COLLECTORS of top South African wines have the opportunity to add some notable bottles to their cellars with the release of three highly anticipated Vergelegen wines dating as far back as 2001.
Vergelegen GVB Red 2014 and 2015, from the 321-year-old Somerset West estate’s flagship range, were awarded five stars in the Platter’s Wine Guide in the red blends, Cape Bordeaux section. “Only the Rondekop vineyards are used for the production of the Vergelegen GVB,” says winemaker André van Rensburg, who is currently engaged in his 24th harvest at the estate. (GVB indicates Grown, Vinified and Bottled.)
“Rondekop are dry-land vineyards with a planting density of 4000 vines to the hectare on granitic soils. A deep clay/pebble base offers excellent water retention. Planted at 180-220 metres above sea level, the vines are cooled by moderate sea breezes every afternoon, allowing for a longer growing season.”
The wine is available from the estate and can be enjoyed now or for another 15 years. The GVB Red 2014 retails for R615/bottle. Collectors can also acquire the 2015 vintage by purchasing a combined package of one 2014 bottle and one 2015 bottle for R985.00.
The cellar team has also completed the painstaking process of recorking 126 bottles of 20-year-old wine with corks guaranteed not to taint the wines. The result is a limited release of Vergelegen GVB Red 2001, available from the estate for R1500/bottle.
Each new cork has a number linked to a recorked certificate on the bottle. “Out of 126 wines we recorked, only two were spoilt. Totally unbelievable for a 20-year-old wine,” remarked Van Rensburg, who tasted every single bottle for faults before recorking.
Wine is currently available at the estate seven days a week (or can be pre-ordered and collected later) from the Wine Tasting Centre. Call 021 8472122, or email [email protected] or [email protected]
FEATURED IMAGE: The Vergelegen Reserve Merlot 2015 scored 93 points and took Best Merlot 2020 in the 2020 Prescient Awards.
