Zonnebloem Laureat 2015 Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa 75cl

Zonnebloem is one of the oldest names in South African wine, tracing back to a farm founded near Stellenbosch in 1692. Laureat is the range’s flagship, a wine made only in the better vintages to show what the estate’s Bordeaux varieties can achieve when the year allows.

Laureat is a Bordeaux-style red blend, led by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and rounded out with a little Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The fruit is drawn from cooler, well-sited Stellenbosch vineyards, including areas such as Jonkershoek, Devon Valley and the Helderberg, where maritime breezes slow ripening and concentrate flavour. It is a wine built with structure and ageing in mind.

This is the 2015 vintage, widely regarded as an excellent year across the Cape, with warm, dry conditions giving ripe, structured reds built to last. The result is a full-bodied, generous wine with real depth and a firm backbone.

Expect cassis and dark berry fruit layered with tobacco, cedar and savoury spice, carried on a rich, velvety palate with firm but ripe tannins. It is drinking well now, though a decant helps it open, and it has the structure to develop over several more years in the cellar. Decanting an hour ahead is worth the effort with a red of this depth.

A classic, food-loving red like this suits roast beef, lamb, venison or a mature hard cheese. If you enjoy Bordeaux blends and structured Stellenbosch Cabernet, Laureat is a benchmark red from a historic Cape name and rewards a little patience.