Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby color. A classic, perfumed nose packed with cherries, cassis, cedar, cigar box, tea leaves and tomato paste, followed by a palate of cassis, cranberries, savory plum and sweet vanilla. A complex multi-layered, refined wine with a beautiful structure, balanced acidity, elegant, fine grained tannins and a long, persistent finish.
Pair with all types of steak, meat casseroles, roast leg of lamb and matured cheeses.
Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a polished and full-bodied red blend, showing notes of vanilla bean, blackcurrant, black plum, dill and mocha. Refined, silky yet firm tannins frame the dark fruit. Long and classy. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 13% cabernet franc. Drink from 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
Grapes for this Cabernet-based blend ripen slowly, resulting in a wine with excellent balance and aging potential. The nose features notes of cassis, leading to a savory palate filled with rich red and black fruit flavors, complemented by hints of cedar, chocolate and thyme. The wine's fresh acidity and gripping tannins create a sturdy structure, providing both support and lift. Drink now through 2040.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot, the Kanonkop 2021 Simonsberg Stellenbosch Paul Sauer Estate Wine sees 24 months in 100% new oak. This is considered a very good vintage that produced concentrated fruit that surely needs more time to evolve in bottle. The wine has all of its elements fixed into place, but it needs to flesh out and soften. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are fermented separately. and the blend is made after malolactic fermentation. A combination of oak is used, including 40% Seguin Moreau, for added richness. This elegant red blend exhibits an especially polished quality that I found across this portfolio. The bouquet starts with cassis and candied cherry, and the strong oak signature brings Christmas candle and spice. The alcohol content is measured at a moderate 13%.
Rating: 94+ -
Vinous
The 2021 Paul Sauer, which spent 24 months in 100% new oak, has a very well-defined bouquet of red berry fruit, cedar and a touch of wild mint. There is a sense of control here and you would never think it was aged entirely in new wood. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins—a relatively elegant Paul Sauer compared to recent vintages. Lightly spiced and harmonious on the finish, this is a sophisticated wine.
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Wine Spectator
Briary herb and loamy earth notes on the nose are a fragrant, savory-accented thread winding through flavors of crushed red currant, pomegranate puree, vanilla and red licorice. This is fresh with tangy, blood orange peel acidity, and chalky tannins firm the minerally finish. 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.