De Grendel Rubaiyat in Winemag Cape Bordeaux Top 10
Our flagship Rubaiyat 2016 is in good company as one of the Top 10 in the Winemag.co.za Prescient Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report 2020, leading 61 entries of premium wines from 51 producers.
Bordeaux-style blends are often positioned as the pinnacle of a wine range, seen as the height of the winemaker’s craft, and so it is with Rubaiyat – first made in 2006 when the late Sir David Graaff tasked cellar master Charles Hopkins with creating an iconic wine for the estate.
“Rubaiyat grows in stature with each vintage, it truly has become an iconic wine sought after by wine lovers, collectors and those who appreciate the finer things in life. Being placed in the top 10 by the respected winemag.co.za panel is great recognition for an outstanding wine,” says Hopkins.
The wine was named after the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the 10th century Persian poetry held dear by Sir David, and so each vintage features a different quatrain from the poem and is composed of a quartet of varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Matured in new French oak for 18 months, Rubaiyat is made for luscious elegance and smoothness, a fine balance of deep fruit and dry spice nuances, rewarding cellaring for 10 to 12 years with velvety texture and richness.
The winemag.co.za panel, tasting blind, praised the Rubaiyat 2016: “The nose shows black fruit, dried herbs, earth and tar while the palate is full bodied – dense with punchy acidity and grippy, mouth-coating tannins.”
Also see: Grilled Ribeye Steak with Café de Paris Sauce & De Grendel Rubaiyat Recipe
The overall winner in the Cape Bordeaux red blend category, along with the scores of the top 10 wines, will be announced later in the year when Winemag.co.za reveals the ratings and winners across its 12 category reports conducted through the year.
Click here to order the Rubaiyat 2016 online.