Once Again The 33rd Nederburg Auction, to be held on 28 and 29 September 2007, has an impressive line-up of superb wines. Wine journalists were recently given the opportunity to taste some at a special media tasting. For me the Oak Valley Mountain Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2005 stood out amongst the Sauvignon Blancs on offer – it’s an elegant, minerally, cool-climate wine. The Nederburg Private Bin D253 Sauvignon/Chardonnay 2005, with notes of peach, melon and apple, was also deeply satisfying. As far as Chenins were concerned, my vote went to the Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Chenin Blanc Bush Vines 2004 and Rudera 2003, both distinctive Chenins. This year the auction selectors only chose eight Chardonnays. The Mulderbosch Chardonnay Barrel Fermented 2003 and the Diemersdal Reserve 2005 stood out for many of the tasters. Tasters also had the rare opportunity to compare the Nederburg Edelkeur 2004 with the Edelkeur 1977, still an ambrosial wine after 30 years – the colour of burnt amber with the flavour of sundried raisins, reminiscent of hot Mediterranean nights. Gunter Brözel’s masterpiece was the only wine outside Europe to be awarded Top Ten status in the 2007 International Botrytis Type Wine and Sweet Wine Competition in Budapest. My personal sweet favourite, however, is an offering by current Nederburg winemaker, Rasvan Macici: the Eminence 2005.
Tasting the 2005 is a layered experience – the tropical fruit nose follows through with a rich explosion of honey, muscat and citrus on the palate, integrated with crisp acidity. Among the red wines at the media tasting the Mellasat Shiraz 2001 represented, for me, the finest example of a cultivar whose popularity has grown tremendously in South Africa over the past few years. The two Cabernets that impressed me as particularly worthy exponents of the cultivar were the Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 and the Le Riche Sauvignon Reserve 2000. G enerally the red blend category offered wines of excellent complexity and superb quality. The Kanonkop Paul Sauer 1995, which won the prize for the best red blend at the Mondial de Bruxelles in 1995, and the Rustenberg John X Merriman 2002 were the best wines in this category in my opinion. The Landskroon Port 1996, with strong fruit cake chords and a deliciously chocolaty palate, provided a satisfying denouement to the tasting. – Sonja Burger |fw
