{"id":37484,"date":"2012-10-31T00:47:08","date_gmt":"2012-10-30T22:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=37484"},"modified":"2012-11-03T23:25:18","modified_gmt":"2012-11-03T21:25:18","slug":"cape-chamonix-platter-winery-of-the-year-franschhoek-tops-second-year-running","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/cape-chamonix-platter-winery-of-the-year-franschhoek-tops-second-year-running\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Chamonix Platter Winery of the Year, Franschhoek tops second year running!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Franschhoek has shown the wine industry that it is a serious wine destination, winning the Platter’s 2013 Winery of the Year a second year running, the accolade going to Cape Chamonix wine estate, and its winemaker Gottfried Mocke. \u00a0The Mullineux Family Wines of Riebeeck Kasteel also performed excellently.<\/p>\n

Publisher Andrew McDowall announced that the blood orange colour of Platter’s South African Wines 2013 is ‘West Coast Sunset<\/em>‘ this year. Published for the 33rd time, the publication has started a ‘relationship’<\/em> with and has become ‘engaged’ <\/em>to Diner’s Club, the credit card brand appearing on the wine guide cover for the first time. \u00a0McDowall hinted that a ‘marriage’<\/em> may follow! \u00a0For the new Guide, 900 wine estates and 7300 wines were evaluated, 54 of the wineries being new. \u00a0The largest number of 5 stars was awarded ever,\u00a0to 62 wines. The theme of the publication this year is ‘Backstories’, <\/em>showcasing the dreams, passions, challenges, and successes of the wines featured in the Guide.<\/p>\n

Michael Fridjhon opened the proceedings, and spoke about his first involvement with the Guide 30 years ago, when it was owned by Erica and John Platter, who had just moved to Delaire at that time. \u00a0He shared that Erica Platter was very strict, and a word such as ‘mouthfeel’<\/em> was banned by the tasters. \u00a0He said that 30 years later, ‘the guidelines for the tasters have become far more rigorous, but that the editors are gentler’. <\/em>Fridjhon was congratulated for having been announced as the International Wine Columnist of the Year 2012 in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards.<\/p>\n

The motivation for choosing Cape Chamonix as the 2013 Platter Winery of the Year, in addition to winning four 5 Star Platter Awards for its Greywacke 2010 Pinotage, Pinot Noir Reserve 2011, \"\"<\/a>Chardonnay Reserve 2011, and White Blend Reserve 2011, is ‘Kaizen’<\/em>, Platter’s editor Philip van Zyl said, the process of continuous improvement, and the seamless integration of viticulture and winemaking by the same team. This has made Cape Chamonix one of the top wine growers in the country, he said. Winemaker Gottfried Mocke has worked at Cape Chamonix for eleven years, and proudly shared the honour with his assistant winemaker Emul Ross, who has worked with him for just over a year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The husband and wife team of Chris and Andrea Mullineux did well last year, and repeated its performance this year, winning three five star Platter awards for its Mullineux Family Syrah 2010, Straw Wine 2011, and Schist 2010, and was recognised for Red Wine of the Year for its Syrah. \u00a0Nederburg (Ingenuity 2011, Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2011, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Private Bin D252 2012) and Fairview (La Beryl Blanc 2011, Nurok 2011, Jakkalsfontein 2009) also received three five stars each.<\/p>\n

The White Wine of the Year went to Paul Cluver Noble Late Harvest 2011. Superquaffer of the Year, selected out of 12 candidates in a 2,5 – 3 Platter star band and costing R 50 – R70 a bottle for reds and R40 – R60 for whites, was selected as the Muratie Melck Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2011. \u00a0Three of the Platter’s winners could not be present, being stranded in America due to Hurricane Sandy: Ken Forrester, Pieter\u00a0Ferreira, and Kathy Jordan.<\/p>\n

The 5 star Platter 2013 wines are the following (first time 5 star recipients marked with an asterisk):<\/p>\n

Cabernet Franc<\/strong><\/p>\n

Raka 2009
\nVon Ortloff Quintessence 2008*
\nWarwick 2009<\/p>\n

Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>
\nDelaire Graff Laurence Graff Reserve 2009<\/div>\n
Pinotage<\/strong>
\nCape Chamonix Greywacke 2010
\nKanonkop 2010<\/p>\n

Pinot Noir<\/strong>
\nCape Chamonix Reserve 2011
\nNewton Johnson Family Vineyards 2011
\n
\nShiraz\/Syrah<\/strong>
\nBoschendal Cecil John Reserve 2010
\nCederberg CWG Auction Reserve Teen die Hoog 2010*
\nDelheim Vera Cruz 2009
\nFable Bobbejaan 2010
\nFairview Jakkalsfontein 2009
\nMullineux Family Schist 2010
\nMullineux Family Syrah 2010
\nRaka Biography 2010
\nSaronsberg 2010*
\nSimonsig Merindol Syrah 2010
\n
\nRed Blends<\/strong>
\nDalla Cia Wine & Spirit Company Giorgio 2007*
\nFleur du Cap Lazlo 2008
\nKeets First Verse 2010*
\nKen Forrester The Gypsy 2009
\nLa Motte Pierneef Shiraz-Viognier 2010
\nMvemve Raats MR De Compostella 2009*
\nNico van der Merwe Mas Nicolas Cape 2007
\nSadie Family Columella 2010<\/p>\n

Chardonnay<\/strong>
\nBoschendal Reserve 2011
\nCape Chamonix Reserve 2011
\nHamilton Russell 2011
\nJordan CWG Auction Reserve 2011
\nJordan Nine Yards 2011
\n
\nChenin Blanc<\/strong>
\nAlheit Cartology 2011*
\nBeaumont Hope Marguerite 2011
\nBotanica 2011
\nDeMorgenzon Reserve 2010
\nJean Daneel Signature 2011
\nKWV Cathedral Cellar 2011
\nSadie Family Skurfberg 2011
\nSpice Route 2011<\/div>\n

Sauvignon Blanc<\/strong>
\nFryer\u2019s Cove 2011*
\nGraham Beck Pheasant\u2019s Run 2012
\nTokara Walker Bay 2012
\n
\nWhite Blends<\/strong>
\nAA Badenhorst Family 2010*
\nCape Chamonix Reserve 2011
\nCape Point CWG Auction Reserve 2011
\nDavid Aristargos 2011
\nFairview Nurok 2011
\nFlagstone Treaty Tree Reserve 2010
\nMiles Mossop Saskia 2011
\nNederburg Ingenuity 2011
\nNederberg Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Private Bin D252 2012
\nNitida Coronata Integration 2011*
\nRall 2011
\nTokara Director\u2019s Reserve 2011
\n
\nM\u00e9thode Cap Classique<\/strong>
\nBon Courage Jacques Bru\u00e9re Brut Reserve 2008*
\nVilliera Monro Brut 2007
\n
\nDessert Wine Unfortified<\/strong>
\nFairview La Beryl Blanc 2011
\nFleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2011
\nMullineux Family Straw Wine 2011
\nNederburg Winemaster\u2019s Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2011
\nPaul Cluver Noble Late Harvest 2011
\n
\nFortified Wine<\/strong>
\nDe Krans The Last Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2010<\/div>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>Catering was by the Vineyard Hotel, and one of the waiters said that each of their\u00a0canap\u00e9s was planned to be paired with a wine varietal. \u00a0An unusual combination was the strawberry Turkish delight dessert.<\/span><\/p>\n

It would appear that Franschhoek’s reputation as the best wine destination in South Africa will receive another boost on Saturday, when it is likely that \"\"<\/a>Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof will be announced as the 2012 Diner’s Club\u00a0Winemaker of the Year, judging by the posters on lamp posts throughout the village, announcing that\u00a0‘Franschhoek home to the Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year 2012<\/em>‘, without mentioning his name. \u00a0Kent is the only finalist from Franschhoek. Discussing this with Christian Eedes at the Platter function, he expressed his disappointment, in saying that it takes the ceremony out of the award evening if the result is known up front.<\/span><\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 31\/10:<\/strong> This blogpost received an honourable mention from Neil Pendock<\/a><\/span><\/strong> on the Times Live<\/strong> blog today, quoting our last paragraph about the Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year Award in full. The question he raised is how Boekenhoutskloof managed to not receive any 5 stars from Platter yesterday, yet was named Winery of the Year 2012, and how anyone could know the results of the Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year 2012 accolade, as the wines were tasted blind! \u00a0We have heard that the Diner’s Club awards function will be held in Franschhoek, and the poster headline may have referred to this, yet that would make the wording misleading.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 3\/11<\/strong>: The Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year posters in Franschhoek were certainly misleading. Razvan Macici, Cellar Master of Nederburg, has been named Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year 2012. \u00a0Interesting is the Tweet from Llewellyn Lambert, who attended the event, that finalist Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof did not attend the Awards dinner.<\/p>\n

Platter’s Wines of South Africa 2013.<\/span><\/strong> Available at book stores, retailers, and wine estates from mid-November. R169.95.\u00a0www.wineonaplatter.com<\/span><\/a> www.sawinesonline.co.uk <\/span><\/a>Twitter: @WineonaPlatter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a> Twitter: @WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Franschhoek has shown the wine industry that it is a serious wine destination, winning the Platter’s 2013 Winery of the Year a second year running, the accolade going to Cape Chamonix wine estate, and its winemaker Gottfried Mocke. \u00a0The Mullineux Family Wines of Riebeeck Kasteel also performed excellently. Publisher Andrew McDowall announced that the blood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,14,21,19,293],"tags":[2929,17510,13967,17499,4895,389,223,182,8658,2824,661,1373,17504,32378,14431,1971,17164,417,10244,6096,1736,2489,418,17503,1739,13669,270,7104,412,32369,17511,7806,226,1958,17506,17501,1391,395,17502,391,10780,17507,393,884,1540,17500,390,11645,2924,13974,17505,17508,399,497,2510,17509,2833,58,2749,3248,17498,54,1954,8652,8663,6601,230,4943,59,2837,173,10287,3598,32373,3336],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t