I love Rustenberg John X Merriman Bordeaux blend…the only Rustenberg that I have tried.
I prefer old world to new world, geeky to approachable. Acid and tannins are cool in my book. I drink only on the weekends due to health reasons, which means I am looking for ‘really interesting’ as opposed to ‘easy sipping’.
Has anyone tried any South African ‘Straw wines’? If so, recommendations please!
So please feel free to recommend your really memorable South African wines
I am not as up on them as I used to be, but on reds, Thelema is good and good value usually. (I have been drinking some from the 90s now and they are holding up really well – the Cabs). I also like the Spice Route line – both good value but also some high end. Warwick also quite good. A bit more fancy and exotic are the wines from Eben Sadie. He does excellent white and red rhones. Vergeglegen (not sure I got the spelling right) is also good at both high and low end. Cape Point does excellent age worthy whites – the Isliedh is fantastic. Hamilton Russell makes some pretty good Chards and Pinot Noirs (not many good PNs from SA). I have had some straw wines but can’t remember them. But if you want something really special on the sticky side, there is Klein Constantia Vin de Constance (which might be a straw wine now that I think about it). Also on the sweet side, I have really loved Fariview’s Le Beryl Rouge – a late harvest Syrah that is really pretty amazing. Just a few thoughts! Enjoy! I think SA makes some really excellent wines – and many are great values (very much so if you are in SA itself).
Hamilton Russell Pinot and chards, Sadie whites and Rhones although I think Sadie’s wines are polarizing love them or hate them from what I have experienced. My experience is limited
Mullineux, Sadie Family, Le Riche, Kanonkop, Ken Forrester (but not the top/oaked cuvées), Hamilton Russell/Southern Right/Ashbourne. There’s a big stylistic range in that list, but there’s going to be something you like.
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If you like the Rustenberg John X Merriman I would recommend giving these a try:
De Toren Fusion V
Kanonkop Paul Sauer
Meerlust Rubicon
Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella
Rust en Vrede Estate Red
For something a little different these Cape Blends (must have 30-70% Pinotage) are very good
Beyerskloof Synergy
Flagstone Dragon Tree
Simonsig Frans Malan
Another vote for the Mullineux wines, which are definitely for lovers of Old World wines. I’ve attended private tastings with Chris Mullineux and his American winemaker wife Andrea, and I think their wines are really strong across the board.
Chris is also a partner in Three Foxes, which has made some terrific syrahs and rousanne. Pascal Schildt, one of the other partners, now lives in the US and the Three Foxes wines can be found here if you hunt around. I posted a few months ago on their 2009 Castillo syrah, which is serious stuff and still needs a lot of time.
Chris and Pascal also served some things from Silwerfis (= silver fish) that were very good.
The Hamilton Russell wines are very well made, though sometimes I find them a bit heavy on the new oak. The first one I had, circa 2002, was the '99 pinot. It was served blind and several of us were pretty sure it was a '99 Volnay. The prices reflect the winery’s reputation.
The two tastings that Chris and Pascal ran – one over dinner at some friends’ and one at my apartment – were really revelations for a number of us. That first dinner was one of the most exciting tastings I’d been at in years because it opened new horizons. There are a lot of really super, balanced wines coming out of SA, and the prices are very reasonable in most cases.
I’m also a big fan of the Mullineux wines, especially the Syrah, but also the white blend and straw wine. Have you had the single-soil Syrahs? I’ve heard mixed things on whether they’re worth the tariff, and would love to try them. (But on the other hand they are priced so aggressively it almost doesn’t matter to me how good they are, as I’m just not a buyer at $125.)
I’m also fond of the Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc, which is made in a fruitier style than most old world exemplars but has more freshness than many new world SBs.
One of very small few CFs from outside of Loire that still expresses that style of CF that I adore, and its old world in spades. Interestingly, Raats produces a higher end CF that sees considerable oak, that tastes dramatically new world in style. Of course, it gets all the points, and is a total pass in my book. Also costs double+.
I’ll add Glenelly. I had the Cab recently at a tasting and was seriously impressed, especially for the price of about $20. Definitely has old world character.
