John Platter SA Wine Guide 2004
List of Five Star wines for 2004 released
Established wineries with proven track records took most of the 5 Star rankings awarded in the 2004 edition of the John Platter SA Wine Guide, that goes on sale in late November. 17 wines had made the selection for the 2004 edition – 3 less than last year.
Vergelegen, with a total of four 5 Star ratings, dominates the list. Steenberg and Rust en Vrede claim two apiece (albeit that Rust en Vrede takes honours for a red blend it makes on behalf of champion SA golfer, Ernie Els).
The complete list of 5 Star wines for 2004 is:
Méthode Cap Classique:
Villiera Brut Natural 2001
Sauvignon Blanc:
Steenberg Reserve 2003
Semillon:
Steenberg 2003
Chardonnay:
Kumala Journey's End 2002
Dry white blends:
Vergelegen Estate White 2002
Red blends:
Cordoba Crescendo 2000
Ernie Els 2001
Rust en Vrede Estate 2000
Vergelegen CWG Blend 2001
Pinotage:
Kaapzicht Estate Steytler 2001
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Vergelegen 2001
Vergelegen V Nirvana 2001
Pinot Noir:
Bouchard Finlayson Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak 2001
Shiraz:
The Foundry 2001
Noble Late Harvest:
Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling 2003
Ken Forrester ‘T’ 2001
Port:
Boplaas CWG Vintage Reserve 2001
There are two wines on the list that many might not find that familiar. The Foundry Syrah 2001 is an own-label owned by Delaire winemaker Chris Williams and wine-partner James Reid. Reid, whose full-time occupation is as operations director for Western Wines, is also associated with the Journey's End Chardonnay 2002, a new prestige label within the Kumala range that has been extremely successful in the UK.
These results are the culmination of several months of intensive tasting, by an internationally experienced team, of over 4 000 individual wines. These were sampled and ranked according to the guide's five-point scale, which ranges from 0 Stars ('somewhat less than ordinary', equal to fewer than 10 on the commonly used 20-point system) up to 5 Stars ('superlative, a Cape classic', equal to 18.5 points or more).
In the course of their evaluations, the guide's tasters identified a limited number of candidate 5 Star wines (only finished, bottled wines, available during the currency of the guide, were considered). The short-listed wines were then judged by a full panel.
The 2004 edition of guide will available from late November 2003 at selected bookstores, wine shops, supermarkets, wine cellars and other outlets. It may also be ordered from the website www.platterwineguide.com The recommended retail price is R99.95.
Tasters for 2004:
John Platter, Michael Fridjhon, Angela Lloyd, Jabulani Ntshangase, Neil Pendock, Dave Swingler; Master of Wine Richard Kelley; Cape Wine Masters Tim James, Tony Mossop, Christine Rudman and Irina von Holdt; honorary member of the Institute of Cape Wine Masters Dave Hughes.
