2019 Rustenberg Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 Rustenberg Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 Rustenberg Cabernet Sauvignon The 2019 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon begins with juicy red fruit notes of red plum and cassis before showing elements of blackberry, baked earth, cedar and sage. Medium-bodied, the palate displays a balanced structure as the fruit profile shifts to more high-toned and red-fruited flavors of dark cherry skin and black raspberry on the lingering finish. 3,200 bottles were filled after spending 15 months in oak barrels (20% new). This delivers well for the price.

Cabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.

South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.

Rustenberg is one of South Africa’s oldest and most distinguished wine farms, with a viticultural history dating back to 1682. In 1941, Peter and Pamela Barlow bought the Rustenberg farm, situated in a prime location on the slopes of the Simonsberg. After taking control of the farm operations in 1987, their son Simon ushered in a new era, catapulting the historic estate to the ranks of South Africa’s winemaking elite.