In 1942, Douglas Green founded his eponymous wine company to offer his customers, fine wine, which not only expressed its variety, but was available at even handed prices. Today, the Douglas Green Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 clearly shows that the company still has the same ethos. Douglas Green Junior, living in retirement, is still involved with the company.
The grapes for the Douglas Green Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, and indeed the wine, come from the Swartland [for their chunky tannins] and Robertson [for great fruit expression] Wine Appellations. Taken to the regional cellars, designated and watched over by Douglas Green Wines, the grapes are destemmed and crushed. Malolactic fermentation and a three month stay took place on French Oak Staves. The wines are then taken to the Douglas Green Cellar in Wellington where they are blended and prepared for bottling.
Pour
From a Bordeaux shaped bottle, closed with a screw cap. The label is a quirky one with a lovely drawing of Douglas Green and his bakkie. In the glass, the wine is gem bright, bloodplum red at the heart which pales out to a ruby edge. The aromas are of dark berries, blackcurrants, Morello Cherries, and the oak and its concomitant spice and vanilla. From entry there is a golden thread of fruit acidity, a medium bodied berried wine is generous in its mid-palate. The tannins are gentle, the slowly waning aftertaste has all the components interwoven in perfect harmony. Excellent value, eminently accessible now and will certainly improve for another two years or so if cool cellared.
Pair
The Douglas Green Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a food wine. It will also do very nicely after dinner with a couple of squares of good quality dark chocolate. The Sunday Roast lunch would be complemented by the wine, as would a well-cooked week day supper. Lizet Hartley’s Mushroom & Mascarpone Pasta with Lemon & Thyme is a great partner, bags of flavour as a perfect counterfoil to the wine. Click HERE for her Recipe.
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