La Bri Affinity 2015
This is one of the reasons that I decided to celebrate female winemakers this month. I’d always seen these beautiful labels featuring Cape flowers and herbs, but never tried them.
Made by Irene Waller, who is not only the winemaker but also the general manager of the farm. Irene studied accounting, then teaching, before being bitten by the wine bug after doing a Cape Wine Academy course. After traveling, she returned to study a BSc Agriculture and became a winemaker at 36. How awesome! Just goes to show it’s never too late to switch to your passion!
The blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot was an easy choice for this CF and PV lover. And there was no way I wasn’t going to enjoy the aromas of black cherries, cassis, cloves, smoke and tobacco. Dark and inky, full bodied and lush. All the juicy black cherries, mulberries and plums make this really easy drinking - though the firm tannins had me stashing a couple away for the next few years.
Viti + Vini:
The components were individually vinified and matured, and blended after 23 months in French oak (25% new).
Fun Facts:
La Bri, the estate? Another oldie from the French Huguenots in Franschhoek dating back to 1694. Can we get back to the beautiful label - each wine’s characteristics are linked to a specific flower and this one is symbolised by Geissorhiza radians, the prettiest most distinctive deep purple flower with a large red centre. The flower is also known Wine Cup. I kid you not!
