Winemaker Notes
Crimson red, there’s a certain sweetness to the aromas packed with ripe, wild strawberry, red and black cherries, mulberries and black currant. Nice and pure Helderberg fruit. This is a stylish wine with added earthy, savory notes on both the nose and the palate. The texture is made velvet by the richness of fruit held in balance by its superb gravelly tannin structure and juicy acidity. There’s a sense of clarity that 2017 shows – allowing for upfront drinkability but also serious ageing potential.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Slightly more fresh and focused than the Estate release, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon offers pretty, classic notes of crème de cassis, black currants, green herbs, and loamy earth. With terrific balance, plenty of tannins, and a great finish, it’s a smoking value in Cabernet that will keep for 10-15 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
A bright cherry top note is front and center on the nose of this wine, with additional scents of raspberry preserves, pressed violet and vanilla bean. The palate is like crushed satin in texture, with ample tannins to frame the ripe fruit but also good grip and structure to support it all and lend length to the finish. Additional flourishes of cocoa and toasted, whole baking spices add depth to the close. Drink now-2029
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Displaying a dark ruby core that fades to a pale ruby edge, the 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon opens to a nose of dusty, dark, red-berries, elements of oak spices and cocoa nibs, roasted coffee bean, cherry skin and a dusty floral expression. Full-bodied, the wine offers a broad and lively mouthfeel with energetic tannins, flavors of macerating dark berries and an elegant amount of oak to lift the mid-palate. The wine ends with persistent flavors of black plum, cassis and fading elements of vanilla and chocolate ganache throughout the long, lingering finish.
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Wine Spectator
Pure and very elegant, with lively acidity fueling the energy into red currant and raspberry flavors. Iron and herb notes impart a savory edge. Shows balance, though this should flow seamlessly across the palate after a few more years. Best from 2022 through 2030.
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.
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.