This week’s Wine Wednesday wine review comes to us from South Africa’s Stellenbosch region.
Wine: Faithful Hound, Mulderbosch – 2012
Varietals: Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot
Color: Deep ruby, with an amber rim
Notes: Vines are Bordeaux varietals, carefully sorted and selected by hand. Gentle extraction, long maceration time, with oak barrel fermentation.
Nose is leather, spice, with vanilla must and raspberry. Palate is bright raspberry, with a long, persistent finish. Mid note flavors of blackberry, vanilla, and leather, with nice legs, and a soft oak finish. Malolactic fermentation is present. A very soft, well balanced wine.
Pairing: Anything Italian, with red sauce, and a little spice. Coq au vin or a roasted duck breast would pair nicely, as would a rappini and spicy sausage pizza. A very soft, smooth wine to share with friends.
Recommendation: Drink now through 2016, 89 points
Suggested retail price: $24.99