A further Gold Medal was awarded to the Groote Post Cabernet/Merlot Blend 2002, and a Silver Medal to the Shiraz 2002.
Of the 1,198 wines entered, 321 were regarded as exceptional in quality and internationally marketable by a tasting panel comprising twelve international judges, including representatives from France, Spain, Italy, Canada and South Africa. The winning wines comprised 26% of the total entries, of which approximately one third received Gold Medals.
The Grand d'Or is the latest in a string of awards for the Groote Post Sauvignon Blanc, which has been commercially successful since its maiden vintage in 1999. This first Sauvignon Blanc achieved a Four Star rating in WINE Magazine the same year, one of only four wines of its cultivar and vintage to do so. Earlier this year, the Sauvignon Blanc 2003 won Best White Wine, Best Of Class - Sauvignon Blanc, and a Gold Medal at the 2004 World Wine Market International Wine Competition held in San Francisco.
Groote Post releases new vintage whites and Pinot Noir 2003
The Sauvignon Blanc 2004 was produced from 11 year-old vines at a yield of 7 tons per hectare. The wine is described as a big mouthful of fruit salad and juicy grapes, which is brought to life by a wonderfully fine vein of natural acidity. The recommended retail price is R54.
Also recently released is the Groote Post Unwooded Chardonnay 2004. The discovery of botrytis within 5% of the chardonnay vines resulted in a tremendously fruity wine with great depth and complexity, and the wine is described as expressing "the creamy citrus fruit of unwooded chardonnay, with tingling acidity on the palate". The retail price is approximately R49.
Groote Post's Chenin Blanc 2004 is described as presenting "a blast of flavour" on the palate, with good natural acidity maintaining a balance with beautifully concentrated fruit, particularly guava and fruit salad. The wine retails for approximately R33.
The fourth new release is the Pinot Noir 2003. Lukas described the 2003 vintage as the coolest and easiest in years, yielding excellent fruit with ripe acid. The Pinot Noir 2003 displays rich berry flavours, and an elegant and generous palate. The recommended retail price is R70.
The hillside vineyards at Groote Post are ideal for the production of quality wines. Prevailing cold breezes from the Atlantic Ocean just 5 km away enable a long and cool ripening period, essential for producing excellent grapes with concentrated flavours and complexity. The soils in these sea-facing vineyards are deep, well-drained Hutton and Oakleaf, with a moisture-retaining clay component.
To Winemaker Lukas Wentzel the 2004 vintage was a challenge, owing to lower than normal rainfall, resulting in some extremely hot days. Lukas holds that the conditions have caused the vines to "truly come of age", with a perfect balance achieved between berries and leaves, and the best ever foliage-to-crop ratio. The phenolic ripeness of the fruit produced complex wines displaying superb fruit flavours and stunning intensity.
In addition to its excellent wines, Groote Post offers much to delight, including nature walks, picnics and the award-winning Hilda's Kitchen restaurant. The restaurant is situated in an 18th century restored manor house, now a national monument, and serves modern country cooking to a very high standard. The farm also forms part of the famous West Coast Spring Flower Route.
Visitors are welcome at the Groote Post cellar for wine tasting and sales from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 2.30pm. The restaurant is open from Wednesday to Saturday for lunch. Bookings are essential.
Contact:
Nick Pentz
Groote Post
Darling Hills Rd, off West Coast Rd R27
Tel: 022 492 2825
Cell: 082 894 3699
E-mail: gpwines@wcaccess.co.za
www.grootepost.com