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Bordeaux blends for Easter

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ith Easter fast approachin­g, it’s time to turn our thoughts towards robust and hearty reds. For me, Easter is all about lamb. And nothing goes better with lamb than a Bordeaux-style blend – the combinatio­n of elegant cabernet, rich merlot and spicy hints of malbec and petit verdot perfectly complement­s the meat. Here are three top-class blends to spoil yourself with this Easter. There’s something about drinking an organic wine that just makes you feel better about yourself. And when a good organic wine comes at an excellent price, your wallet feels better about itself, too! The Waverley Hills De Huijsbosch 2016 (R130) is one such wine, with bright notes of red and black fruit, and soft tannins. Dominated by cabernet sauvignon, it has a lovely structure that will only improve over the next few years – if you can wait that long! I’m a big fan of wines from the Slanghoek valley near Rawsonvill­e. It’s a place we all race past on the N1, usually on our way to somewhere else, but really we should slow down and go try a bottle of the new Jason’s Hill Izak Reserve 2013 (R199). It’s a tribute by winemaker Ivy du Toit to her family, and it’s a full-on five-way blend with chewy tannins and plenty of blackberry fruit. Go and do a tasting at Jason’s Hill Private Cellar next time you shoot through the Huguenot Tunnel – you’ll have a wonderful time. Over the years, Neethlings­hof has been gradually working its way back to better health – both in the vineyards and the cellar. They’ve also done good conservati­on work on the farm and many indigenous animals have returned to the land, including the caracal. This stately feline is honoured in their Caracal Red 2014 (R200), a cabernet-led blend with loads of plush power and character. If you’re looking to splurge this Easter, you won’t find a better accompanim­ent for a slow-cooked lamb shank.

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