This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by Jeanne over at Cook Sister, so of course the theme is South African wines - red, to be exact.
After some exploring, I decided on a Rust en Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine: Rust en Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Wine 2001
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Stellenbosch
Price: $22
The Nose:
Cassis... lots of cassis. A bit cedary.
The Eyes:
The Rust en Vrede is a beautiful brick red. It reminds me of a great quality garnet. Absolutely gorgeous.
The Palate:
After opening, I gave this wine a little taste and decided it would benefit from decanting. It didn't take long, and as I put the steak under the broiler, I poured myself a glass to sample.
There's a bit of that traditional green pepper here, but it's not overwhelming as it can be. The cassis on the nose follows through on the palate with deep, dark berry flavors. Nicely softened tannins result in a wine that is easy to drink and not too "chewy" but still has a nice backbone.
I know this sound cliche, but this has a really "elegant" finish that focuses very much at the back-sides of the tongue.
The Wrapup:
We drank this wine with a simply broiled top sirloin steak and brown-butter & garlic broccoli rabe.
I thought it was an extremely enjoyable wine - as did C. We are neither of us Cabernet drinkers and were surprised to find we enjoyed this as much as we did. I would absolutely buy this again to enjoy with a steak dinner.