THE DOUBLE GOLD winners at the 2024 Veritas Awards have disclosed what the competition organisers will not… Apart from presenting the Vertex trophy for the most highly rated of the double gold laureates, the powers that be at South Africa's biggest, longest-running wine show stop short of distinguishing between the top scores. Not to the public that is… We're told that the panels of judges score the wines using a 100-point scale and that double gold equates to 93+, but at Veritas, the specifics are only divulged to the entrants, and it's left up to the producers as to whether or not they're willing to tell all, which, as it turned out, most are.
In the days following the presentation of the Veritas awards at a gala function in Cape Town, all of the entrants who'd won double gold were asked if any of their winning wines had been rated 95 or higher, and if so, what scores they'd been given. Most of the DG winners responded, and while there were a few who preferred not to talk numbers, the majority were happy to do so – even if the scores were 93 or 94.
See below for the identities of what were revealed to be the top-rated wines: The Mentors Perold 2020 from KWV already declared the trophy winner, the Dornier Malbec 2021 as well as the Stellenbosch Vineyards Flagship Cabernet Franc 2018 scored 96 points, with five wines rated 95. And for another look at all of the 2024 Veritas double gold award winners, click here.
Christiena Trousseau Brut Rosé NV (Cap Classique)
R215pb ex-cellar, Van Loveren, Robertson
Dornier Malbec 2021
R195pb ex-cellar, Upper Blaauwklippen Valley-Stellenbosch
Endura Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2022
R250pb ex-cellar, Perdeberg, Paarl
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chardonnay 2023
R284pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch
KWV Mentors Perold 2020 (Cape Blend)
R799pb ex-cellar, Paarl
Spier Seaward Chardonnay 2023
R145pb ex-cellar, Vlottenburg-Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch Vineyards Flagship Cabernet Franc 2018
R550pb ex-cellar, Lynedoch-Stellenbosch
Villiera Monro Brut 2017 (Cap Classique)
R410pb ex-cellar, Koelenhof-Stellenbosch