Fable Mountain Vineyards Night Sky 2011
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: Syrah: 60%; Mourvedre: 25%; Grenache Noir: 15%
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Night Sky is a blend of 60% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre and 15% of Swartland Grenache with 30% whole-cluster fruit. The nose needs some encouragement, but it is worth the effort with some gorgeous blackberry and mulberry aromas emerging, interlaced with white pepper and fennel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fleshy in the mouth with sweet, ripe cassis and blackcurrant toward the finish. What a delightful wine to enjoy over the next 4 or 5 years.
-
Wine Enthusiast
The 2011 Night Sky shows more earthy character than the 2012, as upfront aromas of soil, blackberry leaf and pepper are grounded by ripe fruit tones of black currant, plum and mulberry. Medium weight on the palate, with velvety tannins that grip through the long, spicy finish. The dense, tight mouthfeel, firm structure and overall balance suggest this wine will age well through 2022.
Other Vintages
2013-
James
Suckling
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.