Le Riche is the master of modern Cape Cabernet, skillfully blended here with other Bordeaux varieties plus Malbec and Cinsault. A wine of great appeal and finesse that over delivers on all fronts.
Production
Grapes are carefully selected and hand-picked from vineyards located in Firgrove, Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch Mountain and Bottelary. The wines were fermented separately until dry in traditional open concrete tanks with regular manual plunging. Secondary fermentation proceeded in tanks after which the wines were moved to French oak barrels. The parts were then blended after a year of ageing and matured for a further 8 months in French oak barrels. The wine has undergone no fining and is predominantly a meticulous blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon; 18%Cinsaut; 13% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot; 5% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc.
Le Riche ‘Richesse’, Stellenbosch 2023 (6 bottles case)
Vivino ratings
Tasting notes
Ripe and juicy on the nose with typical red fruit aromas of plum and red cherry and milled pepper are balanced by aromas of black liquorice and savoury spice. The palate is hugely appealing with mouth-filling flavours of red berries, plums and smoky hints balanced with a fine, soft tannic structure and rounded finish. A finely structured and harmonious blend.
Food match
Ideally paired with a meaty pasta dish and richer stews.
Info
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ABV
14%
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CASE/BOTTLE SIZE
6 x 75cl
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REGION/COUNTRY
STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA
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GRAPE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 49%, CINSAULT 18%, MERLOT 13%
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FEATURES
VEGETARIAN, VEGAN
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CLOSURE
CORK
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WINEMAKER
CHRISTO LE RICHE
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APPELLATION
STELLENBOSCH
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ALLERGEN INFO
CONTAINS SULPHITES AND NO OTHER ALLERGENS
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Meet the producer
Le Riche is a family run estate founded by Etienne Le Riche in 1996. Situated close to the historic town of Stellenbosch, the winery is perched on the slopes of the Heldeberg Mountain and surrounded by the majestic Hottentots Holland Mountain range.
If youre based in Stellenbosch and going to specialise in something, Cabernet is a great choice! Le Riche are known as ‘Cabernet Masters’ and rightly so. They select grapes from the best possible Stellenbosch terroirs to craft top quality Cabernets with superb cellaring potential. The estate was founded by Etienne Le Riche in 1996 and remains a family affair.
These wines are elegant and classy with fine grained tannins and subtle oak integration, and while not aiming to be Bordeaux replicas, they do have much in common with the balance and poise sometimes found in top Margaux. With most of their wines sold domestically, it’s a rare treat to find these wines on UK soils. Production is 8000×6 cases a year, with the Reserve range consisting of only 1000 cases. These wines are rare but worth sourcing.
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