South African Wine Month Sampler #2 - Great Everyday Reds

South African Wine Month Sampler #2 - Great Everyday Reds

A $154 Value, Sampler Price Just $119

March is South African Wine Month at Taylor's!  Since South African wines were unavailable in the USA for many years, few Americans realize the rich history of South African winemaking and high quality of wines currently coming out of this oldest of "new world" wine regions.  Like many of the other new world regions, South Africa grows a wide variety of international red grape varietals in addition to the country's signature varietal, Pinotage.

Backsberg "Sydney Back" Pinotage (Western Cape) - The Pinotage grape was created in the early 1900's by Abraham Perold by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsault.  The result was a bold flavored variety that was more intense than either parent grape and grew well in the South African climate, with good production.  Certified Kosher, the Sydney Back range of wines from Backsberg pays homage to the family's Lithuanian, Jewish heritage and is also certified organic and carbon neutrally produced.  30% of the wine spends 9 months in oak barrels, which brings warmth and spiciness to support the fruit. The nose offers deep red fruits of cherry and currants, blended with vanilla and a touch of toasted nuts. On the palate, blackberry is pronounced and is followed by hints of gaminess, soft smoke, and vanilla. 

Spookfontein Cabernet Franc (Hemel-en-Aarde Valley) - Spookfontein is Dutch for "Ghost-Fountain" because the locals claim that on certain evenings spirits can be seen dancing in the waters around the spring that feeds water to the estate.  The Cabernet Franc is an elegant, Bordeaux-like, plush example of the varietal with abundant, velvety, cashmere tannins, yet still being juicy and light. Red and black plums, floral violets, dried herbs, peppercorns, and the pencil shavings.

Piekenierskloof Tannat (Citrusdal Mountains) - This once obscure varietal from Southwest France is becoming increasingly popular around the world.  Piekenierskloof's elevated plateau, 650-700m, features sandy loam soils on east-west slopes, imbuing the grapes from the dry farmed bush vines wines with perfume, dark fruit and minerality. An opaque color hints towards the concentrated nose of black and blueberries that opens up after the first swirl. This is complemented by dark chocolate and toasted oak on the palate and completed by a soirée of high quality, ripe tannins.

 Remhoogte "Chronicle Cape Red Blend" (Western Cape) - This unique red blend is crafted from all 17 red wine varietals grown on the Remhoogte Estate, including Pinotage and French varietals from both Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley.  The 17 varietal blocks grown on the 55 hectare estate comprised of 8 unique soil types and this variation in terroir results in a unique, complex wine. It is polished, muscular but refined, layered, and well-structured with crunchy acidity and moderate tannins. Flavors of cherries, strawberries, blackcurrant, cedar, and plums, with hints of star anise, and savory notes of crushed olives and white pepper slide across the palate.

Ryneke "Vinehugger Red" (Stellenbosch) - Vinehugger is a Syrah based blend with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate's bio-dynamically farmed grapes. It has a captivating nose of pepper, herbs and a perfumed note of violets with a touch of leather and earth supported vibrant red fruit at its core, red currant, plum and raspberry, aromatically. The vibrancy and freshness of wine’s aromatics carries over into the palate. Medium bodied, the juicy red fruit flavors pick up some perfume, with lighter, finer grained tannins giving structure and just the right amount of grip, while an underpinning of acidity carries this to a dry, savory finish.

 DeGrendel Merlot (Durbanville) - DeGrendel Wine Estate, in the Durbanville Wine Appellation, is on the foothills of the Tygerberg Hills and faces the city of Cape Town, a mere 20 minutes’ drive away.  De Grendel is named for a bolt, as in the Dutch/Afrikaans, Slot en Grendel, lock and bolt. Their Merlot is bright ruby garnet in color, enticing aromas of sweet red plum and raspberry fruit on the nose supersede nuances of mocha and cocoa underscored by hints of sweet tobacco leaf, before a sweet red fruit driven entry onto the palate is embraced by unobtrusive, chocolaty tannins which linger with savory elegance and fruit. An exceptionally elegant, fruit driven wine with balanced tannin and hints of spice.

750ml x 6

Please note that we can't always predict sales and supplies on every item, so it may occasionally be necessary to make substitutions on certain items in our sampler cases and 6-packs.  Thanks for understanding!