Natte Valleij 2019 P.O.W. Bordeaux Blend 750ml

Natte Valleij's old cape Dutch buildings have seen a lot of history, including housing a prisoner of war who was captured and exiled to the Cape during WWII. He most likely contributed to the farm's farming and winemaking while living in the cottage that winemaker Alex Milner calls home. The inscription P.O.W. B.T. 27/12/1943 is the fighter's only mark. In his honour, Milner created this limited release wine, his take on a SA Bordeaux blend. 2019 blends 73% cabernet sauvignon and 27% merlot, from the decomposed granite slopes of Simonsberg Mountain. This was fermented over 8-10 days and basket pressed into 225L barrels for 1 year prior to blending and a further 2 years' rest in foudre. Fragrant wild black cherry, black raspberry, sultry black plum, and suede is woven across the palate, imbued with scrubby florals/herbs, and lit with a granitic buzz. Tannins are dark cacao dusted, firm, and well integrated, structuring this bigger red through a lingering ferrous finish.

Score: 93 points -- Treve Ring, Gismondi On Wine