90 points for De Krans Tritonia White from Robert Parker

Highly respected wine journalist, Neal Martin, one of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocates, has just scored the newly released De Krans Tritonia White 2015 an excellent score of 90 out of a possible 100 points in his most recent South African Report, which was published last week. According to Boets Nel, MD of De Krans, this is most probably the first white wine from the Klein Karoo region to get a score of 90 points or more from Robert Parker. The Tritonia White is a wooded blend of Portuguese grape varieties Malvasia Rei and Verdelho. The Malvasia Rei (Palomino) vineyard was planted in 1947, in the fertile sandy loam old Gamka river soils on high roof trellises, mainly for the production of brandy.  These forgotten vines, now 70 years old, bearing low yields of small berries and excellent quality, were used to produce our flagship blend with Verdelho grapes, to show some of the Klein Karoo’s forgotten legacy.

Winemaker Louis van der Riet describes this wine as being a golden yellow colour, with fine flavours of honeysuckle, orange peel and straw, that opens up to floral blossoms, spice and vanilla oak. It has a smooth and elegant taste, with dried orange, nuts and soft oak, an integrated acidity and fine tannins. The wine was kept on the lees for 4 months after fermentation and then barrel matured for a further 15 months before released. This exceptional wine is available directly from De Krans at R145 per bottle.

This high score for a De Krans wine in The Wine Advocate follows in the footsteps of two other De Krans wines that were awarded high scores last year’s tasting. The De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2012 scored an excellent 93 points and the De Krans Tritonia Red Calitzdorp Blend 2013 received 90 points. This was also the first Wine of Origin Calitzdorp dry red wine to receive a score of 90 and above from the distinguished journalist.

The De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2012 was indeed an award-winning port. Not only was it named the Champion Port at the SA National Young Wine Show in 2012, but it also secured a spot on the list of Top 100 Wines in South Africa in 2015, as well as earning a sought after 5-star rating in the 2015 Platter Wine Guide. The 2013 Cape Vintage Reserve, another Platter 5-star wine, is currently available at an approximate retail price of R320 per bottle.

Louis describes the De Krans Tritonia Red Calitzdorp Blend 2013, a dry red blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barocca, as having a ruby red colour with complex flavours of violets, cloves and red fruit on the nose. Savoury and a fine-grained structure with lovely integrated wood and a delightful elegance are prominent on the palate. Best enjoyed with ostrich, venison dishes, as well as pies and a roast, this wine retails for approximately R200 per bottle.