Waterford The Jem 2014

By , 17 July 2019

Comment

4

When I last tasted the 2012 vintage of deluxe offering The Jem from Waterford in Stellenbosch, it was in the context of the Wine Cellar’s “Luxury Red Taste-off” held in April last year where I had the wine fourth out of 10 with a score of 92 on the 100-point quality scale.

Waterford-The-Jem-2014

Object of desire.

The 2014 vintage was recently released, this consisting of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz, 14% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Mourvedre, 3% Sangiovese and 2% Barbera, maturation lasting 19 months in 225-litre French oak barrels, 32% new (alcohol: 14.6%). Wine Cellar price: R1 650 a bottle.

The nose shows top notes of floral perfume and leafiness before red and black fruit plus toasty oak and some spice while the palate is full bodied yet balanced – dense fruit and firm tannins, the finish super-dry. It’s as unshowy and carefully crafted as ever and deserves a place in the more well-heeled collector’s cellar.

Editor’s rating: 91/100.

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Comments

4 comment(s)

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    Athena | 1 July 2020

    Sorry what would the 2020 price be

    Billabong | 20 July 2019

    A 91 point wine, costing R1650 a bottle, will find it difficult to get into any discerning wine lovers cellar.

      Christian Eedes | 20 July 2019

      Hi Billabong, While The Jem 2014 is by no means a “perfect” wine, it’s worthy of contemplation given that it’s the product of a particular property setting out to define its own aesthetic as opposed to being dictated to by the market. Put differently, a welcome relief from yet another 60:40 Cab-Merlot…

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