From 40-year-old vines
in Piekenierskloof

THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the Absa Top 10 for 2018 served to reiterate a number of truths and trends: ‘old’ vines make for good wines; the more experience you have with the variety and the vineyards, the higher the likelihood of greatness in the bottle; while the benchmarks remain steadfast, those contesting the premier league have grown in number and location; and the price of South Africa’s best continues to rise at a pace ahead of the general inflation rate.

As the outspoken Bruwer Raats and others have proved with both red and white varieties, great wines of the Cape can originate from very young vines, too. It’s arguable, however, that you need to be as savvy as them to pull it off, and that your chances are greater if you have access to healthy old blocks planted in the right places – which aren’t all in Stellenbosch, as shown by Franschhoek’s Allée Bleue with a beauty from grapes grown outside Citrusdal in the region of Olifants River!

There’s a bunch of top Classified wines not among the Pinotage Association’s trophy winners in 2018, but storming through once again are Kanonkop and Rijk’s, with Beyerskloof, Diemersdal, Flagstone and Kaapzicht putting together track records almost as impressive. Kanonkop (2006) and Rijk’s (2008) were also triumphant in the museum class for wines older than 10 years, with Kanonkop leading the way in showing better after bottle-maturation – the 2013 vintage of their Pinotage being the oldest among the Top 10 and already ‘sold out’ ex-cellar, where 2016 is the current release.

The 2018 Absa champions are given below – only two at under R200 a bottle, five at over R300 and one at R750 pb – with the names of the other finalists as well as the judges given here. More about the competition at pinotage.co.za

ABSA TOP 10 LAUREATES

Allée Bleue Black Series Old Vine Pinotage 2016
WO Piekenierskloof, Winemaker Van Zyl du Toit
R350pb at cellar door in Franschhoek

Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2015
WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Anri Truter
R750pb at cellar door in Stellenbosch

Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2017
WO Durbanville, Winemaker Thys Louw
R150pb at cellar door in Stellenbosch

Fairview Primo Pinotage 2016
WO Paarl, Winemaker Anthony de Jager
R275pb at cellar door in Paarl

Flagstone Writer’s Block Pinotage 2016
WO Breedekloof, Winemaker Gerhard Swart
R280pb at cellar door in Somerset West

Kaapzicht Steytler Pinotage 2015
WO Bottelary-Stellenbosch, Winemaker Danie Steytler
R450pb at cellar door in Bottelary, Stellenbosch

Kanonkop Pinotage 2013
WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar
Sold out at cellar in Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Lyngrove Platinum Pinotage 2016
WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Danie van Tonder
R160pb at cellar in Stellenbosch

Môreson The Widow Maker Pinotage 2015
WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Clayton Reabow
R245pb at cellar in Franschhoek

Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage 2014
WO Tulbagh, Winemaker Pierre Wahl
R450pb at cellar in Tulbagh

MUSEUM CLASS WINNERS

Kanonkop Pinotage 2006
WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar
Sold out at cellar in Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Lord Neethling Pinotage 2003
WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker De Wet Viljoen
Sold out at Neethlingshof cellar in Stellenbosch, where Lord Neethling Pinotage rebranded The Owl Post Pinotage

Rijk’s Private Cellar Pinotage 2008
WO Tulbagh, Winemaker Pierre Wahl
Sold out at cellar in Tulbagh