Winemaker Notes
Blend: 42% Merlot, 21% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Smoky, earthy notes of licorice root, chicory, pepper and leather spice up the black plum, berry and cherry fruit in this blend of 42% Merlot, 21% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Petit Verdot. The mouthfeel is plush and filling, with generous yet structured tannins and ample acidity that frame the rich dark fruits. Final flavors of cassis and char linger long on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and polished, with a suave roasted cedar frame around a dense core of cassis and plum reduction notes. The long finish drips with fruit, but has a nicely embedded graphite spine for balance. Rock-solid. Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2018 through 2023.
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.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.