The De Toren winery produces South Africa’s iconic Bordeaux blend, Fusion V, a classically styled left bank wine made of all five of the Bordeaux varieties—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet France, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Managing partner Albie Koch and cellar master Charles Williams recently hosted a special, vertical tasting of Fusion V at the winery in the Polkadraai Hills for Mike Bampfield-Duggan, owner of Wine Concepts, Newlands, and myself. The wines included the maiden vintage from 1999 through to the most recent vintage being the 2021. The wines reveal an amazingly consistent and refined style over time, although hot vintages show darker fruit and a bit higher alcohol. The winemaking and viticulture teams have done an excellent job of keeping alcohol levels in check over time despite the warming climate.
Albie Koch (credit drwinkler)
De Toren was established with the goal of creating top quality Bordeaux style wines. Its vineyards are in the Polkadraai hills, an area of decomposed granitic soils cooled by sea breezes from nearby False Bay. Vines were planted in the early 1990s after extensive terroir research with the assistance of experts from Stellenbosch University. Precision viticulture has been the calling card of De Toren since its inception, and organic practices have been used since 2016. Grape varieties, clones and rootstocks are custom-tailored to the terroir of individual parcels of the 21-hectare vineyard. To facilitate air flow, replanted parcels have vine rows oriented northeast-southwest, directly facing the prevailing winds, instead of the original north-south orientation. The winemaking is similarly fine-tuned with optimal picking times determined in part by infrared aerial imaging, hand harvesting in the early morning followed by hand sorting, gentle basket pressing, and separate vinification and aging by varietal and parcel prior to blending. The winery is gravity flow, and the winemaking is non-interventionist.
Charles Williams (credit drwinkler)
De Toren’s first winemaker, Stellenbosch native, 22-year-old Albie Koch, arrived at the cellars in 1998 after winemaking stints in France, California and elsewhere in South Africa. His first wine, the 1999 Fusion V, won plaudits from international wine publications. Albie later became the managing partner of De Toren, and in 2008 Stellenbosch grad Charles Williams joined, becoming the lead winemaker in 2013. Most recently, a group of investors purchased De Toren with Albie remaining COO, Charles taking on the role of cellar master, and Martin Fourie joining De Toren in 2016 and becoming winemaker with the 2019 vintage.
De Toren Fusion V
The first wine made at De Toren in 1999, Fusion V is a left bank Bordeaux blend of the five classic varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon is always at least 50% of the blend, followed by Merlot, Malbec or Cabernet Franc, depending on the vintage, and 7% or less Petit Verdot. The winemaking (as well as the winemakers) has remained constant over time with 12 months aging in about 50% new oak, 90% French, 10% American. However, the weather has not. The most extreme climate event since 1999 was the 2016-18 drought.
US Importer: Cape Classics
(credit drwinkler)
De Toren 1999 Fusion V Stellenbosch A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 10% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in 1986, came from the estate, but the other grapes were purchased. Color fading slightly to the rim. In perfect condition, still fresh with a suave feel in the mouth and earth and leather-like notes. Still drinking beautifully. 13.5% alc.
De Toren 2003 Fusion V Stellenbosch 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 14.5% Malbec, 9.5% Cabernet Franc, and 35 Petit Verdot. Vibrant, darker in color and flavor and more concentrated than the 1999 with firm tannins. There’s a lot of life left in this wine. 14.5% alc.
De Toren 2005 Fusion V Stellenbosch 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, 14% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot, all sourced from the estate. Dark carmen with an assertive dried fruit and cigar box bouquet. Impressive concentration and rich, spicy finish with firm, fruit-coated tannins. Drinking beautifully now. 14.5% alc.
De Toren 2008 Fusion V Stellenbosch 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec, 7% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. Semi-opaque, youthful appearance. One of my favorite vintages showing dark red fruit, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate shavings, and dusty herbs on a round, refined and richly flavored palate. Silky and refined. Gorgeous. 14.5% alc.
De Toren 2009 Fusion V Stellenbosch 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 10% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot. Dark colored with fresh blackberry, cassis, and dark plum aromas and flavors. Another silky, refined wine with gorgeous flavors. Very long, polished finish. 15% alc. This vintage received 5 stars from the Platter guide, but in my humble opinion all the wines tasted in this flight deserve 5 stars!
De Toren 2010 Fusion V Stellenbosch 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 13% Malbec, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Almost opaque in color. This wine comes from a warm, short vintage. Tobacco, loam, dark chocolate and blackberry all put in an appearance with a hint of forest floor. A beautiful wine in a darker, riper style. Serve this wine slightly cooler than most. 15% alc.
De Toren 2012 Fusion V Stellenbosch 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 9 % Petit Verdot. Opaque. This wine comes from a short, hot vintage with a shortage of water that resulted in very low yields. It’s black fruited with a chocolate, dark cassis, licorice and spice nose. It shows superb balance, juicy acidity, purity of fruit and incredible balance. This wine didn’t receive rave reviews upon release, but it’s showing beautifully now. I wish I had purchased a case for my cellar. 14.5% alc.
De Toren 2015 Fusion V Stellenbosch 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Malbec, 13% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. The 2015 Fusion V from a classic vintage has a high Malbec component, which is aged in American oak barrels with French oak heads. Still youthful and a bit tight, there’s wonderful, rich, dark fruit that needs a bit more time to fully reveal itself. 14.5% alc.
De Toren 2018 Fusion V Stellenbosch 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc 13% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. A difficult vintage with early season frosts, high temperatures, extreme drought, and very low yields. Black fruit dominates the bouquet and palate showing black fruit, tobacco and leather. But there’s excellent depth, round tannins, and a silky texture. 14.5% alc.
De Toren 2020 Fusion V Stellenbosch 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Dark red. The 2020 vintage is silky and elegant, revealing dark cherry, plum, and cassis along with notes of violets, graphite, cedar, and anise. Perhaps the most refined wine in the flight with fine tannins and early drinking pleasure. One of my favorites! 14.5% alc.
De Toren 2021 Fusion V Stellenbosch 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. A gorgeous wine from a great vintage. Dark red with a nose of black raspberry, cigar box, chocolate shavings and spicy oak. Young, elegantly textured, and simply gorgeous. If you can find this wine, buy a case. 14.5% alc.
