Winemag.co.za Top 20 wines 2016
By Christian Eedes, 5 December 2016
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Editor Christian Eedes selects his 20 most memorable wines of the year.
20. Hermanuspietersfontein Nr 5 Sauvignon Blanc 2013
This wine showed magnificently well while judging the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition. Who might be capable of a Sauvignon capable of ageing so well? Turns out HPF. Read original review here.
19. Testalonga El Bandito Skin Contact Chenin Blanc 2016
There’s mainstream, there’s new wave and then there’s Craig Hawkins. SA wine would be poorer without this free thinker. Read original review here.
18. Radford Dale Nudity Syrah 2015
No sulphur added and hence the name. Wonderfully well executed. Read original review here.
17. Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh 2015
From vineyards overlooking Noordhoek beach, here terroir really can be said to apply. Read original review here.
16. Delaire Graff Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Top-end Cab demands precision and it doesn’t get more precise than this. Read original review here.
15. Vriesenhof Kallista 2010
A cellar which eschews the limelight but few others are making wines such as this Bordeaux-style red so classically styled and age-worthy. Read original review here.
14. Joostenberg Bakermat 2014
An imaginative blend of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Syrah, 12% Merlot and 12% Touriga Nacional. This Paarl cellar is busy going from good to great. Read original review here.
13. Porseleinberg Syrah 2014
From Swartland vineyards owned by Boekenhoutskloof and is well established, they don’t muck about… Read original review here.
12. Fram Chenin Blanc 2015
So much excellent Chenin out there but this really stood out for its intricacy and detail. Read original review here.
11. Uva Mira The Single Tree Chardonnay 2015
Chardonnay is arguably the most competitive category in the country right now in terms of both quality as well as the prices it is able to command and Stellenbosch property Uva Mira is right up there. Read original review here.
10. David & Nadia Contour Series Pinotage 2015
A decidedly new-wave take on Pinotage which opens up so many possibilities for the not uncontroversial variety. Read original review here.
9. The Grande Provence Amphora 2015
Vinified in two 400-litre terracotta amphora, the result is hauntingly beautiful. Read original review here.
8. Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2015
I thought this was outstanding when tasted sighted during a lunch to celebrate this Stellenbosch cellar’s 20th anniversary and it was later to place among the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge. Read original review here.
7. Mother Rock Syrah 2015
Wines with lower alcohols are something that the new wave pride themselves on but the result is often wines which are bit skeletal. This, however, isn’t all underdone despite an abv of just 12.5%. Read original review here.
6. Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage 2015
An absolute beast of a wine. Spain has Vega Sicilia, Portugal has Barca Velha, we have this. Read original review here.
5. AA Badenhorst Raaigras Grenache 2015
The benchmark against which all other local Grenache should be measured. Read original review here.
4. David & Nadia Old Bush Vines Authentic Series Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2015
A wine that strikes you silent the first time you taste it. Read original review here.
3. The Old Vine Series ‘T Voetpad 2015
A Swartland field blend of Chenin Blanc, Muscat, Palomino, Semillon and Semillon Gris, planted in stages from 1900 to 1928. Profoundly good. Read original review here.
2. Thorne & Daughters Paper Kite Semillon 2015
Utterly captivating. What a resource old-vine Franschhoek Semillon is. Read original review here.
Wine of the Year
1. The Old Vine Series Skurfberg 2015
A great vintage from a great site. Read original review here.
Tim James | 8 December 2016
Maybe there’ll still be something marvellous for you – and even better – in the three weeks-plus still remaining of 2016!