Beyerskloof 1998 & 2003 Impress

On Robert Parker's forum Guy Des Rosiers is impressed by a 1998 Beyerskloof.

1998 Beyerskloof Pinotage. Fully mature, delicate and complex, but with plenty of fruit left, this was a real gem. To give you an idea of the quality of this wine, we also drank a bottle of 2004 Termes that evening. The Beyerskloof was far and away WOTN* (the Termes, of course, was very tannic and young, but the quality was unmistakable. Yet the Beyerskloof still stood out). When I looked up this producer and realized that the current release of this wine costs about $10, I was shocked.

Guy told me "I just wish I had taken a more detailed note on the 98 Beyerskloof. It was truly an impressive bottle of Pinotage."

While over on Robin Garr's Wine Lovers Page forum Jay Labrador is enjoying the 2003 vintage

2003 Beyerskloof Pinotage. Quite dark, medium-bodied, juicy. Sweet fruit. Tobacco, leather, roasting meat and a distinct rubbery character. Soft tannins, decent finish. Not as good as Kanonkop but very good for me. Went nicely with risotto and Italian sausages. It may seem a bit odd but this went really well with olives stuffed with pimentos which really brought out the sweetness and fruit in the wine.

(* WOTN= wine of the night

Thanks to both Guy Des Rosiers & Jay Labrador for permission to reproduce their tasting notes.