I would rather a frontal lobotomy than have to endure another history lesson in my life. All I need to ensure a good 6 hours sleep, is to hear some bone-numbing diatribe about a whole lot of people grinding their way through generations of hard work in the pursuit of some or other monotonal yet historically significant wine. When researching a product for sale, I usually gloss over the "History" section and head straight to the juicy "E-News" section of the wine site - that hopefully deals with past homicides, interesting divorces and general family acrimony which is far more interesting ...
Having been virtually raised on Vergelegen wines, it is tough not to get just a little emotional about their success. With its roots firmly planted in the 17th century, the wines and their story have tracked the highs, lows and highs again of South African sociology for the past 300 years. Owned and planted initially by Wilbur Smith-style diamond grillioniare prospectors, then having vines ripped up and the land used instead as a "model garden" by an arbitary goveror`s wife, only to be replenished once more in the 1980`s, by global corporate giant Anglo American, who with the assistance of Baron Eric de Rothschild together developed one of the most impressive wineries in the world. The winery remains listed in most Top 100 winery listings in the world and has not been shy to seek and obtain winning global ratings for their wines - instead of "keeping things local", which has been the error of many South African wineries for the past 20 years.
As always, it helps when budget is not a constraint in the pursuit of viticultural excellence, and the two wines that seem to have taken the cream of recognition in the past few years have been these two Cabernets.
Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet 2005 - $42 net
Clearly these guys have an affinity for Cabernet that many others can only aspire to. There is an energy in this wine that defies its price. Dark chocolate, coffee, abundantly rich blackberries and white pepper combine to an impressive and long finish.
Vergelegen Flagship Red 2004 - Steve Tanzer 94 - $65 net
That trademark energy in the Reserve Cabernet once more is bound up in a soft velvety pool of plums, chocolate, graphite and mint. It is lush and rich without any hint of too much sweetness (over-extraction). There is obvious intensity counterbalanced with a seemless sense of weightlessness. Bury some for a year or ten as there are great things in store for this wine over time.
60 bottles of each only - ready for immediate delivery/ collection.Any short orders will be covered by the second shipment due next month.
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