Cordoba Cape Winemakers Guild Cabernet Franc Merlot 1999

Lunch recently with Taaibosch winemaker Schalk Willem Joubert and assistant Petri Venter and a bottle of Cordoba Cape Winemakers Guild Cabernet Franc Merlot 1999 from the furthest recesses of the Eedes cellar.

Taaibosch is, of course, the revival of what was Cordoba be the Oddos, a French family with various wine interests around the world – Chris Keet of Keet Wines made a highly regarded Cabernet Franc-based blend called Crescendo in the late 1990s and early 2000s and from 2018, Crescendo lives again under the Taaibosch label.

 Whereas Crescendo 1999 was 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot, the Guild 1999 was a 50:50 blend of the two varities. The nose currently shows cherry, cassis, dried flowers and hint of mint – very little in the way of developed character such as forest floor, mushroom or caramel. The palate, meanwhile, surprises on account of how rich and smooth textured it is – plenty of flavour, not short of freshness but the tannins pretty much resolved. Cordoba always had a reputation for fineness but this certainly doesn’t lack for power (alcohol is 14%).

CE’s rating: 93/100.

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