Merlot Reserve

In an age before the Young Guns and Swartland Rhone Rangers, the region of Stellenbosch was king apparent. Seen as the most premium of wine regions close to Cape Town, Stellenbosch was also the historical home of some of the earliest land grants and established wine estates once you moved beyond the limits of the Constantia Valley. While the fortunes of the Stellenbosch region and its top producers may have ebbed and flowed over the decades, the mid to late 1990’s definitely marked the last high-water mark for many of the region’s top producers. One name that was and still remains synonymous with top quality wine production is Thelema Mountain Vineyards, located next to Tokara Estate and just on the other side of the valley from Delaire-Graff.

The past successes and established fame of Thelema might have been slightly overshadowed by the advent of the new wave of Young Gun producers, but looking at the estate today, the Thelema Estate is once again producing some of the best quality wines in Stellenbosch. With the global spotlight well and truly back on Stellenbosch internationally, now is the time for its producers to reassert the premium winemaking proposition the region is so blessed to possess.

The Thelema Chardonnay 2023 is one of the top Stellenbosch expressions on the market.

Many producers have put up their hand to lead the charge and Thelema is most definitely one of them. With several new red and white Thelema releases about to hit the market, I took a look at two of their true classics… their Chardonnay 2023 and their Merlot Reserve 2022. Reviews on the Rabelais 2022 and The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 to follow soon.

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

Made from vines planted in 1989, 2000 and 2009 on decomposed granitic Hutton soils using clones CY3 and CY5, the wine was fermented and matured in 228 litre French oak barrels for 10 months, around 35% new oak with the balance all in multiple passage barrels. This crystalline 2023 Thelema Chardonnay simply shimmers in the glass with a canary yellow pale gold and just the faintest of green tinges on the rim. The aromatics are delightfully enticing, offering a deliciously complex bouquet of lemon blossom, lime peel, tangerine, pithy white citrus, green apple rock candy and delicately savoury biscuit notes that combine seamlessly with a stony granitic hint of reduction. On the palate, the incredibly pithy, mineral, bitter lemon and lime cordial character is seriously mouthwatering with an underlying wet stone minerality, a classically taut steely mouthfeel and a long, bracingly fresh drying finish. This is a seriously grown-up Burgundian-styled expression of Chardonnay showing pinpoint purity combined with a pronounced saline, mouth-watering persistence. I simply love it! Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Thelema Mountain Vineyards Merlot Reserve 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

5.1 g/l TA | 3.5pH

The Thelema Reserve Merlot is aged for 18 months in 55% new French oak barrels and always offers up that extra bit of complexity and depth that is so often lacking on Merlots in the Cape. The vines, planted in 1988 and 2000 are in the prime of their life and confidently offer up a perfumed aromatics of oregano and thyme herbs, potpourri, and mint leaf before richer, more opulent notes of freshly baked cherry crumble, caramelized red plums and earthy black currant emerge from the glass. Plenty of youthful energy abounds, with the sweet sappy cedar and delicately toasted vanilla pod oak spices leading your palate down a path of seduction, where fruit purity is paramount and the soft, silky, fine-grained mineral tannins are neatly hemmed in by bright, integrated, refined acids and tangy red cherry and macerated strawberry pastille fruits. This is a wine of balance and elegance with its own unique sense of supple, understated intensity and textural harmony. This is already an absolute joy to drink now but hold on to your hat as this ‘Reserve’ beauty will shift gears in 3 to 5 years’ time and offer up an altogether more succulent, complex expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Thelema wines are available to the trade in the UK from Enotria & Coe.

It is kind of ironic that while single varietal Merlot wines are by no means my favourite red expressions, I do get very excited for three new releases every year. One is Masseto from Bolgheri, one of my all time favourite red wines, another is Chateau Petrus, though it might be more sensible and affordable to broaden this group to top-end Pomerols. The final Merlot release that is always highly anticipated, if indeed it is even produced in a certain year, is the Thelema Merlot Reserve.

A limited release wine using only the finest Merlot grapes of the vintage from the best parcels on the Thelema estate. Normally a straight Merlot release will be produced if the quality of the vintage does not merit the Reserve selection. Whether it is the use of the Clone 102 Merlot grown on Richter 99 rootstocks in Hutton and decomposed granite soils or perhaps the age of the vines, planted in 1988, this is certainly a Stellenbosch wine that really impresses and with a cooler vintage producing smaller more concentrated berries, the finished expression possesses great natural acidity and an array of intense berry fruit flavours. The grapes were destalked, hand sorted and fermented in stainless steel before being aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels.

Thelema Estate Merlot Reserve 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 13.64% Abv.

2.4 g/l RS | 3.68 pH | 5.3 g/l TA

It always amazes me how Thelema manages to coax such an incredible amount of complexity out of their Merlot Reserve wine. This 2019 is certainly a coin with two sides though. On one hand, the aromatics are super cool, restrained and classical with text book right bank Bordeaux notes of violets, sweet piquant plummy black fruits, sandalwood, rose hip, bramble berries, coffee beans and a wonderful undertone of graphite. On the palate, all caution and classicism is thrown to the wind to reveal a bold, fleshy, dense unctuous wine with an incredibly textural harmonious mouthfeel. There are layers upon layers of black and blue berry fruits, hoisin plum sauce, brûléed espresso notes and fabulous depth. Think 2017 vintage’s weightless concentration and balance combined with 2015s dry extract, flesh and muscle. Like any great Merlot should be, this wine is eminently drinkable in its youth but should age gracefully for at least 10-15+ years. The world of fine Merlot has another exciting wine to seduce drinkers.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)