Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a seamless and sophisticated red showing waves of black plums, violets, black tea, cloves, graphite, bitter chocolate and bay leaves on the nose. There’s weight and depth here, beautifully present from the start to finish, yet it is weightless at the same time. Elegant, medium-bodied, with super fine tannins and a long, persistent finish.
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Wine & Spirits
A collaboration between winemakers Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve, this wine’s layers of complexity seem to come from the blend—all five Bordeaux varieties, about half cabernets sauvignon and franc. It shows high-toned red spice right off the bat before transitioning to dried-fruit power and lively, lip-smacking tannins. Decanting it extends that immediate pleasure into the finish, suggesting this wine will reward time in the cellar.
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.