Another pick from Freeport Wine and Cheese in Freeport, Maine. It is pretty on the pour, almost sparkly in vibrant purple with garnet rim. On the pour it is brimming with rich, dark blackberry and ripe plum fruit with prune notes only intensified on the nose. Later some cocoa emerges. This blend contains some Merlot, Mouvedre, Cabernet Franc and some Hermitage.
In the mouth this wine is nearly elegant with a silky texture, a tad sweet, nicely balanced and so ready to drink.
There is a mid-palate flavor of “band-aids” however, which I have associated with another South African Cabernet called Excelsior. Could this be "terroir" (distinctive characteristic of a specific geographical area) rather than the presence of “Brettanomyces,” a contaminant yeast that can be a flaw in some wines or actually desirable (to some people)in small amounts?
I don’t care for it but it doesn’t detract too much from this overall well-made wine from Stellenbosch. The finish is again silky and finessed. I paid $17 for this. Actually a pretty good wine--band-aids not withstanding. Raise a glass!
*A day later I tasted what I had left over and it was just enormously rich with bacon fat aromas I thought I would have to pick bacon bits out of my teeth. Wine is just plain FUN!
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