The wine is a full bodied with a concentrated fruit core wrapped by lush, sleek tannins and earthy minerality. Refreshingly dry on the finish, the wine has a prolonged pleasant aftertaste.
R175.00
Rikus Neethling Red Blend 2024
Appearance
A luminous cherry-red with bright ruby hues and a degree of translucency. The lighter colour profile speaks to Sangiovese’s influence in the blend, giving the wine an immediate sense of brightness and energy.
Nose
Pronounced and highly perfumed, led by ripe cherry, raspberry and pomegranate, with rose petal and red-fruit tea adding an aromatic lift. Beneath the plush red fruit, Shiraz brings darker touches of bramble, subtle star anise, lavender and liquorice. Gentle secondary notes of baking spice and white chocolate add creamy softness without detracting from the fruit’s purity.
Palate
Dry, with medium (+) acidity that feels fresh and mouth-watering rather than sharp, carrying a subtle olive-brine quality that gives the wine lift and savoury definition. Fine-grained tannins are integrated, giving a silken, polished texture rather than the more rustic grip often associated with Sangiovese.
Medium-bodied, with a particularly juicy mid-palate. Ripe red fruit brings succulence and generosity, while the tannins shape the wine through to the finish. An earthy, savoury undertone gradually emerges, but ripe strawberry has the final say, leaving the wine bright and inviting.
Finish
Medium (+), defined by freshness, pure red fruit and a savoury tannin edge that delivers a pleasing dryness and keeps the finish composed.
Conclusion
A particularly welcoming style in a landscape where red wines can become unnecessarily demanding. This sits comfortably in the category of an all-season red: effortless enough to enjoy on its own, yet with sufficient body, savoury detail and structure to hold its place at the table. The balance between brightness and texture is particularly successful. Fruit remains the hero, but there is enough tannin, spice and savoury complexity to give the wine character and enough length to make it memorable.
Ageing Potential
There is enough complexity here, although the wine is intended for pleasure first and foremost. It ticks the important boxes of freshness, fruit purity, balance and structure. Best enjoyed now and over the next three years; fruit and perfume remain at the forefront.
Food Pairing
Tagliatelle al ragù di salsiccia – fresh tagliatelle with Italian sausage, tomatoes, fennel and herbs. The wine’s bright acidity works naturally with tomato, while its red fruit, spice and fine tannins complement the richness and savoury depth of the sausage.
TASTING NOTE
There is something immediately enticing about the colour of this wine – a luminous, jewel-like cherry red, vibrant and just translucent enough to tell you this isn’t going to be one of those reds that sits heavily in the glass. It is wonderfully perfumed, bursting with ripe cherries, raspberry, pomegranate, and dried rose petals, with just enough darker bramble, lavender, liquorice, and spice from the Shiraz to stop everything from becoming too pretty.
More charm awaits on the palate. There is a lovely juiciness through the middle – plush red fruit, ripe strawberry and cherry – but it comes with enough attitude to keep things interesting. The tannins are fine and silken, the acidity bright, and a subtle olive-brine, earthy edge cuts through the fruit’s sweetness.
Sangiovese gives it that distinctive combination of freshness, red fruit and slightly rustic Italian character; Shiraz rounds the edges and brings a darker, spicier swagger.
It is succulent without being soft, perfumed without becoming frivolous and structured without feeling like hard work. Right at the end comes a little gravelly, terracotta-like dryness with just enough savoury grip to pull all that sun-ripe fruit back into line. A lighter, brighter style of red with plenty of flavour, and the kind of wine that disappears from the bottle rather faster than you intended.
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