10-Year-Old Wine Report 2019

By , 4 March 2019

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8

winemag.co.za is pleased to present the 10 Year Old Wine Report 2019 – featuring wines from the 2009 vintage.

92 entries from 42 producers were received (compared to 56 from 27 last year) and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by the three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.

Wines to rate 90 or higher on the 100-point quality scale were as follows:

MCC
Desiderius Pongracz 2009 – 90

CHARDONNAY
Tokara Reserve Collection Stellenbosch 2009 – 93
Neil Ellis Elgin 2009 – 91
Rustenberg Stellenbosch 2009 – 91
Jordan Barrel Fermented 2009 – 90
Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2009 – 90

CHENIN BLANC
Raats 2009 – 93
Stellenrust 2009 – 90

SAUVIGNON BLANC
Highlands Road 2009 – 92
Durbanville Hills Biesjes Craal 2009 – 91
Nederburg II Centuries 2009 – 91
Shannon 2009 – 90
Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin 2009 – 90

WHITE BLENDS
Tokara Director’s Reserve White 2009 – 93
Trizanne Signature Wines 2009 – 92
Naudé White 2009 – 91
Nederburg Ingenuity White 2009 – 91

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2009 – 94
Nederburg Private Bin R163 2009 – 92
Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection 2009 – 91
Alto 2009 – 90
Meerlust 2009 – 90

GRENACHE
Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection 2009 – 91

MERLOT
Remhoogte 2009 – 93
Eagles’ Nest 2009 – 92
Nederburg Private Bin R181 2009 – 90

PETIT VERDOT
KWV The Mentors 2009 – 90

PINOTAGE
Vriesenhof 2009 – 90

SHIRAZ
Haut Espoir 2009 – 93
Eagles’ Nest 2009 – 92

RED BLENDS
La Bri Affinity 2009 – 93
Tokara Director’s Reserve Red 2009 – 93
KWV Roodeberg 2009 – 92
Fleur Du Cap Laszlo 2009 – 91
Iona One Man Band Red 2009 – 91
Meerlust Rubicon 2009 – 91
Plaisir de Merle Grand Plaisir 2009 – 91
Beaumont Vitruvian 2009 – 90
Rustenberg Stellenbosch John X Merriman 2009 – 90

NOBLE LATE HARVEST
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence 2009 – 93
Nederburg The Winemaster’s Reserve Collection 2009 – 92
Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur 2009 – 90
Tokara Reserve Collection 2009 – 90

FORTIFIED
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2009 – 95

Boplaas, as the producer of the highest scoring wine overall, received a Victorinox Swiss Army INOX Carbon Men’s Watch worth approximately R15 000 from retailer Luxury Time.

To read the tasting report in full, download the following: 10-Year-Old Wine Report 2019

To view a gallery of images from yesterday’s announcement function, click here.

Comments

8 comment(s)

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    MattA | 8 March 2019

    Thanks Christian, as per my previous comment I understand that the current format has commercial benefits, and if that helps to keep the rest of the free content flowing then certainly serves a purpose. I suppose I was just lamenting the old format which I did enjoy (and it was a product I would probably pay for). I can’t remember the last time I got excited about the list of entrants into the awards categories. Will have to keep doing with reading your individual reviews…

    Matt A | 8 March 2019

    Of course there are likely commercial and other factors at play for WM, but ignoring all that and looking only at the end product, the old format had so much more value to me as a consumer.

    Matt A | 7 March 2019

    Hi,

    Just a comment from an avid reader. These competitions /reports used to have much more relevance to me as a consumer when the wines were selected by Winemag rather than a call for entries made. In that format it was a pretty unique concept / offering and the range and number of entrants far more relevant to me. Especially given that it usually included all the big boys as well as wines from wineries that never enter competitions. With a call for entries, the relevance seems to have shifted more to producers and the opportunity to win awards / badges to put on their wine. There are plenty of other opportunities for them to do that. And many of them seem to run and hide the following year if they do not score high enough.

    I understand of course that there are many pitfalls and challenges associated with either format, but in terms of maintaining interest and relevance to consumers and your readers the old format was far more effective in my view. Sponsor’s money used to acquire / source wines for tasting would be money well spent.

      Kwispedoor | 7 March 2019

      Well said, Matt, I agree completely.

      Christian Eedes | 8 March 2019

      Hi Matt, Our previous model saw wineries participating in tastings by invitation and while it was successful in attracting all or at least most of the “big boys”, it did have one significant drawback in that it depended entirely on sponsorship and forewent the revenue stream that is entry fees – sponsorships are hard to come by, consumers expect content to be free and without entry fees, there would be no website. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions about those producers of note who choose to avoid our category tastings. All that said, my feeling is that part of winemag.co.za’s mandate is to perform a talent spotting function in addition to analysing the seeded players.

    Keith Prothero | 4 March 2019

    Find the scoring strange. Just about every Cape wine I have tasted with plus ten years bottle age is far better than on release. Perhaps the 3 member panel just prefer younger wine?

    Smirrie | 4 March 2019

    Hi CE

    Thank you once again for hosting such challenges.

    It seems the wines don’t improve with age that much. This is in no sense critique to the scoring but perhaps an indication to drink some of our SA wines much earlier.

    Can you remember if any of the wines scored 95 plus when it was tasted much younger.

    Keep the good work going

      Christian Eedes | 4 March 2019

      Hi Smirrie,

      Hi Smirrie, There was lots of debate at today’s announcement function around the issue that you raise – had any of the wines gained significantly from bottle maturation or were they merely frozen in time? The Peter Barlow 2009 rated 5 Stars in the Cabernet Sauvignon Report 2014 and now rates 94 and its probably set to go for at least another 10 years. The Raats Chenin Blanc 2009 apparently rated 2 Stars on release according to winemaker Bruwer Raats and now rates 93 so that’s tracking well. I’m not sure we are currently making wines to match GS 1966 and 1968 but that doesn’t mean we should stop having the conversation…

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