2021 Thelema Mountain Vineyards Rabelais
£49.50
“Rudi Schultz eschewed Merlot in the Rabelais blend in 2021, preferring to use Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. Sourced from vineyards above 440 metres, it’s a wonderfully intense, polished red with focus, elegance and finesse to spare. Leafy and detailed, it has violet, damson and black cherry notes and the structure to age beautifully.”
97 Points, Tim Atkin MW
“Another tantalisingly seductive 2021 vintage wine meets you in the form of the Rabelais 2021. Now generally regarded as one of the top Cape Bordeaux Blends produced in the Western Cape, this new vintage made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot typifies the cool, taut, linear tension and weightless purity of the vintage. But as elegant and sleek as it is, it is not simply a 2017 lookalike, showing an equal or greater fruit concentration, ripe intense resolved tannins that are assertive but incredibly fine grained, and a piecing crystalline freshness. The aromatics burst with black cherry, tart saline cassis, damson plum, sweet rose petals, earthy balsamic and pickled walnut nuances, with subtle earthy bruleed charcoal hints, stewed blueberries and a deliciously solid core of black berry fruits. This is an incredibly impressive, structured, fine wine of note that imbues class, pedigree and sublime balance to the entire Cape Bordeaux Blend category. In my reconning, this is the very best Rabelais produced to date. Drink now and over the next 20+ years.”
97+ Points, Greg Sherwood MW
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Product Description
Thelema Mountain Vineyards is a family owned and managed wine estate, part of the spectacular Simonsberg Mountain range in Stellenbosch, South Africa and home to Thelema wines.
Gyles Webb abandoned his accounting career in Durban to become a winemaker. In 1983, with the help of his wife’s family, the McLean’s he bought Thelema – the beginning of a family legacy.
The manor house was restored and the first wines under the Thelema label were released in 1988. By the mid 90’s Thelema’s wines sold out within a month after release, making it one of the most sought-after wine estates in South Africa. The Webb family describe Thelema as “one of the most beautiful places on earth”.
Through the understanding of their optimal climate and soil type, Thelema have firmly entrenched themselves as one of the leaders in Cabernet Sauvignon, placing Stellenbosch Cabernets firmly on the global wine map.
Francois Rabelais was a sixteenth – century French writer. His first novel describes an abbey on the banks of the Loire named Thélème where only one rule was observed: “Do what thou wilt!” Thelema is family run and has been making wine since 1988. The finest red wine of the vintage, blended from Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, honours the man who gave us our name.
Cabernet Sauvignon 90% and Petit Verdot 10%
Additional Information
| ABV | 14% |
|---|---|
| Bottle Size | Bottle 75cl |
| Colour | Red |
| Country | South Africa |
| Critic Score | 97/100 |
| Drink until | 2040 |
| Style | Still |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Vintage | 2021 |
