Prestigious Family Wineries
Live Virtual Auction, 23 July 2023
Prestigious family wineries | Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Raats Family Wines and Savage Wines
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About this Item
Thelema, the Greek word for ‘will’, was a charming dilapidated fruit farm until Gyles Webb came along and purchased the farm with the help of his wife’s family in 1983. Placed at the top of the Helshoogte Pass, Thelema is one of the highest and coolest estates in the area, its deep red soils make it ideal for premium quality wine grape production. At a time when the South African wine scene was focused on quantity rather than quality, Webb was a trailblazing pioneer on a mission to craft world-class wines. Construction began on the winery in 1987, and Thelema produced its first vintage in 1988. Winemaking since 2000 has been in the capable hands of Rudi Schultz, with Gyles's son Thomas involved in running the business.
Gyles Webb was Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year in 1994 and 1996. Few wines of the 1990s have aged as well as Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon.
This wine has been checked and re-corked by Amorim cork at Thelema under supervision, assuring providence, quality and long life. Re-corking numbers:
ZQ-421643
de-355891
cO-699096
Zu-183776
ka-614604
ue-249435
Notes
Recorked
Critics Ratings
‘Probably the finest Cape example of a New World style gem – supple, warm, richly flavoured, with typical Thelema luscious ripeness, sweet mintiness – and blackcurrant notes. Unusually dark plum colours. A little overpowering for fanciers of more austere, harder vinosity maybe, but the majority scrabbles for it more intensely each year. Last release was 94 WINE (4*), Diners Club Winner, with usual forward, sweet-ripe, earthy scents among mint; spicy fruity sweetness (about 15% merlot incl,).’ – Platter’s SA Wine Guide (1998)
‘A fine and flavorful Cabernet whose subtle flavors expand on the finish, building layers of complexity. It's deep in color, spicy in aroma, currantlike in flavor, firmly tannic but smooth - a class act all the way around.’ – Wine Spectator, 90/100 (1997)
‘Deep red-ruby. Black cherry, black raspberry, licorice, tobacco, eucalyptus and roasted nuts on the nose. Dense, crunchy red berry, cassis and black cherry flavors; intensely flavored and juicy, thanks to strong but harmonious acids. Impressively structured and youthful. Finishes with fine tannins and very good length.’ – Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, 90/100 (Sep 1998)
'This was a hot vintage which produced a good crop of ripe, dense fruit. This was a trouble-free vintage resulting in clean, flavoursome wines, which has shown to mature very well.' – Thomas Webb (2019)
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