Platter's 2015 edition launches!
Topics: Platter's Guide, South Africa, South African wine, wine
The 2015 edition of Platter's Guide was launched at a gathering of the who’s who of the South African wine industry at Cape Town’s Mount Nelson Hotel today.
Platter’s is delighted to announce that Swartland-based Sadie Family Wines is the Guide’s Winery of the Year for a historic second time. The winery first took the honour in 2010 and it is the only winery to emerge from this year’s stringent judging process with three maximum five star ratings for the 2015 edition of Platter’s.
Congratulations go to De Trafford Blueprint Syrah 2012, hailed as Red Wine of the Year, and DeMorgenzon Reserve Chardonnay 2013, celebrated as the White Wine of the Year. The 2015 guide features 50 five star wines and one new five star brandy.
Publisher of Platter’s, Jean-Pierre Rossouw, says: “We introduced a new five star tastings system for the 2015 guide that saw small panels of tasters assessing each category meticulously and in an unhurried fashion. Therefore, producers that have achieved five stars in the 2015 guide can be sure that their wine or wines are truly exceptional. At the same time, there were many very tight decisions and hotly debated wines – making the list of Highly Recommended wines replete with fantastic options that just missed the cut.”
Rossouw adds, “Platter’s is different in that it is a wine guide – and not a competition per se. Our expert tasters initially assess the wines sighted, to assist learning as much as possible about the intent of the producer and the wine’s back-story, as well as vital details such as site and climate. But when it comes to the five star tasting, we shift to a blind tasting format as we are then comparing wines against each other within categories.”
This year also saw nine wineries achieving five stars for the first time: Creation Wines, Crystallum, Diners Club Bartho Eksteen Academy, Fram, Iona, Oldenburg, Porseleinberg, Stellenbosch Vineyards/Flagship and Sumaridge.
The five star achievers for 2015 are:
Cabernet Franc
Warwick Estate Cabernet Franc 2011
Cabernet Sauvignon
Groot Constantia Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Le Riche Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2011
Nederburg Wines II Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Oldenburg Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Stark-Condé Wines Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Cinsaut
Sadie Family Wines Pofadder 2013
Petit Verdot
Stellenbosch Vineyards Flagship Petit Verdot 2010
Pinotage
Flagstone Winery Time Manner Place Pinotage 2012
Kanonkop Estate Black Label Pinotage 2012
Pinot Noir
Creation Wines Reserve Pinot Noir 2013
Crystallum Cuvée Cinéma Pinot Noir 2013
Newton Johnson Vineyards Family Vineyards Pinot Noir 2013
Sumaridge Wines Pinot Noir 2012
Shiraz/Syrah
Boekenhoutskloof Winery Syrah 2012
Boschendal Wines Cecil John Reserve Shiraz 2012
De Trafford Wines Blueprint Syrah 2012
Fable Mountain Vineyards Syrah 2012
Porseleinberg Porseleinberg 2012
Red Blends
Delaire Graff Estate Botmaskop 2012
Ernie Els Wines CWG Auction Reserve 2012
Hartenberg Estate The Mackenzie 2011
Thelema Mountain Vineyards Rabelais 2010
Vilafonté Series C 2011
Chardonnay
DeMorgenzon Reserve Chardonnay 2013
Iona Vineyards Chardonnay 2013
Richard Kershaw Wines Elgin Chardonnay 2013
Sterhuis Barrel Selection Chardonnay 2012
Chenin Blanc
Alheit Vineyards Magnetic North Mountain Makstok 2013
Fram Wines Chenin Blanc 2013
Kaapzicht Wine Estate The 1947 Chenin Blanc 2013
Grenache Blanc
The Foundry Grenache Blanc 2013
Sauvignon Blanc
Buitenverwachting Husseys Vlei Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Diners Club Bartho Eksteen Academy CWG Auction Reserve Vloekskoot Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Reyneke Wines Reserve White 2013
Semillon
Vergelegen Wines Reserve Semillon 2013
White Blends
Constantia Uitsig Constantia White 2013
David & Nadia Sadie Aristargos 2013
DeMorgenzon Maestro White 2013
Flagstone Winery Treaty Tree Reserve White Blend 2013
Miles Mossop Wines Saskia 2012
Oak Valley Wines Mountain Reserve White Blend 2010
Sadie Family Wines Palladius 2012
Sadie Family Wines Skerpioen 2013
Méthode Cap Classique
Graham Beck Wines Blanc de Blancs Brut 2009
Dessert Wine, Unfortified
Delheim Wines Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest 2013
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines Straw Wine 2013
Dessert Wine, Fortified
Nuy Wine Cellar White Muscadel 2013
Port-Style
Boplaas Family Vineyards Cape Tawny Vintners Reserve NV
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2012
Brandy
KWV 12 Year Old Barrel Select Brandy
Platter’s 2015 print version is available from mid-November at select bookstores and retail outlets countrywide. The recommended retail price is R195. The book, and subscriptions to the online version, are als available from Platter’s online store (www.wineonaplatter.com).
