Rustenberg John X Merriman 2005

  • 92 Wine
    Enthusiast
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Rustenberg John X Merriman 2005 Front Label
Rustenberg John X Merriman 2005 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2005

Size
750ML

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

"This wine is renegade winemaker Adi Badenhorst's favorite in his portfolio, and for good reason. In line with the best Bordeaux blends, it leads with an earthy, mineral-driven nose, and on the palate, it's both juicy and restrained. Expressive flavors of pepper, mocha and spice and elegant tannins give the wine a stately and sophisticated style. It will keep getting better in the bottle."
Wine Enthusiast
92 Points

Professional Ratings

  • 92

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Rustenberg

Rustenberg

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Rustenberg, South Africa
Rustenberg Winery Image
Rustenberg is one of South Africa’s oldest and most distinguished wine farms, with a viticultural history dating back to 1682. In 1941, Peter and Pamela Barlow bought the Rustenberg farm, situated in a prime location on the slopes of the Simonsberg. After taking control of the farm operations in 1987, their son Simon ushered in a new era, catapulting the historic estate to the ranks of South Africa’s winemaking elite.

The renaissance began with a large scale replanting of the vineyards using virus-free clones imported from France, followed by sweeping renovations to the winery and the hiring of new viticultural and winemaking teams. As Wine Spectator recently observed, "Rustenberg has all the qualifications of a world-class wine estate: a long history of winemaking…and ideal terroir, with deep-red, clay-rich granite soils that are located on a variety of slopes and elevations." Rustenberg has achieved tremendous critical and commercial success, and today the celebrated estate’s bottlings are among South Africa’s most iconic and sought-after wines.

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One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.

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With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.

Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.

South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.

YNG169428_2005 Item# 94367

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