A pursuit of becoming a complete all rounder of note, might not only
apply to cricket, but also to the small family owned and operated Boplaas
Family Vineyards located in the sleepy Klein Karoo hamlet of Calitzdorp. Their indomitable all-rounder status was
rewarded at the 18th MIWA ceremony this past Friday, at the Lord Nelson hotel in Somerset West, with a total of three Gran d’Or (double gold) medals, two gold medals and a single silver medal. The trio of double golds went to the Boplaas Family Reserve Bobbejaanberg
Sauvignon Blanc 2014, the Boplaas
Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2010 & the Boplaas Heritage Muscadel 2011. With over 1700 entries only Boplaas Family Vineyards, Kleine Zalze and Diemersdal managed to clinch an unprecidented three Gran d’Ors each.
Boplaas also managed to clinch a further two Gold medals for the Boplaas Portuguese Connection 2013 exclusively bottled for Woolworths – a blend of Tinta Barocca, Touriga Nacional & Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2011 – which earlier this year won the CAPPA
Trophy 2014 for best Cape “Port”. The
maiden vintage of the Boplaas Straw Wine
2013, crafted from ultra raisined Viognier, was awarded a valiant silver medal.
Located at over 650m in elevation amongst fynbos and in the shadow of the craggy peaks of the Outeniquas in the Upper-Langkloof, the Bobbejaanberg Sauvignon Blanc was hand harvested the 31st March & minimal intervention in the cellar ensured the optimum expression of this site was captured. “This is viticulture at the edge of the Cape, a glimpse at the inherent potential of these marginal sites and a fine example of cool climate Sauvignon,” notes cellar master Carel Nel. A mere 888 cases of 6 of this second ever vintage were crafted; due once again the marauding troop of baboons, after whom the wine is named, did a little “crop reduction and extensive sampling”.
The Gran d’Or awarded to the Boplaas
Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2010 is another
feather to add to the cap of this fine Cape Vintage – meticulously hand crafted
from a trio of old vine Portuguese varieties according to traditional methods,
in the drier Vintage style and intended for decades of careful bottle
ageing. Earlier this year, the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2011 took
top honours at the CAPPA Challenge 2014, and continued its good form with a
gold medal at the MIWA.
The Boplaas Heritage moniker is reserved for the very best Muscats crafted from exceptional sites, utilizing traditional vinification methods and bottled in limited quantities to celebrate the Nel’s winemaking heritage going back to the 1800’s. The Boplaas Heritage Muscadel 2011 originates from an old block of
Muscat d’Frontignan in the Breedekloof and this complex, concentrated and
full-bodied Muscat will offer drinking pleasure over the next few decades.
Apart from the MIWA Gran d’Or, the Heritage
2011 also took home a Terroir Award
this year.
An innovative blend of Tinta Barocca, Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Boplaas Portuguese Connection 2013 offers Woolworth’s consumers a taste of Portugal’s premier grape varieties with the comforting familiarity of Cabernet. This buxom red wine took home gold and is the ideal partner for grilled red meats, traditional Portuguese fare or whenever the need arises for a good bottle of red.
The full Boplaas range of MIWA award winning wines are available for
tasting and purchase from our cellar door in our cellar door in Calitzdorp, as
well our tasting room in Little Brak along the Garden route; while the Boplaas Portuguese Collection is
exclusively available from select Woolworth’s stores nationwide.
For more information visit www.boplaas.co.za, give us a call on +27 (0)44 2133326, send us an email to info@boplaas.co.za, tweet us @Boplaas1880 or better yet, drop in for a tasting at our cellar door in Calitzdorp.
Calitzdorp Cellar door: OPEN Mondy – Friday,
09:00 – 17:00; Saturday 09:00 – 15:00 & Sundays 10:00 – 14:00
Boplaas
Family Vineyards, Calitzdorp – Tending vines & Crafting wines, since 1880