Category Archives: News

“Platter’s 2017 5-star” meets “#Feesmustfall”

The Platters Wine Guide held their 2017 Wine Guide Launch last night, which is simultaneously very exciting, and also kind of daunting. Because all of a sudden there are just short of 100 wines of various varieties that have been declared #MustHave #BucketList, #OMG #NomNomNom.

To make matters worse, you will almost certainly not be able to afford a whole bunch of the wines on this list…
(Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2014 R1,050.00
David & Nadia Hoe Steen Chenin Blanc R520.00;
Sadie Family Wines Palladius R575.00;
Porseleinberg Syrah 2014 R500.00;
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir R400.00;
Alheit Radio Lazarus R520.00;
AA Badenhorst Dassiekop Steen R360.00;
Reynecke Reserve Red R400.00)
…which always leaves one wondering whether or not the very fact that you won’t be buying these wines is a sure sign that these wines are the only ones that really hold THE TRUTH ABOUT WINE in the sort of X-Files/DaVinci Code/Dallai Llama sense of the word.

In this regard there is both good news and bad news…
The bad news is that some of the wines mentioned above – those wines in the “I guess I’ll never know” price bracket – really are life-changing/paradigm-shifting/soul-transforming. So, I don’t know, sell a kidney or something.

But the good news is that, if you have read this article on how the Platter’s panel chooses their 5-star wines, you will know that it is all done completely blind, which means that price and reputation have nothing to do with final scoring.

So, because I’m a pal, I have gone and found some of the cheapest wines on the list so that you can get a wine education at the low price of a #feesmustfall-style wine diploma:

Platters 5-star #FeesMustFall List:

  1. Mount Abora Koggelbos Chenin Blanc 2014: +- R105.00
  2. Spice Route Grenache 2014: +- R120.00
  3. Bartinney Chardonnay 2015: +- R140.00
  4. Jordan Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2015: +- R150.00
  5. Stellenrust Barrel-fermented Chenin: +- R150.00
  6. Carl Everson Opstal Chenin Blacn: +- R165.00
  7. Vondeling Babiana 2015 White Blend: +- R165.00
  8. Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin: +- R170.00
  9. Diemersdal 8 Rows 2016 Sauvignon Blanc: +- R185.00
  10. Olifantsberg Silhouette Red Blend 2014: +- R190.00
  11. Bosman Family Twyfeling Cinsault 2015: +- R200.00
  12. Thorne & Daughters’ Rocking Horse White Blend: +- R220.00
  13. Trizanne Reserve Syrah 2015: +-R220.00
  14. Iona Solace Syrah: +- R240.00
  15. Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012: +- R270.00

#HereBeBallers

Then again, if you’re more like Usher, and haven’t looked at a pricetag in over a decade, because price tags are for accountants, not visionaries, then have a gander at the complete list, and hit the bottle store with that Platinum Card. Cheers!

The Headline awards:

White Wine of the Year: Stellenrust 51 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2015

Red Wine of the Year: The Winery of Good Hope Radford Dale Black Rock 2014

Dessert Wine of the Year: Mullineux & Leeu Straw Wine 2015

Winery of the Year: Nederburg Wines

 

The rest of the 5-Star line-up for 2017:

Cabernet Franc

  1. Warwick 2013

Cabernet Sauvignon

  1. Delaire Graff Laurence Graff Reserve 2013
  2. Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2012
  3. Nederburg Private Bin R163 2013
  4. Tokara Reserve 2013

Cinsaut

  1. Bosman Family Twyfeling 2015
  2. Kaapzicht Skuinsberg 2015

Grenache Noir

  1. Spice Route 2014
  2. Stellenbosch Vineyards Credo Limited Release 2015

Merlot

  1. Laibach Claypot 2014
  2. Shannon Mount Bullet 2013

Pinotage

  1. Beeslaar 2014
  2. Flagstone Time Manner Place 2014

Pinot Noir

  1. Hamilton Russell 2015
  2. Newton Johnson Family Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve Seadragon 2015
  3. Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2015

Shiraz/Syrah

  1. Fable Syrah 2014
  2. Iona Solace Syrah 2014
  3. Keermont Topside Syrah 2014
  4. La Motte Pierneef Syrah-Viognier 2014
  5. Porseleinberg 2014
  6. Reyneke Reserve Red 2014
  7. Richard Kershaw Clonal Selection Elgin Syrah 2014
  8. Ronnie B Sons of Sugarland Syrah 2015
  9. Trizanne Reserve Syrah 2015

Red blends

  1. Artisanal Boutique Winery JJ Handmade Eight Pillars 2013
  2. Chamonix Troika 2014
  3. Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve 2013
  4. Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2014
  5. Nederburg Heritage Heroes The Brew Master 2014
  6. Olifantsberg Silhouette 2014

Chardonnay

  1. Bartinney 2015
  2. Chamonix 2015
  3. Chamonix Reserve 2015
  4. Delaire Graff Banghoek Reserve 2015
  5. DeMorgenzon Reserve 2015
  6. Groot Constantia 2015
  7. Hamilton Russell 2015
  8. Haskell Anvil 2015
  9. Iona 2015
  10. Jordan Barrel Fermented 2015
  11. Jordan CWG Auction Reserve 2015
  12. La Vierge Apogée 2015
  13. Meerlust 2015
  14. Môreson Mercator Premium 2014
  15. Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2015
  16. Restless River Ava Marie 2014
  17. Richard Kershaw Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shales CY95 2015

Chenin Blanc

  1. AA Badenhorst Dassiekop Steen 2015
  2. Alheit Radio Lazarus 2015
  3. Beaumont Hope Marguerite 2015
  4. Bellingham Bernard Series Old Vine 2015
  5. Botanica Mary Delany 2015
  6. David & Nadia 2015
  7. David & Nadia Hoë-Steen 2015
  8. Edgebaston Camino Africa David Finlayson 2015
  9. Fram 2015
  10. Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2015
  11. Mount Abora Koggelbos 2014
  12. Opstal Carl Everson 2015
  13. Ronnie B Patatsfontein Steen 2015
  14. Sadie Family Skurfberg 2015
  15. Spioenkop 1900 2015

Sauvignon Blanc

  1. Bloemendal Suider Terras 2015
  2. Diemersdal 8 Rows 2016
  3. Diemersdal MM Louw 2015
  4. Fleur du Cap Unfiltered 2015
  5. Hermanuspietersfontein Nr 5 Kat Met Die Houtbeen 2014
  6. Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2015
  7. Mulderbosch 1000 Miles 2015
  8. Nederburg Private Bin D234 2015
  9. Skaap 44 2015

Semillon

  1. Botanica Mary Delany 2015
  2. Opstal The Barber 2015
  3. Sadie Family Kokerboom 2015
  4. Shannon 2015

White Blends

  1. Alheit Hemelrand Vine Garden 2015
  2. Beaumont ‘New Baby’ 2015
  3. David & Nadia Aristargos 2015
  4. GlenWood Vigneron’s Selection Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc 2015
  5. Sadie Family Palladius 2014
  6. Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse 2015
  7. Tokara Director’s Reserve 2015
  8. Vondeling Babiana 2015

Dessert Wine, Unfortified

  1. Delheim Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest 2015
  2. Donkiesbaai Hooiwijn Vin de Paille 2015
  3. Fleur du Cap Bergkelder Selection Noble Late Harvest 2015
  4. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet 2012
  5. Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2015
  6. Perdeberg Speciality Natural Sweet Chenin Blanc 2014
  7. Stellar Heaven on Earth Natural Sweet NV

Brandy

  1. Boplaas Potstill Reserve 12 Years

For the slow and steady:

While I am in now way affiliated with Platter’s Wine Guide (by Diner’s Club, in case you were wondering) I can completely see the merit in subscribing to the iOS/Android app and having access to this information on your phone. Simply because, as seems to be a theme with this blog, much of the value in a wine lies in not only what it tastes like, but who made it, the ethos behind it, and the region from which it hails. Platter’s mobile app offers all this in a manner that is usually not annoying or riddled with bugs.

So if you want to know where you can stick Platter’s 2017 Guide, the answer is…on your mobile. Very funny. Yes, I am aware.