Ernie Els Signature 2011
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Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Alluring, with mint, warm cocoa and dark tea notes leading the way for a rich core of black currant paste, warmed fig and dark cherry coulis flavors. The long, fine-grained finish features a soldering tea leaf accent. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Taking Bordeaux grape varieties to the limit, the 2011 Ernie Els Signature Red makes the statement that South Africa can "hang" with efforts from Bordeaux, the Napa Valley, Washington State, and other areas that showcase these grapes. This wine is powerful. Showing bold, black fruits, sweet oak, and heft on the palate, the finish seems endless. Drinks nicely now. (Tasted: June 15, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Signature is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Franc aged for 20 months in 300-liter French oak (70% new). It has a backward nose at first, with brooding black fruit, dark plum and mulberry emerging reluctantly in the glass. The palate is chewy on the entry with touches of black pepper sprinkled over the meaty black fruit, with decent structure and grip on the finish. As usual, this is a Proprietary Red with a big swing... but the ball lands on the green.
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As a leading South African ambassador and one of the most recognizable faces in the world of sports, Ernie Els has long demonstrated a passion for excellence. Focus, discipline and commitment have led to his extraordinary golf success. These same qualities are evident in Ernie Els Wines, a quest to produce premium wine that was born in 1999. Els naturally chose Stellenbosch, South Africa's most storied wine region, to produce his wines and brought on the award-winning Louis Strydom to oversee winemaking. In 2000, the first grapes were crushed for the inaugural vintage of Ernie Els Signature. In 2004, a 178-acre property on the slopes of Helderberg Mountain was chosen as the home of Ernie Els Wines.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.