Chardonnay 2009 Wins International Trophy
OAK VALLEY, the award-winning Wine Estate in the Elgin Valley, has scored a second winning goal for South Africa on the international wine stage with its 2009 Chardonnay. The Oak Valley Chardonnay 2009 received the Trophy for the best overall South African white wine at the prestigious and authoritative 2010 International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London. This follows hot on the heels of a Gold Medal won earlier at the IWC.
Oak Valley’s 2009 Chardonnay was also the only South African chardonnay to win gold at the IWC and has been nominated to participate in the 2010 Tri-Nations Wine Challenge. The Tri-Nations Wine Challenge pits the best South African wines against their counterparts in Australia and New Zealand.
The IWC is considered by many as the world’s most prestigious and influential independent wine competition. The 2010 IWC had a record number of 46 wine producing countries entering this year, and of the 4 026 medals awarded only 326 were gold. “These awards suggest that the chardonnay grape will play a big role in Oak Valley’s wine future,” says Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen, owner of Oak Valley Estate.
“This isn’t the first gold medal at the IWC for the Oak Valley Chardonnay. In 2008 the estate won its first gold medal at the IWC for our 2006 Chardonnay vintage” says winemaker Pieter Visser. “Grapes for both the 2009 and the 2006 come from one of the first commercial vineyards planted on the farm in 1992. The track record for this block is now firmly established and we look forward to future successes for our chardonnay in the time ahead.
Pieter says the 2009 Chardonnay shows hints of orange zest with nuttiness, lime and white pear on the nose. “The wine is poised with good use of wood (natural fermentation took place in French oak barrels), has a tangy acidity and a good length with an elegant mineral finish,” he adds.
Grapes come from the southwest facing slopes on the farm and from an elevation of between 300 and 320 metres above sea level.
Recent performances on the international wine awards stage - where Oak Valley has received several prestigious accolades underline the fact that this award-winning wine estate is fast becoming one of South Africa’s leading producers of fine wine.
