Remaining republicans left in SA must have shivered in their velies when Etienne le Riche proclaimed Stellenbosch the kingdom of Cabernet at the CWG pre-auction tasting last week. He mentioned that Cabernets from the last 15 years would be showcased at Cape Wine 2015 but after studying the line-up, all I could find was

Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon/ Cinsault blends: Fashion or Future?
Time: 15:00 – 15:30pm 
Presenter: Christo le Riche, Le Riche winemaker

Blended or pure, Cabernet Sauvignon has for long been king in Stellenbosch.  Before 1990, Cinsaut was often used to increase volumes of the then scarce Cabernet and made blends of great poise and longevity, but has since lost favour to Merlot.  Does this blend still have a place in the South African story and should we not be placing more emphasis on it?

presented by his son, Christo.

Now as I’ve pointed out before, WOSA logistics ensure that a maximum of 20 tasters can be accommodated at each seminar. So what kind of Kingdom does Etienne have in mind? Andora? Monaco? Lilliput?

A vertical tasting of Cabernets at the 12 Apostles last month confirmed that Stellenbosch is a prime address indeed for Cabernet as I reported in The Times last week.

Bottle of the Week: Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

How much? R60

Where? Shoprite/Checkers stores countrywide

Why? “Too cheap” is how one supermarket wine buyer characterizes the Kleine Zalze brand. Which could very well be the case for this Cellar Selection as stablemate, the Vineyard Selection, costs double while the Family Reserve doubles it again. Three Cabernets from the same farm, both tasting of savoury tomatoes, strawberries and black pepper. So what’s the difference?

Grapes for the Cellar Selection are sourced from various locations around the Western Cape while the Vineyard Selection uses grapes from the Kleine Zalze farm only and the Family Reserve is a single vineyard below the Stellenbosch Techno Park. The multiplier is the price for terroir, that whimsical notion that the sense of taste can be used as a GPS. It also supports the claim that Stellenbosch makes the best Cabernet in the Cape.

So is a bottle of the Family Reserve worth a case of the Cellar Selection? We’re talking ladder brands here with each rung an aspirational experience. This is one ladder worth climbing.

Rating: ***

*****: eine kleine nachtmusik

****: Yves Klein

***:  Klein bottle

**: Naomi Klein

*: Calvin Klein