This year commemorates Carel Nel of Boplaas’s 28th consecutive auction for the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild and this year a duo of wines will be available on public auction on Saturday 3rd October at Spier in Stellenbosch. The final few cases of Ouma Cloete Straw Wine 2013 will be joined by Daniël’s Legacy 2013, a Portuguese varietal led blend named in honour of Boplaas’s bon vivant partiach Oupa Danie Nel.
Regarded as the Lone Ranger of the Cape Winemakers Guild, due to the fact Boplaas owner and cellar master Carel Nel, is still the only member from the Klein Karoo and this year celebrates his 28th consecutive auction with two unique limited release auction offerings. For the very first time Carel will be offering Daniël’s Legacy 2013 a Portuguese varietal led blend in honour of his bon vivant father Oupa Danie Nel who’s mistaken planting of Tinta Barocca on Boplaas led to the establishment of this cellars fine reputation as a benchmark producer of fine Cape “Port”. The last few cases of the luminary maiden vintage of the Ouma Cloete Straw Wine 2013 will also come under the hammer.
From the outset Carel has dedicated himself to shifting the perception of the possibilities of the Klein Karoo by planting traditional Douro varietals in Calitzdorp for the crafting of proper “Port” and table wines, as well as crafting the very first Estate Potstill brandies in 1989 and releasing said brandy, the Boplaas 5 Year Old Potstill Estate Brandy in 1994. The release of the first Estate Brandy was quite fitting, as the Nel’s of Boplaas have a tradition of distilling the finest potstill brandy dating back to 1880.
In the early 70’s Oupa Danie Nel, Carel’s father, made a trip up to the Swartland in his old Chevy El Camino and whilst tasting the best the region had to offer he came upon Shiraz and buxom Pinotage. He enjoyed Shiraz so much, that he decided to immediately plant this grape in the verdant Klein Karoo soils. However, unbeknownst to him until corrected by Prof. Piet Goussard & his son, the vines actually planted were Tinta Barocca. After this “discovery” a trip to Portugal was undertaken, which changed the destiny of his beloved Boplaas forever & so a legacy of crafting fine table wine and benchmark Cape fortifieds from Portuguese varieties was borne. To celebrate Oupa Danie’s folly, the very finest barrels of Tinta Barocca, Shiraz, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa originating from low yielding old vines and traditionally vinified, were blended to create a fulsome, buxomly fruited & age-worthy Daniël’s Legacy 2013. Gregarious & slightly hulk’ish, this complex red will perfectly pair with waterblommetjie potjie, braai’d springbok loin, slow roast Karoo lamb or hearty rustic fare of your choosing or simply enjoy in good company around the fireside during load-shedding. A scant 30 x 6 cases of this maiden release will be available for auction.
Continuing the theme of honouring the Nel’s vinous heritage, comes the maiden release of the Ouma Cloete Straw Wine 2013, named after Carel’s great grandmother who’s family left Constantia at the turn of the 20th century to seek better farming fortunes in the Klein Karoo. This complex bright gold straw wine was crafted from sun-dried Viognier and will make an ideal accompaniment to Cantonese dishes, traditional Cape Malay fare, aromatic Moroccan dished, enjoyed with desserts, such as Peach Melba or a selection of fine fromage. Eminent US wine critic Stephen Tanzer rated this maiden vintage Calitzdorp straw wine an impressive 91 points last year & was taken aback by the complexity of this “lush, suave, naturally sweet dessert wine”. A mere 30 x 6 half bottle cases will come under the hammer.
These exceptional Boplaas CWG auction wines will be joined by the other 46 members’ wines at the public pre-auction tastings in Cape Town Thursday 13th August and Wednesday 26th August in Johannesburg, before the auction to be held the 3rd of October at Spier in Stellenbosch starting at 09:00. For more information visit the CWG website at www.capewinemakersguild.com, or inquire details on 021 – 852 0408. Alternatively, contact Boplaas on 044-213 3326 or send an email to [email protected] for more information on this fine auction offering and our range of fine wines, Cape fortifieds & Potstill brandies.
