Meerlust: visiting this important Stellenbosch winery, and tasting right back to the beginning
Website: https://www.meerlust.co.za/
Jamie Goode visits Meerlust, one of South Africa’s leading wineries, and then catches up with the team in London for the 50th anniversary celebrations, with a tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon and Rubicon back to the beginning here.
Hannes Myburgh is the proprietor of Meerust, one of South Africa’s most celebrated wineries. Hannes took over from his father Nicolaas (known as Nico) in 1988, so he’s been running things for 37 years of Meerlust’s 50 years. The debut vintage was 1975.
Meerlust is a historical property, and the farm was established in 1693, just 41 years after the Cape was first colonised by the Dutch in 1652. The Dutch came here largely because of the scurvy problems on the long spice route journey. The ships needed somewhere to refresh along the route. The name Meerlust translates as the pleasure of the sea, because of the proximity of false bay just 5 km away it was named.
Nicolaas inherited the farm in 1959, and they restored the historic buildings. He planted more vineyards, supplying coops with the grapes. In 1967, he travelled with his wife to France, where he went to Bordeaux. This gave him the idea of creating a Bordeaux-style blend, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The problem is, there wasn’t much Cabernet Franc in the Cape, and there was no Merlot. With the help of a pilot friend he smuggled some in.
In 1975 he released the first wine from the estate, a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, which was made at the Bergkelder (estate wines were rare at this time, but this still counted as an estate wine because there was a dispensation at the time). In 1978 Giorgio Dalla Cia, from Friuli, joined for one season as winemaker (by this stage the wines were being made on the farm), and then stayed for 25.
In 1979 the entire vintage was lost because of harvest rain, but 1980 was an abundant year and they decided to make a special blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. But there was a lot of push back from the industry about this. They were ready to release this blend in 1984, but didn’t have a name. The name Rubicon was suggested by a friend who was a professor of languages, Dirk Opperman.
The release of Rubicon and its success inspired others to make Bordeaux-style blends. Nicolaas died in 1988. The brand was built through times of embargo and sanctions and political upheaval, and it was quite a challenge. In 1994 South Africa became a democracy and this changed things a lot.
Chris Williams was winemaker from 2004 (he’d been assistant winemaker since 1995), and Wim Truter took over from Chris in 2020. I visited with cellar master Wim Truter, winemaker Altus Treurnicht and sales and marketing manager Deidre Taylor.
Meerlust wines are all made from the estate, which is in a part of Stellenbosch called Eersterivier (and which will soon become a ward; it translates as First River). Being 5 km from False Bay makes a big difference to the farm, but it’s not actually cooler than the main part of Stellenbosch – it’s warmer. It’s just that there are fewer temperature peaks. The average temperature here is about 0.8 C higher than the Stellenbosch average. Meerlust has an average of just under 2100 GDDs, whereas Stellenbosch District is just under 2000 GDDs. Meerlust is about 2 weeks early than the rest of Stellenbosch for each variety.
They are also a bit drier, 540 mm versus 670 mm. And it’s windier here. But there is less time spent above 35 C, which is where the vines shut down. The vine gets glucose/fructose imbalances at the higher temperatures and uses up some acidity. So this is highly advantageous for Meerlust.
There are four sections of the farm. The Lowlands, the Quarry, River Terraces and Compagniesdrift. The Compagniesdrift is the cooler area, and this 40 hectares is the backbone of the Rubicon. Soils are decomposed granite.
I toured the farm, stopping first in the Quarry Block. There I tried two samples of the 2024 Cabernet Sauvignons. The first was from a block over the Baden Powell Drive, called Lowlands, with duplex greywacke soils called Klapmuts soils. This is clay derived from shale. The wine is bright with lovely focus and fresh blackcurrant and blackcherry fruit with some red fruit. This has a nice acid line with brightness and opulence.
The second sample is from the Quarry terroir, which is greywacke terroir called Castret soils. This is intense and nicely structured with good acidity and vivid blackcurrant fruit. It’s a touch racier than the Lowlands sample.
Next, River Terraces, with sandy soils, making brighter wines with a lighter tannin profile. But although it’s sandy, it holds water lower in the profile really well. The sample I tried was bright and energetic with lovely purity, showing bright berry and blackcurrant fruit with good energy.
Finally, the fourth block, Compagniesdrift, which has decomposed granite oakleaf soils. These are deep and old. I tried a Cabernet Sauvignon from block A7. This is broader and much richer than the others with higher extract and tannin. It’s concentrated and weighty with nice intensity, but stays juicy with good energy.
THE WINES
The current releases were tasted at the farm in October 2024, and then I have notes from May 2025 of the vertical tasting in London.
Meerlust Chardonnay 2023 Stellenbosch
This comes from Quarry and Oakleaf. Wonderful aromatics here with very fine toasty notes as well as powerful lime, pineapple and lemon. Malolactic is down to 10% and the Quarry component is new, and there’s some blonde toast on the barrels, so the style has changed quite a bit. The palate is energetic but rich with lemon and white peach as well as some spiciness. Nice intensity here with a mineral twist and keen acidity. Such poise and purpose with potential for development. 95/100
Meerlust Pinot Noir 2023 Stellenbosch
The big challenge here is the harvest date. It becomes very flabby very early. They played around with whole bunch and it was a disaster, so this is all destemmed, one or two pumpovers a day. ‘We need to have quite a light hand here,’ says Wim. There’s quite a bit of new oak. Lovely bright, floral cherry fruit here with some sour cherry and nice plumpness and texture on the palate. Nice precision here with lovely fruit intensity, and some elegance. 93/100
Meerlust Estate Red 2021 Stellenbosch
This was initially made as a one-off declassification, but now it is a permanent part of the range: they have 20 hectares of younger vineyards that need a home. 2021 was a lovely vintage, and quite cool, giving intense wines but also fresh wines and this year the wine was Cabernet Franc led. 18 months in oak, 10% new. Chunky and focused with sweet black cherry and berry fruits, with nice definition. Good concentration with a bit of structure and nice freshness. Lovely intensity to this wine with great balance and potential for ageing. 94/100
Meerlust Merlot 2021 Stellenbosch
This variety comes into its own on this property. 18 months in barrel, 30% new. Merlot on the wrong sites gives it a bad rap, but here it’s really good. Concentrated and quite dense with lovely blackcurrant fruit and some fine spiciness. Structured and primary, with some plush fruit but also nice acidity and a bit of spicy structure. Such focus and purity with potential for development. Lovely grip. 94/100
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Stellenbosch
14% alcohol. Fresh and supple with lovely green hints and a savoury, mineral twist to the sleek blackcurrant fruit. There’s nice detail here with fine herbal hints and great definition. Such fruit here with some generosity but also great balance, finishing finely spiced. 94/100
Meerlust Rubicon 2021 Stellenbosch
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in equal parts making 90% of the blend, then Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Sourced from all four terroir units on the farm. 50% new oak here, with 18 months in barrel, but looking at less toast. First vintage 1980. Concentrated and fresh with lovely blackcurrant and red cherry fruit, with subtle olive and spice showing great intensity and potential for ageing. Grippy and structured with well integrated oak, and lovely fruit balance. Primary and brimming with potential. 96/100
Cabernet Sauvignon vertical
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 1975 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Made in large foudres at the Bergkelder, with light extraction. This is still alive! There’s some sweet cherry and plum fruit with some dried herbs, just a hint of earth, and a lovely silkiness on the palate, with soft tannins. It’s elegant and refined with warm spice and dried herb characters, finishing spicy and warm. Such a pleasurable wine that’s ageing so well. The only real sign of age is the dryness of the finish. Very fine and quite elegant. 95/100
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 1980 Stellenbosch, South Africa
This is quite structured with a core of compact sweet, spicy fruit. There’s good acidity and nice tannic grip, with red berries and a hint of blackcurrant, finishing warmly spiced. This is quite intense with nice depth and focus, and is ageing so well. 95/100
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 Stellenbosch, South Africa
This is fresh and expressive with good concentration and acidity. Lovely supple blackcurrant fruit with some red cherry, and then a savoury, spicy edge with a touch of earthiness and some old wood hints. Harmonious and complex, with some nice spicy detail. Very expressive and quite delicious. Drink now. 94/100
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Lovely supple cherry and blackcurrant fruit with some warmth and also some spicy structure. Good acidity, too. This is in a beautiful place where it is developing some savoury complexity, still has nice focus and structure, and also some lovely fruit, too. Very fine and expressive. Warm and engaging, finishing slightly dry, but beautiful. 95/100
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Stellenbosch, South Africa
There’s some mint and dried herb complementing the berry and blackcurrant fruit here, as well as a hint of oak. Fresh and expressive with lovely fruit focus, as well as some warmth. This has potential for development: it’s still quite unfurled. 94/100
Rubicon vertical
Meerlust Rubicon 1980 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Warmly aromatic and spicy with some red cherry and plum fruit on the nose. The palate is bright with nice structure. This is still quite firm with some sweet strawberry and cherry fruit, finishing warm and quite dry. There’s a slight maltiness here: it is well developed, and just hanging in, offering a lot of pleasure but starting to deviate a bit. Tasting a bit of history here. 93/100
Meerlust Rubicon 1995 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Some savouriness on the nose with mint and earth, as well as some fruit. The palate is nicely developed with some spicy detail and a bit of structure, as well as some iodine and fresh berry and blackcurrant fruit. This is vivid and bright, but beginning to fade. Drink now. [Caveat: my sample was a bit sediment-heavy so may not be typical.] 93/100
Meerlust Rubicon 2001 Stellenbosch, South Africa
This is in a really good place, with a bit of development opening up the taut blackcurrant and cherry fruit. Very stylish with lots of fruit, but also a bit of savoury complexity. Finishes firm and spicy, with a bit of warmth. Lovely wine. 95/100
Meerlust Rubicon 2015 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Showing beautifully. Still quite structured with fresh blackcurrant and black cherry fruit with nice grip and a sense of freshness. Juicy and alive, showing a wide dynamic range. Lovely focused, compressed fruit, some ripeness and warmth, and nice structure. In a very good place but with potential for development. 96/100
Meerlust Rubicon 2021 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Youthful, fruit driven, fresh but with nicely focused blackcurrant and red cherry fruit, with some grip and good acidity. This is pure, has beautifully integrated oak, and is really fresh and expressive. There’s freshness and delicacy here, but the cloaked structure suggests this could age well for a long time. Fine, direct and pure. 96/100
