The Original Spaniard 2013

This is the Original Spaniard 2013, a rebirth of the once-off and very well received: BLANKbottle The Spaniard 2007. A then 4-way blend made up of cultivars hailing (500BC) from ancient Spain - Garnacha, Monastrell, Cariñena with a bit of Cinsault; grown in places like Wellington, Swartland and Piekenierskloof.

Due to it's popularity, I set out to repeat the wine in 2009 but it ended up being much fuller/richer than the 2007 vintage (such is the reality and beauty of working with a live product!) So was birthed BLANKbottle The Big Spaniard. Around that same time Woolworths approached me to produce a wine based on the principles of the Spaniard, exclusive to them and removed from the BLANKbottle range of wines. To confuse the Spanish matters even further I then, as part of my trial blends for Woolworths, produced The Little Spaniard 2011, which I released as a BLANKbottle wine. Subsequently Woolworths "The Spaniard" saw the light, which is still available in most Woolworths shops country-wide.  

But none of the above-mentioned new Spanish family members were close to the 2007 in style. After a few more years of having fun, I finally ended up with something very close to the 2007 Spaniard. So, to me, the logical name should be "The ORIGINAL SPANIARD" - a blend of equal parts of Garnacha, Monastrell and Cariñena - Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan as we know it in South Africa.

All the vineyards grow near Darling - West coast side of the Swartland - warmer, dryer parts of South Africa, very similar climate to Northern Spain. The wine is not precise. It’s round, soft and juicy. It encompasses your pallet, from side to side through every gap it covers. Warm, velvety, elegant and lingering - it's drinkability is through the roof - A dangerous wine.