Altydgedacht Estate Durbanville Barbera 2011 92 Points

www.altydgedacht.co.za

Clear, ruby red with purple rim, medium plus concentration, high viscosity.

Clean, high intensity, toasty, charry, mocha character masking at this stage the very ripe dark red fruits such as plums, blackberries, sandy mineral, oaky profile, but will integrate, actually remembering the 2010, which was marginally oakier at similar age last year, need +/- 3 years (2015) to integrate, spicy, leesy complexity alind to unrack barrels, but clean.
Could there be a soupcon of Rhone varietal added in the blend? e.g Shiraz or Mourvedre or combination of both?

Dry, full bodied, powerful impact, high acidity typical of the variety, lending a nervous and racy structure, medium ripe tannins, juicy, lots of dark red fruits, black olives, savory herbal edge, peppery, very high alcohol though (14.5%) lending a chest warming note, style not for faint hearted, medium plus lenght and medium plus complexity, precise freshness, although the alcohol is very high, the racy natural Barbera acidity will still make it food friendly.
Now until 2023+

It is interesting to note, around 2009, Barbera was a notoriously hard sell variety on the wine lists, but 2 years of relentless inhouse promotion, in various restaurants, especially the Italiam theme, with regular free tasting to customers that like full bodied red wines, we have seen since 2011 that it now actually sells very well, so much so that for the second year running (2011 & 2012) Altydgedacht Estate have been out of stock for roughly 2 months in between new vintage release, a positive evolution in restaurant wine consumptions.

For those who are not aware Altydgedacht were the first Estate in South Africa to release a Barbera bottling, some 25 years back, and last year as well as this winter, new vineyard of Barbera will be added to supplement the existing and established Old vines of over 25 years old (fairly old by SA standards), testament that there is indeed a following.