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Ratings & Reviews
Chardonnay
Chardonnay 2010
Chardonnay 2009
Chardonnay 2008 Archived REVIEWS
Chardonnay 2007 Archived REVIEWS
Chardonnay 2005 Archived REVIEWS
Wine Spectator - James Molesworth - March 31, 2007
Highly Recommended S "Glazed pear, apple and hazelnut combine with lemon zest, mineral and matchstick notes in this rich, chiseled wine. The long, vibrant, mouthwatering finish brings you back for more."
Wine Spectator Online - James Molesworth - February 09, 2007
92 points "With glazed pear, apple and hazelnut combined with lemon zest, mineral and matchstick notes, this is both rich and chiseled, with a long, vibrant, mouthwatering finish that brings you back for more. Big improvement here since winemaker Chris Williams took over in 2004."
Chardonnay 2003 Archived REVIEWS
The Wall Street Journal - Adam Cohen - September 01, 2006
"At Meerlust on a warm day just after the harvest in March, I tasted the estate's four wines: a Chardonnay, a Merlot, a Pinot Noir and the Rubicon blend. All were excellent, but the Rubicon and the Chardonnay -- with a creamy finish that reminded me of some of the best French white Burgundies -- were my favorites. Meerlust, which means "love of the sea," is within range of cooling ocean breezes, giving its Chardonnay a crispness that can't be found in wines made just a few kilometers farther inland."
Wine Enthusiast - M.D. - March 2006
88 Points "Heavy notes of vanilla and caramel, char and menthol herald the oak in this wine. But on the palate, the oak is well integrated with white stone fruit and creme brulee flavors. Seemingly soft at first, this wine has a strong, fruity core that carries it right through the buttery finish."
Merlot
Merlot 2005 Archived REVIEWS
Merlot
Merlot 2003 Archived REVIEWS
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - Stephen Tanzer - March 2009
89 points "Saturated deep red. Complex nose melds plum, mocha, menthol and chocolate. Dense, supple and serious, with tobacco, earth and mineral tones to go with the plummy fruit. Soil-driven and slightly rustic merlot in an old-fashioned style but with strong material. Finishes with broad, palate-dusting tannins and good persistence."
Merlot
Merlot 2001 Archived REVIEWS
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir 2010
Pinot Noir 2009
Pinot Noir 2007 Archived REVIEWS
Wine Spectator - James Molesworth - February 28, 2010
88 Points "A broad, earthy style, offering mulled cherry and dark spice notes mingling with a hint of briar that lengthens the slightly edgy finish. For fans of the old school."
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - Stephen Tanzer - March 2009
89 points "Medium red. Redcurrant, tobacco, menthol, spices and earth on the nose; smells like a California pinot from the '70s. Savory and soil-driven, with a penetrating quality to the flavors of strawberry, redcurrant, smoke, tobacco and earth. Not a particularly fruity style but finishes aromatic and suave, with fine-grained tannins and very good definition and lift."
Rubicon
Rubicon 2007
Wine Enthusiast - Lauren Buzzeo - May 2012
92 Points Cellar Selection "One of the best vintages of Rubicon to date, and for the price it’s a fantastic value that’s great for building up your cellar. Right now, the wine is still young and tight, with firm, gripping tannins that need some time to mellow. Fortunately, there’s a great concentrated black-fruit core and enough acidity alongside the tannins to support long-term aging. Spicy and earthy, with accents of black tea, cedar and crushed violets."
Rubicon 2006 Archived REVIEWS
Wine Spectator - James Molesworth - November 15, 2010
90 Points "Ripe and dense, but sleek and focused, with a lovely core of mulled black currant, warm fig paste and tobacco, laced with mouthwatering dark olive and iron notes that help the finish stretch out nicely. Has solid grip in reserve, too."
Wine Enthusiast - Susan Kostrzewa - September 22, 2010
Paired with pistachio-stuffed Springbok wrapped in Prosciutto: "The sumptuous Meerlust 2006 Rubicon Bordeaux blend, with its cedar smoke, graphite and black fruit flavors, is a delicious accompaniment to the gamy, spicy and bitter chocolate notes in this dish."
Rubicon 2005 Archived REVIEWS
Wine Spectator Online - James Molesworth - March 18, 2007
"I particularly liked the '05 Rubicon, which we tasted from barrel. Rubicon is the estate’s flagship wine made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It was dark, loamy and powerful, with lots of tarry grip, but still had a vibrant, minerally spine. Kudos to this estate for updating its wines without losing its sense of place and history."
Rubicon 2004 Archived REVIEWS
Wine Enthusiast - Susan Kostrzewa - March 2009
90 points "Intense, lingering aromas and flavors give this wine...a memorable edge. On the nose, a combination of savory spice and dark plum and chocolate lead, while the palate is rife with earthy spice, mint, cocoa and smoke. Complex but balanced and traditional, the wine will age well and pair well with complex, robust dishes."
San Francisco Chronicle - Lynne Char Bennett - February 22, 2009
"This is an elegant, Old World-style wine, with concentrated dark fruit, creme brulee, cigar box and spice hints integrated with savory loam. Lovely balance, lengthy finish."
Wine Spectator - James Molesworth - September 30, 2008
90 points "Concentrated and grippy, with dark, roasted plum, black licorice, charcoal, mesquite and bittersweet cocoa notes. Traditional in vein, with an iron- and earth-filled finish that should soften nicely with cellaring. ...Drink now through 2013."
Rubicon 2001 Archived REVIEWS
International Wine Cellar - Stephen Tanzer - March 2007
88(+?) "Bright, deep ruby-red. Medicinal dark berries, black cherry, cedar, licorice and tobacco on the old-fashioned nose. Juicy, tight and a bit ungiving, with still-youthful plum, bitter cherry and cedar flavors. Finishes with slightly tough, building tannins. This should evolve in a Bordeaux direction, showing earth, truffle, tobacco and underbrush as it unwinds in bottle. The Rubicon is one of South Africas most famous wines, and insiders report that subsequent vintages have moved toward a more pliant style."
Wine Enthusiast Magazine - November 2006
94 points, #27 of "B “Over a quarter of a century ago, this was one of the first South African Bordeaux blends. It is still one of the best, a ripely tannic, firm wine that owes a lot to the structure given by the ripe grape from mature vines. Great acidity, great black currant fruits, and great style."--RV
Decanter - March 2006
4 Stars - Highly Rec "Delicate, sweet black fruit, with soft, unaggressive tannins."