Stellenbosch Glenelly Estate Reserve Rouge 2009

Lot presentation

Stellenbosch Glenelly Estate Reserve Rouge 2009

The wine

This cuvée is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 15% Syrah, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. There is a rigorous sorting process for the grapes before a low-intervention vinification. The domain is committed to producing wines that are as natural as possible with only indigenous yeasts and no acidification. The wine is matured in French oak barrels. This red cuvée is Glenelly’s signature bottle. With its deep, ruby colour, it offers a complex bouquet of blackcurrant, plum, cedar and tobacco, as well as lightly smoky notes. It is powerful and concentrated on the palate, revealing a good tannic structure and nice length. It can be enjoyed in its youth or after around 10 years following its vintage. Serve this wine at 16°C with smoked ham or duck confit.

After 30 years at the head of château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac, May de Lencquesaing decided to embark on a new wine adventure in South Africa. At the age of 78, she purchased Glenelly Estate, a 125ha farm in the heart of the iconic Stellenbosch appellation, producing wines since 17th century. There, on the lower slopes of the beautiful Simonsberg Mountains, on decomposed granite and sandstone soils, she planted her beloved red Bordeaux varietals as well as Shiraz and Chardonnay. The majority of the slopes are facing east and offer Glenelly an unusual cool climate for the region, enabling slow grape ripening. She built a state-of-the-art contemporary winery and hired winemaker Luke O'Cuinneagain, previously trained at Angelus, Screaming Eagle and Rustenberg. Today, the wines of Glenelly are internationally recognised for their great elegance and finesse, and the estate is a real tribute to the amazing dedication of its owner and all of her team.