Invitations
to this launch are always hard to get, but fantastically rewarding when you are invited.
You can taste all the just awarded 5 star wines and chat to their winemakers
informally, as you and they taste all the wines. There were some surprising results as
usual and some expected winners. 8 000 wines tasted this year. 83 wines, three
brandies and one husk spirit rated 5 Stars (wines scoring 95 or more out of 100,
so rated superlative). Best White wine of the year went to Warwick for their
2014 The White Lady Chardonnay. Best Red wine to Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines
2013 Iron Syrah; they also won the award for the best Dessert wine with their
Olerasay NV Straw Wine. They also received 5 stars for the 2013 Straw Wine and
their 2014 Granite Chenin Blanc, our favourite of the bunch and therefore took
Winery of the year, a tour de force. The red ink entries are back to everyone's
delight - they denote 4½ Star and 5 star status.
The launch was held at the Mount
Nelson in the large ballroom
Journalist Greg Landman of Country Life
enjoying a chat with wine retailer Caroline Rillema and Niall O'Regan, sales
manager of Rijks Wines
Platter launches 2016 Guide; Sean de
Kock, Platter's software engineer, Linda
Harding Potgieter, Social Media consultant and Platter editor Philip van Zyl at the
registration desk
Fiona McDonald is one of the
experienced tasters for Platter
JP Rossouw, the publisher, gets things
started
Lots of wine makers waiting with bated breath; have they cracked the five
star level?
The precious scrolls await their
recipients
And the colour this year is Sea breeze
blue
Best White wine 2015 was awarded to
Warwick for The White Lady and the family was here to accept it. Mike Ratcliffe, his daughter and Norma Ratcliffe, his mother and doyenne of Warwick
Danie Steytler accepts two well
deserved five star awards for Kaapzicht: for The 1947 Chenin Blanc and the
Steytler Vision 2012 red blend. This should make Danie senior feel much better.
He has been very ill for a while
Miles Mossop accepts two for his own
wines: the Saskia white blend and the 2014 Kika, a superb NLH dessert wine. The
wines are named after his children.
Spier had four five star wines: 2011
CWG Auction Reserve Frans K. Smit, 2013 Gables Pinotage, Gables Sauvignon Blanc
. Creative Block 2 white blend. Accepting here are winemaker Johan Jordaan & cellarmaster Frans Smit
The Mullineuxs with their clean sweep
of five awards, Best Red wine and winery of the year
Chris and Andrea Mullineux expressing
delight at the awards
Now it is time for the best part of
the evening for us. Tasting all the five star wines. Francois Haasbroek of Blackwater Wines enjoying the
tasting
Louis van der Riet of De Krans with
his wife. He received five stars for their 2013 Cape Vintage Reserve port
A happy Norma Ratcliffe
Brad Paton of Buitenverwachting, (five
stars for their excellent 2014 Chardonnay) and Richard Kershaw (five stars for
his 2013 Clonal Selections Elgin Syrah) with their wives
Smoked beef wrapped around cream
cheese
Duncan Savage took five stars for his CWG
Auction Reserve 2013 Follow the Line red blend of Cinsaut, Grenache and Syrah
and the Cape Point CWG Auction Reserve 2014 White blend. Seen here with Ariane Beaumont Rossouw
Duncan with his father and assistant winemaker Riandri Visser
More canapés. Onion tarts we think, didn't
taste. We are avoiding anything with pastry or bread where possible
The room starts to thin out once most
people have tasted the wines they wanted to experience
Last chance?
Beef kebabs
Small turnovers
A very happy pair from Boplaas and The Fledge. Margaux Nel and Leon Coetzee were awarded five stars for their Boplaas Heritage Reserve White
muscadel 2012, the Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2012 and their Potstill 20 year Reserve
Brandy
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor
& Bacchus 2015
The five star wines for 2016 are (courtesy of and copyright to the Platter website):
Cabernet Franc
- Chamonix 2013
Cabernet Sauvignon
- Delaire Graff Laurence Graff Reserve 2012
- Guardian Peak Lapa 2013
- Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2012
Cinsaut
- AA Badenhorst Ramnasgras 2014
Grenache Noir
- David & Nadia Sadie 2014
Pinotage
- Beeslaar 2013
- Rijk's Reserve 2011
- Spier 21 Gables 2013
- Windmeul Reserve 2014
Pinot Noir
- Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak 2013
- Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2014
Shiraz/Syrah
- Bellingham Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah 2013
- Eagles' Nest Shiraz 2012
- Leeuwenkuil Heritage Syrah 2013
- Mullineux Iron Syrah 2013
- Reyneke Syrah 2013
- Richard Kershaw Clonal Selections Elgin Syrah 2013
Red Blends
- AA Badenhorst Red 2013
- Delaire Graff Botmaskop 2013
- Ernie Els CWG Auction Reserve 2013
- Fleur du Cap Laszlo 2012
- Haskell IV 2010
- Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2012
- Luddite Saboteur 2012
- Meerlust Rubicon 2010
- Miles Mossop Max 2012
- Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2013
- Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2013
- Nico van der Merwe Mas Nicolas Cape 2013
- Savage Wines CWG Auction Reserve Follow the Line 2013
- Spier CWG Auction Reserve Frans K Smit 2011
- The Winery of Good Hope Radford Dale Black Rock 2013
- Vondeling Erica 2012
- Vuurberg Reserve 2012
Chardonnay
- Buitenverwachting 2014
- Dorrance Cuvée Anaïs 2014
- GlenWood Grand Duc 2013
- Graham Beck Lonehill 2014
- Haskell Anvil 2014
- MVH Signature 2014
- Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2014
- Paul Cluver Seven Flags 2014
- Sterhuis Barrel Selection 2013
- Sumaridge 2013
- Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay 2014
Chenin Blanc
- Botanica Mary Delany 2014
- David & Nadia Sadie Hoë-Steen 2014
- Eenzaamheid 2013
- Kaapzicht The 1947 2014
- Keermont Riverside 2014
- Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve 2014
- Mullineux Granite 2014
Roussanne
- Bellingham Bernard Series Whole Bunch 2015
Sauvignon Blanc
- Cederberg David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner 2014
- Nederburg The Young Airhawk 2014
- Neil Ellis Groenekloof 2015
- Spier 21 Gables 2014
Semillon
- Constantia Uitsig 2014
- Mullineux CWG Auction Reserve The Gris 2014
Viognier
- The Foundry 2014
White Blends
- Bloemendal Kanonberg 2014
- Cape Point CWG Auction Reserve White 2014
- Constantia Glen Two 2014
- Constantia Uitsig Natura Vista 2014
- David & Nadia Sadie Aristargos 2014
- Mullineux White Blend 2014
- Newton Johnson Resonance 2014
- Nitida Coronata Integration 2014
- Oak Valley Mountain Reserve White Blend 2011
- Sadie ‘T Voetpad 2014
- Spier Creative Block 2 2014
- Waterkloof Circle of Life White 2013
Méthode Cap Classique
- Anura Brut 2011
- Cederberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2010
Dessert Wine, Unfortified
- Miles Mossop Kika Noble Late Harvest 2014
- Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2014
- Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet 2011
- Mullineux Olerasay Straw Wine NV
Dessert Wine, Fortified
- La Couronne Muscadel NV
- Boplaas Heritage Reserve White Muscadel 2012
Port-Style
- Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2012
- De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2013
Brandy/Husk Spirit
- Dalla Cia 10 Year Old Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot Husk Spirit
- KWV 10 Year Old Vintage
- KWV Nexus
- Van Ryn 15 Year Fine Cask Reserve
Wines & Winery of the Year are:
White Wine of the Year
Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay 2014
Dessert Wine of the Year
Mullineux Olerasay Straw Wine NV
Red Wine of the Year
Mullineux Iron Syrah 2013
Winery of the Year
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines
Publication notes for Platter’s by Diners Club
- Published by: John Platter SA Wineguide (Pty) Ltd
- Publisher: Jean-Pierre Rossouw
- Editor: Philip van Zyl
- Tasters for 2016: Angela Lloyd; Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl; Cape Wine Masters Winnie Bowman, Greg de Bruyn, Tim James, Christine Rudman and Meryl Weaver; David Biggs, Joanne Gibson, Higgo Jacobs, Cathy Marston, Fiona McDonald, Ingrid Motteux, Gregory Mutambe, Jörg Pfützner & Dave Swingler.
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