Anthonij Rupert Wyne South Africa
On Friday March 31st, I had the pleasure to meet
Alec Louw, Sales Executive Europe and Asia for Rupert Wines, who came to our
company Chinese restaurant “Dynasty Garden”.
He was having lunch with Melody, On-Trade Sales Manager at
ASC Fine Wines in Hong Kong, the distributor of Rupert Wines in Hong Kong, and
in the meantime introduce our Sommelier Team a few wines from the winery’s
portfolio.
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| Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting - Alec Louw from Rupert Wines and Melody from ASC March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong LeDomduVin © |
I did not know and never had the pleasure to taste Rupert
Wines previously, and I need to admit that I was pleasantly surprised.
South African wines always made me have a pucker face in the
past, as often too smoky, too tarry, too astringent or green, often unbalanced
or inharmonious, and also too hearty but in a bad way, even sometimes smelling
like the melting asphalt of a road scorched by the sun in the middle of summer.
Yet, I need to admit that my opinion has changed as I tasted
better South African wines over the last 5-6 years, with better balance and
overall harmony, less impregnated or marked by what I consider being “flaws”
cited above.
Rupert Wines surprised me by their gentle, easy going modern
attitude and approachable drinkability.
Anthonij Rupert Wyne at L’Ormarins is located in
Stellenbosch, about 62 km east of Cape Town on the Route 45, in a breathtaking décor
at the feet of the Groot Drakenstein Mountains.
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| L'Ormarins - Groot Drakenstein Moutains Courtesy of www.rupertwines.com |
“Anthonij Rupert Wines, founded in 1969 by the Rupert
family, has over 300 years of wine making history on the L’Ormarins property.
It has quickly become the benchmark reference for ultra premium wines from
South Africa. The winery is now owned by Johann Rupert who is also the major
shareholder of Richemont Group, which owns Cartier, IWC, Piaget, Dunhill,
Montblanc, Chloé, Panerai and many other world renowned brands.”
(Text courtesy of
ASC - http://www.asc-wines.com/?portfolio=anthonij-rupert)
The interesting part of Rupert Wines is that they are creative
and innovative, combining old tradition with modern techniques, and above all environment
friendly in their ways of producing, ageing and even dressing their wines (capsules,
corks and labels). Their labels for the PROTEA wines range are just like pieces of Art designed by acclaimed designer Mark Eisen.
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| Image courtesy of www.drinksfeed.com |
Soon, they will even get more innovative and active in an
eco-friendly manner by replacing the traditional cork of some of their wines,
with the latest invention of 2 of the world leaders of corks and wine
packaging “Amorim and O-I” called the “Helix” Cork. A revolutionary cork with a
twist created as an alternative against metallic and plastic screw-caps, which
respect for both the wine and the environment.
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| Picture courtesy of www.amorimcork.com |
Here is a short video about Helix Cork to better understand how it works (courtesy of Amorin Cork Italia)
Read more about Helix cork on Amorin website at http://www.amorimcork.com/en/products/catalogue/helix/
That day, we tasted the following wines
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| Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting - Protea Chenin Blanc 2015 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong LeDomduVin © |
2015 Anthonij Rupert “Protea” White Chenin Blanc South Africa
About 12.5 EUR, 13.5 USD or 105 HKD a bottle
An appealing wine for younger and more feminine generations (as
well as amateurs) with an attractive and recognizable painted label design
created by world renowned designer Mark Eisen. Environment friendly the small
label is easily removable and made of recycled paper, even the paint is also 100%
recyclable and heavy metal free. Outside of the packaging, is the wine good
will you ask?
Well… it is definitely very enjoyable and dry compared to all the
sweet Chenin from South Africa out there, which is a characteristic that I enjoyed
(tired of this sweet Chenin that taste like nothing). Think about simple
outings, like BBQ with friends, a nice day on the beach, light and fresh food…
easy going, nothing too complex, it is made for relaxing time and nothing else
to think about….
2014 Anthonij Rupert “Protea” Red Cabernet Sauvignon Franschhoek Valley South Africa
About 4 EUR, 4.5 USD or 36 HKD a bottle
Like the Chenin Blanc above, nice and easy going, juicy and approachable,
maybe somewhat slightly less appealing to my palate, but I rather let you judge
it for yourself.
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| Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting - 2014 Cape of Good Hope Chardonnay Serruria March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong LeDomduVin © |
2014 Anthonij Rupert Cape of Good Hope Chardonnay “Serruria” Elandskloof Overberg South Africa
About 11.5 EUR, 12 USD or 102 HKD a bottle
For a wine that has spent 11 months ageing on his lees after
being fermented partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in old French oak
barrels and old wooden vats, one will immediately notice that it is not overly
rich or marked by the oak at all, it is rather fresh and zesty, almost shy for
my palate. Planted on the slopes of the Stettyn mountains (outside Villiersdorp),
between 700 and 900 meters above sea level, the location of the vines, conferred
to this wine its freshness and minerality, somewhat reminiscent of a Chablis,
rather than the usually expected ultra extracted, heavy and woody new world
chardonnays.
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| Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting - 2012 Optima Bordeaux Blend March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong LeDomduVin © |
2012 Anthonij Rupert “Optima” Franschhoek Valley South Africa
About 20 EUR, 26 USD or 200 HKD a bottle
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc,
this appealing wine is quite reminiscent of a Bordeaux wine, Medoc more
particularly. Even the label and overall packaging, similar to Chateau Lafite
Rothschild, could make it pass for a classic Bordeaux bottle in the middle of a
shelf at your favorite wine store. Red and black berry on the nose, earthy and
oaky notes and spicy nuances. The palate is quite rich and ripe, yet balanced
by a nice amount of acidity, complex and harmonious with blacker berry fruits
and spices than on the nose. The finish is polished and textured, quite long
with integrated refined tannins. A very
nice surprise overall at 20 bucks. I had no real expectation at first but it
really boasted some attractive features that called for another glass.
Thank you Alec Louw for letting us taste and discover your wines, and Thanks to you and Melody for choosing to come in our comapny Chinese Restaurant Dynasty that day.
Cheers!!!
LeDomduVin a.k.a Dominique Noël
Read more about Anthonij Rupert Wines on their website at www.rupertwines.com
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