Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A pronounced but very vivid nose of blackberries, dried mint, eucalyptus, chamomile, light mulberries and baking spices. Full body, ripe yet very structured tannins and a fine streak of acidity. A long, chewy finish. Drink in 2021. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc.
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Wine Enthusiast
A pronounced anise and warm-spice lift carries the bouquet of this red wine immediately out of the glass. It’s grounded by abundant notes of blackberry, mulberry and cassis on the nose, as well as additional hints of cigar box and turned earth. The palate is firm and gripping, with intense tannins and robust flavors of black fruit skin, licorice root and charred oak that linger long on the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
On the nose, the 2015 Paul Sauer is full of dark fruit with a hearty core of oak. Full-bodied, the palate is focused and balanced with tannic grip, structured and chewy with a spiciness that could linger for days and with a long, complex finish. The fruit will absorb the oak and that tannic nature will soften over the coming years. If you can get hold of a bottle, put it in your cellar for further aging. I welcome the opportunity to revisit this bottle in another ten years. Rating: 93+
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Wine Spectator
A sleek and refined style, with red and black currant fruit woven with light anise, black tea and sanguine notes. Reveals a subtle cedar echo through the finish. Sneaky long. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2020 through 2025.
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Decanter
Oz Clarke: This has good mid-weight, it’s ripe, quite soft with a creamy oak and Merlot influence. It’s modern and attractive - needs 2 - 4 years. Sarah Jane Evans MW: This has plenty of rich fruit underneath, but the weight of oak does obscure the best of the palate. It has dry tannins with a hint of spice. Tina Gellie: This is big, deep and dense with a round, creamy black fruit nose. It’s youthful still with notes of old world oak treatment. Recommended by Fiona McDonald. Drinking Window 2019 - 2023
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.