Fat Barrel Signature Series Perseverance Western Cape South Africa 2015

I found Fat Barrel Perseverance at Lidl for $9.99. Fat Barrel represents a group of South Africa estates with 14 wine brands as well as private label brands. Perseverance is a blend of 61% Shiraz, 32% Pinotage, and 7% Merlot from the southern tip of Africa, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean.

Many American wine drinkers may not be familiar with the Pinotage grape. It is the signature grape of South Africa and was created in 1925 by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsault. It is a difficult grape to grow and the wine made from it can sometimes turn out to be very unpleasant. Nevertheless, there are great Pinotage wines being produced and Pinotage is often blended with Syrah and other grapes from the Western Cape with distinctive results.

Fat Barrel Perseverance is definitely a medium bodied wine. Our initial tasting was very interesting. My initial impression was related to the raspberry, cherry flavors. My research assistant (Wine Jane) reacted to the unexpected tannins Of course we were both right. The wine has more ripe cherry flavor than expected but also has darker fruit flavors and a long lasting finish with enough tannins to make this a food wine. I really enjoyed the wine, especially with our dinner.

SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points

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