Stark-Conde Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
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Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
2015 was a very dry year, resulting in very rich, soft wines. Many winemakers consider it to be one of the best vintages of the past 20 years. The wines are boldly fruited and very plush. A consumer-friendly style!
Blackberry fruit aromas with tea-leaf and cedar notes. The palate is rich and polished with dark fruit and mocha flavors and a finely balanced acidity. Long finish with the fine tannins typical of a Jonkershoek Valley wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Solid, with lots of dark tobacco and baker's chocolate notes coating a core of steeped plum and black currant fruit. The fruit and tobacco notes meld nicely through the muscular finish. Best from 2018 through 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
There's a leathery, tobacco-like seam throughout this dark and masculine Cab, adding intrigue to the black plum and cassis core. Hints of char and roasted coffee give a rich impression to the palate, which feels plush and velvety in texture yet well-structured and defined. The finish is long and evolving, with an enduring grip and final notes of cigar box and black-fruit skin. Drink 2021–2025.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in roughly 30% new oak, the deep ruby/purple-colored 2015 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon reveals terrific notes of blackcurrants, smoked herbs, tobacco and leafy herbs. With medium-bodied richness, a very classic, fresh, structured style, present tannin, and a great finish, it's a beautiful wine.
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A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
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.