Winemaker Notes
Intense dark color. The nose shows restraint, with aromas of blackberry, licorice and cedar notes. The palate is tight and fresh followed by fine, dense tannins that are enjoyable now and will refine and mellow over the course of several years.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A firm and focused cabernet showing blackcurrant, black tea, cedar and clove aromas, following through to a full body with ripe and coating tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch opens with fresh, red fruit notes and a dusty, round profile enhanced by succulent tannins and balanced acidity. Medium to full-bodied, this wine has robust pencil lead flavors and a food-friendly finish. This well-structured Cabernet Sauvignon captures the essence of its Stellenbosch roots, delivering both complexity and refined drinkability.
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.