De Grendel Rubaiyat 2019
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RATINGS
Vivino: 4.3 | Tim Atkin: 91 points
TASTING NOTES
De Grendel Rubaiyat 2019
The Rubaiyat is De Grendel’s flagship wine, first made in 2006 when cellar master Charles Hopkins was asked by Sir David Graaff to make an ‘iconic’ wine for the Estate.
A classically poetic Bordeaux style blend consisting of a quatrain of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, the Rubaiyat was named after Omar Khayyam’s exquisite collection of 1000 Persian love poems from the 10th century, held dear by the late Sir David. Each successive vintage features a different quatrain from the poem on the label, hence the blend of four varietals.
The Cabernet vineyards are situated in the Firgrove area, about 6 km from False Bay. The grapes are selected from specific sites focusing on lower yields, the age of the vines, and the soil types. The average berry weight of the selected vines is less than a gram, making them extremely small and concentrated. The Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot are from De Grendel and thrive in Cape coffee stone and light topsoil with deep broken laterite.
Deep ruby red in colour, floral nuances of fynbos alluringly give way to luscious aromas of blackcurrant and black plum, underpinned by distinctively complex notes of cedar wood and mocha with subtle hints of black pepper and dried herbs before an elegant black fruit driven entry unfurls delectable flavours of blackberry and mulberry, aptly augmented in body by velvety round tannin and savoury spice.
Varietal: 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot
Region: Durbanville, South Africa
Alcohol: 14.0% | Residual Sugar: 2.4 g/l | pH: 3.53 | Total Acidity: 5.0 g/l
Food Pairing: Marinated chargrilled ribeye steak, game pies, and moussaka topped with lots of aged parmesan.
Serving Temperature: 16–18°C