2022, November 30 – All 809 bottles of De Toren Private Cellar’s masterful 100% Malbec wine, De Toren Patronus, with its distinctive label illustration of a rhino, were reserved within weeks of the pre-order announcement, and this limited-edition collectors’ wine, encased in a lockable keepsake presentation box with a branded De Toren Key, was sold out within four weeks.
‘We knew the Malbec would do well but the interest and response have been overwhelming,’ says Charelle van den Berg, brand manager for De Toren. ‘The popularity of this full-bodied, vibrant wine lies partly in the fact that the De Toren Patronus is a delectable wine to drink immediately but it can also be kept for ageing and investment. Our annual reservations list for 2023 is already filling up.’
Inspired by France’s world-renowned Bordeaux wines, each of the Stellenbosch private cellar’s distinct wines is site-specific and a true reflection of the soil and conditions – the terroir – in which they grow, ensuring a unique flavour profile for each. The Malbec, harvested from decades-old vines, was aged separately ahead of its intended use in selected blends, but tastings revealed it to be an amazing standalone wine, with flavours of red plum and black cherries, gentle notes of coconut, hints of oak and tart currant.
Malbec’s distinct character is drawn from its large dark-purple grapes which have robust tannins, making for a similarly dark-purple wine – the reason Malbec is often dubbed ‘the noble black wine’. It is aged in a climate-controlled maturation room for eighteen months in predominantly French oak barrels, contributing to the gentle tannins and hint of sweet tobacco that give the wine its long, fragrant finish.
Describing the unbridled appreciation for the pure Malbec as ‘incredibly gratifying’, winemaker Martin Fourie says, ‘We’re of course thrilled by the response – what more could you hope for? We’d really like to thank everyone who has acquired this wine.’ Encouraged by the enthusiastic response, De Toren has planted new Malbec vines at the entrance to the estate.
From the estate’s very first days, the winemakers aimed to make Bordeaux-style reds that would be ranked among the world’s best. It’s not surprising, then, that De Toren’s unerring appetite for achievement should turn to creating an unmatched Malbec in De Toren Patronus. The estate set out to change the way South Africans view Malbec and raise the standards for this varietal beyond our borders – and by the looks of things, it has achieved precisely that.
For more information on De Toren Patronus follow De Toren on Social Media via Instagram: @detorenprivatecellar and Facebook: @DeTorenPrivateCellar.
