Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2009: Trophy and gold medal winners

ALL THE WINNERS

WINNER OF THE FAIRBAIRN CAPITAL TROPHY FOR MOST SUCCESSFUL PRODUCER, RECEIVING TWO TROPHIES FOR TWO OF THREE GOLD MEDALLISTS, SEVEN SILVER MEDALS AND ELEVEN BRONZE MEDALS.

The winners with in this year's Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.

 

Nederburg Wines

WOW, THEY DID IT AGAIN! ‘REPEAT OFFENDERS' THEY ARE - Razvan Macici, Tariro Masayiti, Wim Truter and the rest of the team at Nederburg in Paarl - for being the Most Successful Producer on Show for two years running.

This Distell outfit is hitting the sweet spot, with dessert wine entries especially impressing the wine judges. Nederburg bagged seven medals (including three golds) and two trophies in this caegory - the Noble Late Harvest 2007 and Private Bin Eminence Muscadel Natural Sweet 2008 winning their respective classes and the 2008 Noble Late Harvest the only other unfortified dessert wine judged worthy of gold. Cellarmaster Razvan Macici is particularly partial to these sweeter styles of wine and says he learnt from the best back home in Romania where he began his winemaking career.

A total of 21 medals went the way of Nederburg Wines, with silver medals awarded for the Private Bin R121 Shiraz 2006, The Winemaster's Reserve Shiraz 2007, The Winemaster's Reserve Chenin Blanc 2008 and 2007, The Winemaster's Reserve Rhine Riesling 2008, Ingenuity White 2008 and the Private Bin Edelkeur Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest 2005.

Bronze medals were awarded for the Manor House Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Private Bin R181 Merlot 2006 and 2007, Private Bin R104 Petit Verdot 2007, Private Bin R121 Shiraz 2007, Private Bin R103 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2007, Manor House Chardonnay 2007, Private Bin D215 Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Private Bin Edelkeur Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest 2006, Private Bin Eminence Muscadel Noble Late Harvest 2007 and The Winemaster's Reserve Special Late Harvest 2008.

A great brand indeed!

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER OF THE
TROPHY FOR BEST NOBLE LATE
HARVEST DESSERT WINE
SCORE: 95

Nederburg Noble Late
Harvest 2007

ACCORDING TO NEDERBURG CELLARMASTER RAZVAN MACICI: "What happens in the cellar whilst you make a Noble Late Harvest isn't spectacular at all. What does create a spectacular wine in this style is the terroir." And 2007, in his opinion, has been the best vintage of the decade to date for both white and red wines.

Macici loves the 2007 Nederburg Noble Late Harvest. "We see a beautiful balance... It was a year without trouble, with a good ripening season, the kind a winemaker dreams of."

The grapes for Nederburg's Noble Late Harvest wines are sourced from vineyards in Simondium, Durbanville and Darling. Only very specific sites with very specific climatic conditions will allow for the formation of botrytis (noble rot). Moderate humidity, good air circulation and moderate temperatures are critical. And when it comes to this type of wine the timing of the harvest is particularly telling, with Macici and his viticultural colleagues visiting the vineyards throughout the season in determining exactly when the picking should start.

The 2007 Noble Late was made from mostly Chenin Blanc grapes and is entirely unwooded. The grapes were picked very ripe, although the decision to begin the harvest is determined more by the extent of botrytis on the outside of the berries than the sugar content inside.

The bunches were sorted and cleaned by hand, and the grapes were then cold-soaked for 48 hours to make sure the most was made of the botrytis character of the juice.

Down the line, in the bottle, the end-result is a bright yellow, viscous wine with aromas of dried apricots, peaches and honey - with floral tones and spice lingering in the background.

Maryke Visagie

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER OF
THE TROPHY FOR BEST NATURAL
SWEET DESSERT WINE
SCORE: 95

Nederburg Private Bin
Eminence Muscadel
Natural Sweet 2008

A HAT TRICK OF GOLD MEDALS AT THE OLD MUTUAL TROPHY Wine Show for three dessert wines under the same brand? The people at Nederburg are doing something extremely right! And the Private Bin Eminence 2008 is a little different to its stable mates.

Asking a winemaker about his favourite wine is a little like asking a parent who his favourite child is - probably a little unfair, but Nederburg cellarmaster Razvan Macici reluctantly admits to being particularly fond of this wine, probably because it makes him a little homesick.

He learnt to make this style from the best - his father - back home in Romania. "It is made in the south of the country where it is known as Tamaioasa or "frankincense wine," says Macici of the fragrant style of sweet wine that Romanian winemakers are good at.

Eminence is made entirely from Muscat de Frontignan grapes, sourced from Plaisir de Merle in Simondium. The Muscat ripens well and the grapes arriving at the cellar door are drier, almost raisin-like and with less botrytis character than the fruit used for Nederburg's Noble Late Harvest wines. There was also a component of non-botrytis grapes used to make the Eminence in 2008, adding fruitiness to the finished product which is more Natural Sweet than Noble Late in character.

This is an unwooded wine. Macici doesn't like wood to "interfere with the purity of the aromas". The grapes were left on the skins for 72 hours at around 10ºC for full flavour extraction.

And it's a limited release, available only via the Nederburg Auction or from retailers who snap it up at the sale in Paarl.

Maryke Visagie

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR BEST
CHENIN BLANC AND THE OLD
MUTUAL TROPHY FOR
BEST WHITE WINE OVERALL
SCORE: 95

Simonsig - Woolworths
Limited Release Chenin
Blanc 2008

"CHENIN IS SOUTH AFRICA!" SAYS AN EXUBERANT VAN ZYL DU Toit who makes the white wines and Cap Classique bubblies at Simonsig. Chenin was the first wine released by Simonsig founder Frans Malan in 1968, and today, such is its popularity that it accounts for the largest percentage of total production at this Stellenbosch cellar.

Simonsig has earned a reputation as one of the best producers of ‘straight' tank-fermented Chenin and for a few years now they've been going the more serious route too. "We've got fantastic fruit and all the knowledge and skill, so why not take it to the next level?" says Du Toit of their full-bodied wood-matured version available under the Woolworths label and as Chenin Avec Chêne (literally ‘Chenin with oak') from the farm.

The wine was fermented in 400-litre French oak barrels and matured for a further 11 months in 30% new French oak, which contributed a subtle spiciness. Battonage (stirring of the lees) was practiced early on to encourage a harmonious mouthfeel. "We wanted the wood to add gentle complexity to the wine without overpowering the natural fruit flavours," Du Toit comments.

The 2008 vintage produced a fuller, ‘fatter' wine as opposed to the leaner, more minerally Chenins of cooler years. Layers of fragrant baked apple, pear and spicy toasty oak aromas are complemented by a nicely rounded palate, zesty acidity and a fresh dry finish. A food wine and consummate partner to rich, ripe, creamy cheeses.

Sara de Villiers

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 95

Nederburg Noble
Late Harvest 2008

EVERYONE AT NEDERBURG REMINISCES ABOUT 2007 BEING THE best winegrowing year of the decade. It was a joy to make wine from these grapes, the winemakers say with a satisfied sigh. Conditions were flawless and the grapes arrived at the cellars in the best possible condition.

The same could not be said about the next year, however. There was nothing at all flawless about 2008. To begin with, it rained during the ripening season. Bad news for table wine, but excellent news for Noble Late Harvest lovers - there was ample botrytis (noble rot) development on the grapes.

Cellarmaster Razvan Macici says that: "Grapes from the 2008 vintage were treated in the same way as the previous year. We picked the same varieties from the same sites - mostly Chenin Blanc - and the winemaking process was similar to the 2007 vintage. But one can notice a difference... the individuality of the two wines due to the vintage variations." And, of course, it's a year younger.

The Nederburg Noble Late Harvest 2008 has a residual sugar level of around 200 grams per litre and shows prominent apricot notes on the nose. And it gets better... One of the things that makes Macici particularly partial to Noble Late Harvest wines is that as they mature in the bottle their complexity increases and the primary fruit is less pronounced. Also, the colour darkens gradually... Decadent stuff!

Maryke Visagie

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER OF
THE MIELE TROPHY FOR BEST
CHARDONNAY
SCORE: 95

Tokara Stellenbosch
Chardonnay 2007

2009 MARKS TOKARA'S 10TH HARVEST, MAKING IT A RELATIVE newcomer in an industry which recently celebrated its 350th anniversary. What they lack in cobwebs, ghosts and gables, however, they more than make up for with their cutting-edge approach in both the vineyard and cellar.

"We apply the very best quality farming techniques and go the extra mile when it comes to our site selection," says winemaker Miles Mossop. As the name indicates, the fruit for this wine originated from Tokara's Stellenbosch vineyards, and after being harvested at optimal ripeness the grapes were either whole-bunch pressed or destemed, crushed and pressed without maceration, depending on the quality of the fruit. Barrel-fermentation lasted for anything between 15 and 35 days, and the wine was matured for nine months on the gross lees in French oak (40% new Burgundian and the balance second- and thirdfill) with regular stirring.

Malolactic fermentation adds a deliciously creamy dimension. "The wine shows great balance, well integrated oak, good acidity levels and a very nicely textured finish," comments Mossop. "It'll be at its best four years after vintage and has cellaring potential for a further three after that." Mossop is a strong advocator for the appreciation of older vintage whites, believing South Africans need to open up their minds and palates to these more mature wines which have so much to offer. Anticipate aromas of spicy vanilla, tropical fruit and citrus with a seamless balance of minerality and buttery accents. It's a seriously classy wine which perfectly showcases the intelligent and restrained use of oaking.

Sara de Villiers

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR
BEST MUSEUM CLASS
FORTIFIED DESSERT WINE
SCORE: 95

Nuy White
Muscadel 1986

NUY WINE CELLAR IN WORCESTER IS A SMALL CO-OP WITH A BIG reputation for producing complex Muscadel that ages quite gracefully. Last year they won the trophy for Best Museum Class Fortified Dessert wine with the Nuy White Muscadel 1998 and this year they've done it again with a wine some 10 years older.

Nuy have been making wine for 46 years. The cellar, situated at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains, sources its Muscat from a select block, and apart from the vines having aged (they are now in their midtwenties), there have been no other changes in terms of the production recipe. The winemaker is Christo Pienaar, who has been with Nuy for six years, having taken over from Wilhelm Linde who tended to the Muscat operations for more than 30 years.

The Nuy Valley has impeccable conditions for growing Muscat grapes: temperatures are generally high, rainfall is sparse and the vines stand in well-drained soils. The yield is five to six tons per hectare come harvest time - when the grapes are fully ripe and start to show raisinlike characteristics.

In the cellar the fruit is allowed 48 hours of skin contact after pressing - long enough for flavour extraction but stopping just short of fermentation. The juice is then fortified with natural wine spirits to an alcohol level of just under 17%.

Have there really been no changes to the method of winemaking over the years? "Nothing," laughs Pienaar. Although minute quantities of the 1986 might be re-released, wine lovers can rest assured that more recent vintages should age equally well.

Jeanri-Tine van Zyl

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR BEST
WHITE BLEND
SCORE: 94

Fleur du Cap Limited
Release Unfiltered
Viognier Chardonnay
Semillon Sauvignon
Blanc 2007

THE LIQUID CONTENT OF THIS WINE MAY BE EXCITING, BUT FEW would disagree that it's a very long label to pronounce. Good news is that from the 2008 vintage at least the words "Limited Release" have been ditched from Fleur du Cap Unfiltered whites for general consumption.

White wine maker at The Bergkelder Pieter Badenhorst and cellarmaster Andrea Freeborough merely refer to the wine as "the fourway blend". As Badenhorst explains, the wine is about four cultivars from great growers' vineyards represented in fairly equal quantities, although he plays around with percentages from vintage to vintage. This wine has the complexity to offer something different with the "same love and attention to detail" and fruit purity that all of Badenhorst's Unfiltered white wines are known for.

The Viognier, Semillon and Chardonnay are vinified separately in tanks, then fermented in first- to third-fill barrels where stirring the lees adds complexity. They are blended together in the final stages, with tank-fermented Darling Sauvignon Blanc adding freshness and acidity to the resulting wine. The Viognier is from a single vineyard in Durbanville, while the Semillon and Chardonnay are both from Stellenbosch... Apricot and orange peel aromatic notes combine with clean flavours and fruit vibrancy on the palate.

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR BEST
MUSEUM CLASS
SAUVIGNON BLANC
SCORE: 94

Tokara White 2005

AS THE INIMITABLE MARK TWAIN MAINTAINED: "AGE IS AN ISSUE of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Those who appreciate older white wines agree 100%, and the Tokara White '05 is proof that South African whites have the ability to age gracefully and gorgeously.

Winemaker Miles Mossop believes we've been conditioned to drink our whites far too young. "It's a habit people get into. But if a white is well made and, especially, if it's had careful, integrated oaking, there's no reason it can't go the distance," he explains.

"I grew up drinking whites that were slightly older and realised they have so much more potential than most give them credit for," says Mossop. In the Tokara tasting room folks are reluctant at first to taste an older-vintage white, but when they do they're both surprised and delighted.

Of the 2005 vintage, Mossop says it's one of the best he's had for both reds and whites. A long, slow and cool ripening phase resulted in elegance and depth of flavour. The grapes for this 100% Sauvignon Blanc were picked at full ripeness. In the cellar after the pressing and settling, the juice was transferred to barrel to ferment for 15 days. Later the wine spent six months on the gross lees in barrel (13% new and the balance five-year-old French oak) with regular stirring.

The Tokara White 2005 can be cellared for another three to five years, although it's superb now. On the nose expect some grassy aromas, smokiness and a dash of fig preserve. The palate is dry, full and round, featuring green pepper and lemongrass notes with overlying fig and passion fruit.

With its earthy character and minerally finish, it'll go well with a rich seafood chowder...

Sara de Villiers

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE BRITISH AIRWAYS
COMAIR TROPHY FOR
BEST SHIRAZ AND THE OLD
MUTUAL TROPHY FOR BEST
RED WINE OVERALL
SCORE: 94

Kleine Zalze Family
Reserve Shiraz 2007

KLEINE ZALZE'S HEAD WINEMAKER JOHAN JOUBERT IS ADAMANT he's not making "just another reserve on the market". Singling out the Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Shiraz 2007, he says "it's really the tip of the top". Of the fermented juice that makes the cut into 100 new barrels, only the best of the lot - around 10 or 11 barrels - is meticulously selected as the Family Reserve. The remainder is bottled under the Vineyard Selection label.

Joubert noticed that the same couple of Shiraz blocks - the vines around 10 years old - seem to deliver the goods year after year. Situated in Stellenbosch, they can be counted on for fruit consistency and can handle the extended new oak regime. The blocks have a mix of soil types, the common denominator being a high clay content.

The selection process for the 10 or so barrels isn't quick - a five-day session ensures that the resulting Family Reserve Shiraz is created from the best-showing soils and barrels from different coopers coming together. Then, to further differentiate from the Vineyard Selection, the Family Reserve portion spends an extra four or five months in new wood (a total of 20 to 22 months in new French oak).

A lot of wine producers theorise about their oak regimes but Joubert gets lost in the Bordeaux versus Burgundy detail. What he concentrates on during the five-day process of selecting the best is matching the different barrels to suitable soil types. Joubert blames this oak obsession on visits to a few coopers in France, after Kleine Zalze's 2003 Family Reserve Shiraz was declared the winner of WINE magazine's Shiraz Challenge in 2005. "When I won that ticket to France, I learnt how to add another dimension to our wines."

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR BEST
FORTIFIED DESSERT WINE
SCORE: 94

Monis Wood Matured
Muscadel 2001

IN 2007 MONIS IMPRESSED WITH THE RELEASE OF THEIR VINTAGE Muscadel 2000, the first to be released since the 1992 was named Best Wooded Muscadel at the International Muscats of the World Wine Competition in France in 2001. "The 1992 vintage was supposed to be a once-off," tells Dirkie Christowitz, cellarmaster at Monis in Paarl. "But it was so well received that we decided that follow-up vintages had to be made." The only glitch was that the Muscadel had to undergo five years barrel treatment before it could be bottled...

Lucky for lovers of fortifieds, this now seems to be a regular release from the Distell stable, the Monis Wood Matured Muscadel 2001 being every bit as well-crafted as its predecessors. Christowitz applies rigorous criteria when selecting the 20 000 litres of red Muscadel - from grapes grown in the Breede River Valley - that make it into the 500-litre French oak barrels. Maturing wine in these 60-year-old vats adds to its sensory complexity as well as to its exclusivity, since very few South African Muscadel producers age their wine in wood.

Golden brown in colour, without too much of the "raisin-like character" and "only the slightest hint of oak," says Christowitz, adding that "every vintage will smell and taste different". In the case of the Monis Wood Matured Muscadel 2001, one gets ample Muscat aromas, Christmas pudding and cinnamon, and on the palate it blends elegantly with the wood character.

Red Muscadel, according to Christowitz, is best served chilled. "People think Champagne needs to be served coldest. Not so - Muscadel should be served even colder." Pouring it over crushed ice is best, he suggests.

Jeanri-Tine van Zyl

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE OLD MUTUAL
TROPHY FOR BEST PORT
SCORE: 94

Bredell's
Cape Vintage 2003

THERE'S SOMETHING VOLUPTUOUS AND INDULGENT ABOUT A good Vintage port. According to ‘potty about port' winemaker Anton Bredell: "It's rare, deep, dark and superbly sophisticated, but still mysteriously irresistible." And "Vintage ports are only bottled in exceptional years," he stresses.

Bredell's farm is situated in the prime red wine area of the Helderberg basin in Stellenbosch and his family has a history of port production dating back to 1942. It was at JP Bredell that nine port cultivars imported from Portugal were first planted in South Africa. "The terroir of our port vineyards is a crucial factor in our success," comments Bredell. The dryland bush vines are planted on the less fertile, sandier slopes of the Helderberg foothills and the proximity to the ocean provides a cooling maritime influence.

Grapes for Bredell's 2003 Cape Vintage comprise the traditional Portuguese port varieties of Touriga Naçional, Touriga Francesca and Souzao. "Port grapes prefer a nice, dry ripening phase and 2003 was just one of those vintages where all the components clicked into place," says Bredell. "In the cellar it's all about passion and sleepless nights. A good vintage port is always ready in the wee hours while everyone is sleeping, even the chickens!" he chuckles."

After two years of being matured separately in 500-litre barrels, the different cultivars were blended into what has become a stunner several years down the line. "The outstanding ageing potential of this style of wine (50 years plus) makes it the ideal collector's item. A good Vintage port is an experience - just don't waste it on those who can't appreciate such gems," cautions Bredell.

Sara de Villiers

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR BEST
SAUVIGNON BLANC
SCORE: 94

Lomond Sugarbush
Sauvignon Blanc 2007

WITH VINEYARDS PLANTED AT LATITUDE 34° 34' SOUTH, LOMOND is one of only a handful of wine farms that have a Cape Agulhas appellation. This is Sauvignon Blanc territory, and the Sugarbush vineyard takes its name from the Protea obtusifolia plants that grow prolifically on the farm. Lomond was established in July 2004, a joint venture between Distell and Lomond Properties, whose shareholders include Wayne Gabb and Dave Mostert. It's named after the Ben Lomond Mountain that runs through the farm...

Vineyard manager Gabb reckons the key difference between the Sugarbush and Pincushion vineyards is the soils. "Sugarbush - number three as we call it - is about 3ha," he says. "It's planted mostly on Escourt, which is white kaolin clay - the same stuff they use in ceramics and pharmaceuticals. Whereas the Pincushion vineyard is more sandy loam soils." Altitude also comes into it, with Sugarbush vines growing at around 110m, just above the Pincushion vineyard.

During harvest, the Sugarbush vineyard is usually picked a little riper than the Pincushion grapes. "Sugarbush has more minerality and green beans. ‘Mange tout,' somebody said the other day. Obviously a vegetarian," quips Gabb, who lives in a house full of vegetarians... "2009 is the fifth vintage and... the wine has continuously shown the same characteristics in each vintage." The 2007 is the first Sugarbush Sauvignon under screwcap.

Lomond winemaker at The Bergkelder, Kobus Gerber, agrees that the Sugarbush Sauvignon tends towards greener flavours. His descriptors are "khakibos with a dusty, flinty emphasis" and an "underlying minerality" of the area.

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE AMERICAN EXPRESS
TROPHY FOR BEST
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SCORE: 94

Kleine Zalze Family
Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon 2007

THE FAMILY RESERVE RANGE IS KLEINE ZALZE'S FLAGSHIP offering, and their Cabernet Sauvignon under this banner easily stands amongst the best examples from Stellenbosch.

Winemaker Johan Joubert ensures that the wine delivers the goods by making a vineyard selection of consistent Cabernet performers - three blocks of relatively mature vines stand out year after year - and then focusing a little more attention on the canopy management of those vines. Joubert reckons the difference is in the clay soils where the blocks are located high up a hill, where north- and south-facing vineyards perform.

In the cellar, after hand-sorting and fermentation time on the skins, traditional punch downs are typical before the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrel. Wine from the top blocks is kept separate so that the winemaker can match different oaks to different soils for his desired style. The best building blocks are put into 100 barrels of new French oak for 16 months.

"The Cabernet blocks usually produce a bigger selection to work with," adds Joubert. Only 10 or 11 of the best barrels are kept aside for further oak maturation - around four or five months - for the Family Reserve. This after a comprehensive selection process that matches the best performers in barrels and soil types.

Both Kleine Zalze's Family Reserve and Vineyard Selection are vineyard-specific wines, but it's the additional time in barrel for topperforming batches that distinguishes the Family Reserve.

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER OF
THE RIEDEL GLASS TROPHY
FOR BEST BORDEAUX-STYLE
RED BLEND
SCORE: 94

Nick & Forti's
Epicentre 2005

THE NICK & FORTI'S RANGE OF ‘FOOD FRIENDLY' WINES IS A delightful collaboration between Nick van Huyssteen, owner of the Saronsberg cellar in Tulbagh, and Fortunato (Forti) Mazzone, ardent chef and co-owner of the acclaimed Ritrovo Ristorante in Pretoria. The man entrusted with crafting the wines is Dewaldt Heyns, the soft spoken, talented cellarmaster at Saronsberg.

Chef Forti was of the opinion that South Africa lacked wines that were true food companions. With the Nick & Forti's range he found the solution to his dilemma - elegant, well balanced wines to complement a wide variety of dishes. "We put our faces on the label, so we really believe in this product," says Mazzone.

The Epicentre '05 is a classic Bordeaux-style blend of 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 18% Malbec and 7% Petit Verdot. "The complexities we achieved in this blend with its different cultivars create a wide spectrum of flavour profiles, which in turn allows the wine to match a broader range of foods," explains Heyns. "In the European and, most notably, the Italian lifestyle, one selects your food first and then a wine to match, unlike in South Africa where we do the opposite. Chef Mazzone wanted a wine that was fruit-driven, one that didn't dominate the food yet was uncompromising on complexity and elegance."

Although the label may be understated there was simply no skimping on treatment in the vineyard and cellar. "There are no shortcuts for any of our wines," Heyns remarks.

The Epicentre 2005 spent 18 months in barrel and 9 months in the bottle prior to release. It's available from the cellar as well as from selected retail outlets - and from Ritrovo Ristorante, of course.

Sara de Villiers

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 94

Vergelegen Red 2004

Andre van Rensburg is at war, his latest crusade to do with leafrollvirused vineyards. Vergelegen's winemaker believes leafroll is a quality issue that cannot be separated from his wines. "The Vergelegen Red 2004 will be the last vintage where I have a percentage of virus-affected fruit. From 2005 it should be completely virus-free," he states.

Vergelegen is working on costly long-term research with a leafroll expert from Pretoria University, a process whereby infected vines are removed and surrounding vines treated with the plant equivalent of antiretrovirals. With lab technician wife Maritza as Vergelegen's "quality control" at the front line, vines are methodically analysed during autumn when virused leaves are most visible. Using a system akin to an HIV test, in 2008 Mrs Van Rensburg tested approximately 55 000 postharvest vine leaves!

The improvements in Vergelegen Red are notable. "The fruit is brighter, the tannins much more refined. None of that rough, almost green tainted taste," says Van Rensburg. The wines even look different, with inky muddy colours transforming into purer, dark ruby red.

The Vergelegen Red is the flagship Bordeaux-style blend from a single Rondekop vineyard - distinguished from the Vergelegen ‘V', a vintage-specific super-Cabernet. Typically released after five years, the Red 2004 is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc - direct synergy with the Rondekop vineyard planted 75% to Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% to Merlot and 5% to Cabernet Franc. The cultivars are vinified separately before the final blend spends an additional year in new French oak.

"What the vineyard gives me is what goes into the bottle," explains Van Rensburg. Additions of Malbec and Petit Verdot planted recently at Rondekop will eventually be included in the wine.

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 93

Axe Hill
Cape Vintage 2006

BIGGER MIGHT JUST BE BETTER FOR AXE HILL, IT SEEMS. 2006 not only brought them an award-winning port but also marked their biggest harvest yet. In 2005 production stood at 6 000 bottles but the following year, their 10th vintage, this figure more than doubled to around 14 000 bottles.

2006 was the first year that Miles Mossop made the wine at Axe Hill after the death of his father Tony Mossop CWM, the viticulture overseen by the much experienced port man Boets Nel CWM of De Krans. Miles was also responsible for the '07 and '08 bottlings, co-owner Mike Neebe helping with the winemaking in 2009.

Bigger doesn't mean rushed, says Neebe. "We were able to produce a wine within the standard of elegance people have come to expect from Axe Hill. The style is typical of a fruit-driven, rich, unctuous wine. It is very accessible early in its life but has enough structure to last." The wine is made in the oxidative style and has a sugar content of around 95g/litre. Neebe says this is lower than most of the other producers in Calitzdorp, which may have something to do with Axe Hill being higher than De Krans, Boplaas and others, situated on the west bank of the Nels River whereas most of the other port makers are in or closer to the village.

"We are blessed with a great location," says Neebe. "The vineyard dries out quicker than areas in the village, but we catch the prevailing breezes in the afternoon which helps to cool the grapes. Sometimes we have a problem with insufficient water, but I believe this contributes to phenolic ripeness."

Maryke Visagie

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 93

Kleine Zalze Vineyard
Selection Shiraz 2007

KOBUS BASSON AND HIS KLEINE ZALZE TEAM DO A PRETTY good all-rounder job... They have a winery on a scenic Stellenbosch farm with a boutique hotel and golf estate. They've notched up food and wine tourism awards for the Terroir restaurant on site, clinched the titles of Winery of the Year and Export Star at the Financial Mail Business Awards, and have been singled out in an international survey for having South Africa's most visible wine brand on 12 500 UK winelists...

The secret? A good team helps, as does a steady flow of visitors to the farm to keep them in touch with those who drink their wines. Referring to the Family Reserve, Vineyard Selection and Cellar Selection ranges, head winemaker Johan Joubert says: "The most important thing within my three wine tiers is to look at the end consumer; I don't think of medals or accolades.

Joubert says he puts on different hats for different varieties. While the Family Reserve is predominantly from clay-rich soils, only 20 to 40% of the Vineyard Selection Shiraz comes from such sites. For the Vineyard Selection, the farm's top Shiraz vineyard parcels undergo malolactic fermentation in new French oak, with the remainder finished in second and third-fill oak. The best fruit goes into 100 new oak barrels, with 10 or 11 of these drawn off for additional oaking as the Family Reserve and the remaining 90 or so used to hold the Vineyard Selection for 16 months.

Joubert reckons SA palates go for Family Reserve Shiraz when tasting the wines blind, but end up with the value-for-money Cellar Selection Shiraz blend when opening their wallets. He suggests that the Vineyard Selection will deliver worthy sips somewhere in between.

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 93

Lomond Pincushion
Sauvignon Blanc 2007

WHILE GLOBAL WARMING SEEMS FIRMLY ENTRENCHED AS AN international hot topic, conservation efforts often suffer the whims of fashion. All the same, the Lomond vineyard project near Gansbaai has hinged its wines on the biodiversity theme, with single-vineyard offerings named after fynbos species. Neck tags on the bottles are there to assist fans who may not know their proteaceae from their ericaceae.

Visit the remote 800ha farm where pretty flowers and vineyards surround a large dam, and you'll understand why this bit of land seems special. On most days your hair will be muddled by a southeaster or southwesterly breeze, with Atlantic Ocean shark-diving cages only about 8km away as the crow flies. Shareholder, entrepreneur and vineyard tender Wayne Gabb says they've committed to put back 200ha of fynbos vegetation on the farm.

On to the wine... Lomond's 2007 Pincushion Sauvignon Blanc was previously judged the best South African Sauvignon Blanc selling for under £10 in the 2008 Decanter World Wine Awards. Not bad going for just the third vintage of a wine named after a species of protea. Grown at altitudes ranging from 16 to 260m above sea level, the Pincushion vineyard is just below its sister Sugarbush vineyard - roughly 3ha of trellised vines comprising various Sauvignon Blanc clones. The soils run down the slopes into the Uilenkraal River valley - the bottom half loamy, the top half sandier.

The grapes were harvested by hand and handled reductively, the juice cold-fermented to preserve the natural flavours and the wine left on the lees for 12 weeks - more tropical fruit characters and lychees showing in the final wine.

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 93

Raka Biography
Shiraz 2007

"SOMETIMES I THINK THIS WINE WAS A COMPLETE STROKE OF luck. I'm so happy with it," says Josef Dreyer of Raka. "When I took over as winemaker from Danelle van Rensburg, she said to me, ‘You're lucky. Other varieties you have to look after, but in this cellar, Shiraz makes itself'."

Well, not quite all by itself, but 2007 seemed to be one of those magical years when a good plan came together. The season in their corner of the Overberg was as good as it gets - a slow, mild ripening season with no incidences of rot or other problems. Textbook stuff. Pieter Dreyer, Josef's younger brother, is the viticulturist at Raka, and the duo spends a lot of time tending to the grapes. In fact, it's a family affair, with dad Piet involved in marketing and their older brother looking after the family's other business interests in the fishing industry (the farm was named after Piet's black fishing vessel).

Josef and Pieter wanted the grapes fully ripe. They were hand-picked and cold-soaked... Malolactic fermentation took place in tank and the wine then spent 12 months in barrel - mostly French, but with 15% American oak injecting a bit of oomph. Josef opted for a combination of first-, second-, third- and even fourth-fill barrels. He blended the Shiraz with 4% Viognier and 9% Mourvèdre before it went into bottle - 68 000 bottles, to be exact.

"I didn't try to make this wine according to a specific style," says Josef. "I decided instead to see where the grapes would take me."

Maryke Visagie

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR
BEST MUSEUM CLASS
CHARDONNAY
SCORE: 93

Chamonix
Chardonnay 1999

ORIGINALLY PART OF THE LA COTTE FARM GRANTED TO FRENCH Huguenots in 1688, Cape Chamonix in Franschhoek is named after a village in France and French traditions are honoured in the Burgundian style of winemaking that has prevailed at Chamonix since its establishment as a wine producer in 1991. Their Chardonnay is held in high regard, with the 2005 Reserve earning winemaker Gottfried Mocke the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year award in 2006.

Mocke reveals that it's "still matured in 100% new Burgundy barrels and the grapes are still sourced from the same Franschhoek vines". The Chamonix Chardonnay 1999 was made by Peter Arnold (who now lives in Spain). It wasn't a big vintage and no Reserve was released that year - this particular wine received a mix of "Reserve" and "normal" treatment. Whereas the Reserve Chardonnay normally spends about 14 months in oak, the "normal" version spends around 11 months. The trophy-winning 1999 spent a total of 15 months in oak before bottling and it's felt that this together with good pH management were telling factors in the wine's proven ageing potential.

Mocke says that apart from experimenting with some spontaneous fermentation, the cellar has recently also been dabbling with fermenting a small amount of its Chardonnay in "concrete barrels the shape of eggs" (better known to some as Nomblot's eggs). "This will give more of a mineral structure to the wine," says Mocke.

Very few of the older Chardonnay vintages are still available. The '97, '98 and 2001 are sold at the on-site restaurant Mon Plaisir, where the 1999 will also be made available soon. The '99 can also be bought from the cellar - by special request, of course.

Jeanri-Tine van Zyl

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 93

Kanu KCB
Chenin Blanc 2006

ON ITS LABEL YOU'LL READ THAT KANU IS "THE MYTHICAL BIRD of promise", and deliver on its promise Kanu Chenin Blanc does time and again, year after year.

The Goedgeloof farm, now better known as the home of Kanu wines, was purchased by Hydro Holdings in 1997 - Hydro already owned Mulderbosch Vineyards elsewhere in Stellenbosch, itself a top producer of fine Chenin Blanc and other wines including one of the country's best Chardonnays. At Kanu there is a range of reds and whites, but their emphasis has always been on Chenin and these days it's the dedicated Johan Grimbeek and Richard Kershaw who are carrying the flag as winemaker and cellarmaster respectively.

Meticulous involvement is of utmost importance if you want to produce a "Killer Chenin Blanc", which is what they renamed the wine after it was felt that the wording Limited Release Wooded Chenin Blanc needed to be "jazzified".

A case of updates all around, with grapes from the "new, old bushvine block" being introduced to the blend for the first time from the 2006 vintage. The "new" block on the slopes bordering Rust en Vrede and Waterford has cooler conditions that prolong ripening and allow just the smallest amount of "raisin-character, or noble rot" - the dash of Noble Late Harvest contributing a spicy complexity to this gold medal winner. The wine was barrel-matured for nine months - predominantly French oak, although small percentages of Hungarian and American were also used - and the end result is a floral Chenin with good oak balance, underpinnings of spice and honey, a nectarine succulence and green apple acidity. An elegant "killer".

Jeanri-Tine van Zyl

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER
OF THE TROPHY FOR
BEST SAUVIGNON BLANC
SEMILLON BLEND
SCORE: 93

Vergelegen White 2007

THE PREMIUM WHITE BLEND FROM ANGLO AMERICAN'S WINERY in Somerset West has clinched gold medals at the Trophy Wine Show for the past seven years, winning trophies at five previous Shows. There have also been a fair number of 5 Star ratings in Platter's and Vergelegen White has excelled in WINE magazine tastings too.

An avid rugby fan, burly winemaker André van Rensburg may seem full of bravado and quick to unleash unsanctioned opinions (to the occasional horror of the Anglo board), but he reportedly has a very sensitive side. Negative criticism of his wines is taken seriously and very personally and he starts questioning his methods. However, with a track record this consistent and accolade-splattered there is little to worry about.

Van Rensburg's first vintage of Vergelegen White was in 2001, and the classic Bordeaux formula of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon hasn't failed him yet. The first bottling was heavily weighted towards Sauvignon Blanc, but later vintages have swung the balance in the other direction - the 2007 vintage is nearly 80% Semillon, carrying the highest proportion of this variety to date and contributing citrus, waxy elements and a seamless richness of texture.

The Sauvignon Blanc is grown on relatively high southwest-facing slopes of the Schaapenberg, while the Semillon vines are rooted in the farm's Korhaan vineyard. In the cellar, both the Sauvignon and Semillon grapes are whole-bunch pressed before being fermented and matured for 10 months in 60% new Burgundian barrels.

If drinking Vergelegen White in its youth, the freshness is instantly appealing. However, Van Rensburg often encourages his fans to experience the beauty of this wine with a touch more bottle age, and the 2007 has a promising future as a graceful older lady.

Kim Maxwell

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 93

Haskell Pillars 2007

BOUGHT BY PRESTON HASKELL IN 2002, DOMBEYA IN THE "golden triangle" on the slopes of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch was the subject of some confusion after seemingly changing its name to Haskell Vineyards and then back to Dombeya Wines and then... Winemaking GM Rianie Strydom explained at the time that Dombeya is a brand in its own right, while Haskell Vineyards will only appear from 2010...

Whatever the name on the farm gate, Haskell Pillars 2007 is the first wine to be bottled under the Haskell brand - an early surprise, you could say, with the label referring to three pillars in the block of Shiraz at the entrance to the property.

"Delicate" winemaking procedures involve a portion of the grapes undergoing basket-pressing and "natural fermentation" in open 300-litre barrels. The wooding regime involved mixed treatment in a variety of Burgundy oak - Strydom prefers second- and third-fill barrels with the use of first-fill kept to a minimum. "This contributes to producing a wine with fine tannin structure in which the oak does not over-dominate the profile of the wine."

With Haskell Vineyards very much a boutique operation, only a small batch of the 2007 Shiraz was bottled. "After interval racking (both in tank and barrel), I made a selection for the Haskell wine which was bottled unfiltered," says Strydom. The rest of the wine was bottled under the Dombeya label - also referred to as Haskell's "foundation brand". According to the winemaker, the "smooth, elegant" Shiraz 2007 has aromas of rosewater, raspberries and white pepper. And although the wine is very much ready to drink now, the winemaker says that the wine will have equal appeal in five years' time.

Jeanri-Tine van Zyl

GOLD MEDALLIST, WINNER OF
THE TROPHY FOR BEST
UNWOODED CHARDONNAY
AND THE OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
FOR DISCOVERY OF THE SHOW
(BEST VALUE)
SCORE: 93

Ashton Unwooded
Chardonnay 2008

"WE OFFER YOUNG, EASY, INEXPENSIVE WINES FOR THE everyday man on the street," says winemaker Francois Bezuidenhout at Ashton Wine Cellar, a co-op on the R62 from Robertson. And nothing wrong with that. Not if you can get this quality at such a good price - just R25 a bottle for this unwooded Chardonnay.

"Interestingly enough, we fermented using traditional Sauvignon Blanc yeast, and initially we fermented without sulphur - it is only after fermentation that we adjusted sulphur levels." A method, says Bezuidenhout, which is almost organic, since the sulphur levels are kept low.

It may be due to the Sauvignon Blanc yeast that the flavour compounds in the wine display tropical fruit tones in addition to the "typical Chardonnay aromas citrus, litchi and lime," he elaborates. The grapes were grown on the farm Wakkerstroom using a trellising system normally reserved for table grapes. The system cuts out the risk of rot, since it allows for more air flow which counteracts humidity, and the vines benefit from conditions that are cool for the district. The yield of 19 tons per hectare is "relatively low for the Robertson valley," laughs Bezuidenhout.

For this particular vintage, 5200 litres made it into bottle under Ashton's Unwooded Chardonnay label. It is a well balanced wine, made from grapes picked before they had attained maximum ripeness, and what Bezuidenhout finds most interesting is how this unwooded Chardonnay shows development characteristic of a wooded Chardonnay. "The wine has become creamier and softer," he says.

Jeanri-Tine van Zyl

GOLD MEDALLIST AT THE
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY
WINE SHOW
SCORE: 93

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered
Sauvignon Blanc 2008

ASK PIETER BADENHORST WHERE HE FITS INTO THE FLEUR DU CAP Unfiltered picture and he starts to chuckle. "I suppose I'm the face... well I'm a third of the face of Fleur du Cap," quips the white wine maker. "The other two thirds are Justin Corrans for red wines, and Andrea Freeborough, our cellarmaster."

If tasked to pick a variety to debate, Sauvignon Blanc is the grape Badenhorst would readily jump to defend. "It's such a challenge," he enthuses, explaining that he works with his pet grapes in a very reductive and minimalistic way in the cellar. Straight into a tank to be clarified, and then negligible handling at every stage because "everything you do, even transferring from tank to tank, takes flavours and aromas" from the wine.

The 2008 - the first vintage of this wine bottled under screwcap - was made from fruit grown in Lutzville and Darling in the west, in Stellenbosch, and southeast towards Elgin and Cape Agulhas. This isn't a formula as much as using the grapes that deliver the best results in a specific vintage.

In the cellar, four months of lees contact contributes to an elegant mouthfeel, and to preserve the delicate flavours the wine is fined, settled and racked - never filtered, as per the name, and offering a combination of elegantly herbaceous and tropical fruit flavours.

The 2007 vintage of this wine achieved success in the WINE magazine Tops at Spar Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition. Badenhorst says that sort of Sauvignon recognition means a lot to him because "there are so many good Sauvignons out there" in South Africa - although just four of them won gold at the Show.

Kim Maxwell

Most
Successful
cellars
in 2009

The determination of the Show's most successful producers is based on a formula where the top five medals of all producers who have won at least one gold medal are tallied such that points per medal or trophy are weighted according to the rarity of the award - so that a trophy counts more than gold, gold more than silver, silver more than bronze.

1 Nederburg Wines - Paarl
2 Kleine Zalze - Stellenbosch
3 The Bergkelder - Stellenbosch
3 Vergelegen Wines - Somerset West
5 Tokara - Stellenbosch
6 Lomond - Gansbaai
7 Saronsberg Cellar - Tulbagh
8 Ashton Wine Cellar - Ashton
9 JP Bredell Wines - Stellenbosch
9 Monis - Paarl
9 Simonsig Estate - Stellenbosch
12 Haskell Vineyards - Stellenbosch
13 Raka - Overberg
14 Axe Hill Winery - Calitzdorp
14 Kanu Vineyards - Stellenbosch
16 Cape Chamonix - Franschhoek
17 Nuy Winery - Worcester

Read about all the medal winners and related info at:
http://www.winemag.co.za/page/trophy-wine-show

Would you like to order these wines? Visit Wade Bales Wine Society for order forms.