Richard presents almost 170 tasting notes of the best red wines he tasted on a recent trip to South Africa. See also this overview article.
Just as South Africa's best whites have a reliance on French vine varieties, so the reds I found most appealing are based on a French trio: Cabernet Franc, Cinsault and Syrah. The first two are particularly exciting as they represent a style for which South Africa is not historically renowned: light, fragrant, crunchy reds with great refreshment value. Pinot Noir can fulfil this remit too, of course, but is much more hit and miss...