Anthonij Rupert Optima 2019

The complex and full-bodied 2019 Anthonij Rupert Optima (37% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc) offers a delightful aroma resplendent with savory dark fruits in the form of black cherry, currant, and plum with added touches of cedar and vanilla. Rich and round in the mouth with velvety layers of cassis, black fruits, and heady spices, the 2019 Anthonij Rupert Optima easily ingratiates itself to the palate. Big in flavor but supple in texture, Anthonij Rupert’s 2019 presents itself as a real dandy – a truly outstanding Bordeaux-style blend that is more than capable of going toe to toe with more expensive classified Bordeaux and New World Meritage offerings, as the critics have noted (93 Points – Wines & Spirits; 91 Points – James Suckling; 90 Points – Tim Atkin MW). For optimal enjoyment, afford the 2019 Anthonij Rupert Optima at least 15-20 minutes of aeration before enjoying it at cool room temperature (58°-62° F). Anticipated maturity: 2024-2029. Enjoy!

The sophisticated, highly flavored 2019 Anthonij Rupert Optima brings its welcome wherever it goes, whether solo or at table. It is thoroughly gratifying on its own, yet it also provides a superb companion to beef, lamb, complex sauces, mushrooms, roasted root vegetables, and game. Grilled Loin Lamb Chops rubbed with fresh mint, rosemary, and sage earns especially high marks in the company of this fine Meritage offering. A Duo of Veal Medallions and Lamb Loin wrapped with prosciutto ham also deserves serious consideration. Herb Encrusted Beef Tenderloin served with roasted root vegetables, braised onions, and a potato soufflé provides another tasty complement. Duck Breast prepared with a blackberry or dark cherry reduction provides plenty of pleasure, too, as will Grilled Quail with a Pomegranate Orange Sauce over a bed of potato gnocchi. Grilled Ostrich with wild mushrooms in a mustard shallot sauce earns high marks, too. For those for whom less is more, a selection of creamy soft cow’s milk cheeses provides a delicious and easy to prepare accompaniment to Anthonij Rupert’s superb 2019 Optima. Bon Appétit!

The Anthonij Rupert Wyne estate occupies a prized location on South Africa’s Western Cape. Founded by the late Anthonij Rupert on the 17th century L’Ormarins farm in beautiful Franschhoek, this ideally situated property was taken over by Anthonij’s brother Johann in 2003. With superb vineyard selections, a new state of the art winery, and a passion for fashioning a bevy of exciting red and white wines from South Africa’s premier grape varieties, Johann has brought this picturesque property to the forefront of South African wine producers.

Although award winning brandy and white wines were fashioned at L’Ormarins farm long before the arrival of the Rupert brothers, it is the Anthonij Rupert Wyne red wines from French varietals that first captured international attention and thrust Anthonij Rupert Wyne into the top echelon of South African wine. This month’s feature, Optima, a highly allocated Bordeaux-style (aka Meritage) blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, remains the most renowned wine from this estate. However, the winery’s single varietals are equally impressive under both the Anthonij Rupert Wyne and Protea labels.

Protea, the national flower of South Africa, is renowned for its beauty and diversity. In order to introduce the beauty of South Africa’s floral kingdom and its exceptional wines to a greater audience, Anthonij Rupert Wyne created Protea. Protea highlights two of South Africa’s most important varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc. They also offer a fine dry rosé. Each is bottled in what may be the world’s simplest but most beautiful label in the form of latticed protea flowers, a fitting tribute to the beauty and diversity of the protea flower and the wine. Protea labels are printed from 100% recycled material to symbolize the estate’s environmentally friendly ethos and commitment to sustainable practices. Most important, the Protea Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, and Rosé capture the purity and quality international wine drinkers have come to expect from Anthonij Rupert Wyne.

Meritage is California’s answer to Bordeaux. It is also a term that has come in vogue in the last two decades to describe other New World blends that are made from traditional red Bordeaux varietals. Therefore, a Meritage wine is essentially a blend of three or more traditional red Bordeaux grapes with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc the most notable participants. Malbec and Petit Verdot are the other two most common players. However, there are no legal or proscribed percentages for each grape variety in a Meritage wine, so producers are permitted to vary how much of each varietal finds its way into the final offering, much as Bordeaux Châteaux vary their cépages or blends depending upon the estate’s desired style of wine and the vagaries of each individual vintage. Nearly all Meritage wines in the United States must eschew the name of a single varietal on the label because varietal bottling requires that a minimum of 75% of a single variety – or more depending upon the American Vitcultural Area (AVA) – be present in a blend to be labeled as such. The minimum requirement for varietal labeling in Europe and in most other New World producing wine countries is 80% of a single grape variety.