Winemaker Notes
The saturated ruby color is complemented by a dense and interwoven complexity of tilled earth, nutmeg, bouquet garni, with classic cedar and red and black fruits. The wine remains classic, refined, with an elegant structure. The tannins are precise, and together with the clever use of new oak, creates the perfect backdrop to host the complex fruit spectrum. A long, and youthful finish.
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Paul Sauer offers up aromas of oaky pencil lead, turned earth and dark red and black fruit essences on the nose before layers of oak spices and blackberry flowers appear. Medium-bodied, the wine is still youthful with a juicy and tannic edge, as succulent acidity and a pop of bright red fruit flavors beam across the mid-palate. There is a firm tannic edge on the finish that needs some time in the bottle to find its stride. Give it two more years, and drink over the next two decades.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Enthusiast
An aromatic nose introduces aromas of cherry, grenadine, raspberry and vanilla bean. This wine has a good amount of berries mixed with light notes of nutmeg. It’s well structured, with high acidity and firm tannins suggesting good aging potential. The fresh texture balances barrel-driven flavors in the persistent finish.
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.