Within the short space of just six months,
South African viniculture has enjoyed the front-cover limelight of two of the
world’s most respected wine magazines. Wine
Spectator (US), regarded by many as the
arbiter of vinicultural good taste, devoted much of its June 2013 issue to its
first-ever cover story on South Africa and its wines. Senior
editor James Molesworth headed up the report and, after visiting the Winelands
of the Western Cape, declared finding ‘an industry redefining and refining
itself’. His analysis of the local wine scene was followed by a comprehensive guide
to travel in the region, with recommendations researched in part by savvy local
journalists.
Similarly, Wine Spectator’s European counterpart,
Zurich-based Vinum magazine,
dedicated the headline feature (and cover) of its February 2014 issue to a
story on South African’s ‘wine revolution’, with a specific focus on the
cultivars and winemakers of the Swartland region of the Western Cape. The
magazine goes on to award no fewer than 12 South African wines scores of between
17 and 19 points (based on a 20-point scale), effectively toppling the wines of
Spain’s Ribera del Duero region from their position as the current industry
darling. In the same issue, the highest score given the Spanish wines was a
mere 17 points… and only one wine at
that (in fact, 78% of the Spanish wines tasted scored 15.5 points or less!).
And the awards keep coming…
At this year’s Texas Masterclass hosted by the Houston Sommelier Association,
South African wines clinched the top three places in a trio of the most prestigious
categories: Sommelier Favorites (the wines the more than 20 attendant
sommeliers liked best), Guest Palate (the wines they thought would most suit
their guests) and Relevancy (the wines they felt were most ‘relevant’ to the
market overall). In Switzerland the new born star Creation makes it into the
best Chardonnay in a massive burgundy test by MySwitzerland Gourmet and Wine show, with their Art
of Chardonnay as one of only 5 so-called Jokers (a wine of origin other than
Burgundy).
The common denominator in
each of the above categories was the 2011 vintage of a Bordeaux-style blend produced by the small but dedicated team
at De Toren Private Cellar in Stellenbosch. Affectionately called ‘Zee’ and
named after Zephyr, the mild summer breezes generously conferred by the
mythological Zephyrus, Greek god of the west wind, the De Toren Z is curated
exclusively from the red grapes – the so-called ‘Noble Five’ – that place the
famous wines of Bordeaux in a league all of their own. The wine’s Merlot-strong
complexity together with its perfect balance and expressiveness has garnered
considerable attention in the past, including that of the formidable 2012
judging panel at Mundus Vini, one of the most prestigious international wine
competitions in the world. Of the 6 000 wines submitted to scrutiny, the De
Toren Z 2010 vintage, produced on a mere 22 hectares in the Polkadraai Hills,
succeeded in securing coveted Gold.
De Toren, it would seem, is giving the big
guns of Château Latour, Tenuta San Guido and
Opus One reason for concern. Its collection of wines, which includes the
equally impressive De Toren V, ‘Zee’s’ Right-Bank style Cabernet-based sister (which
last year ranked 27th on Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s illustrious Editor’s Choice World’s Top 100 Wines list),
recently achieved a phenomenal full 12-vintage vertical scoring of between 89 and
99 points on the amazing 2003 vintage! And last but not least, being voted into
the most prestigious of all lists; the 101 years of history list covering the
best ever produced wines between 1913 and 2014, an amazing achievement for
South African wines.
Could the new wave of cult wines come from
the southern tip of Africa?- and will South African wines finally get the
breakthrough that they deserve.
DE TOREN PRIVATE CELLAR
Polkadraai Road Stellenbosch, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 881-3119
www.de-toren.com
Creation Wines
PRESS
INFORMATION
Shelley Webb
Grand Cru Unique
Tel: +27 (0)21 437 1242
Cell +27 (0)72 386 652
shelley@cru-unique.com