THELEMA has long been one of South Africa’s leading Cabernet Sauvignon producers and these days the focus at the top end of the pyramid is on a Bordeaux-style blend, the flagship ‘Rabelais’ being a Cab-driven partnership involving Petit Verdot. Of late, however, two of the Webb family’s other reds that have been grabbing attention are the Reserve Merlot from their Simonsberg mountain vineyards above Helshoogte in Stellenbosch and the Reserve Grenache (Noir), the grapes trucked to cellarmaster Rudi Schultz in Stellenbosch from the proprietors’ Sutherland farm in Elgin.

The Thelema Merlot Reserve has a very good track record spanning the past couple of decades, with recent vintages 2015 and 2016 rated 5 Stars in Platter’s SA Wine Guide before selling out and being replaced by the currently-available 2017. Whereas the Sutherland Grenache is brand new, the maiden vintage 2016 having been greeted with praise here, there and everywhere – including Sydney, Australia, where it was awarded double gold at the Six Nations Wine Challenge.

At the time of writing, the 2016 Sutherland Reserve Grenache was still available from Thelema’s tasting room, a venue recently expanded to include more seating in an air-conditioned space with a deck beyond the glass doors where you can take in the surrounding vineyards and mountain backdrop while sipping from good glasses, possibly at no charge… The tasting fee of R80pp is waived if you buy a bottle of wine, any wine – something rarely encountered in the winelands these days.

Thelema Merlot Reserve 2017
WO Stellenbosch. 29-year-old vines. Supplementary drip irrigation. Grapes harvested on 13 February and hand-sorted. Initial fermentation using natural-occurring yeast in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. Matured in French oak barrels (100% new) for 18 months.
Alc 14.5 | RS 1.7 | TA 5.9 | pH 3.4
Winemakers’ Tasting Note: Showing extraordinary concentration of ripe berries and cedar wood.
Maturation: will reward cellaring until at least 2028.
Pairing Suggestions: mushroom rissotto, rich pastas and grilled meats.
Cellar-door price: R350pb.

Sutherland Reserve Grenache 2016
WO Elgin. 10-year-old vines. Supplementary drip irrigation. Grapes harvested on 9 March. Large percentage whole-berry ferment. Free-run spent 17 months in older oak barrels.
Alc 14.5 | RS 1.6 | TA 6.5 | pH 3.3
Winemakers’ Tasting Notes: Assembly of roses and ripe berries welcomes you, with cinnamon and nutmeg notes. Fine ripe tannins. Reserved…
Maturation: enjoy through to 2025, at least.
Pairing suggestion: Melanzana Parmigiana.
Cellar-door price: R330pb.

Thelema, Helshoogte, Stellenbosch