Paarl estate Bacco grabs attention a year after opening
ITALIAN for Bacchus, the Roman God of Wine, Bacco is also the name of a new wine estate in the Simonsberg area of Paarl where proprietor Nathan Jankelowitz and his team are attracting attention in more ways than one. Opened to the public at the end of 2022, the Bacco tasting room and restaurant present a multi-sensory experience. There’s the Tuscan-inspired cellar – distinctive archetecture. The Cicchetti menu – Venice’s answer to Spain’s tapas – at tables indoors as well as out. And the winelist, featuring a couple of ranges including two versions of the Italian variety Vermentino among the whites and, among the reds, several blends comprising various combinations of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot, one of which in particular has been turning heads internationally.
Bacco’s first vineyards were planted as recently as 2016 on land previously covered in Port Jackson, an alien shrub of Australian origin, yet amazingly, from only their second vintage, the 2020 Cab/Malbec/Merlot combo in the premium estate range is already of such quality and interest value that it was judged one of the top two red blends overall at the 2023 Global Fine Wine Challenge in Sydney, Australia. Here’s how the panel members called it:
Huon Hooke: “Bold cassis, spice and cranberry fruit. Full Bodied wine, concentrated but very elegant, balanced and stylish with ample fine-grained tannins…” 97/100.
Jane Skilton MW: “Vivid colour. Lovely purity. Deep, dark fruit. Lovely touch of black olive. Sweetly fruited. Lovely dusting of tannin. Length.” 95/100.
Anthony Mueller: “Open knit, expressive, full, layered, complex, juicy and ripe; black berry and cassis with juicy spiced plum skin; good balance, firm finish.” 92/100.
Toni Paterson MW: “Juicy and ripe with lovely concentration and flow. Savoury oak tones.” 95/100.
BACCO RED BLEND 2020
WO Simonsberg-Paarl. 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Malbec, 7% Merlot. Grapes double-sorted by hand: whole-bunch sorting, followed by destemming and berry sorting. Grapes gently curshed then cold-soaked in stainless-steel tank for couple of days before fermentation, after which the wine is drained from the tank and the remaining solids pressed, the resulting juice transferred to French oak barrels kept separate from the rest of the wine until blending prior to bottling. All of the Cabernet and Merlot matured in new French oak barrels for 22 months, the Malbec in neutral French oak (used barrels). Bottle-matured for 18 months before release.
ALC 14.5 | RS 2.3 | TA 5.4 | pH 36
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: On the nose, cedar, cranberry, cherry cola, black forest cake, toasted vanilla. Flavour: dark chocolate, Amarena cherries, blackcurrant, plum, cassis, wild honey, balsamic. Mouthfeel: silky smooth, integrated tannins, mouth-filling presence and weight, with bright acidity lifiting the wine and leaving a lingering finish with a hint of cherries and vanilla.
Food Pairing Suggestions: chicken liver mousse; slow-braised beef with truffle mash; wild mushroom risotto with truffle and parmesan; Mongolian beef or any slow-cooked meat dish; Black Forest cake.
R360pb ex-cellar.
