July 2001 Buying Guide: Port
It didn't take the judges long to pinpoint the winning ports in this year's Peter Schulz excellence awards. Leonie Joubert reports on a no mess, no fuss tasting.
Judging of the Port categories in the Peter Schulz Excellence Awards, sponsored by NMK Schulz, has in previous years provoked heated wrangling over category entries, wine styles and ultimate winners.
So it was with some surprise and relief that panellists emerged from the line-up of 40 Rubies, Tawnies, Late Bottled Vintages and Vintage Ports with general agreement on the individual category winners and the overall champ… a decision which continued the run of success for the Landskroon Port 1997 which last year won Paul de Villiers the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year award.
Landskroon's victory in this month's line-up went undisputed, emerging as both the Vintage Port category winner and overall frontrunner with the single 4¡ star rating awarded by the day's judges: Colin Frith (chairperson); Carel Nel of Boplaas; KWV's Johan Schreuder; Port aficionado Theo Rudman and wine writer and Cape Wine Master, Tony Mossop.
The Ruby class was made up of 10 wines with Riebeek Cape Ruby coming out as the winner with 3¡ stars. Top slot in the Tawny class was contested by a small group of five wines - here the Boplaas Cape Tawny won, also with 3¡ stars. Bredell's Cape LBV 1996 pipped five other wines to come out top of its class with 4 stars.
PORTLY PROGRESS "A 4 STAR WINE but a 2 star Ruby." This is the kind of phrase which typified the lament heard so often at previous Port tastings which would see a great wine reduced to mediocrity because it featured in the incorrect category either because producers were entering their wines in the wrong class or were not making their Ports in the correct styles from the outset.
This made for fascinating viewing as our panellists debated furiously. It may have appeared harsh, back then, to penalise a good wine because it was in the wrong slot. But the South African Port Producers Association (SAPPA), whose influence has swayed proceedings at WINE's Port tastings for some years now, had good reason for it - their aim was to get local Ports closer to the style of their Portuguese forbears.
This year it appears they're finally seeing dividends.
"It looks like people are getting their wines closer to the correct category!" stated chairperson Colin Frith once the judging was completed.
The rest of the panel agreed.
"These were more like Rubies as a class," said Theo Rudman of this category, remembering when "there was a time when those in the Ruby group were more like Tawnies and LBVs".
Carel Nel, SAPPA representative for the day, remarked that: "Four years ago at Veritas the wine classifications were all mixed up. It looks like SAPPA is finally getting the message through to its members now."
"Yes, this is definitely the first tasting where there were no wines here which had no business in the class," Rudman reiterated.
Mossop was a little reticent: "I still think it's a stuff up… there are very few producers who make a proper Ruby." Although he did concur with Frith that this line-up was better than what it was a few years back.
The panel did point out some faults: the Muratie Port was too brown in colour, the Calitzdorp Ruby Port too tawny. While the Robertson Port 1999 "had the best Ruby colour", there were questions about what varieties had been used to make it. Rudman said he "marked it up because it was an easy drinking wine - which is what a Ruby should be". But there was a "foxiness" in its character which they weren't wild about. The Alto Estate Port 1997 was "more like a Tawny" and was the only wine knocked down for possibly being in the incorrect category.
In the Tawny class the Boplaas and the Monis Very Old Tawny were neck and neck, although in the final analysis, Boplaas snuck ahead in popularity. There was little discussion beyond that "these are definitely Tawnies . . . they don't belong anywhere else!"
Rudman pointed out that a Tawny had to show nuttiness and "have fire" and that he marked down some wines for lacking that.
The concept of a Late Bottled Vintage seems quite new in the minds of Cape Port producers - and while they may have figured out how to make Ruby, they've now got to get their heads around the LBV style.
The general criticism of the class was its youthfulness. "A LBV must be ready now," said Frith. "Many of these are just too young and aren't drinkable yet."
"It sends the right message to the producer that the winner in this category is a 1996," they agreed. "LBVs should be released a little later…"
Rudman reminded everyone that a LBV is "a wood aged product, not a bottle aged one," so they must spend the required time in barrel. This is the first time in an LBV judging here that no LBVs were thought to better fit the Vintage or Vintage Reserve class . He did speculate the current LBV focus could be in response to another market trend, as happened with Ruby and Tawny 10 years ago.
The Vintage class came with a higher proportion of 3¡ and 4 star wines.
This, said Mossop, indicates how this style is constantly improving. "People are taking more care…wines are not as jammy any longer and are not overly wooded," he said.
The Rooiberg Vintage was held up as an example of the "old style, cough mixture" Port which "10 years ago would not have been an exception" in a line-up of this nature.
Every year, they agreed, the average gets higher!
"Just last year we were saying 'where are the big wines?'," said the chairman. "Not this time - now they're all here!"
Throughout the tasting post mortem, Nel kept reiterating the question of labelling. "Producers are entering the proper categories now, but are they indicating the style correctly on the label?"
Almost in answer to his question, four out of 10 wines in the Ruby class have no indication of exact style. Half the LBV labels make no mention of their class. Even the winning Landskroon doesn't specify its vintage style.
"It doesn't help the consumer if they're not informed of the style details on the label," said Nel.
But if the category issue has been resolved so quickly, it's probably not going to be long before the matter of labelling is resolved.
WHAT IS A PORT? The South African Port Producers Association defines local Port styles: CAPE RUBY PORT - a blend of young, full-bodied, round and fruity Ports aged six months to three years. CAPE TAWNY PORT - A blend of wood-matured Ports, amber or orange in colour which has acquired a smooth, light, slightly nutty flavour (where blending of white and red Port is not allowed). CAPE LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT (LBV) - a single vintage Port, dark and full-bodied with signs of going tawny in colour; aged for three to six years (at least two years in wood) before bottling. The label must indicate the year of bottling, the vintage and the words "Late Bottled Vintage" or "LBV". CAPE VINTAGE PORT - a Port of one harvest, dark and full-bodied, aged in wood with the words "Vintage Port" and the date of vintage on the label. CAPE VINTAGE RESERVE PORT - a Port of one harvest, produced in a year of recognised quality with exceptional organoleptic characteristics, dark and full-bodied. It must be aged at least one year in wood with the words "Vintage Reserve Port" and the date of vintage on the label.
RUBY
3½ stars
Riebeek Cape Ruby CELLAR PRICE: R24.00 Mahogany-plum hue. Complex nose: ripe prune and mocha notes on red berry and chocolate. Elegant and full, if a little shy. True to style. Smooth, long palate. Drink now or within 3 years.
3 stars
Dellrust Cape Ruby R20.90 Bergsig Cape Ruby R26.00
2 stars
Robertson Port 1999 R15.75 Boplaas Cape Ruby Port R20.17 Die Krans Cape Ruby Port † R28.50 Muratie Port R38.00 Alto Estate Port 1997 R69.00
1 star
Calitzdorp Ruby Port R18.50 De Wet Robyn Port 1999 R47.00 (For a case of three bottles)
TAWNY
3½ stars
Boplaas Cape Tawny CELLAR PRICE: R28.42 A good tawny colour: copper or amber in hue. Quite complex with floor polish, varnish and meaty whiffs onto concentrated palate. Good fruit. Elegant and well balanced. Drink now to 3 years.
Monis Very Old Tawny Port APPROX RETAIL PRICE: R26.22 True tawny colour. Great big meaty, floor polish,"solera" nose. Hint of vanilla. Some sweet-sour character on the palate. Very sweet with lots of grip. Drink up now or in 4 years.
3 stars
Die Krans Cape Tawny Port † R43.50 Domein Doornkraal Diep-Tanige Port R52.00
1 star
Louiesenhof Well Matured Perroquet Cape Tawny R87.00 † Approximate retail price †† Release date unknown * Price unknown at the time of going to press ** Sold out from farm Prices: All ex-cellar unless otherwise stipulated.
WINE Tasters: Cape Wine Masters Tony Mossop (panel chairperson), Clive Torr, MWs Richard Kelley, Remington Norman and Honorary CWM Colin Frith.
Procedures: Tasting done "blind". Wines poured at 14°C (whites ), 18°C (reds ) and 10°C (sweets). The 20-point scoring system was used: 5 Star = 18 or more out of 20; 4 Star = 16 or 17; 3 Star = 15; 2 Star = 14; 1 Star = 13; No Star = less than 13. Star ratings awarded on the basis of discussion and consensus. Wine identities not revealed to panellists until publication of the assessments.
