Lubanzi Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre, Coastal 2020 250ml can is no longer available

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Lubanzi Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre, Coastal 2020 250ml can

4.000000000 star rating 3 Reviews
The same impeccable integrity and credentials and generous juicy fruit delivered in the maiden 2019, here in a top Cape vintage and the perfect format for portability. It is also certified Fair for Life Fair Trade, B-Corporation, 1% for the Planet, and Climate Neutral. And the wine tastes good too....
is no longer available
Code: SA17583

Wine characteristics

  • Red Wine
  • Medium-bodied
  • Grenache Syrah Mourvedre
  • 13.5% Alcohol
  • Ring pull (Can)

South Africa

South Africa is undoubtedly one of the world's most dynamic wine producers. Established winemakers re-emerged onto the international scene in the early 1990s, following the demise of the apartheid era, and new wines, wineries, highly qualified winemakers, and even new regions have appeared steadily ever since. This makes South Africa more exciting than ever, but more complicated, too.

Most South African wines are varietally labelled - a key factor in any buying decision. Styles vary of course, and our notes aim to clarify this, but you will probably already know whether you like sauvignon blanc (now among the world's best), chardonnay, riesling, syrah, pinot noir, or cabernet.

South Africa's most famous grapes - white chenin blanc and red pinotage - will be less familiar unless you are already a convert. South African chenins are quite different from those in the Loire - almost always dry, but ripe and full of flavour (often with the complexity that comes from the increasingly...
South Africa is undoubtedly one of the world's most dynamic wine producers. Established winemakers re-emerged onto the international scene in the early 1990s, following the demise of the apartheid era, and new wines, wineries, highly qualified winemakers, and even new regions have appeared steadily ever since. This makes South Africa more exciting than ever, but more complicated, too.

Most South African wines are varietally labelled - a key factor in any buying decision. Styles vary of course, and our notes aim to clarify this, but you will probably already know whether you like sauvignon blanc (now among the world's best), chardonnay, riesling, syrah, pinot noir, or cabernet.

South Africa's most famous grapes - white chenin blanc and red pinotage - will be less familiar unless you are already a convert. South African chenins are quite different from those in the Loire - almost always dry, but ripe and full of flavour (often with the complexity that comes from the increasingly sought-after old-vine fruit and the use of oak). Pinotage, a South African creation, is for many a love-it-or-hate-it grape. Pinotage's 'parents' are pinot noir, which imparts its strawberry aromas and lovely texture in young wines, and more complex, farmyard characteristics in more mature examples, and cinsault, the southern French grape, which adds spice and body. It was developed in South Africa in 1926. Shiraz is now making a name for itself in South Africa with some superb examples bottled varietally and showing characteristics that often places it between the plush New World style pioneered by Australia and classic Rhône balance and elegance.

More significant in South Africa than much of the New World (notably New Zealand and Chile) are blends, which make selection more complicated, as the style of the wine is less easy to anticipate. As in Australia and California, however, many of the best wines here are blends - a sign of maturity in the industry. Bordeaux blends were favoured initially but there are increasing numbers of Rhône and southern French influenced blends, including some eclectic mixes, many of which are among South Africa’s best wines.

The Regions

The vineyards of South Africa are at a latitude of about 35o south, with hot, dry Mediterranean-type summers tempered by oceanic influences in the south, particularly the very cold Benguela Current. Much of the country is mountainous or hilly with a multitude of terroirs for winemakers to play with. Soils are ancient and complex, and many and varied from region to region, and even vineyard to vineyard. Rainfall is very varied from one area to another, largely depending which side of a mountain or range a vineyard lies on, and in some parts irrigation is essential.

South Africa’s rigorous Wine Of Origin scheme demarcates vineyard areas, including some single vineyards, and guarantees the geographical source of the wine much like the old French appellation contrôllée system recently renamed AOP, though there are no controls on yields and grape varieties as there are in France..

Bordeaux-style blends are one of the Stellenbosch region's great strengths. Wines such as Kanonkop's Paul Sauer, Meerlust's Rubicon and Warwick's Trilogy are South African icons, produced over many years, and with proven ageing capacity. The striking Simonsberg mountain names the ward (or area) most highly sought after for these reds, but Stellenbosch produces a wide range of wine styles, from excellent chenin blancs and sauvignons to robust pinotage and Cape Blends.

Paarl is its less-well-known neighbour, also warm, and best known for its robust but smooth reds. Franschhoek is understandably one of the most-visited towns in the Cape (with lots of French Huguenot history and some of the best restaurants in the region). It has a number of famous producers, most notably Boekenhoutskloof, but most do not produce exclusively from Franschhoek fruit. Cape Chamonix is an exception we rate highly, producing a wide range of wine styles from bubbly to cabernet franc led red blend Troika.

The generally warmer Swartland region has been at the forefront of the development of Rhône varietals in South Africa, led by stars such as Eben Sadie, as well as home to some of the best old chenin blanc vines. Further north, and much cooler is Citrusdal, where fresher styles are produced and chenin blanc can achieve real finesse.

The Cape peninsula, to the south of Cape Town itself, is home to Constantia, known for its cooler climate thanks to the influence of the two oceans that almost circle it. Here, sauvignon blanc and the Bordeaux grapes predominate, but there are lovely examples of aromatic varieties too, notably Klein Constantia's elegant riesling and its wonderful sweet muscat Vin de Constance, and the vibrant sauvignon blancs from Cape Point vineyards to the south. Rhône varietals are successful new additions.

Elgin, en route to Hermanus, is another very cool region, very much up-and-coming for sauvignon blanc, as is Elim, which is even further south and the source of our former Exhibition Sauvignon. Robertson is almost due north of Elim, but way inland and far hotter. A small number of family producers manage to make excellent sauvignon here, too, but it is also a good source of chardonnay, increasingly pinot noir, and elegantly styled pinotage and Rhône varietals, not forgetting the excellent fortified muskadels which are unique to the Cape.

The most important factor in deciding whether or not to buy is often the producer's name. This is easily achieved when some of the grandest 'old' names, such as Meerlust, Hamilton Russell, Kanonkop, and Klein Constantia, still rank among the country's best producers. Where it gets trickier is when the winery is new, has no track record, or the winemaker is not a household name.
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Lubanzi

A relatively new and unique venture established by young friends with a travel bug, whose trek in South Africa introduced them to the wandering dog that gave the wines their name. Lubanzi decided to join them on a journey across part of South Africa that ended up being 100 miles and six days long.

History
Charlie Brain and Walker Brown made valued and valuable friends and contacts in the wine industry on their Cape journey and have enjoyed the support and backing of Cape winemaking legends Bruce Jack and Trizanne Barnard from the outset. Their aim was to give back to the community while making wines they can be proud of. They are Integrity & Sustainability Certified and proud to be Fair For Life Fair Trade Certified too.

The wines
The wines are based on hand-harvested fruit from the Swartland, a chenin blanc, and a red blend of shiraz, cinsault, mourvèdre and grenache, both made with minimal intervention and natural yeasts for the fermentation. The white spends time on its lees in stainless steel while the red blend sees some time in large oak casks - foudres - that are less about imparting oaky flavours and aromas and more about rounding out the wine. Wines are also canned and, unsurprisingly but pleasingly, are bottled with labels made from sugar cane rather than paper from trees. These are wines worth following for many reasons

Environmental responsibility
As part of its commitment to managing greenhouse gas emissions, Lubanzi is a member of Climate Neutral. This ...

A relatively new and unique venture established by young friends with a travel bug, whose trek in South Africa introduced them to the wandering dog that gave the wines their name. Lubanzi decided to join them on a journey across part of South Africa that ended up being 100 miles and six days long.

History
Charlie Brain and Walker Brown made valued and valuable friends and contacts in the wine industry on their Cape journey and have enjoyed the support and backing of Cape winemaking legends Bruce Jack and Trizanne Barnard from the outset. Their aim was to give back to the community while making wines they can be proud of. They are Integrity & Sustainability Certified and proud to be Fair For Life Fair Trade Certified too.

The wines
The wines are based on hand-harvested fruit from the Swartland, a chenin blanc, and a red blend of shiraz, cinsault, mourvèdre and grenache, both made with minimal intervention and natural yeasts for the fermentation. The white spends time on its lees in stainless steel while the red blend sees some time in large oak casks - foudres - that are less about imparting oaky flavours and aromas and more about rounding out the wine. Wines are also canned and, unsurprisingly but pleasingly, are bottled with labels made from sugar cane rather than paper from trees. These are wines worth following for many reasons

Environmental responsibility
As part of its commitment to managing greenhouse gas emissions, Lubanzi is a member of Climate Neutral. This is an independent organization that helps Lubanzi to measure, offset and reduce 100% of its carbon footprint and ensure that making great wine doesn’t come at the cost of further endangering our planet. Lubanzi is also a member of 1% for the Planet, which means that they contribute at least one percent of their annual sales to environmental causes.

Social sustainability
50% of Lubanzi’s net profits are passed on to the Pebbles Project. This is a non-profit organisation based in South Africa’s winelands, the mission of which is to support disadvantaged children and their families in the agricultural communities of the Western Cape. Through a combination of health, skills and education programs, their hope is to help families and individuals extend their horizons for life, extending them far beyond their current situation.

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South Africa Vintage 2020

With such an inauspicious start to an unforgettable year, few even dreamed of such a good 2020 harvest. It was clear that volumes would be down – which can be good for quality, of course – but the weather brought a few early challenges in the vineyards and the grapes’ normally orderly progression to ripeness turned into quite a scramble. But nature has an astonishing way of managing even multiple challenges, smoothing out extremes to allow mother (vine) to give her very best to her offspring (the grapes). The 2020 harvest was a gift to bring smiles to a troubled industry.

2019 vintage reviews

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