2019 Restless River, Main Road and Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon, Hemel en Aarde, South Africa

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

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

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

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

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

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!