Thelema Mountain Red – Bold, Smooth and Spicy

42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Shiraz, 14% Grenache and 14% Petit Verdot from Western Cape, South Africa.

SRP of $15 and available for as low as $14. Sample received courtesy Cape Classics for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“Thelema Mountain Vineyards Winery lies above Stellenbosch on the picturesque slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain. Thelema is family run and produced its first wines in 1988.

This wonderfully delicious wine is accessible and ready to drink now. Aged in oak barrels for 18 months, for smooth texture, it exhibits focused cherry and plum flavours with a clean round finish.

14.5% Alcohol”

From our Top 10 Reds list to ten of our favorite red blends under $10, we’re huge fans of red blends. Today we have another delicious one, this time from South Africa. Mountain Red is Thelema’s second label, but lucky for us it is made using their own estate grown fruit. And at a price less than half of the single varietals on the main label, things are looking good for reverse wine snobs.

The 2009 Thelema Mountain Red begins with a big, eye-opening aroma of smoky plum and other ripe dark fruit. The wine tastes bold, smooth and spicy with delicious dark fruit and smoke followed by lots of spicy black pepper. The oak influence comes out on the dry finish which features dusty tannins and more smoke and black pepper. It’s even better once it has some time in the glass as the oak on the finish mellows out a bit more, but regardless this is a tasty one!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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