Rustenberg John X Merriman 2004

eben

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Rustenberg John X Merriman 2004

cliffordjames

ON THE NOSE: A very nice old-world style blend of aromas that contains fruit, vegetables and other odd funk. A touch of diesel fuel is present, as are hints of vanilla and cream. Green peppers are here, so common, it seems, in these South African reds. This is a really, really nice nose which is at once classically enjoyable while simultaneously remaining intriguing and contemplative. This nose really almost IS like taking a good old-world Bordeaux and mixing it with an Australian fruit-bomb Shiraz. . . . . In the undertow there is a burp with extant bad-breath, and this, I believe, is from the Petit Verdot; this is not a bad thing, or not as bad as it sounds, at least. . . . . . . . . . ON THE PALATE: After a powerful and sour attack this South African blend hits the roof of the mouth with an equally powerful and sour acidity. The structure is never quite balanced, however, by any underpinning of tannic audacity, which I think makes this an under-90-pointer. Darcey, however, claims that “this wine has a good grip!” When I ask her to taste again she changes her tune only slightly by saying “it’s decent enough.” Well, I try and try but I only obtain tannic evidence in the upper part of my palate, and if I take in some air in as I hold the elixir in my mouth (a habit by now with us) I can feel it in my upper gums, but curiously it never settles in the lower gums or anywhere in the floor of the mouth. . . . Structure, of course, is not all there is to a wine, though if it is imbalanced it certainly detracts from the overall experience. As mentioned earlier the nose, we believe, is wonderful, but the palate does not reflect all of these wonders, and this is a letdown. The fruit is a blend of blackberry, strawberry, and the ubiquitous cherry – sour cherry in this case. The acidity is perhaps less potent than the sourness brought on by the fruit; we have not consumed all that much South African wine, but the terroir must be playing a definite role here in these flavors, reminding us of Chilean Merlot, arguably more elegant, less strident, yet similar, to be sure. Some of the cream and vanilla comes through on the palate, but too late in the game, too high up in the profile, and not enough to beckon one back for more and more and more. . . . . All that being said it is evident that this is no cheap blend either, just perhaps not my cup of tea this very day. Darcey, again, likes the offering more than I, and since she loves and cherishes me I cannot disparage her tastes, and I usually defer to her discriminating palate when deciding what to buy, or more often, what NOT to buy. I agree that there is a sense of quality here, or, to put it another way, one can tell that this is not cheap wine. At $30 I expect something nice, and though this is a decent wine it falls short on its complexity in the mouth, especially on the heels of such a fine bouquet. . . . . At the conclusion of a full evening imbibing this wine we find it does not ultimately pass muster, and Darcey finally agrees that this effort is a major pass as well, especially given the money paid. Sometimes I think people take money into consideration a little too much when reviewing wines. Although I feel it is good to include the price in the review to speak to the QPR, all wines should stand on their own without regard to overall price; I admit I do not always do this as well as I want to. I have seen reviews of this wine, however, that are more adulatory than the wine I tasted deserves. It always makes me wonder! Did they consider the $30 when tasting? I would like to see how this wine would fare in a double-blind tasting – I ‘m sure there would be no scores above 90 points (IMHO, of course). Don’t bother with this South African offering, that’s our advice. Eat well and drink better.

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Rustenberg John X Merriman 2004

chung

Very very old world nose, good indication of dark plums, earth, spice and vegetal notes. On the palate good fruit, oak and gripping tannins. Too tannic to be a balanced wines which ultimately prevents it from being a 90 pt wine. However, this does not detract from the fact that this is a good wine though not very original

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