Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon (Stellenbosch) 1998: A promising red-purple colour when poured into the glass is just the first sign of style from this impressive and classy wine. The wine needs a couple of hours of aeration in decanter or glass to really show its stuff, but the style then becomes apparent on the nose. There is a stony, mineral, flinty quality to the blackcurrant fruit, with a smoky, cedary streak. Very fresh and elegantly textured on entry, and the fruit maintains that mineral and stony edge. Lovely tannins and balanced acidity give structure and appeal. The tannins show a dry and spicy side on the finish. This has real style, and although drinking well now with aeration, it would also cellar well for a few years. Very good. (10/12/01)