2020 Rustenberg 'John x Merriman' Red Blend Stellenbosch

Winemaker Notes:  The John X Merriman is a powerful wine that rewards aging. In its youth the wine is worth decanting and expresses cassis, black currant and dark fruits complemented with cigar tobacco and sour cherry notes. As the wine ages and its fine grained tannins soften a softer more savory palate develops revealing wonderful drinkability and tertiary complexity.

Blend: 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


James Suckling - "Aromas of blackcurrant, back licorice, bark and baking spice. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Black-fruited with savory spice and leafy herbs. Steady intensity and depth here. Persistent. Sustainable."


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "Produced from 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 7% Malbec and 14% Petit Verdot, the 2020 John X Merriman offers a layered and seductive nose of black fruits with hints of oak and spice with dried herbs wafting from the nose. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is balanced with buttressing tannins and succulent acidity, offering flavors of black plum and dark cherry with hints of cassis and cinnamon. The wine glides to an elegant and complex finish that has me returning for a second and third sip. Bravo. This aged for 20 months in 35% new French oak barrels. 180,000 bottles were produced."


Wine Spectator - "Offers juicy black currant and boysenberry fruit accented by delicate black licorice, fig cake, graphite and dried thyme. Well-meshed, with light, taut tannins and a subtle streak of loamy earth. Fresh and balanced, this is a round and creamy crowd-pleaser. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Drink now."