South Africa’s Top 100 Most Highly Rated Wines – 2019 Classification
THESE ARE the most highly rated wines of the Cape over the past 10 years – those with the best track records involving numerous vintages in over 30 local and international forums for the assessment of wine quality and interest value between 2009 and 2018 (inclusive) as celebrated in the annual South African Wine & Cellar Classifications.
To be eligible for the Classification, updated annually since 2004, wines must have earned good to excellent reviews for at least three vintages during the 10-year period under review. The focus is on the country’s leading outfits, those regularly on top form, their wines judged top-notch again and again, year after year. The critics include experts appointed for the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK), the International Wine Challenge (UK) and IWSC (UK), Platter’s SA Wine Guide (5 Stars and Highly Recommended), the Six Nations Wine Challenge (AU), the Trophy Wine Show (SA), the Veritas Awards (SA) and the Michelangelo awards (SA) – to mention just some of the panels.
For the full extent of the latest Classifications and more information about the selection criteria, see here – also available on request via email to mike@topwinesa.com.
TOP 100 – 2019 CLASSIFICATION
White Wines
TOP SA CHARDONNAY
Chamonix Reserve
Fleur du Cap Unfiltered (Bergkelder)
Groot Constantia
Hamilton Russell
Jordan Barrel Fermented
Jordan Nine Yards
Oak Valley Groenlandberg
Paul Cluver Estate
Rustenberg Five Soldiers
Rustenberg Stellenbosch
Sumaridge
Tokara Reserve Collection Stellenbosch
Uva Mira Single Tree
TOP SA CHENIN BLANC
Beaumont Hope Marguerite
Botanica
DeMorgenzon Reserve
Ken Forrester FMC
Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection
Spier 21 Gables
Stellenrust Barrel Fermented
TOP SA SAUVIGNON BLANC
Cape Point Reserve
Cederberg
Diemersdal Eight Rows
Diemersdal MM Louw
Ghost Corner (Cederberg)
Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sur Lie
Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin
TOP SA SEMILLON
Ghost Corner (Cederberg)
TOP SA WHITE BLENDS
Cape Point Isliedh
Flagstone Treaty Tree Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Nederburg Ingenuity
Nitida Coronata Integration
Sadie Palladius
Spier Creative Block 2
Strandveld Adamastor
Tokara Director’s Reserve
Vergelegen G.V.B
Sparkling Wines
TOP CAP CLASSIQUE
Graham Beck Brut Blanc de Blancs
Villiera Monro Brut
Red Wines
TOP SA CABERNET FRANC
Raats Family
Warwick
TOP SA CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Cederberg Five Generations
Eikendal
Flagstone Music Room
Kanonkop
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve
Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection
Le Riche Reserve
Nederburg Two Centuries
Rustenberg Peter Barlow
Stark-Condé Three Pines
TOP SA MERLOT
Shannon Mount Bullet
TOP SA PETIT VERDOT
KWV Mentors
TOP SA PINOT NOIR
Chamonix Reserve
Hamilton Russell
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards
Paul Cluver Seven Flags
TOP PINOTAGE
Beyerskloof Diesel
Diemersdal Reserve
Diemersfontein Carpe Diem Reserve
Flagstone Writer’s Block
Kanonkop
KWV Mentors
Rijk’s Reserve
Simonsig Redhill
Spier 21 Gables
Wildekrans Barrel Select Reserve
Windmeul Reserve
TOP SA SHIRAZ / SYRAH
Cederberg
De Grendel
Eagles’ Nest
Groot Constantia
Hartenberg Stork
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve
Rustenberg Buzzard Kloof
Saronsberg
Saronsberg Provenance
TOP RED BLENDS
Delaire Graff Botmaskop
Diemersdal Private Collection
Ernie Els Signature
Kanonkop Paul Sauer
KWV Mentors Orchestra
La Motte Pierneef Syrah Viognier
Morgenster Estate Reserve
Rust en Vrede Estate
Saronsberg Full Circle
Spier Creative Block 3
Spier Creative Block 5
Tokara Director’s Reserve
Sweet Wines
TOP SA UNFORTIFIED DESSERT
Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest (Bergkelder)
Groot Constantia Grand Constance
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance
Mullineux Straw Wine
Nederburg Edelkeur Chenin Blanc Noble Late
Nederburg Eminence Noble Late Muscadel
Nederburg Winemasters Noble Late Harvest
Paul Cluver Riesling Noble Late Harvest
TOP SA FORTIFIED DESSERT
Nuy White Muscadel
Orange River Cellars White Muscadel
TOP CAPE PORT
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve
NB! For the current Top 100 Classification, click here
I like this Classification of South Africa’s Top 100 Most Highly Rated Wines! Wife and I have been working our way through it and have not been disappointed.
Shows the importance of entering competitions if you want to appear on lists like this. Many don’t and won’t be persuaded. In the end it is all subjective.
It shows the importance of submitting your wines for review, of being confident about the quality and interest value of your wines, of not running for cover and crying ‘foul’. Those who won’t stand and be judged shouldn’t whine about being downplayed! It’s not just the panels’ assessments; it’s also about having the courage of your convictions.
Hopefully will get a Cinsault category next year?
Cinsaut is among the categories… Sadie Pofadder and Stellenrust Old Bush Vine Cinsaut are celebrated under Top Niche Varieties of the 2019 SA Wine Classification.
Your list is consciously misleading the public in that it fails to mention that it only measures wines that actually enter these competitions. The ‘Top Wines’ generally don’t.
Wrong again Mike. The Classification also takes into account the 5 Star and Highly Recommended 4½ Star ratings in Platter’s SA Wine Guide…
The Top Wines are included in the ratings. Kanonkop, Sadie, Saronsberg, Tokara, Paul Cluver, Warwick… Just how ‘top’ are we talking?
Your Vilafonte (red blend) is very good, but not the very best… Not according to the Platter’s team and others over the years…
Slightly off-pace comment. Vilafonte has rated in Top 3 in most Blind Super Premium wine tastings held in SA. Ask at Wine Cellar RSA.
Greg, those tastings did not include the (other) top blends Kanonkop Paul Sauer, Saronsberg Full Circle, Tokara Director’s Res, Morgenster…
“People will forget how it tasted, people will forget what it was called, but people will never forget how your wine made them feel” – Andre Ribeirinho. “Could be the summary of Reka Haros’s unmissablle article: A Viable Future for Small Wineries.”
So, you’re getting at the experience over and above/besides the smell and taste. And you called me misleading! The Classification is about what the experts thought of what was in the glass, not where or how it was served, or by whom…
The problem is your title belies the criteria used. It should be “Top Wines that entered competitions over the past ten years”. It’s not acknowledging how dynamic the industry has become. Your Chenin list proves that conclusively: no Alheit, no Skurfberg, for example…
The SA Wine Classification also embraces the 5 Star and Highly Recommended 4½ Star ratings in Platter’s SA Wine Guide, which isn’t a competition… The Chenins that are celebrated do include Skurfberg, currently ranked in the Top 20, on track for Top 10… Regarding Alheit, the Cartology blend is among the celebrated white blends, although, with four highly rated vintages to date, its performance doesn’t quite match those of the Top 20. The Alheit Chenins are great too, but the Classification calls for more top-rated vintages.
It just looks a bit dated. So many of the country’s best wines missing from that list.
Names Jamie, names? The best of the newcomers are climbing up the rankings but a good track record takes time to build.