2016 Rubicon pre-shipment offer
A great Bordeaux blend, a great South African wine
In winemaking terms, South Africa gets bracketed with the New World, but they've been making wine here for longer than in many places in the so-called 'Old World'. Meerlust Estate has been in the hands of the Myburgh family since 1756, and they've had vineyards on the go since the beginning. While they used to make only single varietal wines, a 'rubicon' was crossed in 1980 with the first vintage of their Bordeaux blend, almost unique in South Africa. It hadn't come from nowhere. Meerlust means 'love of the sea', and the south-facing vineyards of Meerlust Estate are only a few kilometers away from False Bay; Atlantic breezes and evening mists cool the vines. Nor is it only the prevailing maritime climate that marks a similarity to Bordeaux, as the soils on the estate are a blend of clay and granitic gravel. Owner Nico Myburgh had spotted these resemblances when holidaying in Bordeaux; and so was born the Meerlust Rubicon.
And like good claret, while you can certainly enjoy the Rubicon young, it rewards cellar aging; as current owner Hannes Myburgh told us when he visited recently, 'it's at 10 years that Rubicon really starts to reward you'. It's true; at a vertical tasting I attended with cellarmaster Chris Williams, the mature vintages were startling for their complexity and interest. The 2016 is still young, but it is notable for a finish which is both finely textured and powerful, and which surely harbingers a great future.
For Chris, Rubicon is a labour of love; he believes the goal should be to make not a great Bordeaux blend per se, but a great South African wine. The difference may seem semantic; yet there is a new level of finesse visible in the vintages made under Chris's stewardship. The 2016 is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. /NT
Offered subject to confirmation; available Autumn 2019
