel, in the Swartland, for the high-pH backbone that gives Maze its smoothness. The Cabernet Franc, which brings structure and that distinctive, disruptive edge, comes from Alto in Stellenbosch. The Carignan, the blend’s secret weapon, comes from a registered single vineyard block at Welgegund in Wellington. A dash of Durif finishes it off from bushvines near Malmesbury.

“A lighter styled, yet serious red wine, with upfront red and juicy fruit. Red cherry, framboise-perfumed and fresh on the nose. Grippy, extended skin and stem contact tannins leave a disruptive counter balance to the sweet fruit. The experience is unexpected, but the lingering sensation is memorable.” – Emile Gentis

TASTING NOTES.

The 2024 inaugural vintage took a long time to blend, shape and develop from scratch. It took many attempts to formulate the Cape-Med blend and taste profile concept.

Rooted in Cape Heritage and Mediterranean harmony, it offers a vibrant fusion of raspberry and black cherry, with hints of graphite, cedar, and Cape Gravel. Subtle garrigue minerality graces the refined, full-bodied palate, framed by silky integrated tannins. Accessible yet distinguished, Maze tells a story of friendship, craft, and revelry in every bottle.

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