An exceptional pair of the finest wines made by Boplaas Family Vineyards will be among the lots being pursued by collectors and connoisseurs at the 37th annual Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild auction on October 2. Both wines hail from the 2017 vintage, one of the modern wine industry’s best, and are regarded independently as champions.
They are the Boplaas CWG Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2017 and the Boplaas CWG Daniel’s Legacy 2017 red blend. The wines will be among only 45 hotly contested offerings – all rare and unique wines of excellence and produced in small quantities exclusively for the event – when the auction takes place live and online.
Last year, Boplaas set a new benchmark in South African wine when it achieved a record price of R7 000 at the auction for the Boplaas CWG Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2015.
The Calitzdorp winery has become synonymous with award-winning port and red wines made from the Portuguese varieties, a feat supported by owner and cellarmaster Carel Nel’s induction into the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild in 1988. Where port is concerned, Boplaas has since 1986 claimed amongst others, the SA Young Wine Show’s title of overall champion port no less than ten times, including in 2017. This year, it was named winner of the Best Port at the auspicious Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.
Both the Boplaas CWG Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2017 and Daniel’s Legacy 2017 scored highly when rated by the authoritative Winemag.co.za, which awarded them 95 and 92 points respectively.
For the making of the Boplaas CWG Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2017, only the finest Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barocca and Souzão grapes were selected from specific low-yield vineyards. All the fruit was hand-harvested at optimum ripeness, fermented and fortified in small lagares. The wine then barrel-matured in large, seasoned oak barrels for 12 months. The result is a distinctive, full-bodied, complex and structured dry-styled wine.
It shows an inky blackness in the glass, with complex aromatics at red and black berries, fynbos and liquorice. The palate is beautifully balanced with firm, rich tannins and everlasting finish.
The Boplaas Daniel’s Legacy 2017 is a red blend of Portuguese varieties Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barocca and Shiraz.
The wine was created as a tribute to Carel’s father, who was responsible for putting the farm onto the virtues of Portuguese varieties, albeit inadvertently. Thanks to this fortunate mistake in the 1970s, he mistakenly planted Tinta Barocca instead of what he thought was Shiraz.
The making of Daniel’s Legacy sees the finest barrels of Tinta Barocca, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Shiraz blended. The fruit originates from old, low-yield vines and is vinified according to traditional methods. The wine produced is generously, fruit-forward and age-worthy.
To see what else is on offer at this year’s auction, as well finding instructions on how to bid and buy, visit www.capewinemakersguild.com.
