The Rubicon is a classic vintage of this iconic Cape wine. Very deep, youthful colour, and intense almost purple hue.
"Alea iacta est. The die is cast," Julius Caesar is supposed to have said as he led his troops towards Rome in 49BC. The crucial border of the ancient capital was the Rubicon River, and the decision to cross it marked an irrevocable point in history. It would profoundly shift the course of Roman politics - there could be no turning back.
Some 2000 years later, a watershed event occurred in the life of Nico Myburgh, father of the current custodian of Meerlust, Hannes Myburgh. Holidaying in Bordeaux, he discovered that the terroir in this area of France was similar to that of the Eerste River Valley. Both have a distinctive climate, characterised by a cooling sea breeze. And both have a soil structure made up of decomposed granite and clay.
The red wines produced by the two regions, however, were very different. Unlike the Western Cape's specified cultivars, Bordeaux thrived on producing blends.
Nose: Nose with violets, ripe plum, cedar wood and intense spiciness. A typical liquorice note also evident on the nose.
Palate: The palate is full bodied, structured but packed with fresh dark fruit and rounded, linear tannins.
Finish: The impression is one of litheness and grace rather than over-arching power.
