Badenhorst Secateurs Red Blend Coastal Region 2011: Inky color, pepper, smoke nose; big cherry, raspberry, plum, redcurrant tang, some white pepper and restrained oak on the palate; shiraz (64%), cinsault (26%), grenache, mourvèdre, pinotage (grapes and percentages vary with vintage); complex and well-done, supple tannin, easy drinker, easy finish. Adi Badenhorst is one of the new giants in South African winemaking, pushing Swartland region onto the world stage with his charisma, beefy rugby player body, pork chop sideburns, freewheeling conversational style, and passion for quality wine at reasonable prices. Ari asks the fruit to speak, so counterintuitively this is not bulldoze you over booze bomb, but comes in at restrained 13.5% alcohol. Most people know of the Stellenbosch and Paarl wine regions in South Africa; Swartland (30 miles north of Cape Town) is a new frontier of wine and olive production. Get a flavor of the spirit of the region and winemakers by visiting http://aabadenhorst.com and checking out their “The Swartland Revolution” poster where Adi is dressed up somewhat like Mr. T surrounded by toughs in leather and an easy-on-the-eyes lass while bombs explode and helicopters and missiles fly in the background. They may talk bad boy, but boy they make good wine. $19
