Shiraz leads the way in Winemag’s annual ‘Signature Red Blend Report’

THEY CONCEDE that it was challenging for the panel to review a line-up of very different red blends, some Shiraz-led, Cape Blends in which Pinotage dominated, some including more than half a dozen component varieties, others made from grapes usually grown for making port-style wines, etc. But Christian Eedes, chairman of the judges including Roland Peens and James Pietersen of Cape Town merchants Wine Cellar, feels that having any number of combinations together on the tasting bench for the 2018 Signature Red Blend Report on Winemag.co.za is justified in this instance.

The call was for wines which were “distinctive of their originators”. The thinking was that: “The fundamentals of wine appreciation such as complexity and balance should (still) apply when it came to making quality assessments.” At the end of the day, there were 68 entries from 54 South African producers, of which 30 wines were rated 90 points (excellent) or better on Winemag’s 100-point scale.

Eedes reflects that “a perennial stand-out wine is the Bakermat from Paarl property Joostenberg,” and that whereas you might expect Stellenbosch to dominate a single-variety Cabernet Sauvignon or Cape Bordeaux Red Blend class, only eight of the 30 top-performing wines are from this district. In fact, none of the top four are from Stellenbosch cellars!

The wines considered ‘outstanding’ are given below. For the full report and all of the ratings, see here.

RATED ‘OUTSTANDING’

Babylonstoren Babel 2017
Blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, plus…
R150 pb from cellar in Simonsberg-Paarl

Joostenberg Bakermat 2016
Blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, plus…
R210 pb from cellar in Paarl

Olifantsberg Silhouette 2015
Blend of Shiraz plus…
R220 pb from cellar in Breedekloof

Org de Rac Die Waghuis 2016
Blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre, plus…
R150 pb from cellar in Swartland

 

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