Some of South Africa's Best--Now at ABC
some of those wines are now beginning to arrive at your local ABC stores, so I wanted to spend my next few blogs spreading the good word about a few particular favorites.
First up: Black Pearl Oro 2010 from Paarl. We carried this once before at ABC but for whatever reason—bad timing perhaps—few of us really jumped on it. Don’t make the same mistake this time because this blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Shiraz shows rich ruby tones, hints of clove and spices, and plum, dark berry and licorice flavors. The color and concentration are truly amazing.
Paarl, which is South Africa’s third oldest European settlement (after Cape Town and Stellenbosch), is now home to the delightful Mary Lou Nash of Black Pearl Vineyards. Mary Lou, an American originally from New Hampshire, relocated to Paarl in 1995 and is currently chief winemaker, viticulturist, tractor driver, marketer and general ‘Jill of all trades’ at Black Pearl. She also makes a mean home-brew beer as we learned when we visited the Nash home (with its spectacular view of Table Mountain) last year.
Black Pearl Vineyards is a single un-irrigated vineyard on the slopes of Paarl Mountain. It comprises 4.5 hectares of Shiraz and 3 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in deep, well-drained Oakleaf soil. Mary Lou carefully picks the grapes by hand, ferments in open tanks, basket presses and ages the wine in oak barrels for one year. The high trellising system, severe pruning and canopy management ensure low-yielding, stress free, phenolically ripe fruit. The remaining 185 hectares of Black Pearl’s land is made into a nature conservation area to preserve the last 4% of the remaining renosterveld (one of the most threatened types of vegetation) in the world.
Give Black Pearl Oro a try. You won’t be disappointed!
Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor
Follow me on Twitter @abcwinebills
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