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.
Winner of the Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report by Winemag.co.za
Critics Ratings
‘A step up on the already impressive 2012, this blend of Cabernet with 10% Petit Verdot is made with “the best of the best” grapes at Thelema. Smoky, serious and dense, with plenty of grip, polished tannins and notes of cedar wood, dark berry fruit and mint. 2018-25.’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2017, 95/100
'90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot. Matured for 20 months in French oak, 80% new. A gorgeous nose of red and black berries, floral perfume, some leafiness, oyster shell and pencil shavings. A supremely well balanced wine with wonderful fruit expression, freshness and length. Possesses proper detail.' - Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za – 94/100 (Winner of Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report)
'Cab with petit verdot, 2013 has scrub, meaty tones in its dark fruit, a savoury seam, compact tannin structure for a long life. Enough succulence for earlier pleasure.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2018, 4.5* (94/100)
'Originally a Cape Winemakers Guild cuvée, the 2013 Rabelais is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot matured in 90% new oak, this a selection of the best barrels. It has a lifted and quite spicy bouquet, quite feisty with kirsch and blueberry fruit intermarried with violet scents from the Petit Verdot. The palate is well balanced and carries the oak well, supple in the mouth with blackberry, bilberry and a touch of spice, fanning out gently towards the finish.’ - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 91/100 (Apr 2017)
‘Bright ruby-red. Sexy dark berries, pepper, cedar and bitter chocolate on the nose. A step up in sweetness, acidity and peppery verve and concentration from the Stellenbosch Cabernet, showing captivating inner-mouth definition and energy and conveying a more youthful impression. A bit youthfully imploded today but this impeccably balanced wine's high quality is already clear. Finishes classically dry, with terrific fruit intensity, solid underlying minerality and a firm spine of tannins that should support a slow and smooth evolution in bottle.’ - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, 91+/100 (Apr 2017)
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