2008 Anwilka Red
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Tasting notes
A blend 48% Syrah, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot and aged in oak for 15 months, the 2008 Anwilka has a glossy, well-defined bouquet that is rather taciturn at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a lactic entry: touches of dark chocolate and mocha at first, interwoven with blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The texture is a little “furry” but it is endowed with a satisfying, silky finish. Cellar this for 2-3 years and wait for those secondary flavours. Drink 2013-2020. Anwilka is the joint venture between Bruno Prats, Hubert de Bouard from Bordeaux, and Lowell Jooste representing the home team. The grapes in their Stellenbosch vineyard are selected from 12 of the 40 hectares planted and yields are kept around 35 hectoliter per hectare, before fermentation in 7,000-liter “tronical” stainless-steel tanks and matured for nine-months in French oak. A majority of Anwilka is exported and sold through the Bordeaux “Place.” Importer: Fidelis and though Bordeaux negociants.
Critic scores
Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(48% syrah, 42% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot; 14.5% alcohol): Bright, saturated ruby-red. Reticent but pure aromas of cassis, blackberry, licorice, bitter chocolate, espresso and spicy oak. Then pliant, lush and deep, with terrific inner-mouth energy and violet perfume to lift the dark berry flavors. The tannins saturate the palate and front teeth without coming across as dry. Classy, polished wine--the best yet from the team of Bruno Prats, Hubert de Bouard and Lowell Jooste. The co-owners have increased their wine's syrah percentage to great effect, as this 2008 avoids the green notes of earlier vintages without showing any syrah rusticity.
A blend 48% Syrah, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot and aged in oak for 15 months, the 2008 Anwilka has a glossy, well-defined bouquet that is rather taciturn at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a lactic entry: touches of dark chocolate and mocha at first, interwoven with blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The texture is a little “furry” but it is endowed with a satisfying, silky finish. Cellar this for 2-3 years and wait for those secondary flavours. Drink 2013-2020. Aug 2011, www.robertparker.com