Winemaker Notes
Rich aromas of cassis and spice with intense licorice and blackberry flavors on the palate and fine, lingering tannins.
Blend: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Notes of ripe black fruit, cigar box, gunpowder and pine cones. Full-bodied with firm tannins and delicious fruit. Showing hints of ripe plums and pepper. Long, chocolatey finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Densely packed cabernet, this has the acidity to carry its high-octane blueberry fruit. Its power churns along its length and its grape-skin tannins are strong enough to match meaty dishes like Bolognese or pulled pork.
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Wine Spectator
Rich notes of roasted fig, boysenberry coulis and toast are set in this full-bodied red, with aromatic accents of rosemary, iron and smoke. Grippy tannins provide good cut, yet are well-meshed with the expressive range of flavor. The lightly juicy finish echoes the ripe fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec.
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.