Platter's 5 star wines
Record 41 Five-star wines for 2010 Platter's
Platter's South African Wine Guide, has announced a record 41 five-star wines, defined as being ‘superlative, a Cape Classic'. This follows a blind tasting by the assembled Platter's tasting team of potential five-star wines for the 2010 edition, nominated by individual members during their sampling of South Africa's wines over the past two months.
For the 2010 book, nearly 6 000 individual wines are featured.
In the course of this year's evaluations, a record 105 candidate five-stars were identified, across a variety of categories, including reds and whites, dessert wines and port styles. Only bottled wines, available during the currency of the guide, were considered.
The book launch of the 2010 Guide will be in November. The guide's Winery of the Year award will also be announced in November, along with the name of the 'Superquaffer' of the Year - the wine judged to be the most drinkable and well-priced of all the entry-level bottlings tasted for the current edition.
Analysing the results of the 2010 five-star wines, publisher Andrew McDowall said: ‘The best-performing categories this year were that of Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux-style Red Blends, with five wines in each. Four categories offered up four five-star wines each - Bordeaux-Style White Blends, White Blends, Shiraz and Unfortified Dessert Wines - while the Port-Style category has three five-stars. Of the white categories, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay yielded one and three five-stars respectively, while Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blends offered two apiece, and Grenache and Pinotage one each.'
Two wines were voted Wine of the Year by the judges: Palladius 2008 from Sadie Family Wines, White Wine of the Year, and the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 from Le Riche Wines, the year's top red.
A selection of the five-star wines will be shown to the European wine trade and consumers at the South African Mega Tasting in London during October.
The 2010 edition will be available from end November 2009 from selected book shops and retail outlets, as well as the website, www.platteronline.com. The recommended retail price is R149.95.
White Wine of the Year
Sadie Family Palladius 2008
Red Wine of the Year
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005
Sauvignon Blanc
Fleur du Cap Sauvignon Blanc Unfiltered 2009
Lomond Pincushion Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Tokara Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Woolworths Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Limited Release 2009
Cape Point Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2008
White blends - Bordeaux style
Woolworths Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Reserve 2009
Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh 2008
The Berrio Wines Weather Girl 2008
Vergelegen White 2008
Chenin Blanc
Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2008
White Blends
Nederburg Ingenuity White 2008
Rall 2008
Sadie Family Palladius 2008
Woolworths Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards Spectrum White Limited Release 2008
Chardonnay
Ataraxia Chardonnay 2008
Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2008
Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2008
Pinot Noir
Newton Johnson Domaine Pinot Noir 2008
Catherine Marshall Pinot Noir 2008
Grenache
Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection Grenache 2007
Pinotage
Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2007
Red Blends
Sadie Family Columella 2007
Spier Frans K. Smit 2005
Shiraz
Dunstone Shiraz 2008
Haskell Vineyards Pillars Shiraz 2007
Rustenberg Stellenbosch Syrah 2007
Saxenburg Shiraz Select Limited Release 2005
Red Blends - Bordeaux Style
De Trafford CWG Auction Reserve Perspective 2006
Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2006
Morgenster Estate Morgenster 2006
Stony Brook Ghost Gum 2006
Woolworths Jordan Cobblers Hill Classic 2005
Cabernet Sauvignon
Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005
Port
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2007
De Krans Cape Tawny Port NV
Boplaas Cape Tawny Port 1997
Unfortified Dessert Wine
Buitenverwachting 1769 2007
Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2008
Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2008
Mullineux Family Straw Wine 2008
* Get your FREE copy of Platter's South African Wine Guide 2010 with your December WINE subscription.
