The 23rd annual Veritas wine awards ceremony held this past weekend, will be remembered by Boplaas Family Vineyards for quite a while; as this family run cellar nestled in the quite Klein Karoo hamlet of Calitzdorp & famed for its fine Cape fortifieds won an unprecedented five double gold medals and six gold medals for the wines & brandy entered. The Boplaas 15 Year Reserve brandy clinched one of only seven double gold medals awarded to brandies. Double gold was awarded to the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2009,
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2010, Boplaas Cape Tawny Vintner’s Reserve N/V
and the Cool Bay Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
2013. Veritas is the longest running and largest blind-tasted bottled
wine competition in South Africa.
The dedicated pursuit of crafting the
finest Cape fortifieds from Portuguese varietals according to traditional methods
was handsomely rewarded with double gold medals for the Boplaas Cape Vintner’s Reserve N/V (375m?), Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2009 and Boplaas Cape Vintage
Reserve Port 2010. The Boplaas Cape Tawny Vintner’s Reserve 1994
and Boplaas Cape Tawny Reserve 1995 - aged in barrel for 18 and 17 years respectively – were awarded gold medals, as to the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port
2011. Boplaas’s fine Cape fortifieds
accounted for three of the five double gold and three of the six gold medals
awarded to Cape “Ports” at Veritas
2013, firmly fortifying its position as a leading producer of Cape Ports.
Unbeknownst to most, Sauvignon Blanc is one
of Carel Nel’s great passions and the double gold medal for the Cool Bay Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013
and gold for the maiden release of Boplaas
Bobbejaanberg Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013 are reward for his efforts over the last two decades. The Cool Bay Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013
was one of only 8 double gold medals awarded; while the gold medal achieved by
the maiden release Bobbejaanberg is a first for a wine originating from the
Upper-Langkloof ward. The Cool Bay
Reserve originates from prime maritime vines, while the Bobbejaanberg
originates from a site in the Outeniqua range at an elevation in excess of
600m. Both these terroir specific wines were crafted in limited quantities from the
cellar door.
Muscadel has been crafted by the Nel’s of
Boplaas since the mid-1800’s and to celebrate this heritage, limited release
bottlings of Muscat de Frontignan crafted according to traditional methods from
exceptional vineyards and destined for extended cellaring have been launched
under the Boplaas Heritage Collection. The two Veritas gold medals claimed by the maiden releases of the Boplaas Heritage White
Muscadel are a great reward. The
gold winning Boplaas Heritage White Muscadel
2011 originates from old vines grown along the Breede River in Goudini; while the Boplaas Heritage White Muscadel
2012 was crafted from a gnarled old block planted by Oupa Danie Nel in 1979. Total production amounts to a mere 3300 bottles of each of these fine Muscats.
To top off the incredible all round performance,
a double gold medal was claimed by the Boplaas 15 Year Reserve Brandy – one of
only 7 awarded; while the Boplaas 8 Year Reserve Brandy was awarded a silver
medal. Both these fine hand-crafted
small batch brandies are available from the cellar door & a select few
retailers nationwide. Boplaas has a rich brandy heritage dating back to 1880
when great grand father of Carel Nel exported brandy in barrels to London.
These luminary wines are available for the
Boplaas cellar door in Calitzdorp, the Cool Bay tasting room in Great Brak
along the N2 near Mosselbay and from select fine wine retailers. Experience these Boplaas winning wines at the Veritas
tastings to be held in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, P.E. and Knysna – for
details visit www.veritas.co.za.
For information regarding these and other
Boplaas wines visit www.boplaas.co.za,
give us a call on 044-2133326, send an email to info@boplaas.co.za, follow us on
@Boplaas1880 on Twitter or come visit us in the Klein Karoo at our cellar door
in Calitzdorp.
Boplaas Family Vineyards, Calitzdorp –
Tending vines & Crafting wines, since 1880