.: 09/04/17

Monday, September 04, 2017

Winemag Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend & Wooded Sauvignon Blanc Report 2017

Held at Nitida, this annual award deserves attention; and a sponsor. South African wine drinkers, you are missing a trick! Do we need to bang heads together to get you to pay attention? It is just not cool to ignore blends and only drink single varietals. Many of the famous, most lauded wines of the world are blends - Bordeaux's red and whites particularly. You do not know what you are missing. Yes, some of the bulk producers are filling tanks with bulk wine and selling it cheap as weekend wine, but at the top end of the scale, you find examples like these superb wines. Go on, get with the In Crowd and buy a bottle of one of the wines below and see how it changes your life. Only in South Africa do people ignore the best wines being made for them. The rest of the world snaps them up. To quote wine writer Jancis Robinson, "... Semillon alone is rarely responsible for great white Bordeaux. ... it is in conjunction with Sauvignon Blanc that it displays it's dazzling best”

Wooded Sauvignon Blanc is beginning to make a return from several farms. Do try it; the smoky wood lengthens its life and character. It is also known in French as Blanc Fumé (white smoked). We love it, but only if the wood is supporting, not overwhelming

34 producers submitted 38 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blends this year and 15 producers sent in 18 wooded Sauvignons Blanc - a growing number. These wines were judged to be so outstanding that 23 blends and 11 of the wooded Sauvignon Blanc were rated 90 or higher on the 100-point quality scale. This shows such quality and finesse

The full list of wines is at the end of this story

We began with a glass of Nitida's The Matriarch MCC 2015

Jacqueline Lahoud of Winemag with the certificates which were about to be presented. Only those wines scoring 93 points or higher were given these

A small gathering, mainly of wine makers

Jean Daneel, Cape Point Vineyards' marketing manager Anetha Connan, Eagle's Nest winemaker Stuart Botha, Tokara GM Carl Lambour, Peter Allan Finlayson of Gabriëlskloof

Jos van Wyk, Marianne winemaker, Gosia Zielinska, sommelier at Pot Luck Club and Thierry Haberer, French consultant winemaker at Marianne

Christian Eedes, Editor of Winemag.co.za

Certificates to Rikus Neethling, Bizoe Henrietta 2016

Peter Allan Finlayson of Gabriëlskloof

Highlands Road, winemaker Patricia Simkiss with Michael White

Natasha Williams of Nederburg

Cape Point Vineyards' marketing manager Anetha Connan

Jos van Wyk, Marianne

Nitida. As producer of the best wine overall, Nitida won a new 225-litre Sylvain Blanc barrel worth over R12 800, from Tonnellerie Sylvain, which was presented by Jean Daneel

Gabriëlskloof The Landscape Series Magdalena 2016. Old-vine Semillon from Franschhoek and Sauvignon Blanc from Gabriëlskloof. Very rich, with vanilla toasted oak wood. Needs time, but has it all

Highland Road Sine Cera 2015 from Elgin. Refined Semillon nose, nice and weighty Semillon, with some lovely layers of fruit, mutton fat and fruit acids to ensure long life

Nederburg Private Bin D252 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2016 with a temporary label. We could not find any of the Bin numbered wines on the website, so can give no details. It is shy on the nose to begin with, then opens up; in the lighter style but with good acidity and minerality. The 2011 will be in this year's Nederburg Auction

Nitida Coronata Integration 2016 51% Sauvignon Blanc 49% Semillon. This was the top scoring wine. Rich with some good pyrazines on the nose and a little sea air. Perfumed on the palate, rich, full, layered, harmonious, lighting one up, lovely fruit, full of liveliness and such a good mouth feel from the Semillon. Yes, we really do like this wine

Bizoe Henrietta 2016 is made by negotiant Rikus Neethling in Somerset West, buying in the Semillon from Franschhoek and the Sauvignon Blanc from Journey’s End in the Helderberg

Then the two wooded Sauvignons Blanc

Cape Point wooded Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2015. Green peas on the nose with a little elderflower. Clean on the palate with lean gooseberries and lime, the wood is nicely integrated and does not shout

Marianne 2016 Sauvignon Blanc has wood, cat’s pee and must on the nose, with lots of vanilla wood - they use batonage. Some oxidation, with light flavours which wake up with food