Winemaker Notes
This powerful yet elegant Bordeaux blend is a true South African classic. It displays intense aromas and rich flavors of cassis, blackberry and licorice, with underlying notes of leather and tealeaf.
Intriguing hints of violets, underbrush and cigar box carry through on the long, silky finish.
Blend: 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A solid, dark, grippy style, with roasted alder and juniper notes framing a core of steeped red and black currant fruit. Offers a sanguine tang on the finish, along with tobacco and bay leaf accents. Shows lots of range and character. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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.