Winemaker Notes
The Crescendo is a true reflection of the terroir from which its grapes originate and is characteristic of wine made in the historic region of Stellenbosch. It is the Cabernet Franc in particular, where the purity of the fruit is amplified by the site on which it is grown. Notes of white pepper, clove and red berries give this wine delightful aromatics to pleasure the senses. The tension in the wine lends itself to an elegant finish, bringing together the various elements in a gentle fashion culminating in this well-polished wine.
Blend: 65% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very attractive nose of red plums, currants, nutmeg, orange peel and chopped herbs. Medium-bodied and polished with fine-grained tannins. Excellent length. Subtly spicy. 65% cabernet franc, 26% merlot and 9% cabernet sauvignon.
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Vinous
The 2020 Crescendo is the third release from Taaibosch, a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. It is matured 13 months in 225-liter barriques (30% new) and then a further 12 months, 75% in foudres and 25% in cement. This beautifully defined bouquet offers perfumed black fruit laced with truffle and cedar, a touch of wild mint surfacing with time. The medium-bodied palate has more pliant tannins than the first two vintages, perhaps with a little more flesh and less austerity towards the finish that delivers slightly savory black fruit layers. Certainly, this represents one of the Cape's finest expressions of Cabernet Franc. Highly recommended.
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Decanter
Peppery cassis, mountain herbs and smoked charcuterie, then a delightful uplift of blackcurrant leaves and juniper berries. Supple fruit and fine tannins, this is an enjoyable blend that will evolve nicely.
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Wine Enthusiast
This well-balanced blend is made with 65% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has depth and a nose of licorice, red berries and green bell pepper mixed with cinnamon. The layered palate is full of black and red fruits, with notes of smoke and thyme flowing smoothly due to its nice acidity. Firm tannins shape a good structure.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mostly Cabernet Franc with 26% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Crescendo Red Blend begins with an herbal and dusty red-fruited nose that offers graphite notes and soft brown baking spices. Medium-bodied, the wine is lively in the mouth, with balanced oak and fruit flavors that integrate seamlessly together, offering a balanced structure with fine-grained tannins and succulent acidity. The wine continues to evolve, offering up dusty and spicy essences before ending with a lingering, tannic edge. Give it one more year in the bottle and drink through the decade's end. It’s nicely made and brings me back for another sip.
Rating: 91+ -
Wine Spectator
A chewy red, with a fragrant entry of tobacco leaf and milled pepper on the nose -- a zesty overtone to the subtle range of ripe red currant and cherry fruit, ground coffee, singed cedar and iron notes that are tightly meshed through the midpalate and firm finish. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2024. 900 cases imported.
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.