VISIT the Tokara tasting room and be the first to get your hands on the lauded Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, one three Reserve reds from the stand out 2017 vintage all rated Top 10 in consecutive South African wine reports.
With the easing of restrictions on wine sales during Covid-19 Level 2, the Tokara cellar doors are open for business for wine tasting and sales.
The just released Tokara Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, rated Top 10 in the Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report, is a true expression of the farm’s premium vineyard blocks on the slopes of the Simonsberg. This full-bodied, richly textured wine is vibrant and bright with classic graphite notes, black cherry, briary fruits and pleasant hints of fresh herbs and red currant, interwoven with five spice and cedar wood.
“Cabernet Sauvignon is King when it comes to red grapes in Stellenbosch. The marriage between the variety and the Tokara site is where the magic really begins,” says winemaker Stuart Botha.
The Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon and the top tier Director’s Reserve Red secured Top 10 rankings respectively in the 2020 Prescient Shiraz Report, the Cabernet Sauvignon Report and the Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report, all convened annually by Winemag.co.za.
“The recognition of our top tier wines by respected commentators in the wake of the Ferreira family’s 20th vintage celebration last year, bodes well for the future of Tokara. We look forward to the next 20 years in the expert hands of our young, energetic cellar team supported by the experienced and knowledgeable vineyard crew,” says Karl Lambour, Tokara general manager.
For Botha, the Top 10 accolade for the Tokara Syrah holds significant promise, having won practically every prominent local and international accolade for Shiraz including five Platter’s 5-stars, prior to joining Tokara almost three years ago.
Crafted from a single vineyard block, the Top 10 Reserve Collection Syrah 2017, described in the Shiraz Report as “a typically polished effort from this cellar”, is Tokara’s most expressive Shiraz. Botha’s adept blending skills, seeking out the best barrels for the final composition, shine through in the wine’s multi-layered palate and classic spice and violet perfume prominent on the nose.
The full-bodied and richly textured Top 10 Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is vibrant and bright and described in the Cabernet Sauvignon Report as “a very stylish offering” with “layers of flavour” and a long, dry finish.
The Cabernet Sauvignon driven Director’s Reserve Red 2017 is a consummate blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (73%), Merlot (15%), Petit Verdot (9%), and Cabernet Franc (3%). “Poised and precise” with a palate of “great purity and freshness to go with fine tannins”, is how the wine is described in the Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report.
“We’ve seen 2017 become another celebrated vintage. The wines exhibit effortless power with crystalline focus and balance,” says Botha, who was responsible for the barrel selection and final blending of all the 2017 Reserve reds during the latter half of 2018.
“My emphasis was to allow the power of the vintage to express itself without dampening the remarkable fruit purity and blurring the lines. It is without doubt that the freshness, perhaps even the youthfulness that these wines currently exhibit, amplifies their age-worthiness and pedigree,” he adds.
Tokara Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is available at R330 per bottle from Mondays till Thursdays daily from 9am till 5pm in keeping with Level 2 regulations, but can be tasted daily beside the roaring fire in the tasting lounge. Online purchases can be made here. For further information or tastings, email [email protected]
- EDIT 31/08/2020: Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon from the standout 2017 vintage has staked its claim on the international stage with a Top 100 ranking in the United Kingdom. The Wine Merchant Top 100 wine list is published annually in The Wine Merchant Magazine, the UK’s only trade publication devoted entirely to specialist independent wine retailers. The wines are judged exclusively by independent UK retailers. Two further top tier Tokara wines, the Directors Reserve Red 2017 and the Reserve Collection Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2019, received Highly Commended awards.
In other news, Tokara has excelled with its olive oils as well, winning three gold medals at the 2020 Aurora International Taste Challenge. The top performing oils are two EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) blends, the flagship Premium and the superbly balanced Multi-Varietal, as well as the Frantoio single variety.
Held annually to recognise food product excellence, this was the first time olive oil and olives were adjudicated at the Aurora International Taste Challenge with competitors from South Africa, Spain, Bolivia, the USA and Angola.
Tokara Frantoio, a spicy oil with a nutty character considered the most important olive variety in Italy, is the foundation of Tokara’s full-flavoured blended olive oils. The Multi-Varietal, a gold medallist in the 2019 SA Olive Awards, is a persistent oil that lingers on the palate striking a fine balance between bitter, fruity and green flavours. The top tier Tokara Premium is a meticulously blended EVOO with a lovely herbaceous character showing notes of olive leaf, rocket and artichoke.
The family-owned wine and olive estate on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass outside Stellenbosch, focuses primarily on Tuscan varieties, each selected by olive oil master and operations manager, Gert van Dyk, for its distinctive character and flavour profile, from mild to more robust.
- EDIT (31/08/2020): Tokara scored a full house at the 2020 SA Olive Awards with recognition for all five their Extra Virgin olive oils spearheaded by a Gold medal for the single varietal Frantic. This is the second gold medal for Frantoio this year after scooping gold at the 2020 Aurora International Taste Challenge.
In addition to Tokara’s regular range of olive oils, unfiltered EVOO from the 2020 vintage in the style of Tokara’s Premium blend, will be available on tap at the Deli from September.
For more information and online purchases, click here.
