The Old Road Wine Co. in Franschhoek continued its year of attracting sublime critical acclaim by achieving four ratings of 90pts and over in the latest South African Report by Tim Atkin, MW. In his latest report, which is seen as the leading international report on the state of the Cape wine industry, Atkin awarded the following scores to wines in the Old Road Wine Co. stable: Stone Trail Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2019 (93pts), Pepper Wind Limited Release Syrah 2018 (92pts), 12 Mile Syrah 2018 (91pts) and Elgin Pinot Noir 2019 (90pts). All these Old Road Wine Company wines are from the Franschhoek region, except for the Pinot Noir which is made from Elgin fruit.
These ratings follow various successes Old Road Wine Co. has achieved this year, including being announced Best South African White Wine at the Mundus Vini Awards with the Anemos Chenin Blanc 2018. The same winery’s ‘s Grand-Mère Single Vineyard Sémillon 2017 was awarded with the Trophy for Best Sémillon at this year’s prestigious Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.
Old Road Wine Co. is a collaboration between Tim Hutchinson, executive chairman of DGB, and private partners. The winery was formed in 2019 to ensure vineyards in the Franschhoek Valley are protected for future generations to continue the region’s legacy of winemaking and viticulture, as well as to source grapes from a selection of the finest vineyard growers in the Cape in order to make superlative terroir-driven wines.
Andrew Harris, Marketing Director: Wine at DGB, says the ratings Old Road Wine Co. achieved in this year’s eagerly awaited Tim Atkin Report on South African Wine continue this unique winery’s showing of consistency in its wines judged at the top echelons of wine rating circles.
“The Tim Atkin Report is arguably the most comprehensive critique of the current state of Cape wine, and this year the internationally renowned wine judge scrutinised over 1 800 South African wines,” says Harris. “With four ratings ranging from 90pts to 93pts, Old Road Wine Co. finds itself in illustrious company at the top-end of the country’s wine offering. The international reach of the report, as well as Atkin’s international reputation will not only further the reputation of Old Road Wine Co. but also of the Cape’s wine-offering as a whole.”
Ryan Puttick, winemaker at Old Road Wine Co. said that he was extremely pleased with the wines’ showing in this year’s Tim Atkin Report, the scores underscoring the winery’s ability to make top-quality, terroir-driven wines from a wide geographical range.
“It is enormously satisfying to see top ratings going to wines made from vineyards as far afield from each other as Elgin and Franschhoek, proving that we are succeeding in our goal of sourcing the best fruit for a range offering an exciting diversity of regional wine expression,” says Puttick. “However, it is always interesting seeing the top ratings going the way of our single-vineyard wines, and in the case of the Tim Atkin Report this is the Stone Trail Chenin Blanc 2019 and the Pepper Wind Syrah 2018.”
Puttick says Old Road Co.’s Stone Trail Chenin Blanc (93pts) is made to celebrate old vine Chenin Blanc from Franschhoek, the grapes being sourced from a single vineyard, 39 years of age and grown on a site which is a tribute to the viticulture heritage of the Franschhoek Valley.
“The Stone Trail bush-vine vineyard is situated on the rugged slopes of the Franschhoek Valley, some 380m above sea-level,” says Puttick. “Yields are miniscule, but the concentration of flavours offered by an old vine growing in such hardy terrain truly leads to something special. We are honoured that the vision we had of making a complex Chenin Blanc expressing Franschhoek terroir has achieved such solid recognition from one of the world’s renowned wine critics.”
Old Road’s Pepper Wind Syrah 2018, which achieved a 92pt rating, is also driven by its origins from a unique Franschhoek vineyard.
“Like the Stone Trail Chenin Blanc, it is all about place of origin when it comes to the Pepper Wind Syrah,” says Puttick. “The grapes for the Pepper Wind Syrah grow on the top-slopes of the Franschhoek Mountains’ eastern face. The name derives from the observations of viticulturists who have noted a consistent South Easterly wind blowing through the vineyard. This has an obvious cooling effect on the grapes throughout the growing season and is instrumental in the development of the pepper-like aromas in this unique wine.
Puttick says that the Tim Atkin Report has become one of the leading guides to South African wines. “It gives wine buyers world-wide, from both the trade and the general public, a guide to the exciting developments in the Cape winelands as well as detailed appraisals of a vast number of wines from all the country’s regions. As a Franschhoek-based winery, Old Road Co. is pleased to be among our region’s other producers that have garnered acclaim for our area in this year’s report. Old Road Co. was established to recognise the winemaking and grape-growing legacy of Franschhoek, and along with the region’s other quality producers, this is certainly being achieved.”
