I found a bottle of this at K&L and took it to a big holiday/birthday party crammed full of wine collectors... It started a spirited discussion about "over extracted, overripe wines." What a suprise! You can see which side of the argument I was on by reading further....

2005 Anwilka - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (12/16/2006)
Here is proof of South Africa wine pushing out on the world stage. First, there's the bottle; it's tall, big and heavy. In fact, since the defacto rule is the bigger and heavier the bottle the more money you can charge (c.f. Sine Qua Non), at $36, this wine is a great value for the heavy empty bottle alone. (I intend to use it for pounding poulet paillardes). Second, there is the nose. Another SA wine I've recently tried, the 2003 Boschkloof Syrah, has a old-world nose of brambles and bright acidity; not this wine. The Anwilka has got a killer nose of fruit, fruit, wonderful fruit with a dash of vanilla oak in the background. The color is inky purple black and almost opaque. The palate is lush, pleasingly but not overly ripe, fine acid balance, with good glycerin and persistence in the middle, and a great long finish with smooth well-controlled tannins. It's an international style wine from the beginning to the end. It aims to please and it does. (92 pts.)

Paul,

Nice note and I agree for the most part. My score for this wine is about 90 points.

Doc