Winemaker Notes
Dark ruby red in color, this is quite a serious vintage with a complex bouquet of ripe red berry fruit, cedar wood, and typical 'fynbos' flowers. The palate is full bodied, but gentle. Tannin structure is full and dense and coats the palate while the natural acidity keeps the ripe fruit in check. Savoury notes of tomato paste and cloves add character to the bright red strawberry and cassis flavors which linger into a long, tight finish. Drink 2020–2035.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Grown in the Cottage Lane Vineyard on the crest of a ridge over 1,000 feet above sea level, where small vines produce low yields, this is the best Cabernet Sauvignon we have tasted from South Africa (blended with 7% Malbec and 6% Cab Franc). Concentrated, with tight-fisted tannins, the palate artfully expresses flavors of espresso, dried violets, and blackberry; it’s meaty, with a lush middle and end
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has rock-solid aromatics of ripe darker currants and black cherries as well as smoky, earthy, and tobacco-like nuances. These carry to a medium-bodied Cabernet with a layered, focused mouthfeel, good balance, and ripe tannins. It's not massive by any means, but I love its overall classy, elegant, yet still nicely concentrated style. It should have a decade of longevity.
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Wine Spectator
A pure note of black currant is accented by delicate hints of bay leaf, dark chocolate, rosehip and iron in this fresh, medium- to full-bodied red. This leans towards Old World in style, with taut tannins providing good tension and definition, firming the well-spiced finish. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with 7% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon opens to a juicy and plummy nose that sways with elements of mocha, oak and hints of herbal essences. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is focused, dusty and rich with the character of roasted red bell pepper, chocolate ganache and hints of fern and sage. The Cabernet concludes with a delightfully lingering finish that continues to evolve in the mouth over a minute. It’s food-friendly and charming.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of chocolate and peppercorn mix on the attractive nose. This is a well-structured, full-bodied red with evident oak influence almost masking the fruit. It has finegrained tannins supporting earthy flavors of plum, fig and cherry. Coffee notes show in the aftertaste.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
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.