Bellevue Estate Collection Atticus
£21.00
£28.00 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 10 bottles available
A Cape blend with proper swagger: Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot from one of Stellenbosch's most historic estates. Named after a prized Arabian stallion, it pours dark plum, ripe berry and well-judged vanilla oak, with the kind of stamina that rewards patience. Bold enough for a Sunday roast, refined enough to impress.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We've tasted a lot of Cape blends, and Atticus is one of those that keeps quietly outperforming its price tag. The Pinotage gives it that unmistakable Stellenbosch fingerprint, smoky, dark-fruited, a touch wild, while the Cab and Petit Verdot keep everything tidy and serious. It's the bottle we reach for when someone says they're sceptical about Pinotage; nine times out of ten, they leave converted. Stocks are modest, so if you're tempted, don't dawdle. Drink it now with lamb, or tuck a few away, this one rewards a bit of patience.
Tasting Notes
A dense, brooding nose of dark plum, blackcurrant and crushed mulberry, lifted by sweet vanilla and a wisp of woodsmoke from time in French and American oak. The palate is muscular and structured, ripe black fruit framed by Cabernet's firm spine and Petit Verdot's inky depth, with Pinotage adding a savoury, almost smoky character beneath. Tannins are present and grippy in youth, promising a long life, while integrated oak adds warmth without dominating the finish.
Dark Plum & Mulberry
Concentrated black fruit at the core, ripe plum skin and crushed mulberry give this Cape blend its richness and immediate appeal.
Vanilla Oak Warmth
Eleven months in French and American barrels, a third of them new, lends a soft vanilla sweetness that rounds the edges without taking over.
Smoky Pinotage Character
That unmistakable Pinotage thumbprint, a savoury, woodsmoke note threading beneath the fruit and giving the blend its South African signature.
About This Wine
Bellevue planted some of South Africa's very first commercial Pinotage back in the early 1950s, and Atticus is the wine where that pioneering legacy meets two of Bordeaux's most serious players. The blend leans on Pinotage for character (around 42%), with Cabernet Sauvignon bringing structure (39%) and a generous splash of Petit Verdot (19%) for spice, depth and that inky, brooding edge. Named for one of the estate's most magnificent Arabian stallions, it's a wine with real muscle, and the patience to match.
In the glass, expect dark plum and ripe brambly berries up front, with vanilla and gentle sweet-spice notes lifting from the oak. The vineyards tell their own story: trellised Cabernet and Petit Verdot grown alongside gnarled bush-vine Pinotage, the latter rooted in soils that have been making wine for generations. After cold soaking and a short, intense fermentation, the components spend around eleven months in French and American oak, a third of it new, before being blended and rested again.
In its youth, this wants something substantial: slow-roasted lamb shoulder, a proper Sunday roast, or anything pulled off a charcoal grill. Give it a few years in the cupboard and the tannins soften into something altogether more elegant, a wine that earns its place at a dinner party as much as on a Tuesday night.
A thoughtful gift for any Pinotage curious drinker, or any South African expat in the UK who wants a real taste of Stellenbosch. Delivered to your door anywhere in Britain.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for the Sunday roast. The structure cuts through fatty, slow-cooked meats while the dark fruit echoes anything cooked over coals. Lamb is the natural partner, roasted, grilled or braised. Older bottles soften enough to handle gamier dishes and harder cheeses. Pour it generously and let the table do the talking.
- —Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic
- —Sunday roast beef with all the trimmings
- —Chargrilled ribeye with peppercorn sauce
- —Venison casserole with juniper and red wine
- —Aged Cheddar with quince paste
How to Serve
Temperature
Cool room temperature. Pull from the rack 20-30 minutes before serving to keep the fruit fresh and the alcohol in check.
Decanting
Give this an hour in a wide-bottomed decanter, especially in its youth. The tannins need air to soften and the dark fruit really blossoms once it has room to breathe.
Glass
A large-bowled Bordeaux glass suits this blend perfectly, giving the structured nose space to open and develop.
Cellaring
Store on its side in a cool, dark spot at 12-14°C with steady humidity. Will continue to evolve gracefully over five to eight years.
Ageing & Cellaring
Built to age. Bold and grippy in youth, this blend rewards five to eight years in the cellar, when the tannins soften and the Pinotage's smoky character melds with the Cabernet's cassis and Petit Verdot's spice. Drink now with hearty food, or tuck a few bottles away.
The Winemaking
Handpicked fruit gets a cold soak before fermentation kicks off, with three pump-overs a day for around four days to draw out colour, fruit and gentle tannin without forcing the issue. Malolactic happens in barrel, a mix of French and American oak, a third of it new, softening the wine from the inside out. The three components are then blended and returned to barrel for around eleven months, knitting Pinotage's wild edge with Cabernet's structure and Petit Verdot's perfume.
About the Producer
Bellevue Wine
Bellevue is one of those estates that quietly changed South African wine. In 1953, when P.K. Morkel went looking for Gamay vines and couldn't find any, he took a punt on a new local cultivar called Pinotage, and planted some of the first commercial blocks anywhere in the country. Those gnarled bush vines are still producing today, more than seventy years on, twisted by decades of Cape sun and wind. Two centuries of family winemaking sit behind the label, but the philosophy is unfussy: good soils, minimal intervention, and a respect for the old vines that put this place on the map. The Atticus blend, named after one of the estate's prized Arabian stallions, is Bellevue at its most expressive.