'Back where it belongs among the elite wine brands of South Africa, the 2018 Rubicon is a worthy successor to the stellar 2017 release. Featuring Cabernet Sauvignon with 33% Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this is an elegant, polished, refined wine from a hot, dry vintage that illustrates the benefit of a cooler site. Floral, balanced and poised. 2025-32' – Tim Atkin, MW, South African Special Report 2022, 95/100.
'Renowned Bordeaux flagship cab-based, 67% in 2018 with merlot, cab franc, petit verdot partners. Enticing perfumed layers, elegantly concentrated plush, ripe fruit hint at future complexity; still unformed, like 2017 (5 stars, 95 pts) tightly sheathed by dense tannins. 56% new oak.' – Platter’s Guide, 4.5*(93/100)
'Very deep, youthful colour, and intense almost purple hue. Quintessential Rubicon nose with violets, ripe plum, cedar wood, fennel, and intense spiciness. A typical liquorice note also evident on the nose. Still young and intense, the palate is full bodied, structured but packed with fresh dark fruit and rounded tannins. This is a vintage that is more approachable in youth because of the ripeness and richness levels attained in 2018 but will provide great complexity with further maturation.' – Meerlust Wine Estate.
The Meerlust Estate ( now a national monument) is located, fifteen kilometres south of Stellenbosch in the heart of South Africa’s winelands. The first owner of the property, Henning Huising, settled there in 1693 and named his new-found home ‘Meerlust’, which means ‘pleasure of the sea’, this because the historic manor house sits on a granite outcrop only five kilometres from False Bay. Wine production began in 1756 and Meerlust is recognized for producing world-class wines.
