Robin von Holdt reviews Double Gold awards for the National Wine Challenge (NWC) 2024
Wine lovers are going to be very, very happy with these 105 winning wines!
Double Gold Awards are offered as formal recognition to wines that perform at a very high standard. Winning wines offer plenty of fine wine characteristics that give abundant pleasure. Perfect to enjoy and share with friends and family. These are a serious core of winners, each one having performed at a very high level.
Judging at this level is a serious affair. The same top quality panels of judges and chairs who identify all winning wines. Thus, the same high standard of rigorous criteria is applied to assess each and every potential winner. The organisation and the logistical support of the NWC is tightly managed. Which ensures the highest performance levels. Best practice is consistently applied across the board for the benefit of every entered wine. Positive gold medal outcomes are based upon and reflect meaningful and accurate assessments.
This highly regarded category of fine wine is the perfect range for wine lovers on the lookout for awarded wines of great quality. It is a tremendously important category for producers. Worldwide research confirms with no doubt at all, the fact that when a Double Gold winner label adorns a wine bottle, price becomes less relevant. It offers a guarantee of really sharp quality.
There was once again a narrow gap between achieving Double Gold status and achieving Top 100 status. A number of Double Gold winning wines are really very close in quality to those achieving Top 100 status. This, in a nutshell, confirms the pedigree of these awarded wines.
Delicious flavours and enjoyment, with complexity and balance. This is what is in store for lucky buyers. Many of these awarded wines can also be enhanced by medium term cellaring. Double Gold winning wines typically reflect regional character, varietal typicity and many of them show a definitive sense of place.
The judge’s view today’s winning Double Gold wines as really good examples of their cultivar or their blend category. Each winning bottle demonstrates the care taken by the vineyard throughout the process, ensuring that you end up with happy memories when opening and enjoying each and every bottle. The fine results speak for themselves.
This category was once again a realistically small percentage of all the fine wine entries received. Considerably less than last year. Just 105 wines gained the prestigious Double Gold Award in the 2024 NWC. The allocation of final scores for all the winning wines is a result of rigorous tasting, assessment and debate. The judges were firm yet fair in their assessment. Re-tasting is common practice to ensure correct outcomes. When compared to international competition guidelines, these results are absolutely appropriate and generally demonstrate a conservative approach.
We now offer our sincere congratulations to all of the cellar teams, winemakers and vineyard helpers involved. Every contribution made during these processes helped the winning wine entry, to successfully gain the all-important 'yes’ from judges. Memorable Double Gold Awards! They are a truly significant commendation so well done on this praiseworthy achievement. It is something to be justifiably proud about so it is time now to celebrate!
We also share at the end of this press release judges’ own comments and thoughts on the actual wine flights tasted.
Significant Double Gold Award winners include the following wineries
- Van Loveren Family Vineyards (11)
- Alvi's Drift Private Cellar (10)
- De Wet Cellar(5)
- Holden Manz (4)
- Nicholson Smith Agencies (4)
- Allee Bleue Wines (3)
- Babylonstoren (3)
- Brandvlei Cellar (3)
- Dornier Wines (3)
- Fairview Wines (3)
- Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar (3)
- Koelenhof Winery (3)
- Paul Cluver Wines (3)
- Perdeberg Wines (3)
- Rietvallei Wine Estate (3)
2 wins each: Almenkerk Wine Estate, Bellevue Wine Estate, Bon Courage Wine Estate, Groot Constantia Wine Estate, Jordan Wine Estate, La Motte, Quoin Rock Wines, Rickety Bridge Estate, Stellenbosch Vineyards, Edgebaston, Villiera Wines, Neethlingshof.
Winners share their comments
Almenkerk Wines
Cameron Corney, winemaker: “This single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc offers a wide range of aromas, with a subtle barrel-fermented component enhancing its complexity. Balanced and refreshing, it's perfect for enjoying on its own or paired with food. This award acknowledges our entire team's dedication to pursuing excellence.”
Joris van Almenkerk, cellarmaster: “This is our Elgin cool climate interpretation of red wine. Picked for fruit and freshness, this elegant medium-bodied red has fully rendered tannins and attractive fruit. Syrah and Merlot driven. Thank you to the NWC for recognising its pedigree. Congratulations to our Almenkerk Team.”
Cordier South Africa
Whispering Mountain The Chosen Chardonnay 2022
Our handcrafted wines are carefully made with the finest grapes from the serene mountains, creating a rich and flavorful taste that captivates your sense. This Chardonnay is a perfect example of fruit and wood in perfect harmony.
De Krans
Christoff de Wet, winemaker: "Last, but not least, Double Gold for or flagship red wine the De Krans Tritonia Red blend 2022! This is a blend between 3 Portuguese varietals, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barocca. The dedication of our cellar team and the consistency of vineyard practices definitely reflects in the wine."
De Wet Cellar
Tertius Jonck, winemaker: "We are deeply honoured to receive Double Gold medals for our wines at the National Wine Challenge.
This prestigious recognition highlights the exceptional terroir of our vineyards and our unwavering commitment to excellence in winemaking. Each award is a testament to the unique qualities our terroir imparts to our wines, and we are proud to share these exceptional wines with our customers."
Dornier
Francois Theunissen, GM: "Three of Dornier’s seven winning wines received Double Gold this year. We are thrilled to receive such endorsement and acknowledgement of consistency and quality in our wines."
Edgebaston
David Finlayson, winemaker: "I am very happy that my Camino Africana Cabernet Franc 2022 has won double gold in this year’s NWC, that’s great going for a niche variety! This double gold award for my Camino Africana Chardonnay 2022 underlines the wines pedigree and class."
Groot Constantia
Daniel Keulder, winemaker: "To have been awarded double gold status on two of our wines, with all the other awards at this year's National Wine Challenge, not only makes us very proud but also highlights the continuous efforts and love our vineyard and winemaking teams put into their daily work."
Jordan Wines
Jordan Inspector Péringuey Chenin Blanc 2023
Jordan The Long Fuse Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Gary Jordan, owner: "The Jordan team are very proud to again have received Double Gold awards for both red & white wines - the Jordan Inspector Péringuey Chenin Blanc 2023 & the Jordan The Long Fuse Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. These wines have consistently performed well at the National Wine Challenge over the years. We are very proud to receive this accolade yet again."
Double Silver awards
Kathy Jordan, owner: "The Jordan Outlier Sauvignon Blanc 2023 lives up to its name of being a true outlier, an outstanding expression of our barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc. We are very happy to receive this award at the 2024 National Wine Challenge."
Ken Forrester Wines
Ken Forrester, owner: "The overriding requirement is that the blend of the “three halves” has to be greater than the sum of the parts. Cheers to that!"
Koelenhof Wines
Nicholas Husselman, head winemaker: “We are proud to have our wines recognized and to receive multiple awards once again this year. Thank you NWC!”
La Motte
Hein Koegelenberg, CEO: "We think our 2023 Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc beautifully expresses the cool climate of the Cape South Coast, while that unique X-factor of the Helderbergis irresistible in the 2022 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon. We are delighted that the judges of the National Wine Challenge agree!"
Leipzig Winery
Grand Master 2019: Bordeaux blend with a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. An abundant flavour of blackcurrant and dark plums. Recently awarded Double Gold at the Gilbert and Gaillard International Challenge 2024.
White Leipzig 2023: Perfect fusion of carefully sourced Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier. A flowery nose is followed by notes of green apple, peaches and apricot. The palate is settled with notes of citrus, butter and caramel. Recently awarded Double Gold at the Gilbert and Gaillard International Challenge 2024.
Neethlingshof
Mika Engelbrecht, winemaker: "I’m beyond thrilled to see our hard work and passion celebrated with such esteemed recognition. Having 2 of our wines winning Double Gold, Neethlingshof Gewurztraminer 2023 and Neethlingshof Maria 2023, showcases the quality of our wines as well as the dedication and enthusiasm of our stellar team. A heartfelt thank you for the acknowledgment, and congratulations to all the other deserving winners!"
Quoin Rock
Schalk Opperman, winemaker: “Knorhoek Chenin Blanc - We only produce two wines at Knorhoek which is an extremely focused approach, allowing us to hone our attention to constant quality decisions in the vineyards and cellar. This Chenin Blanc is made from registered old vines planted in 1980 in Stellenbosch, the purity of fruit shines through and is recognized by this incredible award.
Knorhoek Cabernet Sauvignon - Stellenbosch is a world leader in Cabernet Sauvignon and this Simonsberg version shows our commitment to producing world-class wines. Knorhoek has a focus on producing just two cultivars which are historically proven in the region resulting in top quality wines.”
Raka
Jorika Visser: "Any award bestowed upon us our wines is an achievement on its own! Receiving the double gold award for the Raka Quinary makes us feel double accomplished!"
Rickety Bridge
Donovan Ackermann, winemaker: "Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular varieties worldwide, it is a very competitive market. We take a lot of pride in crafting our Sauvignon Blanc’s by looking for the optimum terroir that will suit our unique style. It’s great to see that our unwooded and wooded Sauvignon Blanc has received double gold!"
Ridgeback
Toit Wessels, cellarmaster: “The Ridgeback Team is delighted at the accolades received for the 2024 NWC Top 100 Competition with a Double Gold award in addition to the 3 x Double Platinum awards and Red Wine of the Year. We always strive for consistency throughout our range which is proudly highlighted in this fine competition.”
Stellenbosch Family Wines
Carlo de Vries, winemaker: “Wow, just WOW! I'm absolutely thrilled and deeply thankful to the esteemed judges at the National Wine Challenge for granting me the Double Gold Award at the 2024 Wine Awards! It's my first time entering, and to be standing among South Africa's finest winemakers with my debut Pinotage is beyond words. I feel blessed and honoured. Congratulations to all the other winners too!"
Charl du Plessis, winemaker: Chakalaka 2021 - This is our signature red blend – we call this the “Cape Rhone blend". This blend truly reflects the terrior of the Swartland and it's awesome to see that after all these years of making Chaka, it is still well loved and, in my opinion, better than ever!
Terragon Chenin Blanc 2023 - 2023 was our first vintage of Tarragon and I'm happy to see it's being well received and enjoyed. This style of Chenin Blanc has so much potential and I'm excited to see where we can take this wine in the future.
Saffron Rose 2023 – It's about time South Africa starts to embrace a slightly more serious style of rosé! This Provence style rose is made from Grenache Noir grape from our Darling vineyard. A personal favourite and a style I hope to see grow in the near future.
Villiera Wines
Nathan Valentine, winemaker: "We are thrilled with our Double Gold achievement for the Villiera Tradition Brut and Monro Merlot 2022. Both of these wines have consistently been acknowledged by the National Wine Challenge judges. Thank you for the recognition and cheers to many more vintages of excellence."
Welbedacht Wine Estate
Christiaan Nigrini, cellarmaster: “A true reflection of the Groenberg terroir. Old bush vines, rooted deep in well decomposed Granite soils. Getting awarded a double gold is a testament that we are on the right path, creating wines with minimal intervention that reflects everything that we stand for as a wine producer.”
Brief comments from various of the judges including Ginette de Fleuriott CWM, JD Pretorius, Spencer Fondaumiere and Gareth Robertson
Chardonnay: More variation than previous years. Unoaked styles showed very well, although young. The rest had a range of oak. Some a bit obvious but not the heavy-handedness of 5-10 years ago. Appreciated the texture of lees contact but a few were too leesy and yeasty. Generally good integration and a few offered minerality & complexity.
Chenin Blanc comment: Great selection of styles. Unwooded wines showed well, if possibly a tad more simple than the wooded versions. Good spread of vintages and the wines are aging with interest.
Pinotage comment: A delightful flight of wines. A couple of overripe fruit and big oak bombs … but on the whole better fruit, alcohol and oak management. Delightful elegance and poise achieved by a handful. Better integration of big fruit & oak with others.
Merlot comment: Some good varietal character: cocoa, dark chocolate and plush tannins supporting plummy fruit. The odd ones still too herbal / green.
Shiraz comment: A large and enjoyable flight, which had some excellent examples. In general true to varietal expression, not many used whole bunch. Oaking in general was well-managed.
Sweet comment: Diverse spectrum of styles. Well managed acid and sugar balance.
Port comment: Some very pleasing but others too sweet and simple. Need to watch spirit/alcohol balance versus complexity.
MCC & Sparkling comment: A beautiful selection of bubbles, possibly the strongest class as a whole. Good freshness, elegant bubbles with well-managed dosage.
Cabernet Sauvignon comment: A classic selection of Cabs. Good use of oak, although some could use less. Tannin extraction is well managed. Older wines showing better than the younger wines.
Bordeaux Blend Red comment: Quite a lot of black fruit. Very ripe and even jammy. More over-extraction than in some line-ups. Sufficient tannins but not enough freshness/life /vivacity/luminosity. Sadly. Big wines but unpolished. A few classic wines offered real pleasure - bright fruit, graphite notes, complexity and length!
Fortified comment: Always a delight to taste these, top quality! Muscadel continue to offer precision, beautiful ripe fruit, luminosity, concentration & brightness. One with roasted hazelnuts, structure and length – deliciously oaked.
Cape Blends comment: Not as exciting as the Pinotage flight. Some showed good weight and structure – oak generally well-managed.
Other White Cultivars comment: Diverse cultivars and styles. Good freshness! Semillon the standout cultivar of the flight!
Sauvignon Blanc comment: A range of styles. Only a couple of pyrafine bombs so that is an improvement. Less lime cordial/watery-lemon juice. But the issue now is more how lees contact and oak is being managed. Some of it is overdone. Not overly impressed. Sorry!
Other White Blends comment: Diverse range. Sadly an under-appreciated category. Lovely, enjoyable food and drinking wines. Offers so much satisfaction. Thank you!
Other Red Cultivars comment: Always fun to see the spectrum of entries. Light Cinsult to powerful Tannat. Cabernet Franc the strongest class with real interest from some lesser planted varieties.
Rosé comment: Not a great flight, sadly. Nice range of colour. All fresh and dry.
Other Red Blends comment: Mixed bag. Some have good balance and even length. Pleasant and accessible for drinking pleasure and a few serious contenders that have the structure and complexity to go the extra mile.
Pinot Noir comment: An interesting flight. Young wines dominated the entries, showing promise. Spice & fruit attraction; all round interesting and enjoyable wines.
Red Rhone Blends comment: Little overarching character. Some with more interest – good use of oak, but most wines are still quite heavy.
For a full list of all of the fabulous Double Gold winning wines, please click HERE or contact accounts@buybetterwine.com