CECSR

 

The second annual Christian Eedes Cabernet Sauvignon Report presented in conjunction with Sanlam Private Investments is now out. This involved putting together a line-up of 60 high-profile wines, either currently available or soon to be released, and then subjecting them to a blind tasting.

Among the best value I have seen in years - 5 stars for La Bri 09 at R95, get it pronto, it will soon be sold out.

The top 10 wines were as follows:

FIVE STARS
La Bri 2009
Price: R95
Le Riche Reserve 2010
Price: R300

FOUR AND A HALF STARS
Graham Beck The Coffeestone Cabernet 2011
Price: Not yet released.
Guardian Peak Lapa 2010
Price: R220
Rickety Bridge Paulina’s Reserve 2010
Price: R190
Rudera 2011
Price: R185
Springfield Méthode Ancienne 2006
Price: R230
Thelema 2009
Price: R175
Waterford 2009
Price: R165

FOUR STARS
Rust en Vrede 2010
Price: R220

OMTWS

TROPHY WINNERS
Fairbairn Capital Trophy for Most Successful Producer Overall
Stark-Condé

Harold Eedes Trophy for Best Chenin Blanc, Old Mutual International Judges’ Trophy, Old Mutual Trophy for Best White Wine Overall
Rijk’s Chenin Blanc Reserve 2008

Best Red Blend, Old Mutual Trophy for Best Red Wine Overall
Delaire Graff Botmaskop 2010

Best Shiraz-based Dry Red Blend, Old Mutual Trophy for Discovery of the Show
Eikendal Charisma 2011

Old Mutual Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine
JC Le Roux Scintilla 2003

Nestlé Pure Life Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc (Unwooded)
Cederberg Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Best Sauvignon Blanc Unwooded (Museum Class)
KWV The Mentors Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Best Sauvignon Blanc (Wooded)
Jordan The Outlier Sauvignon Blanc 2012              

Best Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend
Delaire Graff Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Reserve 2011

Just Riesling Trophy for Best Riesling (Museum Class), Old Mutual Trophy for Best Museum Class Wine Overall
Jordan Riesling 2009       

Miele Trophy for Best Chardonnay
Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2011   

Best Chardonnay (Museum Class)
Nuy Chardonnay 2009   

Riedel Trophy for the Best Bordeaux-style Red Blend
Diemersdal MM Louw Estate Red 2011 

Best Pinotage
Diemersfontein Carpe Diem Pinotage Reserve 2011       

Best Niche Red Variety
KWV The Mentors Petit Verdot 2011     

American Express Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon
Stark-Condé Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Best Shiraz
Stark-Condé Three Pines Syrah 2010      

Old Mutual Trophy for the Best Dessert Wine
Delheim Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest 2012

Best White Muscat
Nuy Wit Muskadel 2007               

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS               
Asara Vineyard Collection Shiraz 2010
Ashton Roodewal 2011
Delheim Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Flagstone Free Run – Elim Reserve 2011
Graham Beck Bowed Head Chenin Blanc 2011
Hillcrest Estate Hornfels 2011
KWV Abraham Perold Insignis 2011
MAN Vintners Chardonnay 2006  (Museum Class)
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence 2008
Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2012
Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2011
Rustenberg Stellenbosch Shiraz 2011
Simonsig Woolworths Exclusive Selection Chenin Blanc “Sur Lie” 2012

Seeking Afro Jazz

I heard these guys busking in Stellenbosch last night and they are fantasties. The Winelands is full of beautiful venues crying to be filled and a community craving for more live entertainement. These guys should get regular gigs and everybody wins. You can reach them at oceansriff@gmail.com

Launch of a Cult

Savage Wines, launched to great anticipation last night, did not disappoint and were welcomed for a number of reasons. The red shows the same precise winemaking and sympathetic fruit handling that Duncan has shown in his whites and the big bonus for this writer is the now very rare 12.8% alc. 

Duncan Savage

This is far easier to achieve with whites than reds without losing for example generous mouth feel (too which we have become far too accustomed) and power and elegance - which has always been rare.

If one had to be picky possibly a touch too much whole berry ferment but this will integrate with time which is something these wines have in abundance. However, immaculate fruit is probably the more likely.

These wines will soon have a cult following – find them, buy them, and if you have the discipline, keep them – well some of them anyway.

I believe they are both priced at R180 which - for world class age-worthy wines - is good value and will seem a bargain of a lifetime when you open them in say 5 years time. 

The 2011 red is 72% Syrah, 21% Grenache, 7% Cinsaut, aged in old large format oak while the 2012 white is 70% Sauvignon Blanc 30% Semillon 100% aged in 25% new 500 and 600lt barrels, both wines WO Western Cape.

find out more at info@savagewines.com and presumably in time at www.savagewines.com  

Chenin Blanc - our only great white hope

My lighthearted take on Chenin for Playboy March 2013 edition 

Once upon a time Chenin Blanc lived in the beautiful Cape winelands with her step-sisters Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The sisters received lots of attention – parties, trellises, favoured sites - never wanting for anything other than a true Romeo to woo them. But they were spoilt and petulant and failed to find a suitor.  What the sisters didn’t have was Chenin’s beauty and versatility.

Chenin had to work hard all day with little rest or comfort other than to sit near the fire cinders late in the evening, earning the nickname Cinderella.  One day some new oak arrived to take the sisters to the palace ball.

Chenin was left all alone to do the housework. Suddenly – in a burst of light - an old oak by the name of Madiba appeared and offered to take Chenin to the ball. ‘But the wine snobs won’t let me in’ cried Chenin. Not to worry assured Madiba, Michael Fridjhon has been doing your PR for many years and soon you will appear in the finest regalia.  

With a swish of his virge, Madiba turned grapes into a pimpmobile and nine winemakers – Jeff Grier, Teddy Hall, Jean Daneel, Irina von Holt, Mike Dobrovic, Eben Sadie, Bruwer Raats, David Trafford, into eight white steeds and coachman Ken Forrester. 

At the ball, globally renowned critics loved Chenin so much that Madiba decided that if the shoe fits wear it and rescinded the spell to turn the pimpmobile and winemakers into pumpkin and mice at midnight.

WOSA reports record exports

Following a few very tough years, the South African wine industry is being buoyed by a new sense of optimism on the back of record export levels, the likelihood of one of the best harvests this year, the penetration of new markets and growing praise from some of the wine world's most influential opinion formers.

WOSA CEO Su Birch

 Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), confirmed that exports for 2012 had reached 417 million litres, 10 million litres more than the previous record of 407 million litres achieved in 2008 and a 17% increase on volumes in 2011. "The record levels are the result of a more favourable currency, as well as the global shortage of wines, stemming from a significant drop in the recent harvests of competitor wine-producing nations in Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.

"At this stage, all indications are that this year's local crop could be the third biggest in recorded history.  This is assuming that good weather conditions continue, there is a speedy and peaceful resolution to the farmworker strikes and harvests come in on time. The anticipated crop size is despite a decrease in total plantings, thanks to one of the best winter seasons in the Western Cape for many years."