De Toren Component Tasting : Regular Harry’s take

Regular Harry, wine write extraordinaire and recently voted FHM’s hottest pen, gives us his take on the incredible De Toren component tasting.

Being a fan of deconstruction, an Under the Influence tasting was a fitting place to taste the building blocks of Emil den Dulk’s wines. De Toren makes two full Bordeaux blends the Cabernet Sauvignon led Fusion V and the Merlot driven De Toren “Z, an obvious nod to the left  and right banks of the Gironde river in Bordeaux. On the left bank they make Cabernet based blends such as the famous wines of the Pauillac; whilst on the right bank – areas like Pommerol and Saint-Émilion -  the blends are more Merlot driven, and are known for being the least tannic of the Bordeaux wines.

Before these blends are created De Toren sets 36 bottles of each cultivar aside each year to see the development of single cultivars in bottle. We got a chance to taste the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot that were used to build the 2007 Fusion V.

Complexity is what is aimed for in both these wines; this is in part achieved by the meticulous planning that has gone into planting what where. On the De Toren property 10 different soil types have been identified and in these, the cultivar (and clones thereof) best suited is planted, after it has been grafted onto the preferred rootstock. So for each soil type you have a choice of 5 different cultivars with about 20 different clones and 8 various rootstocks; the complexities are seemingly endless.

The task of Albie Koch, De Toren’s wines maker, is to manage all of these different options and produce two wines of a consistent style at a very high quality, and by Jove he does a good job.

We were poured the single cultivars first, bind, and tried to guess each one. The first was bright with quite lush fruit and wonderful freshness. There was some strawberry, raspberry and violets on the nose with really great acidity and the slightest touch of herbaceousness. I should have nailed this one as these are tell-tale Merlot characteristics. But possibly because we make such a load of nasty, green, over extracted, shite Merlot that I was steered off course by the wine’s sheer deliciousness. I think De Toren should start giving How-to-make-Merlot classes.

Next up was an austere, grand wine that had a bit of funk amongst black current and a bold structure with tannins that gave the impression of a soldier standing at attention. With its great weight and structure this had to be the Cabernet Sauvignon.

This one should have been an easy pick with its perfumed nose, violets and a little leafiness -typical Cabernet Franc. But I also detected some stewed fruits that threw me off and a bit of plum which made me cast my vote for Merlot. This wine also had lovely structure, but lacked the complexity of the other cultivars.

As the fourth wine was poured into the glass the brightly coloured dark purple shouted “I’m a Malbec, I’m a Malbec”. And it was. This cultivar used to be used in Bordeaux to soften the blends, but now Merlot has taken over this role. It is now being made most successfully in Argentina. De Toren’s was rich and dense with some very lush, bright red fruit and a soft luxurious texture.

Then game the ball-busting, open necked shirt, gold chain wearing, monster wine. The Petit Verdot. Full of violets and graphite, it dominated the palate, coursing over it with assertive tannins and a wallop of acidity.  I would battle to finish a bottle (a battle I would win though), and one can see why it is used sparingly in the final blend. This wine lacked the elegance that showed in the others, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot, but in power none of the others came close.

Next up we tasted the first of the blends. The more expensive, Cabernet Sauvignon led Fusion V 2007. It is a wine that is dense and concentrated throughout.  It offered black current, liquorice and cedar on the nose with concentrated ripe dark fruit on the palate. There was some chalky minerality and a touch of white chocolate on the finish. The Fusion V is a fantastically complex wine that needs a good couple of years to start showing at its best.

I preferred the Merlot dominated “Z” that had wonderful red cherry freshness that made the wine bright, juicy and impossible to stop drinking. Its balance and depth are expertly judged. I think it is a little more approachable now than the V but, in my opinion, equal in terms of quality. And – I promise this is not an advertorial comment  – at R138 from Under the Influence it is a freaking steal. This is over delivering on quality big time for the price you are paying.

The final wine was the DDS Shiraz 2004 a wine produced by Emil den Dulk, owner of De Toren Private Cellar and Mark Siddle, owner of Domain Bertagna a Grand Cru and Premier Cru Estate in Vougeot, Burgundy. This was in quite a different style to most Shiraz we make here in SA, but not really to my taste. A large wine, that is full of meaty sausage and tomatoes, with a bit of barnyard funk. The oak is predominant and I couldn’t get past the toasty meaty nose. It is well balanced, and an enticing wine, if you like this style. For me it was just too much.

A fascinating tasting. It showed why De Toren’s wines have been so successful. The building blocks of the blends were all fantastic wines, maybe not to be bottled singularly – the Petit Verdot for example is just too big and bold – but all had density of flavour, and excellent balance. And as Mr den Dulk pointed out, to make a great blend you need great components.

And please believe me when I tell you the “Z” offers outstanding value. A wine this good for under R150 is ridiculous. Go buy it and invite me for a drink to say thank-you for this wonderful advice.