Meerlust Rubicon 2021

Meerlust Estate Rubicon, Stellenbosch , South Africa, 2021  

Grapes: A blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc & 1% Petit Verdot with 18 months' ageing in large French oak. Fruit sourced from four estate sites: "Die Kop", River Terraces, Quarry and Lowlands.

Producer Tasting Note:

The 35th vintage of Rubicon has a very youthful colour, deep and dense with almost purple hue. Quintessential Rubicon nose with violets, ripe plum, cedar wood, fennel, and intense spiciness. Typical liquorice notes also evident on the nose. Still young and intense, the palate is full bodied, structured but packed with fresh dark fruit and rounded tannins and seamlessly integrated oak.

Ageing potential of 10 - 20 years, provided the wine is stored in ideal cellar conditions.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Full bottle 1,377 g. 100% estate fruit from all four of their vineyard blocks: Compagniesdrift (weathered granite on a hilltop); River Terraces (sand and roounded river stones); Quarry (greywacke with interbedded shales); Lowlands (a cool, south-facing block on clay-rich soils from deeply weathered greywacke and shales). A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (48%), Merlot (46%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (1%), every parcel of each variety was fermented separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300-litre barrels and large foudres. After eight months in barrel, the components were blended and given another 10 months in barrel. The 2021 sees the more mature Merlot vineyards coming more to the fore with almost equal part Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the final blend. RS 2.04 g/l, pH 3.48, TA 5.93 g/l.

Dark, with cooked-fruit richness, brûlée and umami. Chocolate and plum, lavender fragrance, deep violet tones and the cool breath of liquorice on the finish. There is a black sheen of minerality at the core, which, together with the fantastic herbal (fynbos?) aromatic lift and fragrance, flood the flaring fan of ripeness with freshness and length. Well-managed oak. Very competent. Very refined. Classic." Drink 2025-2038

17/20 points, Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com, October 2024

"I've tasted this on three occasions and I'm convinced that it's a brilliant Rubicon release, right up there with the best reds in the country. Featuring Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot,5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, this is a beautifully poised, elegant cuvée with cassis, red berry and sweet spice flavours, a herbal undertone and fine, filigree tannins." Drink 2026-2040

98/100 points, Tim Atkin MW, 2024

Also awarded 5 Star in the Platter's Wine Guide (South Africa), 2024

Great with venison, game, pot roast and noble cheeses.