Elgin Wines proudly make up more than half of the “The Magnificent Seven” top wines in the Tonnellerie Saint Martin Pinot Noir Report 2019
Though a notoriously difficult grape to work with, Pinot Noir is capable of making red wines of greatness when matched to the right site. It is at its most glorious in Burgundy, France but there are today impressive examples from Oregon in the USA, New Zealand’s South Island and increasingly South Africa. At the end of 2018, it was the 12thmost planted variety locally making up 1.3% of the national vineyard.
This year, 35 entries were received from 24 producers and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by the three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
More than half of the wines that made up the so-called “Magnificent Seven”, came from the Elgin Valley wine growing region, acheiving scores of 92 and above:
- Lothian Vineyards Vineyard Selection 2018 – 93
- Oak Valley Groenlandberg 2018 – 92
- Paul Cluver Estate 2017 – 92
- Shannon Rockview Ridge 2017 – 92
Elgin winemakers Jacques du Plessis (Oak Valley Estate), Andries Burger (Paul Cluver Wines), James Downes (Shannon Wines), Nicky Wallace (Paul Wallace Wines and Chair of Wines of Elgin) , Ewen and Gavin Wilson (Lothian Vineyards), attended an awards luncheon hosted by Winemag.co.za at Longridge Wine Estate.
“It is no surprise that as our Pinot Noir vineyards gain maturity, our Elgin Pinot Noirs are revealing their true potential,” says Nicky Wallace, Chair of Wines of Elgin. “Retaining their signature purity of fruit, but gathering greater depth and texture. We are immensely proud of the Pinot Noir wines produced in our Elgin Valley and congratulate our four winners for this prestigious achievement.”
To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top seven and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, go to Winemag.co.za.
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