TN: 2005 Meerlust Rubicon (South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch)

WINE TALK
1

A pleasant surprise for me. Brought over from SA and gifted to the person who brought it over to drink. Served blind to the usual suspects.

  • 2005 Meerlust Rubicon - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (2/7/2011)
    . Deep ruby in color. Lots of black olive tapenade, stony fruits more than cassis, bitter dark chocolate and loamy herbal notes on the nose. Rich and dense with excellent balance and palate presence. More olives, and fruit with plenty of structure on the palate. The wood is very well done, and more importantly, not overdone, with an excellent mix of savory and fruit. A mouthful of very well balanced, rich, and interesting wine that continued to improve over two days after opening. Very long on the back end here, with the tannins almost a bit chewy, finishing long and and leaving you wanting more. I have minimal experience with SA wines, so take this with a grain of salt, but this was an outstanding and complicated wine. Well done! 91 pts. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Overall this was a very pleasant surprise, and quite well made wine. Nice work!

Thanks for reading

2

Fascinating note. I’m guessing Syrah?

3

No, as I recall it’s a pretty traditional Left Bank blend, and IMO drinks WAY above it’s price point, WAY above.

If any of you ever find yourselves in Stellenbosch, you should hit this place. We chatted for quite a while, with their jaws agape as I told them about $500 release wines and $35 tasting fees!

MK

4

I am not usually all that happy with SA wines, but occasionally they can really deliver. I have really enjoyed the Rustenberg John X Merriman. Also a BDX blend, so maybe they should be focusing their energies there.

5

Back in the early '90s, I had some of the Meerlust Rubicon from the 1986 and '87 vintages and it was very good indeed. Excellent Bordeaux blend.

Byron

6

I am guessing Cab based blend. At least the ones I have had were.
I have always gotten a menthol note on these.

7

From the Meerlust website. http://www.meerlust.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The 2005 Rubicon is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 % Merlot and 16 % Cabernet Franc. The wine spent a total of 24 months in 75 % new French Nevers oak with 25 % 2nd Nevers and Alliers barrels.