South African & International Fine Wine
Live Auction, 14 September 2019
Session Two
About this Item
The mint-laced section of the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon has been produced separately since 2004 and has received a cult following since.
Provenance
Wine Cellar
Critics Ratings
'The herbal element behind the name shows pleasingly as ever on 10. Big & forceful, all in balance - maybe a touch more severe & less graceful than the Cab Sauv (but that's a year older), though alcohol 0.5% lower, at 13.8%. Surely 10+ years ahead, satisfying all the way!' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2013, 4.5*
'The 2010 The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon sees 18 months in French oak of which half is new. It has a potent menthol aroma that lives up to its name - and then some. The palate is sweet on the entry with honeyed red berry fruit, low acidity and a finish that just seems overdone. This is a wine trying way too hard to impress. Drink now-2016. Thelema was one of the first Stellenbosch-based wineries to focus on quality-driven wines during the 1980s. Rudi Schultz joined as head winemaker in 2000 and since then they have fashioned a clutch of excellent wines, in particular reds. I must admit that I found their most recent releases a little less consistent than in the past - a case of one or two seemingly over-eager to impress, especially apropos the Bordeaux blends that I have enjoyed in the past. That was highlighted by a wonderful Shiraz '10 that if anything highlighted what was missing in some of its fellow red blends.' - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate 86/100 (2013)