Savage Are We There Yet Red Blend 2022
- Vinous
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
A three hour drive down the Breede River to Malgas will make you ask: Are we there yet? Pebble and shale soils for this Shiraz-Touriga Nacional blend result in a velvety wine of blue and black fruits and licorice. Benefits from aging.
Blend: 67% Shiraz, 33% Touriga Nacional
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Are We There Yet, Savage's Touriga National/Syrah blend, is fermented with 10% whole clusters with two weeks on the skins, matured in 500-liter French oak casks. This has a fragrant bouquet, harmonious, with blackberry, violet, iris flower and just a touch of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with superb concentration and very pure, partly because Duncan Savage sacrificed 40% of the fruit because of some sun damage. It’s almost crystalline towards the finish. The Touriga is not as communicative as the Syrah, yet it sways this cuvée in a wonderful direction with a very precise finish ranking amongst the best that I tasted during my trip to the Cape. Outstanding.
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James Suckling
A blend of 67% syrah and 33% touriga nacional from bush vines planted along the Breede River, this shows cracked pepper, paprika and dried herbs on the nose, along with dark cherries and mushrooms. Creamy, silky and medium- to full-bodied with a long and peppery finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Created from a blend of 67% Shiraz and 33% Touriga Nacional, the 2022 Are We There Yet is red-fruited with a spicy and meaty essence that sways with a kiss of sea spray and dusty cherry blossom. Medium-bodied and with 13.2% alcohol, the palate is spicy with delightful notes of potpourri before displaying spicy salami with cranberry notes over the long, lingering finish. This year, it's bigger and beefier as the Syrah drives the expression. Give it a try. Just under 2,000 bottles were produced from 10% whole-cluster grapes.
Other Vintages
2021- Vinous
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Robert
Parker
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.