Tuesday, May 16, 2017

The Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report 2017 Awards

were presented at The Stack, Leinster Hall in Cape Town
 Conversation and glasses of pink bubbly
 Glasses at the ready in the well-stocked upstairs bar
 Winemag business manager Jacqueline Lahoud with Craig Mockford Executive Director of Prescient Holdings
 Jacqueline started the proceedings
 and handed over to convener Christian Eedes
 Craig Mockford spoke about Prescient's sponsorship
 A few clever people found comfortable seats:
Sjaak Nelson (Jordan), Frans Smit (Spier), Rose Jordaan and Ronel Wiid (Bartinney), Karl Lambour (Tokara), Sue Proudfoot and Michael Bampfield Duggan (Wine Concepts)
 while everyone waited to hear the results
 Christian Eedes spoke about this year's wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s best travelled dark-skinned wine grape. In its traditional home of Bordeaux, it is a component of some of the world’s greatest wines and it has been taken up far and wide as producers seek to emulate this. In South Africa, it is the third most widely planted variety making up 12% of the national vineyard and the Report was devised to scrutinise the top producers on an annual basis
There were 65 wines in the line-up, submission by invitation only and judged blind, labels out of sight.15 Wines were rated 90 or higher on the 100-point quality scale
 Rapt attention from Francois Rautenbach of Singita
 The Award winners
 After the presentation, some delicious finger snacks were brought round. The lamb chops were said to be delicious, but were out of bounds for people with delicate cameras
 Excellent very crispy chips
 and lamb kebabs
The wines:
Neil Ellis Stellenbosch 2014
Price: Not yet released
 Spier 21 Gables 2014
Price: R260
Vergelegen V 2012
Price: R1300
 Groot Constantia 2015
Price: R201
 Jordan The Long Fuse 2014
Price: R160
 Bartinney 2014
Price: R179
 Le Riche Reserve 2014
Price: R500
 Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2012
Price: R400
 Peter Falke 2013
Price: R140
 Waterford Estate 2014
Price: R295
 Tokara Reserve Collection 2013
Approximate retail price: R315
 Warwick Blue Lady 2014

Price: R275

 Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2013
Price: R335
 Strydom Rex 2014
Price: R220
 Neil Ellis Jonkershoek Valley Stellenbosch 2014
Price: Not yet released

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