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| Gold medals and a Trophy for Kleine Zalze |
| 18 June 2012 by Kleine Zalze |
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| Stellenbosch wine estate, Kleine Zalze, is delighted to announce a confident start to
the annual round of shows and awards with an impressive three gold medals, one of them a Grand Gold, at this year's Concours Mondial wine show held in Guimeraes in Portugal.
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This wonderful news has then
followed up with a Top Ten position
for the Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in the Christian Eedes Cabernet
Sauvignon Report, and their month of triumphs culminated in the Trophy for
Best Sauvignon Blanc at the prestigious Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.
The Concours Mondial, now into its eighteenth year, is judged by an
international panel of experienced judges, critics, journalists, winemakers
and sommeliers. Over 8 000 wines were blind-tasted by the judges over three
days in a rigorous test of some of the world's finest wines before only the
very best were announced as Grande Medaille d'Or, Medaille d'Or and Medaille
d'Argent, amongst them, the Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Matured 2009, Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2011 and the
Family Reserve Shiraz 2009.
One of only five South African wines to be awarded a 'Grand Gold', the
Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Matured 2009 comes
from two different, cooler blocks on the Kleine Zalze farm. The long
ripening period and the stringent harvesting timing produced very
concentrated, elegant Cabernet flavours in the grapes. The wine was then
aged for sixteen months in a selection of first, second and third fill
barrels. Kleine Zalze is enjoying plenty of success with this variety of
late as the Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 was named Top Ten in the
fiercely-contested Christian Eedes Cabernet Sauvignon Report of 2012. The
Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Matured is rich and complex
with bright black berry flavours offset by creamy vanilla and whiffs of
spice and Cellarmaster Johan Joubert recommends enjoying it with a whole
fillet on the braai.
A further two Kleine Zalze wines clinched a Gold Medal - the Vineyard
Selection Chenin Blanc 2011 and the Family Reserve Shiraz 2009. Chenin Blanc
has almost become Kleine Zalze's signature grape in recent years with this
wine winning a number of awards all over the world. It comes from
low-yielding bushvines planted in the Helderberg and the grapes are then
fermented in a combination of old and new barrels. Seven months lees contact
ensures additional richness and power, and the final wine is an elegant
expression of Chenin with several layers of tropical fruit and subtle,
creamy oak.
The Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Shiraz is only made in exceptional years.
2009 was one of those, with its long ripening period and almost perfect
weather conditions throughout. The grapes come from a single block on the
Kleine Zalze farm and were hand-harvested at different times, according to
the soil types and when the grapes were perfectly ripe. Twenty-two months in
100% new French oak has enhanced the wine's spicy profile and intermingled
cinnamon and clove notes with perfume, leather and black berried fruit.
Enjoy with a hearty winter casserole or some well-matured strong cheese.
The Family Reserve Range
is flying exceptionally high at the moment and
Johan is proud to see the success of the reds now crowned by the Family
Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010, which was awarded the Trophy for Best
Sauvignon Blanc at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.
The show, now into its
eleventh year, combines the best of local judges with three international
experts to provide the most rigorous and testing competition in South
Africa. Only 42 gold medals were awarded
with a mere 24 trophies being
gained by the best of the medallists. This wine, sourced from five separate
vineyard sites, combines the best of them all into a seamless mouthful of
soft apple fruit, green peas and asparagus and a creamy texture from the
extended lees contact. Johan states "It is immensely satisfying that this
wine has now performed well for the last few years as this consistency is
the key to our approach at Kleine Zalze and it confirms our belief that
Stellenbosch vineyards provide the ideal platform for these wines".
Already
a Five Star winner from the Platter Wine Guide, the Trophy continues to
prove the consistency of the wine and its ability to impress both local and
overseas judges.
Owner of Kleine Zalze, Kobus Basson, is incredibly proud of his winemaking
team and their achievements so far this year. "These awards are the result
of meticulous planning, passion and relentless dedication from our entire
winemaking team, from vineyard management right through to the winemakers
themselves. It is fantastic to see the team receiving the recognition they
so richly deserve."
Please contact the farm on +27.218800717 for more details or visit www.kleinezalze.co.za. |
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