2008 John Platter ****1/2 Stars: Only Merlot to achieve 'Highly Recommended' status, A Cape 'celebrity' wine.
The saturated dense purple coloured Veenwouden Merlot 2004 exhibits big blackberry, raspberry, cranberry, dark chocolate and a hint of roasted coffee. On the palate it has good underlying acidity with rich, ripe fruit, soft tannins and a lingering aftertaste.
Duck with cranberry jus, springbok with cranberry or chocolate jus.