2016 De Toren - Fusion V (92 pts) @detorenprivatecellar ℹ️

2016 De Toren - Fusion V (92 pts) @detorenprivatecellar ℹ️ This wine is from the Stellenbosch wine region in South Africa. De Toren is Dutch for ”The Tower” and refers to the winery's structure, which allows for gravity-flow winemaking. Fusion V is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 14% Malbec, 11% Merlot, and 7% Petit Verdot. The vineyards are six miles from False Bay, with south-facing slopes and a mixture of soil types. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, then basket pressed. The wine was aged in oak barrels for 12 months, with 50% of new and 50% 2nd fill barrels. Each grape variety is vinified and aged separately. All grape varieties are aged in French oak barrels, except Malbec, which is aged in American oak. 👁 Medium+ ruby color. 👃 Medium+ intensity on the nose. Aromas of ripe blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry, oak, cedar, star anise, bitter dark chocolate, and bay leaf. 👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ ripe tannins, high alcohol (14.5%), and medium+ body. A medium+ length finish of a mix of ripe black fruit, oak spices, and earthy. 🔔 De Toren Fusion V is a step up in overall quality than the De Toren Z. There is a lot of preference with that statement. Fusion V is more of a left bank Bordeaux blend from Stellenbosch. These wines are clean, perfectly ripe fruit, and well structured for aging. On the nose, this smells quite old world, but there are gobs of ripe black fruit on the palate that is married beautifully with the oak spices. A winery to pay attention to in Stellenbosch, these wines will surprise a lot of people. Given the fair prices, these represent outstanding QPR wines. 💰 ~$55 #vin #lovewine #🍷 #wineterroir #wine #bordeauxblend #cabernetsauvignon #stellenbosch #stellenboschwineroute #southafricanwine