Nederburg earned one Veritas double gold medal (museum class) for the 2012 vintage of its iconic Edelkeur Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest, and 10 Veritas gold medals for:
- Nederburg Ingenuity White 2017
- Nederburg The Winemasters Riesling 2017
- Nederburg Private Bin R109 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2014
- Nederburg The Manor House Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
- Nederburg Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
- Nederburg Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
- Nederburg Private Bin R181 Merlot 2015
- Nederburg The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest 2017
- Nederburg Private Bin Semillon Noble Late Harvest 2001 (museum class)
- Nederburg Private Bin S316 Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2003 (museum class)
An additional 15 Veritas silver and 7 Veritas bronze medals were awarded to wines across the winery’s multi-tiered range.
A week before, at the 2018 Michelangelo Wine & Spirits Awards, Nederburg came away with a total of eight medals. The 2017 vintage of Nederburg The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest achieved a Michelangelo platinum medal, while double gold medals were awarded to Nederburg Heritage Heroes The Anchorman Chenin Blanc 2017, Nederburg The Winemasters Albariño 2017 and Nederburg Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2015.
Michelangelo gold medals went to Nederburg Ingenuity White 2017, Nederburg The Manor House Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 and Nederburg Heritage Heroes The Motorcycle Marvel Rhône-style blend 2016. The 2015 vintage of Nederburg Private Bin R163 Cabernet Sauvignon earned a silver medal.
In addition to the 41 medal tally, Nederburg received two gold medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in the UK last month, for its 2015 Private Bin R163 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2017 The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest.
The latter also earned 93 points in award-winning British journalist and Master of Wine, Tim Atkin’s authoritative 2018 South Africa Special Report, announced in September. And the same wine was scored 91 points in South Africa’s Sweet Wine Report 2018 by Winemag.co.za, released last month.
Nederburg is regarded as a top producer of noble late harvest and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, a tradition cultivated over decades, started by winemaking legend, Günter Brözel, in the 1950s when he joined Nederburg. He was cellar-master here for 33 years, from 1956 to 1989.
A maven and a maverick, Brözel was the first in South Africa to produce a noble late harvest made from botrytised (noble rot infected) Chenin blanc, back in 1969. Named Edelkeur (noble choice), it has earned Nederburg considerable international kudos over the years. In fact, it gave rise to the Nederburg Auction in 1975 and later went on to help earn Brӧzel the coveted Robert Mondavi Winemaker of the Year award at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in 1985.
Cabernet Sauvignon was another one of Brözel’s “special projects”. He liked to say: “Cabernet is still to me the ultimate miracle. It has this unique nutty development… a sort of walnut taste, style and aroma all its own. Furthermore, it has a backbone second to none. Which means you can lay it down and let it mature beneficially over a great many years. I’ve had some bottles of Cabernet that were over twenty-five years old, and they still had a lot of life in them.”
Current cellar-master Andrea Freeborough says: “It’s daunting but also hugely inspiring to follow in the role of someone as iconic as Günter. He has always been an outstanding personality in local winemaking - as much for his technical prowess and his vision as for his absolutely uncompromising stance on what constitutes quality.”
“The cellar team at Nederburg is incredibly proud of the recent accolades earned. It encourages us to aim even higher in producing wines of distinction and keeping Nederburg’s reputation intact as one of South Africa’s most awarded names in wine.”
The lauded Nederburg wines, generally with the exception of those from the Private Bin collection, are available from the farm in Paarl, fine wine shops or online at www.vinoteque.co.za.
Interact with Nederburg on social media using the hashtags #OnceUponaNederburg #Awards #CabernetSauvignon #Cab #NobleLateHarvest #NLH #SouthAfrica #SAWine #Paarl
