Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon

Grapes: Cabernet sauvignon (90 percent), shiraz (8 percent), petit verdot (2 percent)

Region: Robertson, Cape Town, South Africa

Vintage: 2007

Price: $9.99

In the glass: Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon is a deeply blackish-red color with an opaque core going out into a purplish-inky red rim definition with very high viscosity.

On the nose: There is classic cassis fruit, crushed fresh black cherries, phenolic compounds of black licorice, some vanilla, smoked meat and earth-driven minerals, as well as a soft oak character.

On the palate: The wine is weighty, with lots of jammy black currant fruit, blackberry juice, caramelized berries and that distinct South African smokiness, almost always present in wines from this area. The midpalate is deliciously ripe with crushed berries, and the finish shows lengthy creme brulee and smoked wood with good amounts of fruit, completely in harmony with the acidity, lingering really long in the mouth. Although the wine has 14.5 percent alcohol, it is not immediately apparent in tasting it, which is a quality characteristic that shows balance and winemaking skills.

Odds and ends: Imported by Cape Classics, which is responsible for one of the greatest South African portfolios in the market, Excelsior is one of its staple brands. The De Wet family has owned and made wine at the Excelsior Estate since 1697. Winemaking in South Africa was started by religiously persecuted French Huguenots in the mid-17th century, who arrived and sought refuge in the Cape Region, which is the southernmost part of the African continent. The highly drinkable Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon is a great value that is highly recommended and can age for three to four years. It should be matched with a good cheesy pizza, pure and simple.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.