Only three vintages of Crucible Shiraz – 2003, 2004 and 2006 – have ever been released. One doesn’t need to be smarter than a fifth-grader to look at that sequence of years and spot the missing 2005.

So, where’s the 2005 Crucible?

We’ll begin by saying that the fermenting 2005 Crucible was a monster of a wine. The colour was the closest to black possible for a red wine. The empty tasting glasses were almost indelibly tinted. The nose showed all the typically Crucible aromas that elude any description. The palate was of such intensity that silence seemed to be the only appropriate response.

You may now be wondering how one could lose so huge a wine, even if its volume was less than 20 barrels. The problem was that the fermentation stopped when the alcohol reached 16%, with about 20 grams of residual sugar remaining unfermented. One could hardly blame the yeast for tossing in the towel at this point!

A wine of this nature does not easily get hidden, so massive is its presence (not that one would want to, anyway). Anyone familiar with the history of The Cloof Cellar Blend would know that the profile of the partially fermented 2005 Crucible was perfect for inclusion in our crazy blend.

Anyone who knows and loves Crucible as much as we do can easily spot it in the 2005 Cloof Cellar Blend amidst the random collection of press wines. Crucible Shiraz is only a small part of the blend, so the wine remains just-about-dry, but the flavours and intensity make a big impression.

The Cloof Cellar Blend 2005 sells for R65 from cellar-door, which doesn’t even cover the cost of the Crucible component, let alone the bottle, cork, label, excise duty, delivery cost, and the other wine that make up the balance of the 750ml.

It’s a cracker of a wine and a delicious drink in every respect.