Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noirs are a hit with critics in the USA and Europe

Tuesday, 31 March, 2015
Bouchard Finlayson
Bouchard Finlayson’s famed Pinot Noir vintages have recently been making headlines in the UK and US where both The Drinks Business and Wine Enthusiast, as well as leading wine critics James Suckling and Robert Parker, have been raving about the vineyard’s signature grape.
London-based leading European drinks trade publication The Drinks Business held its second annual ‘Global Pinot Noir Masters’ blind tasting in February 2015, where success reigned for the Bouchard Finlayson 2012 Téte de Cuvée Pinot Noir as it received one of the highest scores of the entire tasting, and was one of only a handful of wines to be awarded a prestigious Gold rating. Peter Finlayson is delighted with the result: ‘We are incredibly proud that the judges, who are renowned for being amongst the toughest in the industry, deemed our 2012 Téte de Cuvée Pinot Noir worthy of a Gold medal.’

Bouchard Finlayson’s 2011 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir meanwhile was rated a stellar 90 points out of 100 in the March issue of American wine bible Wine Enthusiast. South African and American Pinot fans eager to snap up this vintage should act quickly – only small stocks are still available in South Africa and the USA.
 
American wine expert James Suckling, renowned as one of the world’s leading wine critics, has been a fan of South African wines ever since he first visited the vineyards, wineries and winemakers of the country following the end of Apartheid in 1994. While in Hong Kong last year, he was invited to a daylong tasting of hundreds of South African wines. In his subsequent report, published in January 2015, he awarded Bouchard Finlayson’s 2009 Téte de Cuvée Pinot Noir 93 points out of 100, while the Bouchard Finlayson 2011 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir achieved an equally impressive rating of 91 points out of 100.

He was not the only American wine critic to be wowed by Bouchard Finlayson’s Pinot grape – during a recent meeting with Bouchard Finlayson owner Vicki Tollman in London, Robert Parker, who is widely acknowledged to be the most influential wine critic in the world today, declared himself in love with the South African winery’s vintages.

Back on home soil, Editor of www.topwinesa.com Mike Froud showcased the esteemed Champions of Consistency in the 2015 SA Wine and Cellar Classifications, which he also manages. Based on the best track records in 26 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications celebrate the country's leading outfits – those who are regularly on top form, their product judged top-notch again and again, year after year. Both Bouchard Finlayson’s Téte de Cuvée and Galpin Peak Pinot Noirs were included in the 2015 Top 10 SA Pinot Noir category, with the Galpin Peak reaching the ‘Hall of Fame’ for the first time. It was also featured in the Top 10 Red Wines category, while Bouchard Finlayson was named one of the Top 100 SA Wine Cellars 2015.