SPI Wine of the Month

As Master Wealthmakers, it is our pleasure to salute Master Winemakers in the second annual Christian Eedes Cabernet Sauvignon Report, a review of 60 of the most highly profiled examples of this fine cultivar.

Click here for the Top 10 wines.

A couple of years ago, a French cooper had a ‘blind’ glass of South African Cabernet Sauvignon to test his opinion and to guess the origin of the wine. He was ecstatic about the wine and also made no mistake in naming the origin without a moment’s hesitation.

The Cabernet has not relinquished its roots over the years. It is typically Stellenbosch in terms of the primary aromas. Yet it also offers a mint character without putting off the consumer. According to this cooper – it is the perfect wine.

This wine is a joint venture between Jean Engelbrecht (Rust en Vrede) and two friends. The dark ruby coloured wine is a four-way blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose reveals that something big and special is about to follow. The palate is layered with an abundance of fruit, black berries and plum, and the aftertaste is long and satisfying. However, this wine is all about structure.

The tannins are robust but not harsh, the acidity is just enough to provide backbone and the wood treatment provides the perfect finish to this complex wine. It’s the perfect partner for a good steak.

The Weathergirl is a 60/40 blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon. Though subtle relative to Durbanville style, the wine is complex, mouth-filling and has a lingering dry, limey aftertaste. The nose shows flintiness and ripe figs, and on the palate the wine presents itself with smooth creaminess, rounding off the ripe fig, stone fruit and herbaceous characters.

It is a wine that asks for a second glass. I will cellar it for a few years as the structure allows for bottle aging.

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Grapes from the Durbanville region are much in demand for the production of sauvignon blanc, since the cool climate and the decomposed granite soils are ideal conditions for growing this particular cultivar. Diemersdal Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2012 is an excellent example of a Durbanville sauvignon blanc, with its excellent balance of fruit and acidity.

This wine is a typical example of a good Durbanville sauvignon blanc, with its typical pyrazine dustiness followed by lime, minerality and green apple. The fruit is pure and the acidity provides structure. This intense wine finishes with a touch of spice to add to the complex mouth feel. It will reward cellaring.

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Any manufacturer hopes for his brand to become synonymous with a product – it’s not a copier, it’s a Xerox! In South Africa, Simonsig is synonymous with bottle-fermented wine or Cap Classique.

These pioneers recently released their 2007 Cuvée Royale. This awardwinning 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine displays a delicate mousse and primary fl avours of green apple and almond, backed by biscuity and citrus hints.

The wine is ready for consumption over the festive season, but careful cellaring will reward patience richly.

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In wine, one-plus-one often equals three.

This is certainly the case with this wine where the 15% Semillon in the blend provides a roundness and subtlety to the pronounced primary flavours of the Sauvignon Blanc.

This awardwinning wine is testimony that 2009 was a great vintage for good white wines. Although the primary flavours of green figs, green pepper, asparagus and granadilla provide a flavour sensation, it is the silky-mouth oiliness and lanoline that complete the taste sensation.

The wine may have lost some of its crispness but still had ample acidity to provide structure and a lingering aftertaste. The Mentors range from KWV will reward the discerning wine drinker with outstanding quality.

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Value can be controversial, and elusive, in investment and in wine.

This wine, however, offers true value. Made in the Bottelary area on the northern fringe of Stellenbosch from grapes sourced from the Swartland, it is a blend of Chenin, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Verdelho and Clairette Blanche, and sells for R40 per bottle.

Wine authority Michael Fridjon reckons it competes comfortably against any of the top Swartland white blends, providing pure and clean fruit on the palate, with finesse and complexity.

A great buy for those who want more than Sauvignon Blanc this summer.

Click here for Leeuwenkuil website

As I grew older I became less particular about paring wines with the season. However, the very cold Cape winter asked for hearty dishes and a wine to stand up to the dish and the inclement weather.

One of the wines that fit the occasion is the 2010 vintage Shiraz from De Grendel . I was always a fan of the elegant style of Shiraz from this estate. In the words of Charles Hopkins, the cellar master, "this wine shows coriander, lavender, white pepper and some floral notes on the nose. This full structured wine is well supported by oak undertones and sweet ripe tannins. On the palate the wine finishes with a beautiful clove flavor."

The international wine judges at the Old Mutual Trophy show agreed with our view as they voted this wine as their top choice of all the entries in the competition.

Click here the DeGrendel website

This cabernet is not for the faint-hearted. "This is not to be enjoyed with food; it's a meal in itself," remarked my partner.

This big wine introduces itself with a very dark colour and an exuberant but integrated nose of mocha and savoury cherry fruit with blackberry flavours. It follows through to the palate with great length where a combination of blackberries and cedar wood flavours deliver a lingering aftertaste. The overall mouth feel of the wine is complex with the fine tannin structure contributing to this hedonistic taste experience.

Click here the Kleine Zalze website

As Master Wealthmakers it is our delight to salute Master Winemakers in the inaugural Christian Eedes Cabernet Sauvignon Report, a review of 60 of the most high-profile examples of this fine cultivar.

Click here to view the 2012 Christian Eedes Cabernet Sauvignon Report

It is the  Stellenbosch area that usually gives us the good cabernets. However, this  Cederberg wine producer has crafted a classic. It presents with blackcurrant  and cassis flavours, and wood integration adds lovely tobacco and vanilla  aromas. There is not a hint of the greenness that often spoils cabernets. It is  an elegant wine that goes excellently with red meat, and leaves one, simply,  with a sense of wellbeing.

Click here to view the Cederberg website

Success in a dessert wine lies in the balance between sweetness and  acidity. South Africa is blessed with a number of producers who get this  balance right. This wine is an excellent example, its clean style balanced by  beautifully sweet flavours of peach, apricot and tropical fruits balanced by  sweet and sour zip which provides a long finish. It drinks well with dessert,  fruit and ice cream, and complements flavoured cheeses.

Click here to view the Ken Forrester Vineyards website

This month’s wine  invites both immediate indulgence and delayed gratification, as 2009 is  increasingly acknowledged as an exceptional vintage.  Those not able to wait for this fine blend  will experience an elegant blend of spicy Cabernet Franc, the berry flavours of  Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, and the firm tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon.

A powerful but harmonious combination, Keets  First Verse 2009 will complement red meat, poultry, even a seared tuna steak or  mature cheese.

Click here to view the Keets Wines website

Named after the Spier Arts Academy project, Creative Block 2 is an  award-winning white Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.  Cellar Master Frans Smit has achieved a  lively acidity in this crisp white wine, with its distinctive green tinge and  suggestions of gooseberries and grapefruit.   Delicious on a hot summer’s evening, Creative Block 2 perfectly  complements Mediterranean dishes or a lemon-based roast chicken.

Click here to view the Spier website