Revealed: 5-Star Platter wines for 2018

(image: iStock)

The Platter’s by Diners Club South African Wine Guide 2018 was launched at Cape Town’s The Table Bay Hotel last night with a stunning array of 111 Five Star wines plus some well-deserved accolades for Wines and Winery of the Year.

I’ll deal with the latter first because nothing could give me more pleasure than to share that 

Bruwer Raats and his Raats Family Wines has been awarded Winery of the Year, garnering 5 stars for virtually every single wine in his range. Bruwer has long been a passionate advocate for two grape varieties – Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc – and this passion, dedication and a lot of hard work has paid off with this thoroughly-deserved accolade. 

The Red Wine of the Year was awarded to Nederburg Wines, for their Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, White Wine of the Year went to The Foundry for their Grenache Blanc 2015 whilst Unfortified Dessert Wine of the Year was awarded to Klein Constantia Estate for Vin de Constance 2013 and Fortified Dessert Wine of the Year went to Beaumont Family Wines for the Starboard Dessert Wine NV.

Basking in their first ever Five Star ratings were the following 20 producers: B Vintners Vine Exploration Co; Cape Wine Company; Carinus Family Vineyards; Daschbosch (previously uniWines); Elemental Bob; Highlands Road Estate; JC Wickens Wines; Lanzerac Wine Estate; Le Sueur Wines; Lingen; Longridge Wine Estate; Orange River Cellars; Paserene; Pongrácz; Remhoogte Wine Estate; Reverie; The Stellenbosch Reserve; Thistle & Weed; Van Loveren Family Vineyards; Zorgvliet Wines.

The Five Star wines in Platter’s 2018 South African Wine Guide are:

Cabernet Franc
1. Môreson 2015
2. Raats 2015
3. Raats Eden High Density Single Vineyard 2015 

Cabernet Sauvignon
1. Bartinney 2014
2. Delaire Graff Reserve 2015
3. Edgebaston David Finlayson ‘GS’ 2014
4. Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2015
5. Nederburg Two Centuries 2014
6. Rust en Vrede Single Vineyard 2014
7. Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2012
8. Stark-Condé Three Pines 2015
9. The Stellenbosch Reserve Ou Hoofgebou 2015
10. Uva Mira The Mira 2015 

Cinsaut
1. Sadie Pofadder 2016 

Merlot
1. Shannon Mount Bullet 2014 

Pinotage
1. B Vintners Liberté 2016
2. Flagstone Writer’s Block 2015
3. Lanzerac Pionier 2015
4. Neil Ellis Bottelary Hills 2015

Pinot Noir
1. Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak 2015
2. Creation The Art of Pinot Noir 2016
3. Oak Valley Groenlandberg 2016
4. Richard Kershaw Elgin Clonal Selection 2016

Shiraz/Syrah
1. Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2015
2. Cederberg Shiraz 2015
3. De Trafford Blueprint Syrah 2015
4. Eagles’ Nest Shiraz 2014
5. Hartenberg Gravel Hill Shiraz 2013
6. Nico van der Merwe Syrah 2015
7. Remhoogte Reserve Syrah 2015
8. Richard Kershaw Elgin Clonal Selection Syrah 2015
9. Trizanne Reserve Syrah 2016

Red blends
1. Bellingham Small Barrel SMV 2014
2. Cape Wine Company Erasmus Family 2015
3. Chamonix Troika 2015
4. Eikendal Charisma 2015
5. JC Wickens Swerwer 2016 
6. Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2014
7. Le Sueur Paradoks 2016
8. Lingen 2014
9. Longridge Ekliptika 2015
10. Muratie Ansela van de Caab 2013
11. Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2015
12. Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot Private Bin R109 2014
13. Ridgeback Signature C 2015
14. Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification 2014
15. Spier CWG Auction Reserve Frans K. Smit 2013
16. The Stellenbosch Reserve Vanderstel 2015
17. The Winery of Good Hope Radford Dale Black Rock 2015
18. Waterford The Jem 2012
19. Zorgvliet Richelle 2015

Chardonnay
1. DeMorgenzon Reserve 2016
2. Jordan Barrel Fermented 2016
3. Julien Schaal Confluence 2016
4. Paserene 2015
5. Richard Kershaw Elgin Clonal Selection 2016
6. Richard Kershaw Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shales CY95 2016
7. Warwick The White Lady 2016

Chenin Blanc
1. Alvi’s Drift Albertus Viljoen 2015
2. Beaumont Hope Marguerite 2016
3. Botanica Mary Delany 2016
4. Carinus Rooidraai 2016
5. David & Nadia Skaliekop 2016
6. David & Nadia Hoë-Steen 2016
7. Jordan Inspector Péringuey 2016
8. Kaapzicht The 1947 2016
9. Mount Abora Koggelbos 2015
10. Perdeberg Dryland Courageous Barrel Fermented 2016
11. Raats Eden High Density Single Vineyard 2015
12. Raats Old Vine 2016
13. Raats Original 2016
14. Reverie 2016
15. Sadie Skurfberg 2016
16. Stellenrust 52 Barrel Fermented 2016
17. Thistle & Weed Duwweltjie 2016

Grenache Blanc
1. Elemental Bob Retro 2016
2. The Foundry 2015 

Riesling
1. Paul Cluver Close Encounter 2016

Sauvignon Blanc
1. Cederberg David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner 2016
2. Constantia Glen 2017
3. Hermanuspietersfontein Kat met die Houtbeen 2015
4. Highlands Road White Reserve 2015
5. Oak Valley Fountain of Youth 2017
6. Van Loveren Family Christina Van Loveren 2017

Semillon
1. Alheit La Colline 2016
2. Constantia Uitsig 2015
3. Shannon 2016

White Blends
1. AA Badenhorst White 2015
2. B Vintners Harlem to Hope 2016
3. Cape Point Isliedh 2016
4. Delaire Graff Reserve White 2015
5. Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve White 2015
6. Olifantsberg Blanc 2016
7. Sadie Palladius 2015
8. Sadie T’Voetpad 2016
9. Savage White 2016

Méthode Cap Classique
1. Colmant Brut Chardonnay NV
2. Pongrácz Desiderius 2009
3. Steenberg Lady R 2012

Dessert Wine, Fortified
1. Daschbosch Hanepoot 2015
2. Orange River White Muscadel 2016

Dessert Wine, Unfortified
1. Donkiesbaai Hooiwijn Vin de Paille 2016
2. Groot Constantia Grand Constance 2014
3. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2013
4. Miles Mossop Kika Noble Late Harvest 2016
5. Mullineux Essence Straw Wine 2012
6. Mullineux Straw Wine 2016
7. Perdeberg Dryland Longevity Natural Sweet Chenin Blanc 2016
8. Tokara Noble Late Harvest 2016

Port-style
1. Beaumont Starboard Dessert Wine NV
2. Delaire Graff Cape Vintage 2015

Winery of the Year
Raats Family Wines

White Wine of the Year
The Foundry Grenache Blanc 2015

Red Wine of the Year
Nederburg Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Dessert Wine of the Year Unfortified
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2013

Dessert Wine of the Year Fortified
Beaumont Starboard Dessert Wine NV

Follow Cathy Marston on Twitter @cathymarston!