2019 Restless River, Main Road and Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon, Hemel en Aarde, South Africa
Critics reviews
The 2019 Main Road & Dignity has a lot of flair on the nose. Interestingly, there are floral elements here reminiscent of a Syrah. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry, fresh, and granular in texture with graphite and iodine-infused black fruit. Concentrated on the finish, less expressive than the 2020 at the moment, it will reward those who cellar this for 4-5 years.
Craig Wessels welcomed me to his winery in Hemel-en-Aarde where he recalcitrantly produces Bordeaux-inspired Cabernets under the “Main Road & Dignity” brand, as well as Le Luc, a single vineyard Pinot Noir that incorporates around 30% whole bunches. “The 2021 vintage had a long hang time with healthy fruit and good acidity, low on the alcohol side. It is the most minerally in terms of Chardonnay,” he tells me. “You need a long time, often around 140 days for Cabernet. Trouble is that birds and baboons feast on the hanging fruit.” Wessels’ wines are well worth hunting down and, judging by the performance of older vintages opened, are predisposed to repay time in bottle.
Drink 2026 - 2038
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (November 2023)
Winemaking as for the 2018.
Deep crimson. Intense cedary cassis aroma. Deep and thick texture of lightly grainy tannins. Deep, firmly dark-fruited with the freshness of a light leafiness.
Drink 2025 - 2035
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (November 2022)
Instantly impressive in the glass and checking all the boxes for a fantastic, cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Main Road & Dignity delivers layers of complexity and freshness that unfold with elegance and finesse. Aromas of graphite, savory herbs and just-ripe red fruit skin essences with dusty plums and blackberries are joined by oak spices and a rocky minerality.
Medium to full-bodied, the palate displays a balanced structure, with fresh and healthy dark red fruit flavors singing in unison with the supporting factors of oak and earth. Just over 8,000 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 23 months in 30% new French oak and aged in bottle for a year and a half. It's absolutely gorgeous now, and you'll be tempted to open it before it's time. Please don't do it!
Begin drinking in 2025
Anthony Mueller, Wine Advocate (December 2023)
Rich nose of blackberry fruit, but also a herby freshness. Lovely and long in the mouth, with black cherry and plum fruit as well as red liquorice, spice, leather and cherry. Lifted and bright with intensity and style. This will age gracefully. Main Road & Dignity enjoys two years in barrel in 25% new oak and two years in bottle before release.
Drink 2022 - 2032
Chris Wilson, Decanter.com (August 2022)
Main Road & Dignity is a brilliant anomaly from Restless River, a late picked Cabernet Sauvignon in a cool climate region that's famous for its Pinot Noirs. But what a red it is: leafy, herbal, yet ripe, with glossy tannins, graphite and basil top notes, redcurrant and cassis fruit and a bright, tapering finish.
Drink 2024 - 2030
Tim Atkin MW, TimAtkin.com
Such pristine purity and precision with beautiful purple and blackberry fruits, creme de cassis, blueberry and an essence of watermelon make for a deliciously exotic, hedonistic wine. It so incredibly lithe and fresh in the glass with tangy acids, a sleek but supremely intense concentration of blue and blackberry fruits and a pronounced maritime salinity on the finish. But it’s undoubtedly the ‘wagyu-styled’ fine tannins that are massaged to perfection with an imperceptible mineral grip and a sleek velvety texture thanks to the longer hang times. So incredibly delicious. Wow!
Greg Sherwood MW, Gregsherwoodmw.com
About this WINE
Restless River Wines
Craig Wessels, owner and winemaker of Restless River, descends from the first settled European to live in and farm the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, and therefore intrinsically connects with the land. This cool climate region is only 5km away from the South Atlantic Ocean, reaching an altitude of more than 300 metres.
He runs the winery together with his wife, Anne, and since their first launch in 2012, Restless River has stunned all with wines that have reached internationally acclaim and are found on prestigious restaurant wine lists around the world.
Harvest for the 2019 Main Road and Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon lasted almost a month approximating from the end of March – early April. Every single grape is awarded care and attention, and in the winery, parcels are vinified separately. It spent 23 months maturing in barrel and is awarded the same time ageing in bottle before release.
Walker Bay
Walker Bay is a coastal wine district, located to the south-east of Capetown, near the town of Hermanus (of whale-watching fame).
Walker Bay has built its reputation on Pinot Noir, and best exemplified by the wines from the Bouchard-Finlayson & Hamilton-Russell estates.
Walker Bay has a cool, maritime climate. However vineyard virus and small scale production have prevented thsi wine region from competing effectively against the Pinot Noirs from New Zealand.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
The 2019 Main Road & Dignity has a lot of flair on the nose. Interestingly, there are floral elements here reminiscent of a Syrah. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry, fresh, and granular in texture with graphite and iodine-infused black fruit. Concentrated on the finish, less expressive than the 2020 at the moment, it will reward those who cellar this for 4-5 years.
Craig Wessels welcomed me to his winery in Hemel-en-Aarde where he recalcitrantly produces Bordeaux-inspired Cabernets under the “Main Road & Dignity” brand, as well as Le Luc, a single vineyard Pinot Noir that incorporates around 30% whole bunches. “The 2021 vintage had a long hang time with healthy fruit and good acidity, low on the alcohol side. It is the most minerally in terms of Chardonnay,” he tells me. “You need a long time, often around 140 days for Cabernet. Trouble is that birds and baboons feast on the hanging fruit.” Wessels’ wines are well worth hunting down and, judging by the performance of older vintages opened, are predisposed to repay time in bottle.
Drink 2026 - 2038
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (November 2023)
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee