Bosman Family Vineyards 2012 Cinsaut

I love it when winemakers take themselves out of their comfort zones and try something new. But is change just for the sake of change a good thing? Take Roger Federer for example: his entire career he has played with 90-square-inch racket frame, but this year (the least successful in more than 10 years) he has changed racket to one with a 98-square-inch frame. It can be a coincidence that this year has gone so badly for him, or it may be that he is toying with something that need not be toyed with.

Bosman Family Vineyards has released a limited edition Cinsaut to their Wine Club members at R120 per bottle, the first Cinsaut released by the estate. I am a massive fan of Corlea’s wines, so I was very excited to taste what she had done with this new addition to the wine list. The wine is very berry-driven on the nose and palate. You are intoxicated by the raspberries, mulberries, and strawberries you find on both the nose and the palate. There are subtle vanilla flavours on the palate from the use of oak. The acidity on this wine is good and carries the wine nicely. Solid mid-palate and finish as well. There is quite a bit of oak on the palate, and possibly just a bit too much I feel. It just takes over that beautiful freshness brought to the palate by the acidity a little bit. That being said, it is still a really good wine, probably even better than just a “good” wine.

With all the Bosman wines being excellent wines, is this Cinsaut then something which is unnecessarily added to an already brilliant wine list? I think not. It adds something else to a great portfolio of wines. It brings a change that keeps them up to date with the current trend of beautiful Cinsuats being produced in South Africa. It keeps them in the game, which is hopefully what Federer’s new racket will do for him…

Score: 16