Prescient Top 20 Wines South Africa 2020 – Best White Wines Announced.

This year was set to be a very exciting year for winemag.co.za, with a full sponsorship from Prescient and launching many new categories, now covering the full spectrum of the South African wine industry. Like most things COVID put a spanner in their plans and the big gala evening concluding the reports, announcing the Prescient Top 20 Wines had to be cancelled and more intimate gatherings took place; one for each category. On Friday the Best Sweet & Fortifieds were announced: https://winemag.co.za/wine/best/the-best-sweet-wine-fortifieds-of-2020/ . Today a small group of us gathered at Lanzerac to hear which white wines came top in their categories.

Winemag.co.za reviewed a total of 927 wine across 20 wine categories in its various reports sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient over the course of the year. Each report was based on the outcome of a blind tasting of wines entered within the specific category.

A Top 10 was then announced with the release of each successive report. Now the individual best wine per category plus ratings on the 100-point quality scale for all the Top 10 wines can be revealed.

The winner of the Best of Category Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon, and recipient of the Sylvain Blanc barrel worth R17k is Tokara Wine & Olive Farm, for the Director’s Reserve White 2017, with a score of 95-points!
70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. Matured for nine months in mainly older French Oak barrels. “An intriguing note of flinty reduction before citrus , stone fruit and wax. The palatemeanwhile is deep and seamless with a very dry, chalky finish.” CE
(R280)

All the scores are revealed! Congratulations to all the Top 10 achievers!
Best of Category for unwooded Sauvignon blanc with 93-points goes to Lanzerac Wine Estate 2019, earning their place in the Prescient #Top20WinesSA2020 – well done!
“A top note of fynbos before peach, blackcurrant and honey as well as some waxy complexity. Pure fruit is matched by a good line of acidity, the finish gently savoury. Lovely creamy texture.” CE.
(R95)
All the scores are revealed! Congratulations to all the Top 10 achievers!
Congratulations Mulderbosch Vineyards- the Mulderbosch 2019 Wooded Sauvignon blanc achieves Best of category and a place in the Prescient #top20winesSA2020
“One-third matured for six months in older 500-litre French oak barrels. Blackcurrant, citrus and white peach plus a pleasant herbal note on the nose.The palate has lovely weight and poise – a dense core of fruit to go with bright acidity, the finish long and saline.”
CE. (R100)
All the scores are revealed! Congratulations to all the #top10 achievers!
Congratulations to Andre van Rensburg and the Vergelegen team on achieving a place in the Prescient #Top20WinesSA2020 and Best of Category: Niche White Variety, for the Vergelegen Reserve Semillon 2018!
“Fermented and matured for eighth months in 225-litre barrels, 35% new. Floral perfume, hay and some attractive herbal character before citrus and peach on the nose.The palate has wonderfully pure fruit with bright acidity, while there is some peppery bite to the finish. Precisely made, this has lovely energy and balance.” CE
(R325)
All the scores are revealed! Congratulations to all the #top10 achievers!
Well done Karl and the Tokara Wine & Olive Farm team on achieving 95-points; #BestofCategory #Chardonnay; & a place in the Prescient
#Top20WinesSA2020 for the Tokara Reserve Collection 2019.
“Fermented and matured for nine months in French oak, 36% new. A super-complex nose with notes of burnt matchstick, lemon and orange plus attractive oak.The palate is rich and intensely flavoured but equally possesses a lovely line of acidity while the finish is long and saline. Powerful without sacrificing intricacy”. CE.
(R210)
All the scores are revealed! Congratulations to all the #top10 achievers!
Congratulations Cavalli Wine Estate – for the Cavalli Cremello 2017 Best Cape White Blend achieves Best of Category and a place in the Prescient #top20winesSA2020

What is a Cape White Blend?

No official definition exists but our proposal is that such wines can be made from any combination of varieties as long as they include a significant Chenin Blanc component, specifically more than 15% and less than 85%.

“40% Chenin Blanc, 30% Chardonnay, 25% Verdelho and 5% Viognier. Fermented in French oak barrels except for a small portion of Verdelho which was fermented in a porous egg- shaped vessel before maturation lasting 12 months. Complex aromatics of white and yellow fruit, dried flowers and a little earthiness.The palate is lean with striking acidity and a long, pithy finish. A subtle, intricate wine.” CE
(R145)
All the scores are revealed! Congratulations to all the #top10 achievers!

Congratulations for everyone involved and thank you Winemag for such a concise report on The South African wine industry. I was particularly impressed today with the accessible price points of many of the winners of the categories. It is wonderful to see such good quality mainstream wine at an accessible price and widely available. Just what we need to lure new wine lovers into this wonderful world!

The White Winners!

Stay tuned tomorrow, for the Top Red wines will be revealed and on Friday The Winery of The Year!

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Bubbles Hyland

Bubbles Hyland

Bubbles Hyland, Well Red Wine Magazine Editor and Founder. Wine is her passion and it's also her job; it engrain every aspect of her life. She aims to make wine accessible, and spread the love and knowledge she has in a fun and approachable manner.

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