Wine Review – 2003 Meerlust Rubicon

Over the holidays, a couple of our friends made a trip to South Africa to visit family. They brought back some great items that are either not available here in the states or really expensive here and very cheap there. One of those items Mike and Kelley (these are the same friends that shared their 2003 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon with us, we really like them!) brought back was a locally grown wine from the Stellenbosch wine region. The Meerlust Estate is just 10 minutes outside of Stellenbosch and about 30 minutes from Cape Town. The estate has been around since 1693, but the current incarnation of the winery was started in 1959. The estate is in the historical register and was declared a national monument in 1987. So needless to say, they have some very old vines growing on that estate.

Due to the recent travel the bottle had experienced, we decided to decant this wine and let it breath a little before we tasted it. I think that was a good move on our part! On to the tasting notes: This is a smooth blend of 69% Cabernet, 19% Merlot, and 12% Cab Franc. This wine has an extremely deep purple, intense color, with light edges. You could tell by the look of it in the class that is was going to be full bodied with a relatively high alcohol content (13.5%). There were aromas of deep rich fruit, musky earth, herbs, and a little smokiness. After we allowed it to open up some, there were hints of floral and tobacco. On the palate, this wine had intense dark cherry and plum flavors with a little oak on the finish. This wine was very reminiscent of a French Bordeaux. This is a very complex wine and it seemed to change with every sip.

Even though this wine experience started with musky and earthy aromas, it was very smooth and an extremely enjoyable wine to drink. It was aged 24 months before it was released, add that to the 4 years in the bottle and it shows a great maturity. It could be aged for another 15-18 years and it would only get better. It would go nicely with grilled meats, wild game, hearty stews or noble cheeses. This bottle cost R280.00 in South Africa, but if you were to find it in the States, it would cost around $30, that is if you can find it! I have looked on several local sites and some national sites and they either don’t carry this wine or it is sold out. So it might be hard to find, but if you do find it, pick up a bottle or two, you won’t be disappointed! Thanks Mike and Kelley for sharing this excellent South African wine.

Cheers!