Ernie Els Major Series Double Red
£21.00
£28.00 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 12 bottles available
A Cabernet-Merlot blend from one of Stellenbosch's most quietly serious estates, built on the granite slopes of the Helderberg. Dark cherry, cassis and cedar wrap around a smoky, mineral core, with Cabernet lending backbone and Merlot filling out the middle. Confident, polished and ready for a proper dinner.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Our Verdict
We tasted the Double Red alongside a handful of other Helderberg Cabernet blends and it was the one we kept coming back to. There's a precision here you don't always find at this price: Cabernet doing the heavy lifting, Merlot smoothing the edges, and that amphora-aged portion lifting the whole thing just enough to feel modern. It's the first release in the Major Series under this blend, and we'd back it to age gracefully over the next five to eight years. Perfect for anyone building a cellar of serious Stellenbosch reds without spending serious money.
Tasting Notes
Deep, opaque ruby in the glass with a youthful crimson rim. The nose opens with black cherry, cassis and ripe plum, then cedar, smoky spice and a lifted mineral edge creep in. On the palate it's medium to full bodied, with blackcurrant and dark cherry doing the heavy lifting while Merlot fills out the middle with plush, rounded fruit. Cabernet gives it backbone: fine, powdery tannins and fresh acidity that keep everything in check. The finish lingers on dark fruit and cedar, savoury rather than sweet.
About This Wine
Ernie Els might be known the world over for his short game, but the wines coming out of his Helderberg estate play a much longer one. The Major Series Double Red is the newest addition to that range, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend named in tribute to the four Majors that made him a household name. If you've been looking for a Stellenbosch red that overdelivers without shouting about it, you've just found one. It opens dark and opaque in the glass, with a youthful crimson rim and a nose of black cherry, cassis and ripe plum lifted by cedar, smoky spice and a whisper of something mineral underneath. On the palate, Cabernet gives the structure (that lovely long, savoury line through the middle), while Merlot rounds out the shoulders with dark cherry and plum. Fine, polished tannins. Fresh acidity. A finish that lingers on dark fruit and cedar. The winemaking is thoughtful without being fussy: hand-harvested in the cool of the morning, fermented parcel by parcel, then sixteen months in 300-litre French oak barrels. A small portion of the Cabernet spends time in terracotta amphora, which adds a lifted, almost ethereal note to the final blend. Uncork it alongside a roast leg of lamb, grilled sirloin or beef short ribs. It also handles a mushroom risotto beautifully if you're going meat-free. Delivered anywhere in the UK, and the kind of bottle that quietly makes a dinner feel like an occasion, whether you're hosting friends or sending it as a gift to someone who knows their Stellenbosch.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for Sunday lunch. Roast lamb with rosemary is the obvious match, and it's a very good one, but it also handles a charred sirloin or slow-cooked beef short ribs with equal confidence. For something lighter, a mushroom risotto picks up on the savoury, earthy notes beautifully. Mature Cheddar at the end of the meal seals the deal.
- —Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic
- —Grilled sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce
- —Beef short ribs braised in red wine
- —Wild mushroom and thyme risotto
- —Mature Cheddar with quince paste
How to Serve
Decanting
Give this at least an hour in a wide-bottomed decanter. The tannins are fine but still youthful, and air helps the cassis and cedar aromatics really open up. Two hours won't hurt it.
Behind the Wine
Stellenbosch's Helderberg slopes do something special for Cabernet and Merlot: warm Cape sunshine ripens the fruit to generous depth, while afternoon breezes off False Bay keep acidity fresh and tannins fine-grained. The Ernie Els team work parcel by parcel, picking in the cool of the morning so the grapes arrive at the cellar still crisp. That attention shows in the glass as ripe black fruit held in check by savoury structure, never jammy, always balanced.
Ageing Potential
Drinking beautifully now with an hour in a decanter, but there's plenty in reserve. Expect this to develop happily over the next five to eight years, with the fruit softening into something more savoury and the cedar notes integrating into a smoother, more leathery whole.
The Land
Decomposed granite soils on the Helderberg slopes drain freely and force the vines to work for their water, concentrating flavour in smaller berries. The maritime influence from False Bay cools the afternoons, holding onto acidity and letting the Cabernet and Merlot ripen slowly through the long Cape summer.
The Winemaking
Hand-harvested bunches from separate Cabernet and Merlot blocks are fermented parcel by parcel, giving the winemaker a palette of components to work with before the final blend is called. Maturation runs for sixteen months in 300-litre French oak barrels, a size that lends spice and framework without smothering the fruit. A small portion of the Cabernet rests in terracotta amphora, a quiet nod to a more ancient way of ageing that keeps the fruit especially pure and lifted.
The Stellenbosch Region
Stellenbosch sits in the shadow of dramatic mountain ranges, barely fifty kilometres east of Cape Town. Cooling breezes sweep in from False Bay, tempering the summer heat and giving grapes the slow, even ripening that builds complexity. While the region built its reputation on bold Cabernets and Bordeaux blends, its cooler pockets, particularly those exposed to Atlantic influence, are proving increasingly hospitable to Pinot Noir. Granite-based soils add mineral depth, and the sheer diversity of mesoclimates across these mountain-fringed valleys means Stellenbosch can deliver finesse just as convincingly as power.
About the Producer
Ernie Els
Ernie Els needs little introduction on the fairway, but his wine project is the real deal too. Founded in 1999 on the slopes of the Helderberg, the estate sits in what locals call Stellenbosch's Golden Triangle, prime Cabernet country. From the start, Ernie brought in Louis Strydom as cellar master, one of the Cape's most respected red-wine makers, to build a portfolio that began with serious Bordeaux-style blends and has since grown to include the more approachable Big Easy range. The name is a nod to Ernie's famously fluid golf swing, the nickname that followed him around the PGA tour. The philosophy: same Stellenbosch craftsmanship, friendlier price, everyday drinking.