Sam Lambson is the founder and winemaker of Minimalist Wines.
Sam Lambson grew up in Johannesburg. He encountered the world of wine for the first time in high school through a family friend. The cathartic moment came after tasting a bottle of Jamet Côte-Rôtie 1998, a wine that has inspired his winemaking path ever since.
Studying Oenology and Viticulture at Stellenbosch University while working in Hawk & Schoon boutique wine store, and passing WSET3 (with distinction), were the starting points for Sam’s wine education. But the passion kicked in while working harvests under the leading Cape winemakers Carl van der Merwe, Lukas van Loggerenberg, and Chris Alheit.
It was then he discovered that making good wine is all about working with good grapes and good people… and the importance of treating them both gently in the vineyard and the cellar. It was also the beginning of Sam’s love affair with Syrah. He launched Minimalist Wines at the age of 21, to explore Syrah's diversity in South African terroir and to showcase its elegant power in the cooler climate vineyards of the Cape.