Uva Mira Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Stellenbosch, South Africa
It’s obvious that South Africa makes some good wines under $12. I’m sure there are some decent cabernets, some appealing shiraz and a whole lot of pinotage. I also know without a doubt that their chenin blanc in that price range is some of the best.
The problem is I’ve been trying to find South African wines with the wine of origin label as Stellenbosch. These seem to demand higher prices and aren’t as easy to find as wines labeled Western Cape, Coastal Region or simply South Africa. With several of the Bordeaux inspired blends from Stellenbosch fetching over $40 a bottle in the US, I’m not having an easy time getting the gist of the higher end wines from the region.
Since my mind was set on getting a decent red in the mid twenty dollar range, I found myself stalking the shelves of the wonderland that is Premier Wines. After passing up a $60 red from Anwilka and a $40 red blend from Meinert, I found a $20 Merlot Cabernet blend from Uva Mira. With the stars aligned for a wallet-to-bottle connection - and by stars I mean a wine labeled as Stellenbosch, a decent score by Steve Tanzer and the importer being Michael Skurnik – I brought this bottle home.
Now normally a 52% Merlot – 48% Cabernet Sauvignon blend would bore the crap out of me but that wasn’t the fate of this one. Inky red color with huge ripe plum and black currant aromas, this wine screamed hot climate. Again that would normally be a turnoff but its secondary aromas of tobacco, chocolate and smoke held my attention.
This wine felt supple and full until its fine tannins got a hold of my mid palate. There was just enough grip to remind me that this isn’t a new world fruit bomb. It had an old world rusticity that I can’t get enough of. With a long finish that was possibly sprinkled with a bretty medicinal note, this wine showed a whole lot of character.
With an intriguing balance of new world ripeness and old world winemaking technique, this wine heads in a direction more regions should strive for. I’d like to think that generally South Africa as a region combines old and new world styles but I just haven’t drank enough yet to declare it so. However this Uva Mira blend was just what I was looking for…a $20 Stellenbosch wine that shows what makes the region unique ultimately revealing a sense of place.
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