Top image: Marinda Kruger-Claassen, Winemaker and Business Manager at Elgin Vintners
Proving that the cool-climate Elgin valley provides superior terroir for Pinot Noir, Elgin Vintners crowned a trio of medals with the trophy for the best Pinot Noir at the 2019 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards on Friday (4 October 2019).
Elgin Vintners Pinot Noir 2017 saw off competition from more established regions known for the varietal to achieve the top score amongst 36 entries in the Pinot Noir category and took home the African Cellar Suppliers Pinot Noir Trophy at the awards event in Cape Town.
The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards is South Africa’s biggest wine competition, attracting more than 2 000 entries this year for judging by a panel of 24 international and six South African judges, representing 22 countries.
“This award is significant recognition not only for our Elgin Vintners Pinot Noir but also the ability of the super cool-climate Elgin terroir to produce world-class Pinot Noir, alongside the quality of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc already recognised from this region,” Elgin Vintners winemaker and business manager Marinda Kruger-Claassen said.
Elgin Vintners 2017 Pinot Noir has characteristic light, bright colour with depth and complexity on the nose and palate – an expressive floral and fresh red berry nose opening into layers of flavour of sweet-and-sour red fruit, vanilla, subtle nutty-spiciness, earthy and mushroom notes, in balance with fresh acidity that rounds out the mouthfeel and makes for a deliciously dry, lingering finish.
Elgin Vintners also achieved Gold (wines scoring 88 points plus) for the Ridgelands Syrah 2016, made in old world style from small pockets of the estate’s premier site-specific Ridgelands vineyards.
Grown at 200 to 300m altitude, and surrounded by mountains up to 1000m, the grapes for this prized Syrah ripen evenly at cool temperatures for pure, concentrated fruit flavours that are enhanced with 12 months matured in oak barrels, Kruger-Claassen said.
Rounding out the triumphs for Elgin Vintners was a Silver (86 points and above) for The Century 2017, an exhilarating blend of Sauvignon Blanc (65%) and Semillon (35%) that balances the ripe fruit and acidity of the Sauvignon with subtle waxiness of the Semillon for sunny fruit with an oyster-shell mineral core and generous creaminess, that will only increase in complexity with further maturation in the bottle.
Kruger-Claassen said the focus of Elgin Vintners as a leading producer in the Elgin valley “is on producing premium wines with a clear sense of place and expression of terroir, wines that reveal their story through the pleasure of drinking them”.
The wines are available at the cellar door, via www.wine.co.za and in selected retailers and restaurants nationwide.
Recommended Retail Price:
- Elgin Vintners Pinot Noir 2017 R220
- Elgin Vintners Ridgelands Syrah 2016 R250
- Elgin Vintners The Century 2017 R195
