Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz, 5% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
An impressive wine with international designs, the 2012 Ernie Els belongs in any discussion of top Napa Valley Cabernet-based blends and classified Bordeaux. While I have enjoyed many vintages of this wine, I found the 2012 Proprietor's Red to be one of the winery's best to date. This well-constructed wine boasts black fruits, savory earth, and accents of oak. Pair with grilled beef. (Tasted: June 26, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Proprietor's Blend equates to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 5% each of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot. It has a composed bouquet with red cherries and crushed strawberry, quite an attractive floral scent emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin: plenty of cedar-infused black fruit laced with black pepper and cloves, leading to an engaging and assured finish. This is a well-crafted red blend that shows more composure and refinement than previous vintages.
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.