Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report 2017
By Christian Eedes, 6 June 2017
3

60 entries were received from 45 producers for this year’s competition 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:
94
Thelema Rabelais 2013
Price: R475
93
Morgenster 2011
Price: R389
MR de Compostella 2014
Price: R1 050
Tokara Director’s Reserve Red 2013
Price: R390
92
Holden Manz Big G 2013
Price: R225
Rustenberg John X Merriman 2015
Price: R175
Simonsig Tiara 2011
Price: R320
91
Allée Bleue Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2014
Price: R130
Beyerskloof Field Blend 2013
Price: R250
Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve 2014
Price: R367
Laibach The Ladybird 2015
Price: R100
Longridge Ekliptika 2014
Price: R480
Morgenster 2012
Price: R389
Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2014
Price: R150
Muratie Ansela van de Caab 2013
Price: R325
Rustenberg John X Merriman 2014
Price: R175
Spier Creative Block 5 2014
Price: R149
Zorgvliet Richelle 2015
Price: R270
90
Allée Bleue L’Amour Toujours 2013
Price: R200
Creation Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot 2015
Price: R190
Knorhoek Pantère 2014
Price: R190
La Vierge Nymphomane 2015
Price: R137
Villiera Monro Red 2013
Price: R170
Vriesenhof Kallista 2011
Price: R285
Vondeling Philosophie 2015
Price: R695
Thelema, as the producer of the wine judged best overall, won a new 300-litre Selection barrel worth €860 (equivalent to R12 355 at the current exchange rate) from Tonnellerie Sylvain.
To read the tasting report in full, download the following: CapeBordeauxRedBlendReport2017
To view a photo album of the awards function, CLICK HERE.


joe | 7 June 2017
One of the most striking things about this analysis is how small the correlation between price and score is. It almost seems like so long as you pay >R100 per bottle (or maybe R150), you basically don’t in general get a better (higher-scoring) wine if you spend more money.
Bobby | 7 June 2017
Hi joe,
The R^2 for the 90+ wines is 0.2. So there is a positive correlation, although slight. It would be better to do this exercise with the full list of wines entered but we need quoted prices for that. A brief scan of the wines in the high 80s seems to show more wines priced below R200, so perhaps the correlation will increase?
I also see that the cause of much of last year’s commentary contoversy – Vilafonte – is absent from this year’s competition…
Magnus | 7 June 2017
Would love to see more of our “top end” Bordeaux Style producers also make their wines available for consideration like: Kanonkop, Meerlust, Vergelegen, Dalla Cia, De Toren.