Additionally, Boschendal was awarded Gold for its Elgin Pinot Noir 2015 at the IWC and to add to these impressive awards - it was also announced that Boschendal has garnered Gold at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) for its Boschendal Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2016 and Boschendal 1685 Shiraz 2015.
Accepted as the world’s finest judged wine competition, the IWC’s coveted trophy title follows a rigorous judging process. Each medal-winning wine is tasted on three separate occasions by at least 10 different judges deeming the Elgin Chardonnay the best white wine in the country.
Having won multiple international awards for her Chardonnay, Boschendal winemaker and Chardonnay expert Lizelle Gerber says, “It’s a tremendous honour for our Chardonnay to be named the best white wine in South Africa this year. There are just so many fantastic Chardonnay’s now coming out of SA, particulary out of the 2015 vintage and to be judged “the best” by this acclaimed International panel is great praise indeed”
Boschendal was one of the first chardonnay producers in South Africa, and has been making its Appellation Elgin range since 2012 - sourcing grapes from the 40-hectare Highfield Farms for over ten years. This led to parent company DGB’s decision to purchase the farm in 2017, in order to conserve it for winemaking, when many other farms in the area are reverting to apple crops instead.
Says Stephan Joubert, DGB Group Viticulturist, “A sense of place is very important for our wines, and the Elgin area imparts a freshness and flavour that is hard to find anywhere else, even in the world. We’re very proud of our 2015 Elgin Chardonnay. These awards shows that our winemaker’s fusion of wonderful terroir with non-interfering winemaking techniques is garnering incomparable results.”
The Appellation Elgin 2015 Chardonnay Tasting Notes: The Appellation Elgin 2015 Chardonnay undergoes an 11 month maturation process resulting in a crisp, lively flavour of dancing grapefruit and Golden delicious apple notes on the nose, and sweet citrus and oak accents, with a pleasing minerality on the palate.