Wine of the week: a great value Stellenbosch

published 26 July 2011

2008 Rustenberg, John X Merriman, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£12.49, or £9.99 until 16 August, Waitrose).

The most famous wine estate in South Africa is Rustenberg, minutes from Stellenbosch, at the foot of the Simonsberg mountain. With a glittering portfolio of wines, including a stunning, newly released 2010 chardonnay, it is remarkable that their stalwart red blend, John X, is only a tenner a bottle for the next month at Waitrose. I conducted a vertical tasting of this impressive wine the other day and the 2008 is the finest vintage I have ever tasted.

Made from cabernet sauviginon, merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc and malbec, and using top French oak barrels, this Bordeaux blend' might just be the greatest value wine of this recipe on the planet. Just about drinking, but with a decade of glory ahead of it, winemaker Randolf Christians must be the proudest guy in the country with his current portfolio. Even Rustenberg's top red wine cuve a mighty cabernet sauvignon, named Peter Barlow gets a mention in the new James Bond book guess what vintage? 2-007 of course! Watch out for this wine hitting our shores later this year priced around the £27 mark. It is a stunning creation.

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