Red wines reap rewards
Viljoensdrift’s vineyards, rooted in the fertile soil of the Robertson Valley and nourished by the life-giving Breede River, are producing red wines that keep wine lovers asking for more. It is in particular the Pinotage, Cape Blend and Shiraz bottled under their flagship River Grandeur label, that have been reaping rewards.
The 2009 River Grandeur Pinotage caused great excitement amongst the tasting panels of Wine Magazine as well as the judges of the Veritas and Michelangelo wine competitions. This outstanding wine recently (May 2011) scored 4½ stars in the Wine Magazine Pinotage Tasting. For this comparative tasting 151 wines were considered and the coveted 4½ stars were awarded to only five wines.
The wine also clinched a double gold medal at the 2010 Veritas Awards – an exceptional achievement considering that only 5 double golds were awarded in this class out of a total of 115 entries. The wine also wooed the 2010 Michelangelo judges who awarded it a gold medal. This Pinotage with its dark berry and mocha nuances complemented by soft tannins lingers on the palate with a pleasant roasted spice aftertaste.
In May this year Wine Magazine also awarded the 2009 River Grandeur Cape Blend an impressive 4½ stars. This wine blended from 34% Pinotage and 66% Shiraz, was also named Best Value Pinotage Blend. The Pinotage component of this wine won a Veritas double gold in 2009. Only two of the 35 Cape Blends that were entered were honoured with 4½ stars.
“Our Cape Blend shows a lovely complexity with earthy aromas of leather, violets and blackberries, while ripe mulberry, spicy plums and rich vanilla linger on your palate,” says wine maker Fred Viljoen. Enjoy the Cape Blend now or let it mature until 2014.
Viljoensdrift has a 6.5 ha stretch of Pinotage planted in two different blocks 15 years ago. The grapes were harvested in the early morning, cooled down to 1°C and then sorted by hand – a painstaking process necessary to eliminate all the green berries, stems and other debris. Both the River Grandeur Pinotage 2009 and Cape Blend 2009 were barrel-matured for 12 months. During this time they were racked four times and lightly filtered before bottling.
Another Viljoensdrift champion is the 12 month matured 2008 River Grandeur Shiraz, which delights with its rich aromas of ground pepper, dark chocolate and roasted almonds. During the 2010 Veritas and Michelangelo wine competitions the judges concurred that this Shiraz is deserving of a gold medal.
In partnership with Nature
Viljoensdrift’s success can be attributed to their pioneering spirit, the quality of teamwork from vineyard to cellar and their deep-rooted commitment to working in harmony with nature. The conservation of their unique environment, including a section of pristine indigenous vegetation along the Breede River, runs like a golden thread through the Viljoen’s farming and wine making philosophy. Wine maker Fred and his brother Manie Viljoen (Viljoensdrift’s viticulturist) form a formidable team when it comes to the environmentally friendly approach which govern all their activities. They are committed to the principles of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) as well as the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) scheme with sustainable wine production as the ultimate goal.
