Winemaker Notes
This soft, approachable ruby-hued beauty is a true testament to vines lovingly reared and winemaking raised to an art form. A Right Bank-style Bordeaux blend, De Toren Z comprises a symphonic blend of five Bordeaux varietals. You’ll find it tantalizingly soft on the tongue, with a hint of aniseed, liquorice, raspberry and cranberries lending a fresh acidity to its polished finish… plus, of course, all the finesse that makes Bordeaux-style wines so prized among the world’s most enthusiastic wine lovers.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There’s a deep kirsch aroma on the nose of this wine, with additional notes of pressed violets, crème de cassis and blackberry paste. The palate is medium in weight and plush in feel, with velvety tannins that lend ample structure and support to the ripe cherry and berry fruit flavors. Final notes of cedary spice, light char and cocoa powder add decadence through the close. Cape Classics.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The nose of the 2016 Z bursts from the glass with aromas of Chambord, crème de cassis, juicy plum and black raspberry, dusty flowers and oak spice. Full-bodied and luscious, the fruit expressions continue to show their juiciness across the mid-palate with layers of complex black and dark red macerated fruit. This delightful wine continues to unpack layers of complexity with additional time in the mouth. The finish persists with finesse over the long-winding conclusion.
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.