Ernie Els Proprietor’s Blend Stellenbosch 2011: Inky, black cherry color; tight nose becomes lush with air, blackberry, black cherry; on the palate, black berries, cherry, some blackcurrant tang,
black olive, chocolate, licorice present; creamy and velvety on the mouth, nice acidity (3.53 pH), dry with tasty, fleshy dark fruits, fairly serious tannin—decant helps expose nose and tame tannic pucker power. This is dark fruits blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 25% shiraz, 5% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, 5% malbec, 5% petit verdot—all the varieties grown on the Els estate. The vineyard and winery are owned by South African golf legend Ernie Els; “wine is like golf—in both endeavors nature has the last ruling,” Els says. His vineyards benefit from cooling breezes off the South Atlantic less than 10 miles away; Stellenbosch is the Western Cape province of South Africa some 31 miles east of Cape Town. Ernie’s big, tasty wine scores above par (a good thing when it comes to wine). $36
Second photo: Ernie Els
