NEIL ELLIS Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

(Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, South Africa) $48

Neil Ellis founded his winery in 1984 and is considered one of the pioneers of high-quality wines in South Africa. Today he and his three children make the wines. This small-production cabernet, from mountain slopes bordering the Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch, exemplifies the qualities that make South African cabernet so compelling (and reminiscent of fine Bordeaux). The wine is sleek yet muscular with fine tannins that give it magnificent structure. The powerful aromas and flavors of pipe tobacco, black licorice, graphite, and cedar are woven through with subtle hints of cabernet’s “sauvignon” side—a pine-foresty green quality. Although it’s delicious when young, this is a cabernet to age. (14.5% abv)

94 points KM

Available at WineWorks