Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2022
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2022
Violets, pencil shavings, accents of cigar and pepper this is shows upfront charm but with real seriousness and tension on the palate. There is a vibrancy and juicy cassis profile on the palate with a beautiful line of minerality. Finely etched tannin that melts into the fruit, this is a generous and compelling Cabernet from one of the most exciting producers of the Cape at the moment.
Glenelly Estate Reserve 2017
Glenelly Estate Reserve 2017 is the signature red blend of Glenelly inspired by the classic Claret style of the 1700s, with Cabernet Sauvignon as its backbone, delivering rich cassis, mulberry, cedar, and tobacco notes. Syrah adds red and black cherry flavors with a touch of black pepper spice on the mid-palate. The wine is complex, layering intense fruit with mocha, Christmas cake, sandalwood, and leather. Fresh, fruity acidity balances firm tannins, leading to a clean, dry finish with strong aging potential.
GRAPE VARIETIES 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 12% Syrah, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet franc
91/100 Decanter World Wine Awards 2023: Silver Medal
90/100 International Wine Challenge 2023: Silver Medal
93/100 Tim Atkin MW Special South Africa Report 2021
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is about completeness, and about structure; balance and harmony; about a mannered, agreeable charm that holds one with both the gentle finger-clasp of flirtation and the needy grip of seduction.
The wine has an evocative maritime, oyster-shell aroma, notes often found in well-schooled Cabernet Sauvignon, but mostly on wines of greater maturity. The saline scent, however, quickly gives way to broody, shadowy notes of autumnal fruit and brittle sun-dried cedar.
Upon the first taste the immediate presence and the wine’s commanding structure leads to a comparison of this Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 with some forms of non-consumable beauty. Evocative statuesque images that came to mind are a Michelangelo statue sculpted from Carrara marble; a leopard on its haunches, the golden spotted hide glowing in the late-afternoon sun as its coiled muscles await signals from the mind to unleash the body onto hapless prey; tennis goddess Aryna Sabalenka pummelling a cross-court forehand past a frozen opponent.
In this wine, the muscled tannins have been sculpted into forms of grace and beauty that bear the whole body from the beginning of the sip to the final sappy throes of its finish. The experience is all encompassing, riveting dense beams of classic wine-flavoured elegance covered with plush, broad layers of dark-fruited tapestries where plum, mulberry and blackcurrant are – at this stage of its development – discernible.
But the lasting impression of Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is the way the wine appears polished to a state of clarity and purity, placing it a long way down on the road to the unachievable destination of perfection. No wine will ever get there, but the distance Meerlust has reached is one only attainable by a remarkable few.
Rupert and Rothschild Classique 2021
Rupert and Rothschild Classique 2021 is the second vintage to include Cabernet Franc in the blend, which lifts the texture making for a more elegant wine, although Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon still dominate the assemblage. This is Classique at it’s best and after 16 months in French oak and a few years in the bottle this vintage is singing! A complex and smoky nose starts off with roasted coffee, cassis, black cherry and earthy spice. The palate is medium to full bodied with seamless tannins and just enough acidity to retain freshness. There’s ripeness and richness on the palate, but it’s not overworked or overripe, it’s balanced and very well made. The wines of Rupert and Rothschild seem to get better with every passing vintage, and Classique 2020 certainly supports that theory.
92/100 Deano da Vino
Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2022
The nose shows dark and red cherry.
Dark berries, spiciness and herbs linger on the palate. The wine has great purity of fruit with a hint of wet-stone minerality and a velvet soft finish.
Blend information: Crafted from 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, this blend showcases the expressive character of these noble grape varieties.
Aging potential: Indulge in the Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2021 now for its exceptional drinkability, or allow it to evolve gracefully with cellaring for another 2 – 5 years.
Food suggestions: Pair this exquisite red with culinary delights such as pork loin with plum and Armagnac sauce, game bird with red wine sauce, or hearty dishes featuring Springbok, Ostrich, Kudu, Karoo lamb, or hard cheeses.
Most Recent Accolades:
2021 – 91 Points Tim Atkin MW
2020 – 91 Points Neal Martin MW Vineous
2020 – 91 Points Tim Atkin MW
Gabriëlskloof Syrah on Sandstone Bot River 2020
The Gabriëlskloof `Syrah on Sandstone` Bot River 2020
From vines that are reaching a good level of maturity, this is a really impressive Syrah from Peter-Allan. Lavender and liquorice, and blackberry fruit mark out a wine that balances the warmth of the site and delicate winemaking.
96/100 Deano da Vino Simply Outstanding!!!!!
Lemberg Spencer 2021
Warwick Cabernet Franc 2022
Klein Constantia Estate Red 2020
Klein Constantia Estate Red 2020 is deep ruby red in appearance. A lively nose bursting with flavours of strawberries, raspberries, red peppercorns with a delicate oak spice. Full-bodied with dense grippy tannins and a powerful mid palate, flavours of red fruit follow with an elegant backbone. The palate is refined and elegant, ending with a long rich finish.
Grape variety 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Malbec & 3% Petit Verdot
93/100 James Suckling
Pio Cesare – Barbera d’Alba Doc “Fides” Vigna Mosconi 2019
Raats Red Jasper 2022
Raats Red Jasper 2022, is a blend of 49% Cabernet Franc, 35% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot and 3.5% Petit Verdot, we encounter an incredibly plush, luscious, approachable red blend brimming with earthy red berry fruits, aromatics of violets and sweet lavender, dried baking herbs and subtle notes of graphite and lead pencil. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied and plush, soft textured but also fleshy, creamy and deliciously accessible boasting toasty notes of black currant, damson plum and sour black cherries. A very compact and complete wine on release, this cuvee might not rise to the heights of the 2021, but in a funny kind of way, consumers desiring instant enjoyment now may actually love the 2022’s creamy opulence more than the bracing acid structure of the 2021. This wine simply gets better and better every vintage. Well done Bruwer!
93/100 GSMW (review c/o.)
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Food suggestions Venison dishes / lazy-aged sirloin or rib-eye / Hard cheese
Constantia Glen FIVE 2022
TASTING NOTE
This wine has a vibrant and youthful dark ruby colour. On the nose, pronounced aromas of Morello cherries, ripe blackcurrant, and plums are elevated by a delicate fragrance of violets and dried herbs. Underlying savoury notes of tobacco pouch, cedar, and graphite add complexity and intrigue.
On the palate, the wine is rich and concentrated, with bold dark fruit flavours that are beautifully balanced by this blend’s inherent freshness. The fine-grained tannins provide a mouth-coating texture and wonderful persistence that creates a lingering finish. This wine is beautifully structured, showcasing a harmonious blend of dark fruit, elegance, and finesse. The wine comes across as tightly wound in its youth, but with all the potential for incredible ageing potential.
TECHNICAL DATA
A carefully crafted blend of 28% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot and 9% Malbec, matured for 19 months in 80% new and 20% secondfill 225 litre French oak
barrels. Following barrel maturation, the wine received a very light filtration before making its way into bottle on 12 December 2023. With no fining agents used during the production of this wine, a harmless sediment may occur during maturation in the bottle. This is a classic and bold vintage of the Constantia Glen FIVE, which will continue to age and develop admirably in bottle for up to 10 to 15 years from harvest, under correct cellaring conditions.
