De Toren

De Toren

Book 17 XVII Red Bordeaux Blend 2013

Greg Ballington
9.3

Day five on the cruise and this night at Giovanni's Table, the Italian restaurant, aboard the Allure of the Seas. We decided to open up two South African beauties for this.

Deep ruby red with a slight garnet hue on the edges. Layered nose with dark cocoa, floral notes, dark berries and spices. Some classic 'South African' chalk as well. Medium plus tannins (6.5/10) and medium plus to full bodied. Dusty dark black cherries on the attack with some black currants, dark spices, a touch earthy, vanilla and some nutmeg. Seems quite restrained and reserved but well integrated as well. Dry and long finish. Drink till 2037.

Third time trying this limited bottling by De Toren Private Cellars with only 1,132 bottles produced in the 2013 vintage. This wine is made through the use of extreme winemaking techniques such as extreme cropping, extensive hand sorting, 200% new French oak for a total of 18 months and unfiltered. You are probably wondering how it can be 200%? This is done by aging the wine in 100% new French oak barrels for twelve months before transferring them to another set of 100% new French oak barrels for six additional months.
— 7 years ago

India OkohSean Ballington
with India and Sean
Jonathan, Shay and 7 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Wow. Interesting use of barrels. Is this a step up from the Fusion label?
Greg Ballington

Greg Ballington Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Shay Aldriedge a class above yes, made in collaboration with a group called Expression Unique who strive on make my the best wines from specific regions

KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren

Saison D'Erpe-Mere Ale

Classic, almost a perfect saison — 8 years ago

Brouwerij De Glazen Toren

Ondineke Oilsjtersen Tripel

Tsuyoshi Enoki
9.0

Ondineke De Glazen Toren
Oilsjtersen tripel/
Creamy smooth bubbles, deep and unclear yellow.
Tasty note of bread, yeast, barley malt, hop, camomile, olive and custard cream , juicy note of apple, pineapple and cider, spicy and bitter nuance of coriander and Japanese mugwort.
Creamy and rich attack, deep bitter finish
— 6 years ago

Erik, Daniel P. and 1 other liked this

De Toren

Délicate Red Bordeaux Blend

Delicious berry flavours, and a smooth red. — 7 years ago

De Toren

Z Merlot Blend 2009

Greg Ballington
9.0

Garnet red with some bricking around the edges. Some dirty notes of the nose with a little greenery and soft dark berries in the finish. Moderate tannins (7/10) with good acidity, a little higher than expected. Mainly red berries on the palate with some savory herbs in the finish. Medium plus bodied and medium plus finish. Tastes a little older than an 09. Drink till 2018. — 7 years ago

Sean BallingtonIndia Okoh
with Sean and India
David, Mike and 3 others liked this

De Toren

The Black Lion Stellenbosch Shiraz 2014

Greg Ballington
9.4

Night seven on the Allure of the Seas and this time at we are ordering in for some room service from the specialty restaurants.

Medium ruby red, a bit lighter than expected. Love the layers and complexity on the nose, starting off with some chalk, gamey notes, iron and tons of minerality. Started to open up with some more smokey notes, caramel and tight dark berries. Definitely more on the savory side of Shiraz. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Tons of structure and balanced acidity. Attack of black olives on the palate with some plums, dried black cherries and raspberries. Got a bit fruitier as it aired with some meaty undertones. Long and dry finish. So much going on with this wine, sadly it was our only bottle. Drink till 2042. (94+)

First time trying this limited bottling Shiraz by De Toren Private Cellars with only 883 bottles produced in the 2014 vintage. This wine is made through the use of extreme winemaking techniques similar to the Book XVII such as extreme cropping, extensive hand sorting, 200% new French oak for a total of 18 months and unfiltered. You are probably wondering how it can be 200%? This is done by aging the wine in 100% new French oak barrels for twelve months before transferring them to another set of 100% new French oak barrels for six additional months. Definitely would buy again, release price was R2,250.
— 7 years ago

Sean BallingtonIndia Okoh
with Sean and India
Shay, Stef and 10 others liked this
Ryan Mayes

Ryan Mayes

Interesting. Not too much oak?
TheSkip

TheSkip

Savory with all that oak? Would have thought it would have been like a vanilla cupcake.
Jody Scharf

Jody Scharf Premium Badge

Great notes

Boekenhoutskloof

Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

De Toren is leeg dus op naar Boekenhoutskloof. Ook een heerlijk glas, prima drinkbaar nu. Met name de mooie zuren in deze wijn spreken mij aan. Topglas! — 8 years ago

Martijn, Wil and 3 others liked this

Reyneke

Reserve Shiraz 2008

Greg Ballington
9.5

Reyneke Reserve Red 2008. This wine was brought by my father for all of us to try. This was a PNP, but before I got to tasting this wine it was in the glass and decanter for around an hour and a half. The color is garnet which to me means mainly red with a slight brown hue, more red than brick and it is clear, not cloudy. One part that can really leave an impression on me within a wine is the nose and the nose is crazy on this wine, I love it! Leather, tobacco, bacon, earthiness, perfume, and flowers like violet and maybe honeysuckle. Within the palate there are strong tannins (but not overpowering) that made my mouth feel insanely furry, not drying out like sandpaper. Balanced with a full body and long lingering finish. Wine is absolutely delicious and savory. There is so much going on it is hard to describe it all. The longer you leave it open the more it opens up and the more the wine changes. As for longevity, I believe this has enough power and body to go on for another 10 years easily.

This wine was a big surprise for me. I am a fan of South African wines, I will actually be visiting Stellenbosch in December. I love the earthy notes and animal notes that come out of wines from the region. I know we will be visiting De Toren which is right next to Reyneke, so I think this might have to be a must stop. Loved this wine!
— 9 years ago