2020 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Andre van Rensburg
£26.00
“This Van Rensburg red features 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot but also includes a small addition of 7% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc and the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, 50% of them new. The aromatics are set to slow-release and gently ease their way out the glass in a leisurely fashion to reveal a complex melange of earthy violets, melted milk chocolate, forest berries, freshly tilled earth, raspberry liquor chocolates and undertones of dried herbs, melted tar and black berry compote. The palate is silky soft and beautifully elegant with a medium-bodied weight, soft brittle tannins and an almost 2017-esque weightless concentration of black berries, red currants, light soy, cherry tobacco and crème de cassis. There is an incredibly fine, seamless mouthfeel that is cool, compact and incredibly classical and fine boned. This is André flexing his winemaking muscles to the max, creating a superstar Bordeaux blend that is going to make some serious waves in the local and international marketplace. I feel privileged to vinously share in the next chapter of this great winemaker’s wine journey.”
97 Points, Greg Sherwood MW
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Product Description
‘The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success’
If that quote could be applied to just one winemaker, it would be André van Rensburg. The madman image has stuck with him for nearly thirty years. Frequently misunderstood, some might say that he suffers a personality disorder, particularly when, in conversation, expletives abound. Opinionated in the extreme, he remains, without exception, respected by his peers.
For those of you unaware of Andre’s background, he has been the winemaker at Vergelegen in Stellenbosch since 1998. The farm is owned by Anglo American, whose primary business is mining. It is Anglo’s policy that all employees are obliged to retire on their 60th birthday. It’s a condition that Andre has been aware of since start, but it was clearly not his intention to retire from making wine, hence the launch of these two wines, both sourced, from some of the best sites on the Vergelegen farm.
This first red wine to be release is produced from what is without doubt AvR’s signature two red grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, with the addition of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The wine enjoyed 18 months in French oak barriques, half of them new. Approachable on release, expect this to drink well into the next decade.
Additional Information
| ABV | 14.5% |
|---|---|
| Bottle Size | Bottle 75cl |
| Colour | Red |
| Country | South Africa |
| Critic Score | 97/100 |
| Drink until | 2032 |
| Style | Still |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Vintage | 2020 |
