Meerlust 2006 Cabernet is a lovely wine that deep ruby in color with fruit notes of blackberry, plum, and cassis with herbasous overtones. What a complex wine and a long finish in a classic bordeaux blend.
caption=”De Toren owner Emil den Dulk’s philosophy on winemaking.”]
[/caption]“The Truth is in the Vine”
That’s the philosophy of Emil den Dulk, an affable, hands-on owner of the De Toren Private Cellar, one of South Africa’s unique cultivars where farming practices that are environmentally friendly are a must.
Adding to its mystique, De Toren only makes two wines: De Toren Fusion V and De Toren Z. De Toren V is a world-class bordeaux blend, mostly of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, that exemplifies some of the best clarets in Bordeaux. And yes, this is coming out of South Africa, in the Stellenbosch wine region. He boasts of making this French-style blend that incorporates all five bordeaux grapes, which also include merlot, petit verdot and malbec.
Here’s what makes this wine so special and what distinguishes its production out of Stellenbosch and not Bordeaux, according to Thaddeus. “The wine has a great composition of fruit and tannin structure with the cab franc playing a very vital role. The tannins were firm, thanks to the fruit’s profile — black currant, licorice and tobacco — and its strong integration with French and American oaks, which it hangs in for 12 months, allowing it to age well.
This is a value wine at its best — $45 for a wine that would cost at least twice that if it came out of France.
De Toren’s Z is the little brother to the V — zippier, more refreshing wine with softer tannins more integrated into the fruits that make it drinkable now.
Here’s a bonus: Driefonte nin Shiraz 2004 — It’s a Rhone blend that Emil is collaborating with a Frenchman still in the experiment stages. Thaddeus found it to be “typical” of a Rhone-blended wine with dark fruit that had spice and licorice with black currant. The finish had structure with hints of white pepper and great potential. And if there’s a downside, it’s the alcohol level at 14.3%.
P.S. Thaddeus got to taste barrel samples of malbec and petite verdot that he says are as good as any single-barrel varietal that he’s ever tasted and would make great wines on their own.
Thelema Mountain Vineyards got its start in 1983 when the Webb family bought a run-down fruit farm outside of Stellenbosch, South Africa. The property was vineless until the family planted 50 hectares of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, muscat de frontignan, cabernet and merlot grapes. The Wine Spectator has twice listed Thelema as the top 100 wines of the world.
Muscat de Frontignan 2010, not surprisingly a fresh wine, has an incredibly fragrant scent, with an orange peel finish.
The Merlot Reserve 2008 was Thaddeus’ top gun for the merlots he tasted in South Africa. He described it as “beautiful” with a well-balanced fruit, acidity and tannin that had a surprisingly complex finish.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 was a riot of blackberry and black currant; of course, deep ruby in color, that left melted chocolate and a hint of cedar to make for a complex wine with great tannin structure that gripped your palate and wouldn’t let go at the finish. A secure spot on the top 10 of South African wines by Thaddeus’ tastings.
