2013 Rustenberg John X Merriman

Community Tasting Notes (26) Avg Score: 90.5 points

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  1/28/2023 - johnrm Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Opened 6h early after our previous bottle improved a great deal over many hours after opening. Drinking beautifully now - nothing to add to my earlier comment. As a Bordeaux blend, it was served alongside a favourite 2005 Cru Bourgeois Claret with the beef course at a dinner party and was preferred by many. Later, the Bordeaux overtook this for complexity and character but this excellent classic from S. Africa is remarkable value (half the price of the Bordeaux). John X M is a firm favourite for us and we always give it at least a decade to develop. Open early and give it time to show its quality. Years ahead for this vintage IMO.

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  12/10/2022 - johnrm Likes this wine: 91 Points

  This took a while to show at first but, given an hour or more, the nose opened beautifully developing ripe berry fruits with spicy notes. Good colour with only a trace of brown at the rim. The palate seemed slightly lean at first but soon began to show attractive, rich, soft, mainly berry and dark cherry fruit with fragrant blackberries prominent. There were hints of strawberry on the late palate after a couple of hours. Dark plum skin and spice developed with time in the glass. Good balance and acidity. Forward (but soft) tannins and very good length.
  Superb with roast duck legs when the soft tannic backbone was a perfect foil.
  Well worth keeping until this point and it still has ageing potential if well stored.

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  5/22/2022 - wdlohr wrote: 89 Points

  dark and thick texture, slight velvet tone, soft, long blended finish

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  5/5/2022 - hkbob Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Deep red. More red than dark fruit with pencil lead and a hint of mint on the nose. Beautiful red fruited palate with a nice bead of fine acidity running through the middle, good length. This is really in the zone right now and based on this bottle has at least another 5+ years of prime drinking ahead. I really enjoyed with aged cheeses and smoked deli meats. Fantastic QPR.

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  12/23/2021 - jamesdoeser wrote:

  Tasting perfectly right now.

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View all 26 Community Tasting Notes

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