A South African Wine that Merchants can be proud to sell
When South African Apartheid ended in approximately1994, the market opened up the US wine merchants began to import South African Wines. Soon after, I recall tasting my first South African wine. Wino friends who had been buying and tasting South African wines longer than I, assured me that South Africa was a great wine growing region. Although it might take a number of years for the South African wines to find their way back in the US marketplace, I assumed many wine drinkers would have to be reacquainted to these wines. Others, myself included, would have to discover South African vintages for the first time. I tried.  I mean, I really tried to like the South African wines, but ultimately came to the conclusion South Africa must be an acquired taste. The wines were too rough, one dimensional and just not pleasant to me. Was it the Pinotage? Wasn’t that supposed to be their best? Perhaps I’m just a California guy. So over the next fifteen years or so I never really went back to seriously drink of buy South African wines. Occasionally I stumbled across a wine merchant with a South African wine that was a good wine. I recall a South African Sauvignon Blanc, Sincerely, that I liked a lot for awhile, but overall, South African wines were not doing it for me.
Revisiting the “No”, South African Mulderbosch says “Yes”
Deborah Elmquist's Faithful Hound Stilllife painting
Then, someone encouraged me to buy the South African wine: Mulderbosch’s Faithful Hound 2005. This Bordeaux blend come highly rated with a Wine Spectator rating of 90 points and sells for $20ish. It says it’s 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 12% Petite Verdot, 7% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc. Sounds pretty much like a Bordeaux blend to me.
Time to Review: Faithful Hound 2005 from Mulderbosch
I opened a bottle of Faithful Hound wine for dinner the other night. Missing was all that roughness that found unpleasant 15 years ago. What I found was a really interesting wine. It was not trying to be a Bordeaux, but rather let the forward fruit speak for itself. Great spice on the nose. Berries, boyensenberry, red currents, perhaps a little clove. A little hot when it was first was opened, but some of that blew off as it sat in the glass and got a couple of good swirls. Granted, I wanted a steak instead of my pork loin, but even with that, I found the finish on this really enjoyable and long.
Even the name “Faithful Hound” has a great connotation and it inspires art!
Faithful Hound has me hooked and I promise to return to buying South African wines sooner than another 15 years. For me, I am sold again on South African Wines and will be looking at the Wine Merchants for more. Mulderbosch Winery needs some more investigation! Â
