A sumptuous, complex Cape blend with intense aromas of ripe blackberries, cherries and plums, with beautifully integrated vanilla, spice and cashew nut characters. Well balanced with a firm and well-integrated tannin structure, this full-bodied wine has a lingering, fruit-driven finish and will mature for five to eight years.
Vintage depends on availability and can't be selected.
View all vintage fact sheets / tasting notes here.
Availability of vintages depends on current stock.
Legal restrictions limit the sale quantity to 180 bottles (30 cases) per customer.
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The wine labels on bottles from our Reserve range feature an illustration of Alvi’s Drift, the low-water bridge over the Breede River cutting through the family farm. Our patriarch, Albertus Viljoen “Oupa Alvi” van der Merwe, was instrumental in having this bridge built back in 1930.
Oupa Alvi’s son Bertie started wine production on the family farm and today Bertie’s son, Alvi’s Drift winemaker Alvi van der Merwe produces the winery’s award-winning South African wines, enjoyed by wine lovers around the globe.
Our Alvi’s Drift Reserve range is the culmination of our pursuit of excellence in producing outstanding wines of unrivalled complexity.
RESERVE RANGE
With an ideal Mediterranean microclimate, an abundance of soil diversity and water from the life-giving Breede River, the Alvi’s Drift vineyards are ideally positioned for producing remarkable South African wines of unique character and complexity.
Our Reserve range showcases the best of our harvest; a fusion of our trademark fresh, primary-fruit style – with just a hint of the luscious and opulent barrel-fermented style of our Albertus Viljoen Icon range.
A true Cape blend led by Pinotage and backed by Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is literally a fusion of old and new. Not only of grapes and styles of wine, but also of winemaking techniques, with each variety vinified separately to showcase specific characters of each varietal.
After juice is macerated on skins, each variety follows its own path through the cellar, enjoying pumping-over and open-tank fermentation in some cases, while other varieties enjoy partial tank fermentation, completing fermentation in barrel. The wine is matured for 18 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, of which approximately a third are new. Thereafter, wines from individual barrels are carefully selected to make up the final blend.
"Absolutely delicious. Ranks up there with one of the most reasonably priced Cape-style wines out there."
- Matthew -
