Chamonix delights French palates at Classic Wine Trophy
THE RESULTS of the 2013 Classic Wine Trophy competition are hardly surprising in terms of the class winners. Particularly not when it comes to the overall victor, with Chamonix scooping three of the 14 trophies awarded in various categories at the Taj Hotel in Cape Town just a few months after being named Winery of the Year in the 2013 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide.
| TRIUMPHANT YET AGAIN! |
If there were any curve-balls delivered by the panel of French judges, perhaps two of them came in the Semillon and Chenin Blanc classes: Semillon because the trophy winner comes from the humble Franschhoek Cellar where the wine will probably sell for under R100 on release (we can’t wait to try some of what promises to be really good value!), and Chenin because the panel declined to rate any such wine on the tasting bench worthy of a trophy (which we find hard to believe, given the depth of this ‘team’ quality wise!)
In fact Chenin wasn’t the only category in which the judges felt the quality didn’t warrant awarding a trophy. But then again, there were fewer than 300 entries in the Classic Wine Trophy competition this year following the organisers’ decision to dispense with gold and silver medals as awarded in previous years. For more information click here.
TROPHY WINNERS:
Beyerskloof Pinotage Reserve 2010, Stellenbosch
Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2011, Franschhoek
Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2011, Franschhoek
Chamonix Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2010, Franschhoek
Delaire Graff Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2009, Stellenbosch
Franschhoek Cellar Semillon 2012
Groot Constantia Shiraz 2010
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2011, Hermanus
La Motte Pierneef Shiraz Viognier 2010, Franschhoek
Perdeberg Weisser Riesling Natural Sweet Reserve 2011, Paarl
Saronsberg Full Circle 2010 (Shiraz-based red blend), Tulbagh
Saronsberg Viognier 2011, Tulbagh
Vergelegen V 2008 (Cabernet Sauvignon), Somerset West
Whalehaven Merlot 2010, Hermanus
