JÉROBOAM WINE OF THE WEEK (33)
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- maart 25, 2021
- All Stories
- 2 mins read
As long as the lockdown lasts, we’re putting an interesting wine in the spotlight every week that’s distributed by a local wine merchant and is also easy to order online. This week, we’ve selected a special red wine from South Africa for you. It’s the Nicolas Van der Merwe / Red 2015 / Stellenbosch WO.
Nicolas Van der Merwe is a busy bee. He first worked as a winemaker at the Saxenburg estate in Stellenbosch for 26 years and took advantage of the difference in seasons to also work in Europe at Château Capion in the south of France. But apparently, that wasn’t enough for him, because in 1999, he and his wife Petra decided to release their own wine: the Mas Nicolas. For a while, this wine adventure could still be combined with his work at Saxenburg, but eventually, Nico decided to go full-time with his boutique winery. Today, Mas Nicolas is still the flagship wine, but in the meantime, several sub-brands have been added: Cape Elements, Robert Alexander, and Five to Nine, and there’s also a sparkling wine in the range.
Nico sets the bar high. Wines that don’t meet his standards are sold on as anonymous bulk wine. This happened in 2016, for example. In August 2005, the couple bought Mooi Uitsig, named for the breathtaking panorama stretching from Cape Hangklip to the Tygerberg Hills. This is where the wines are now vinified and visitors are received (by appointment). The vines consist of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Steen for whites, and Shiraz, Cinsault, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc for reds. The latter three form the blend for this Red 2015, in a ratio of 64% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are hand-picked. Each variety is fermented separately in tanks, using different types of yeast. To achieve more complexity, the developing wine remains in contact with the skins for two weeks. The three batches continue to develop separately. They are then aged for 18 months in first- or second-year French oak barrels. The final blend only takes place just before bottling.
All this care results in a wine that (after 5 years) still has an inky blue-purple color and a dense deep carmine-red rim. The nose is dense with delightful aromas of cassis and raspberry. On the palate, this blockbuster offers a suave texture with notes of cherry, raspberry again, and some plums. A hint of vanilla in the finish tops it off. A powerful wine full of character that calls for powerful dishes full of character. Score: AA. Price: €17.90/bottle. Distributed by Wine at Heart in Oelegem. More info via: www.wineatheart.be
This magazine is written by Jéroboam Wine Magazine, has been published since 2011, and is an independent and critical wine magazine without any commercial ties.
