Five Soldiers
Ambling into the Rustenberg plush and state of the art tasting room the first sense one gets is a feeling of quality and tradition. For long an ardent fan and follower of Rustenberg my mind thinks back to their famous Rustenberg Red 1974. A legendary wine the legend continues. I don’t like to use the term “first growth” lightly as I think it finds its true place in France, in Bordeaux. But I think that there are a number of Cape producers that deserve the title based on producing fine wines for many years. Rustenberg is one of them.
Sitting down with Murray Barlow, cellar master and sales marketing man for Rustenberg we tasted a range of high, quality and some remarkable wines. Some of the finest that Rustenberg has to offer. Starting off with the Rustenberg Rousanne 2011. This Rhone variety showed the enormous promise for Rhone varieties in the Cape. Sometimes they do not perform but this one does. Pale straw with a candy peel nose and lilies. Lovely, smooth palate and utterly delicious and drinkable. Buy it!
Then the Rustenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2012. Deep straw with typical guava, white peach and perfumed nose. A rich, round palate with acidity in the background holding the wine together. Not you’re typical in your face New World Sauvignon Blanc. Rich and refined it holds something back showing greater promise.
Moving onto the two Chardonnays on offer. The Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2011. Medium gold with petrol and butter on the nose. The wine is wild fermented. Lending it plenty of flavour. The palate is still tight.
Now to the jewel in the crown as far as the whites go. The Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2010 from a single vineyard. Even gold. Lovely buttery, enticing nose with burnt citrus character. Palate shows various flavours and is very intense. Rich, rounded, full, elegant palate.
Now onto a rather large flight of reds. The Rustenberg Stellenbosch Shiraz 2011. Using the Australian name for the variety here. Lighter in colour with a gamey pong on the nose also brambles. Red fruit character on the palate.
The Rustenberg Stellenbosch Syrah 2009. Using the French name for the variety here. Ruby red. Game and spice on the nose. Easy to drink, rich and peppery. Delicious. Good, soft tannins with a fine backbone. A classy wine.
The Rustenberg Stellenbosch RM Nicholson 2009. Cabernet 50% and shiraz 42%. Quite dark purple hues. Beautiful nose with plum, dark fruits and cream perhaps coming from the oak? Palate less full, good length.
The Rustenberg Stellenbosch John X Merriman 2010. One of my favourite Bordeaux blends and one of the Cape’s finest. Deep garnet. Nose shy. A wine with great character, the palate still tight. Needs further development in typical, classical Bordeaux mold.
Peter Barlow
Now onto the red jewel in the crown and another single vineyard wine. The Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2006. Red with brown tinges. Pure 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Caramel, tobacco, cedar from the oak and plum all put together in a beautiful infusion. Unbelievable on the palate. Rich yet light in texture, rounded with great elegance and length. A wine for long term cellaring and maturation.
All the wines in the tasting flight were of fine quality. I am just going to pick out some of my favourites. The Rustenberg Rousanne 2011 is a beautiful example of what the Rhone can offer in South Africa. Fragrant, delicious and easy on the palate. It is worth enjoying now. The Rustenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2012 is a more restrained example of the variety on offer in South Africa, at present, and unlike many examples needs two to three years to fully develop and come into its own.
The Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2010 is a powerful example of Chardonnay with a rich, complex, enticing nose and the same on the palate. Like many of the Five Soldiers it can be enjoyed young because of its aromatic and sensuous qualities. But will definitely reward further cellaring perhaps up to ten or 15 years due to the power and complexity of the wine.
On the red side, the Rustenburg Stellenbosch Syrah 2009 is a good example of the Syrah. So many have struggled with this variety in South Africa failing to reveal its best and true characteristics. This one has all the game, pepper and spice synonymous with Syrah as well as fine tannins and class. Another fine red, for me, was the Rustenberg Stellenbosch RM Nicholson 2009. Lots of plum, dark fruits and cream it is a thoroughly enjoyable drink.
Finally, the Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2006. This wine never disappoints being the epitome in the red stable of what Rustenberg has to offer. Great complexity on the nose and on the palate with weight, elegance and an ineffable sense of class. The 2006 can be enjoyed now or cellared for long term maturation and enjoyment.
Returning to the theme of the “first growth.” Certain producers in South Africa possess a long track record of producing fine wine with an aristocratic edge. This gives them the title of “first growth.” Rustenberg is one of them. Not sitting still it retains a sense of the old with wines of elegance, restraint and class. At the same time, it has embraced modernity with very clean wines showing none of the dirty qualities stemming from the more rustic wines of the past. In this case, I am not referring to past Rustenberg wines but simply producers that have not embraced the latest techniques in the cellar. I am not a salesman for the countless modern wines being produced without soul but at the same time I cannot enjoy wines with too many rough edges.
What I finally value about Rustenberg is that they make equally fine reds and whites. This gives the serious consumer much to choose from their elegant, refined range. Their wines combine the aristocratic qualities of the past with some of the finest qualities of the new.
