The Story
"In a world often enamoured with noise, there is a certain courage - and perhaps a certain grace - in choosing to speak softly.
Serenity was the first to do so. A wine not built to impress, but to engage. Not brash, but articulate. Born of a philosophy that values nuance over volume, Serenity is a blend that whispers its intent. It does not demand attention; it earns it, sip by measured sip. Poised, calm, and complete, it became our way of suggesting that restraint, when guided by intention, could be deeply expressive.
Years later, another voice emerged - different, yet curiously familiar. Marroquin.
Named after the earliest recorded synonym for Cinsault, Marroquin is a wine that remembers. It remembers a time when Cinsault was the Cape’s most planted red variety, when its identity had not yet been diluted by fashion or forgotten by time. It remembers elegance, simplicity, and the kind of structure that doesn’t need to shout.
Where Serenity is a conversation around the fire, Marroquin is a pause beneath a tree. One is composed of many voices in balance; the other is singular, clear, and sleek. But they share a rhythm - a shared reverence for silence, for tension, and for wines that draw you in rather than dazzle you from afar.
Together, they tell a story. Not of grand gestures, but of deliberate choices. Of legacy respected, of terroir trusted, of wines made with an open ear to the land and a steady hand in the cellar. Not just two wines, but two philosophies. Two expressions of quiet confidence. A pairing for those who are still curious. Still listening."
A Port2Port Exclusive
Sometimes, it’s not the loudest voices that leave the deepest impression. Sometimes, you need to lean in — to really listen — because it takes a quiet courage to speak softly. Hemel-en-Aarde’s Ataraxia has long understood the power of restraint. Its legacy is told not in broad strokes, but through quiet, considered choices.
Ataraxia’s Serenity is a susurration of poise and elegance, exploring cool-climate Pinotage, alongside Cinsault and Pinot Noir. “It's a wine that will seduce you on fragrance and then subtly occupy all corners of your palate,” says winemaker Kevin Grant. “It invites you to pull up a chair and promises conversation and company.”
And when Serenity whispers, Kevin is there to listen. It was the Cinsault that spoke the loudest — not in volume, but presence. Showing great intrinsic interest and depth, it refused to be overlooked “It would have been a real pity to lose it to posterity,” says Kevin. And so, Marroquin was born. Named for one of the oldest recorded synonyms for Cinsault, Marroquin remembers a time when the variety was the Cape’s most planted red grape, and looks to its long-overdue renaissance. Produced only in exceptional vintages, the Marroquin 2024 is a quiet revelation: a sleek, seductive expression of Cinsault at its most articulate.
This is a case of quiet confidence, of whispers and remembrances. Of acting only when the time — and the wine — is right. With extremely limited availability, we offer you a case of one of Ataraxia’s rarest bottlings. We urge you to lean in.