OLD, WHAT’S OLD
After how many years of aging is a wine perfect? Regarding Bruce Redman, his wines first lie down for years, before anyone opens them, but it depends of course: after all one year is not the other. To illustrate this, Bruce pulls the cork, with some struggles (the cork falls apart), of a 'claret' from 1969 - grapes were not stated standard on the labels at the time. The wine, has a bizarre orange-brown color, like homemade strawberry jam, and is amazingly delicious.

In the same year father opened the building where Bruce Redman and brother Malcolm, third generation winemakers, still receive their visitors. Looks like in all these years nothing has changed. I think that's a thrilling relief after visits to stately rooms with trial aesthetics, gleaming glass cases full of trophies and souvenirs ranging from fine olive oil bottles to caps and aprons. At Redman, which keeps true to its name and produces only red wines, but does not exports (to bad!), old family pictures are on the wall. And instead of exemplary women in polo shirts with company logo, Bruce himself is, behind the outdated cozy bar and taste with us, while he chatters without stopping.

Redman has a tradition with shiraz, but, with the risk, I am beginning to think is predictable for me: yet again my favorites are the Cabernet Sauvignons. I like the 2005, 2004 and 2003 in a row, all great. The first, a warm year, some almond, the 2004 is slightly fruitier and more refined. But the 2003 gets my heart, because of the color red with a brown tinge, but mainly because something 'dusty' where I am definitely addicted to now.

Oh dear, another number 1 ...

Opening hours
From 9.00 to 17.00. On weekends and public holidays from 10.00 to 16.00

This article was created on March 18, 2009 by Trouw Journalist Remke de Lange. For more wine articles: www.remkedelange. This article is copyrighted