31 August 2015

WoTM Rooiberg Reserve Pinotage 2012





My Wine of the Month for August is Rooiberg Reserve Pinotage 2012.

With a little age this stately statuesque expression of Pinotage is showing well with a taut core bedded in fleshy fruit, tannins in the background. Lovely balance, a delicious serious wine.

This wine was a Pinotage Top 10 winner in 2013.

29 August 2015

2015 Pinotage Top 10 Winners
















Winners of this years ABSA Pinotage Top 10 Competition are 
  • Altydgedacht Pinotage 2013
  • Ayama Pinotage 2013
  • Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2014
  • Flagstone Writer’s Block Pinotage 2013
  • Groot Constantia Pinotage 2013
  • Kanonkop Estate Pinotage 2012
  • Neethlingshof Estate Pinotage 2014
  • Overhex Survivor Pinotage 2014
  • Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage 2011
  • Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2014

This year, the 19th  competition first held in 1997 and sponsored by ABSA, there were 154 enteries

Making records with the most wins were Kanonkop Estate and Rijk's Cellar who both took home their 10th trophy. 

Chairman of The Pinotage Association, Beyers Truter, remarked:

“When the Pinotage Association founded the Absa Top 10 Competition in 1997, we had a vision of not only honouring Pinotage wines but also to create legends. By winning Top 10 awards ten times, Kanonkop and Rijk’s have now undoubtedly established themselves not only as legendary producers of Pinotage, but icons in the South African wine industry, too.
As a producer myself I know how high the demands of the judging panel are, and to show the kind of consistency as Kanonkop and Rijk’s have done throughout the years is an affirmation of the winemaker's understanding of his terroir, the unique traits of the Pinotage grape and tremendous winemaking skill.”

Enjoying their first trophy were Paarl's  Ayama and Worcester-based Overhex Wines International.  

Stellenbosch, Paarl and Durbanville each are home to two winners, and there are four wines each from the 2013 and 2014 vintages.

The judging panel were Duimpie Bayly, winemakers Neil Ellis, Fred Viljoen and Corlea Fourie, wine writer Samarie Smit, sommelier Georgio Meletio and viticulturist Stephan Joubert. 


Congratulations to all.

 

21 August 2015

Pinotage Top 10 2015 - Finalists

The 20 finalists for this years Pinotage Top 10 Competition are:

2013 Altydgedacht (Etienne Louw)
2013 Ayama (Michela Dalpiaz)
2013 Beeslaar (Abrie Beeslaar)
2012 Dewaldt Heyns Weathered Hands (Dewaldt Heyns)
2014 Diemerdal  Reserve (Thys Louw)
2013 Eikendal (Nico Grobler)
2013 Flagstone Writer's Block (Gerhard Swart)
2013 Groot Constantia (Boela Gerber)
2012 Kanonkop (Abrie Beeslaar)
2010 Kanonkop (Abrie Beeslaar)     
2012 Lanzerac Pionier (Wynand Lategan)
2013 Môreson The Widow Maker (Clayton Reabow)
2014 Neethlingshof Estate (De Wet Viljoen)
2014 Overhex Wines International Survivor (Willie Malan)
2012 Perdeberg The Dry Land Collection (Riaan Moller/Albertus Louw)
2011 Rijk's Reserve (Pierre Wahl)
2011 Rijk's Private Cellar (Pierre Wahl)
2013 Sumaridge Estate Wines (Gavin Patterson)
2013 Wildekrans Barrel Select Reserve (William Wilkinson)
2014 Windmeul Reserve (Abraham van Heerden/Andri le Roux)

It's another really interesting competition. One winemaker, Abrie Beeslaar, is represented three times, two for Kanokop and once for his own project,  and another multi-winner, Pierre Wahl at Rijk's has two contenders.

There's a godo mix of previous winner and newcomers and also a new name to me, Weathered Hands, from Saronsberg winemaker Dewaldt Heyns.

Congratulation to them all.

The Ten winners will be announced on 28 August