Wine producer

DWWA 2021

The Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) were announced last week. Once again we were delighted that a number of our wines won gold and silver awards. Congratulations to all the producers listed below.

Gold medals

2019 Tête de Cuvée Pinot Noir, Bouchard Finlayson –  96 pts
Shows class and pedigree. A shy, tight nose of tilled earth and freshly cured bresaola. Young, tight, concentrated black fruits, mouth-watering acidity, and an intense palate.

2018 Seven Flags Chardonnay, Paul Cluver – 96 pts
Apples, cream, nuts, orange peel, and spicy oak all over the nose, with a dry, long, super moreish palate. Excellent now and for years to come.

2019 Five Soldiers Chardonnay, Rustenberg – 96 pts
Rich, round, and fleshy. Ripe and exotic with apple crumble and mandarins through to oak and spun sugar. A very smart, well-honed creation.

2019 Pinot Noir, Wooing Tree – 95 pts
Aromatic intensity here, with dark cherry, spice and a mocha lift. A complex palate with a bright red fruit style, ripe tannins and appetising finish.

Silver medals

2017 Glass Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Glenelly – 94 pts
Perfumed currants, blueberry crumble, menthol, lavender. Fabulous length, firm yet silky tannins, brilliant tensions, but needs more time to unfurl.

2020 Steen, Donkiesbaai – 94 pts
Stunning citrus zest, white pepper, beeswax and marshmallow flavours offered in a cloak of enticing, complexing granitic minerality.

2019 The Boxer Shiraz, Mollydooker – 94 pts
Authentic and honest, with rich blackberry, raspberry and cherry, underpinned by tar and olive on the succulent palate. Massively enjoyable.

2017 Seven Flags Pinot Noir, Paul Cluver – 94 pts
A charming balance of floral; violets and roses, fruit; crunchy redcurrant, red cherry, savoury; cigar box, toast, liquorice. A fine effort.

2017 Estate Wine, Rust en Vrede – 94 pts
Charming blueberry and blackberry boiled sweets and attractive vanilla oak spice with a lovely freshness that carries this wine’s finish.

2015 The Jem, Waterford Estate – 94 pts
Savoury and spicy; fireside embers, cedar, cigars, baked plum. Swathes of ripe tannins. Rich but not heavy; impressive.

2020 Noble Late Harvest Riesling, Paul Cluver – 93 pts
Glazed blood orange, sweet lemon marmalade, gingerbread, and buttered warm white toast with melted honey. Plain and simply delicious.

2019 Estate Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Rust en Vrede – 93 pts
Flavours of red fruit compote, a touch of dusty earth, and creamy, black mineral tannins. Eye-popping freshness and great ageing potential.

2018 Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon, Rustenberg – 93 pts
A taut, dark, rich wine with hedgerow fruits, graphite and wine gum flavours. Creamy and sleek with grippy tannins.

2019 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, Bouchard Finlayson – 92 pts
Raspberry yogurt, earthy notes, hints of cedar spice, and dried herbs. Long, with plenty of Cola and brambly fruit complexity.

2017 Proprietor’s Blend, Ernie Els – 92 pts
Big, powerful, and ripe with blackcurrant, cassis, and toast. Fine, with classical depth. A lot more to come from this wine.

2020 Estate Riesling, Paul Cluver – 92 pts
An off-dry style, carried well by the acids, with spicy apple, peach, and citrus flavours and a long apricot finish.

2018 Estate Chardonnay, Paul Cluver – 92 pts
Lovely green apple fruit pastille note melts into white peach and quince notes. A nicely textured palate and long finish.

2020 Walker Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Bouchard Finlayson – 91 pts
Lively and bracing acidity with lots of citrussy, zippy fruit on the palate. Attractive and pure. Lots of intense, primary fruit.

2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, The Stellenbosch Reserve – 91 pts
Pronounced cassis, blackcurrant leaf, tea leaf, and dried flowers. All primary and youthful at present, but with the structure to develop.

2020 Village Chardonnay, Paul Cluver – 91 pts
A vibrant and zesty white. The palate is gentle, pithy, with citrus, lemon peel, and a hint of mint. Excellent value.

2019 John X Merriman, Rustenberg – 91 pts
Dark and brooding with mulberries, dark plums, clove, and cedar. Juicy acidity, ripe supple tannins, and good concentration. Lovely persistent finish.

2020 Chardonnay, Rustenberg – 91 pts
Smart, compact, white blossom, white citrus, honeysuckle, apple pie, and a hint of fresh mint. Restrained, mineral and elegant.

2018 Big Easy Red Blend, Ernie Els – 90 pts
Perfumed note of parma violets and blueberries. Concentrated, chiseled palate of exuberant berry fruits with refreshing acidity and fine tannins.

2020 The Doctors’ Rose, Forrest Wines – 90 pts
Bright cranberry, raspberry peach aromas, leading to a creamy palate, light and refreshing, zesty with an almond twist to finish.

2015 Estate Reserve, Glenelly – 90 pts
Deep, inky and dark with earthy, spicy aromatics and hints of licorice, tar, and Provençal herbs. Drinking well now.

2018 Estate Pinot Noir, Paul Cluver – 90 pts
A taut, crunchy wine, with redcurrants and redberry combining with hints of bacon and aniseed underpinned by fine tannin.

2019 Malbec, Rustenberg – 90 pts
Exotic nose of plum and peach tea. Very polished and creamy with lovely, sappy, thick-skinned plums and baking spice intensity.

2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Rustenberg – 90 pts
A bright and fresh palate with grapefruit, hints of blood orange, and tangy acids with a round mouthfeel and long finish.

2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rustenberg – 90 pts
Spicy graphite-tinged black fruits meet tilled earth, leather, and notes of cedar and wood spice. Silky and soft, fleshy yet ultra-pure.

Please note that some vintages may not yet be available in the UK.

Adelaide Hills

Decanter feature on Adelaide Hills

The August edition of Decanter Magazine features an article on the Adelaide Hills by David Sly. No report on the Adelaide Hills would be complete without a mention of Bird in Hand. He names them one of the region’s top producers of Shiraz, and he has awarded an incredible 97 points to their 2018 Syrah:

2018 Syrah, Bird in Hand – 97 pts
The heady perfume is elegant: blueberry muffin, wild sage, a whiff of liquorice. The flavours are equally seductive: firm black fruits and sharp cherry, laced in strands of leather and tobacco. Whole-bunch ferment and wild-yeast influence is captured in the right measure, showing deft balance of winemaker intervention and vineyard expression.

2013 MAC Shiraz, Bird in Hand – 95 pts
There’s power and opulence here in abundance, but this heady wine tries not to brag too much. It speaks more of fruit concentration and expensive oak cosseting than terroir expression. Cassis, chocolate, mint, ripe cherry and vanilla flavours purr like a big-engine roadster gliding along a smooth, polished, oaky highway. Luxury many can’t afford.

2014 Nest Egg Shiraz, Bird in Hand – 94 pts
A sweet, high-toned and powerful nose of blackberry, mulberry, blossom and marzipan continues on the seriously concentrated, tightly wound palate. Despite big intensity, the flavours glide smoothly through the extended palate. A big body in a well-tailored suit – very dapper!

2019 Nest Egg Chardonnay, Bird in Hand – 91 pts
Judicious influence of new French oak binds the fleshy stonefruit and grapefruit palate together but the structure seems stern and it is a bit hot on the finish. Needs cellaring to soften.