Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec, the 2017 Steytler Pentagon opens with lots of glossy red and black fruit tones that verge on the edge of chocolaty, a juicy core of fruit and subtle herbaceous tones. Full-bodied, the wine offers a richly structured mid-palate with energetic acidity and buttressing tannins that lift the frame to showcase blackberry reduction, cherry jus and raspberry cinnamon compote with subtle vanilla tones. The wine concludes with a firm, gripping finish that should beautifully blossom in the bottle and drink well until 2027. Only 6,000 bottles were produced after spending 28 months in small French oak barrels.

Anthony Mueller - Wine Advocate (90)