Winemaker Notes
A pronounced cassis aroma characterizes the first nose, but this is followed by dried figs, dates and hints of clove. This initial wave of fruit yields to a subtle forest-floor quality that hints at a classically styled wine.
The palate entry is soft and displays a fine chalky texture. Fruit aromas apparent on the nose follow onto the palate as fleshy ripe flavours but find balance with an earthy, savoury character, maintaining the wine’s poise
Blend: 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot, 17% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Ripe, full, fleshy red fruit character on the palate and nose. This Is an attractive, fruit-forward style, but it's very different to a classic Bordeaux blend. Appealing and ready to drink already, showing some attractive savoury notes combined with plenty of sweetness on the palate.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot, 17% Malbec and 11% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Faithful Hound is delightfully complex, earthy and dark-fruited in the glass. It offers aromas of sage, cinnamon-spiced cherries, pencil shavings, sweet tobacco and blackberry skin waft with notions of baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is focused, complex and balanced with energetic acidity, fine-grained tannins and flavors of elegant oak. The wine glides to a delightful and sensational finish that brings me back for another sip. Bravo! Rating:91+
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.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.