Gold medal winners at the Malbec Challenge 2022 after receiving their awards at the Malbec Challenge awards lunch at Neethlingshof, Stellenbosch.
The Malbec Challenge is an initiative which is independently run by Events by Celia. The aim is to shine the light on South African Malbec. The competition is run professionally and according to the international standards.
A word from the chair
Another successful and very happy tasting that I was privileged to chair for Events by Celia this month. Gregory Mutambe and Janine Van Zyl joined me on the panel to taste through 28 Malbecs.The judging out of 100 points was done blind with no regional or vintage information, and monitored by auditor Niel de Kock from Cecil Kilpin.
The winning winery (highest score overall) receives a Tonnellerie De Mercurey barrel of either 225, 228 or 300L according to their requirement, thanks to RX South Africa, the Malbec Challenge sponsor since 2019. The oak comes from three different French forests, to create a wide range of barrel styles and qualities for international wine cellar requirements, with the stave mill located in Champagne
The tiny, thick-skinned little grapes of the Malbec vine produce inky black wine with medium to robust tannins. Well made Malbec smells and tastes of red and black plums, raspberries, chocolate and tobacco and works very well with intelligent oak management. Whilst best known as a component of the classic Bordeaux blend, these wines were all 100% Malbec. The standard was pleasing with a slight tendency towards heavy oak which personally, I think could be thought out a little more carefully. On balance, the wines were clean and bright and made for an interesting and enjoyable few hours of judging.
Not surprisingly, the winning wine was a Malbec by Fairview. Charles Back wears the badge for innovation in South Africa when it comes to pioneering the lesser known grape varieties. The wine is a serious crowd-pleaser. Fermented and then aged for six months in a combination of French and American oak it exudes ripe raspberries, caramel and a spicy twist at the end. At around R125 a bottle to the consumer it really does represent a fantastic buy. Definitely worth a try.
The lineup of entrants was impressive with farms like Anura, Dornier, Mt Vernon, Le Pommier, Hillcrest, Blaauwklippen, La Couronne, Doolhof, Spijker & Bessie, and DA Hanekom Familie Wyne scoring upwards of 90 points. Prices for these wines range between R120 and R300 on average. This makes decent Malbec a serious contender for any serious wine drinking member of the public who is looking for something different that isn’t going to break the bank.
The judges agreed that the category was surprisingly strong and I look forward to Malbec growing in stature in the coming years.
Many thanks to Celia for hosting these tastings that enable grapes and wineries both humble and lofty, a place in the sun.
Malbec Challenge 2022 medal winners
Medalists are listed below in alphabetical order.
Winner
Gold medals
- Anura Reserve Malbec 2019
- Blaauwklippen Malbec 2021
- Doolhof Bloedklip Malbec 2018
- Doolhof Bloedklip Malbec 2020
- Dornier Malbec 2018
- Hillcrest Saartjie Single Vineyard Selection Malbec 2020
- La Couronne Franschhoek 1688 Malbec 2020
- Langrug Malbec 2019
- Le Pommier Jonathan's Malbec 2021
- MT Vernon Malbec 2019
- Sonklip Malbec NV
- Spijker Malbec 2020
Silver medals
- Anura Reserve Malbec 2021
- Bellevue Malbec 2020
- Blake's Single Vineyard Malbec 2020
- Doolhof Single Vineyard Malbec 2020
- Doolhof Single Vineyard Malbec 2021
- Druk My Niet Malbec 2016
- Malanot Cyclops Malbec 2019
- Mitre's Edge Malbec 2019
- Neethlingshof Malbec 2021
- Ondine Malbec 2019
- Spijker Malbec 2021
- Vergenoegd Löw Malbec 2021