Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz, 5% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A sleek, polished style, with a tight-grained structure that lets the roasted cedar, vanilla, black tea, cassis and plum notes glide along seamlessly. The finish lingers with a velvety feel and an echo of smoldering tobacco. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2012 Ernie Els Proprietor's Blend is a red wine with a smooth delivery. Made primarily from Bordeaux grape varieties with a little addition of Shiraz, this wine is deep, generous, and long. The smooth and fulfilling finish makes it an excellent choice for burgers and a dart board. (Tasted: June 15, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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.