Niel Joubert Reserve Tempranillo 2020

Niel Joubert is not a brand that screams “funky eccentric”, and yet that hasn’t stopped them dabbling in some less common cultivars to fill out their reserve range. Aside from their icon-style Proprietor Malbec, and a reserve Grenache Blanc, they also have this tidy little Tempranillo to supplement the more conventional Reserve Chenin, Chard, and Shiraz. And so happily, without too much fanfare, South Africa has another arrow in South its Tempranillo quiver.
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👃🏼 A medium nose of potting soil, red cherry, and red plum, which then unfurls quite nicely over time to reveal some fennel, vanilla, cedarwood, orange rind & lavender.

👄 Mouthfeel is medium weighted, with impressively tall, juicy, red cherry acidity up front, complicated by hints of vanilla and cinnamon, as well as a burst of purple flowers. With time in the glass, the acidity softens, revealing slightly riper plum fruit, Grenache-like cherry candy notes, and hints of blackcurrant pastille.

It’s a young wine, which explains the somewhat obtrusive nature of the grippy plum skin tannins on the tail. But like any PYT, what it lacks in refinement, it makes up for in brightness and berry freshness.

🔬 Wine of Origin Paarl. 100% Tempranillo. Clones were TP1 and TP4c, with Paulsen rootstock. Grapes were innoculated with Anchor’s NT50 yeast; a strain that is designed to boost both red and black berry elements in a wine. It’s mostly used on cultivars like Shiraz, Zinfandel Grenache, & Cabernet Franc. 60% of the final wine was matured in new 400l French oak barrels for 16 months. The other 40% remained in tank.

💰 ZAR160.00