Warwick Estate "The First Lady" 2007

I picked this up today from my local Waitrose. It's part of a "World of Wine Showcase", designed to expose customers to interesting wines from all over the world. There were several other wines I was tempted to try - the only thing stopping me was the fact that I have already spent my wine allowance for the month (and then some). However I also snuck in a Decanter trophy-winning Gruner Veltliner.

"The First Lady" is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot from the Warwick Estate winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Motivation for buying: I have recently pledged to try more South African wine, but the price was also attractive (£6.99 down from £10.99).

I quite like the wine. It has a nice, perfumed nose that shows like a proper Bordeaux blend with none of that South African rubbery smell. Good fruit on the palate along with a bit of mint. Medium depth, and a sweetish, slight vanilla finish. A bit high in alcohol (14%) - normally that doesn't bother me but for some reason I noticed it. I prefer these types of wines in the winter but overall I enjoyed it.

EDIT: Just noticed that the price is now £6.64 from Waitrose online. I guess that's the price they finally settled on.

Warwick Estate

"The First Lady" 2007

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Waitrose

£6.99 (£10.99)

3/5