Darkly opaque, dense ruby. Pure aromas of cedar with a hint of fresh mint.  Sweet cassis heart, spicy, supported by ripe and mellow tannins. Aromatic and with a splendid finish.
“Rich and juicy but also lovely depth of fruit on the palate. Sappy and bright and already complex though there's still fresh fruit flavours. Really long and fresh even with that level of richness. Very young and a long life ahead (makes me wonder if the Rustenberg Cabernet 1982 was anything like this in its youth)”, Julia Harding, MW, Jewels from South Africa, May 2009, on the purple pages of www.jancisrobinson.com.
Now-2014

Product Code: LER804

Etienne Le Riche is hugely admired in the Cape, not least by top winemakers almost a generation younger who are fellow members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, a by invitation association of 38 winemakers.  

Formerly the winemaker at Rustenberg, in 1996 Etienne rented a house and unused cellar at Leef-op-Hoop (literally Living on Hope) in the Jonkershoek Valley to start his own winery. Turning out a mere 5,000 cases a year, he is now assisted by his son and daughter. He sources mainly Cabernet from farms around Stellenbosch, and then with artisanal, highly traditional techniques - such as using open top fermenters and lengthy ageing in French barrels - he creates gentle, drinkable reds, not New World fruit bombs, very much in a Bordeaux idiom. These benefit from time in bottle to show their best and deliver remarkable value, especially as they are sold at higher prices in the Cape.

This year we have also shipped Etienne’s Chardonnay, a barrel-fermented wine of great balance and vivacity - Etienne chooses not to allow malolactic fermentation to preserve freshness.