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 Vintage2020 Label 1 of 19 
(NOTE: Label borrowed from 2019 vintage.)
TypeRed
ProducerThelema (web)
VarietyRed Bordeaux Blend
DesignationRabelais
Vineyardn/a
CountrySouth Africa
RegionCoastal Region
SubRegionStellenbosch
AppellationStellenbosch
UPC Code(s)5003262000905, 6003438000905

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2025 and 2036 (based on 6 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Thelema Rabelais on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 1 note) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by MSheridan on 3/29/2024 & rated 91 points: Yes, it’s early days but given a 2 hour double decant the prior day and cork left out the bottle a couple of hours this didn’t feel like vinfanticide
Plenty of minty cassis on both nose and palate, this was all about the fruit which has nice depth and vibrancy.
Give it 5years and onwards and it’ll be great (167 views)

Professional 'Channels'
By Neal Martin
Vinous, Growing Up ‘n Getting Wiser: South Africa in 2022 (Sep 2022)
(Thelema Rabelais Red) Subscribe to see review text.
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

Thelema

Producer website

Red Bordeaux Blend

Red 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 Africa

Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch Wine Routes

Stellenbosch

The 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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