We haven’t had many South African wines but the few we have, we have liked. The 2007 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon “The Mint” (13.5% abv) is from Helshoote in the mountains of the Stellenbosch region. The color was a medium dark ruby and the nose had dark fruit and Jalapeño peppers. There were moderate smooth tannins, good acid and plenty of flavor. There was dark fruit, Jalapeño pepper, mint, chocolate and some vegetal notes. Overall a very good wine I highly recommend.
That’s interesting and great your father worked with both. I do see the resemblance to the Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. I liked the wine enough that I went back and bought a few more bottles.
glad you enjoyed the wine! We have a row of Eucalyptus trees alongside the vineyard and the minty character seems to come from compounds from the trees. My father, who makes the Thelema wines, also worked at Heitz in the early ’80′s and got a pleasant memory when he first tasted the wine from our Mint vineyard and was reminded of Martha’s Vineyard.