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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.5 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 103 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by andrew.cameron on 8/19/2023 & rated 91 points: Very similar to the last bottle, questioning wether this is the wines style. (329 views) | | | Tasted by andrew.cameron on 7/26/2023 & rated 91 points: First taste since 2008. Not as good as I recall. Decanted for 30 mins. Complex character fell away pretty quickly with a meduim length. Had very high expectations. Hoping this is just a poor bottle and the remainder will be great! More to follow. (337 views) | | | Tasted by Alexroy on 5/25/2023 & rated 93 points: Decanted for three hours before drinking. Big nose, fruit, pencil shavings. Red fruit, long, complex. Lovely. (432 views) | | | Tasted by bacchus of knockholt on 5/8/2023 & rated 90 points: Ruby with some hints of tawny with a fragrant nose and a sweet red and black cherry palate. Decent but not as good as I recall. (426 views) | | | Tasted by alexc on 3/30/2023 & rated 88 points: Interesting but drink up. (479 views) | | | Tasted by hargy on 11/15/2022 & rated 89 points: certainly mature, long with a distinct 'smokiness' to it - not really for me - drink soon (557 views) | | | Tasted by dave747400 on 12/9/2021 & rated 93 points: Audouzed 3hrs, with ginger beef & rice in Singapore room confinement. Very much in line with previous notes - absolutely delicious. Bell pepper nose & Bordeauxesque flavours on the palate, no rush to drink these. Superb. (1088 views) | | | Tasted by alexc on 12/3/2021 & rated 90 points: Still lively and approachable. Benefits from double decant. (1000 views) | | | Tasted by moods on 5/22/2021 & rated 89 points: Soft and supple plummy fruit. Unmistakable South African with a smoky hint of burnt rubber. Ton of ripe fruit through a fairly long palate. Cedar and tobacco with some roasted meat juices. Either needs a full on grilled ribeye, or it’s one of those fireside wines if you give it sufficient time to breathe. (1368 views) | | | Tasted by HangryBob on 5/9/2021 & rated 92 points: Still an amazing wine after 15 years, needs a while to open up and once it has the drinking window is fairly short, maybe 90 mins. Worth it though. (1238 views) | | | Tasted by alexc on 1/21/2021 & rated 92 points: Wonderful tertiary flavours. Continues to improve. (1255 views) | | | Tasted by Geoffy on 1/2/2021 & rated 90 points: Unmistakably SA, but now mature and complex. Definitely better with food. (963 views) | | | Tasted by bacchus of knockholt on 8/30/2020 & rated 91 points: Expressive nose of red and blackberry fruit, menthol, cedar and oak spices which follows through on the palate. Still got lots of acidity and backbone, great with a Moussaka, liven the food up. Certainly needs food, quality wine. (1254 views) | | | Tasted by Dyslectic Dog on 12/20/2019: One of my old RSA favourites, not too much time left for this epic 2006, on decant for 2+ hours and only then came ‘live’ . Never disappointed (1543 views) | | | Tasted by Crispin on 12/13/2019 & rated 91 points: Just lovely red wine. Rich fruit, balanced and tannins that give nice edge. But aged lovely. (1513 views) | | | Tasted by alexc on 3/26/2019 & rated 89 points: Needs decanting and improves after a couple of days....lovely typicity but unsure whether it will improve. (1862 views) | | | Tasted by dave747400 on 1/31/2019 & rated 92 points: With roast chicken dinner. P&P. This bottle better than the last - big cabernet nose, big in the mouth too, lovely cab franc herbaceousness. Long finish with a tannic bite. Fresh acidity. In its prime but no hurry to drink. (1985 views) | | | Tasted by Geoffy on 10/22/2018 & rated 91 points: Cornwall Golf Trip. Turning brick red, secondary cedary flavours to the fore, typical SA cabernet "burnt rubber" tang (in a good way).
Good length, tannins still not fully integrated. Wine Society saying good til 2025. Delicious, especially with a strong cheddar and Cornish Yarg cheese. (2011 views) | | | Tasted by Gen NY on 9/16/2018 & rated 91 points: Wow, This wine has really turned a corner in the last six months. Theres smoke, fruit and forest floor on the nose. As it enters the mouth, it leads with blackberries followed by some earthy complexity and a nice citrusy acidity to close it out. Unlike my last bottle, the acidity is pleasant, not tart. Raising my score to 91. (1606 views) | | | Tasted by dave747400 on 3/9/2018 & rated 90 points: Still leading with primary fruit, tannins fully integrated, nice zing of acidity. This bottle lacking the usual smokey/tobacco complexity sadly. (2243 views) | | | Tasted by rjsmall on 2/23/2018: Dark red colour. Beautiful nose - dark fruits, truffle, forest floor and a little bit of oak. Full in the mouth - rounded. Similar flavours with a bit of tobacco and smoke. Medium long finish. Excellent wine - very enjoyable. Drinking very well. (1885 views) | | | Tasted by shallIshantI on 10/15/2017 & rated 91 points: Lovely wine. Smooth with plenty of fruit. Very 'full' yet does not leave any 'in your throat' aftertaste. Sweet tar, liquorice, black fruits, even a touch of vanilla. Good length. It's been 3 years since the last bottle of this vintage. Reaching it's peak now. (2253 views) | | | Tasted by Gen NY on 8/13/2017 & rated 89 points: Open and decanted for 1 hour. Nice clear garnet color with a hint of orange at the rim. Smells of blood and wet earth. On the palate the strongest impression is smoke, followed by forest floor and slightly unripened blackberry. Tannins are chunky and drying still. Maybe decanting another hour will help. Acidity seems high for a Bordeaux blend. The Cab franc is a bit too dominant now leaving a vegetal impression. Should develop with age as the Cab Suav comes into its own and the. Blackberries ripen. (2229 views) | | | Tasted by moods on 6/24/2017 & rated 90 points: Definitely worth being patient with this one. Has developed nicely, tannins are present but well rounded. Lovely smoky and rich plummy fruit. Paired well with bison burgers, stuffed with bacon and blue cheese, from the grill. Worth keeping aside for a few more years. (2608 views) | | | Tasted by Geoffy on 4/24/2017 & rated 91 points: Took this to the pub for the Sunday evening crowd to try out at the bar.
Very popular, with comments mostly about its powerful nose, rich dark fruit flavours and the added bite so typical of good SA wines. The tannins seem to be softening. Very long, and went remarkably well with the pizza and fajitas. (2193 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Meerlust Producer website
Overview
Long recognized for producing world-class wines, Meerlust Estate has been the pride of the Myburgh family since 1756. Today, the traditional dedication to the art of winemaking continues under the guidance of Hannes Myburgh, eighth generation custodian of this seventeenth-century national monument.
Meerlust, with its historic manor house, classic wine cellar, family cemetery, dovecote and bird sanctuary is situated fifteen kilometers south of Stellenbosch, with the blue crescent of False Bay a mere five kilometers away. The Estate is uniquely positioned for the production of wines with exceptional complexity and character. In the summertime, ocean breezes and evening mists roll in from the coast to cool the vineyards. The grapes ripen slowly, thus achieving full, concentrated varietal flavours. The soil consists of predominantly deep, well drained Hutton and Clovelly soil types, affording the vines excellent drought resistance and an ideal substrata for producing concentrated, complex wines.
One hundred and ten hectares are planted with varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir.2006 Meerlust Rubicon Rubicon 2006
VITICULTURE
All the vineyards were green harvested during veraison to reduce yield, increase concentration and fruit definition. The 2006 vintage was almost ideal for Cabernet based blends, but particular care had to be taken to ensure full physiological ripeness.Cooler weather meant longer hang time and slower ripening.The crop was very healthy due to brisk South Easterly breezes.The fruit from each vineyard was harvested in small lots and fermented separately to monitor vineyard expression.
VINIFICATION
The Cabernets were given quite lengthy macerations to ensure complete extraction of the perfectly ripe fruit, but the Merlot was given even longer post fermentation maceration to encourage complete polymerization of complex tannins and add a broad, juicy and ultra-silky texture to the blend as a whole. Malolactic fermentation was completed barrel for 6 months before assessment and assemblage. The 2006 Rubicon is %74 Cabernet Sauvignon,8 % Merlot and 18 Cabernet Franc. The wine spent a total of 24 months in 65 % new French Nevers oak with 35 % 2nd Nevers and Alliers barrels.
TASTING NOTES
Very deep, youthfull colour, intense almost purple hue. Very classic Rubicon nose with violets, ripe plum, cedarwood and intense spiceynesss. Still very young but brooding, promising further maturation potential. The palate is full bodied, structured but packed with fresh dark fruit and rounded, linear tannins.
ANALYSIS
Extract : 34.26 g/l
Residual Sugar : 2.98 g/l
PH : 3.56
Total acidity : 6.00g/l
Alcohol : 14.39%
AGEING POTENTIAL
15 - 20 years, provided wine is stored in ideal cellar conditions
IDEALY SERVED AT 18°C - 20°C
COMPLEMENTS
Venison, game, pot roast and noble cheese
Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.South Africa Wines of South AfricaStellenbosch Stellenbosch Wine RoutesStellenboschThe historical town of Stellenbosch boasts a winemaking tradition which stretches back to the end of the 17th-century.
Stellenbosch is the educational and research centre of the winelands. Stellenbosch University is the only one in South Africa with a viticultural and oenological department, and many of the country's most successful winemakers studied there. The Nietvoorbij Institute of Viticulture and Oenology is also in Stellenbosch and this organisation has one of the most modern experimental wineries in the world and, at its experimental farms (situated in several wine growing districts), important research into new varietals, clones and rootstocks is undertaken.
The mountainous terrain, good rainfall, deep well-drained soils and diversity of terroirs make this a sought-after viticultural area. The rapidly increasing number of wine estates includes some of the most famous names in Cape wine. The district, with its mix of historic estates and contemporary wineries, produces excellent examples of almost all the noble grape varieties.
The intensively farmed Stellenbosch district has been divided up into several smaller viticultural pockets including Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Bottelary, Devon Valley and Banghoek. |
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