2 products
N/V Boplaas Cape Tawny 'Port'
Regular price £23.50Tasting Notes
Colour
A fiery red-brown Tawny coloured wine with flecks of olive green on the rim
Nose
The bouquet unfurls with the walnut, roast almond, honey, caramel, melange of spices, citrus, warming brandy and charred oak notes that typify Tawny.
Palate
A lusciously smooth, mouth-watering palate of brandied fruits, roast nuts, honey, caramel toffee, warm spices and hints of citrus tantalize the taste buds long after the first sip.
Production
The finest Tinta Barocca and Touriga Nacional is selected by the winemaker from specific low-yielding vineyards in order to craft an inky black wine, that is then barrel-matured for a decade or more.
All the fruit is hand-harvested at optimum ripeness, fermented and fortified in small lagars, barrel matured in large seasoned oak barrels for a minimum of 8 years, blended meticulously to craft the distinctive colour and flavour profile of a fine Boplaas Cape Tawny.
Producers
It would be impossible to think of South African ‘Port’-style wines and Brandies without Boplaas (‘top farm’ in Afrikaans) springing to mind. Boplaas, in far flung Calitzdorp, has been in the Nel family since 1880 so they have had many a year to perfect their craft. This is evidenced through frequently being awarded ‘Port’ of the year by both Tim Atkin and numerous Platter 5 star awards.
Boplaas ‘Port’ wines are crafted just like they are in the Douro Valley. Only Portuguese varietals are utilised, picked at full-ripeness and fermented in large open fermenters (known as lagares), intense manual pigeage, fortifying the wine at the correct time, using the finest grape spirit, and appropriate barrel ageing.
Accolades
- 93pts | Platter's 2023
Specifications
| Year | N/V |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar |
Tinta Barocca (70%); Touriga Nacional (20%); Souzao (10%) |
| Country | South Africa |
|
Alcohol content
|
19.73% alc vol
|
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 14.8 units |
| Type | Fortified & Desert Wine |
| Cellaring Potential | Drink now through next 10 years |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Food Matches |
A versatile food-friendly fortified wine the Boplaas Cape Tawny can be served with a host of tapas, roast duck with citrus glaze, sirloin steak with café de Paris sauce, comforting Cantonese cuisines, as an aperitif with canapés, pates and roast nuts, or as a partner to decadent desserts or a selection of mature cheeses. Alternatively, serve as digestive or as a mixer with tonic water for a refreshing long drink. For best results serve chilled at 11 – 14 C or cooler in warmer climes, and serve in a white wine glass. |
| Origin | Calitzdorp |
| Appellation | WO Western Cape |
GlenWood Grand Duc Noblesse (Sweet) N/V
Regular price £26.69Noblesse takes its name from ‘noble rot’, a winemaking process which accentuates sugar, and reduces water content in grapes, making them perfect for sweet wine production.
A wine in this style is the result of painstaking attention to detail in the vineyard, and the cellar.
Tasting Notes
This wine is 100% Semillon, and has the tell-tale notes of honey, dried apricots, butterscotch and ripe mango. Make sure to serve it well chilled.
Vineyards
Vine age: 19 years.
Density: 2,800 vines per hectare.
Normal vineyard yield: 8-9 tons per hectare.
Soils are well-drained compromised lightly structured Clovelly and Avalon.
Vines are planted 1.4 m apart to avoid density as Semillon can be vigorous in growth. Intensive leaf and shoot management in October allow for even ripeness and provided shade to achieve maximum fruit concentration.
Vinification
An intensive, 4-stage, harvest selection in which only noble rot berries were selected containing sugar of between 34 and 36°B. Prior to pressing the berries went through another selection process to ensure that only 100% noble rot berries were pressed. Pressing occurred over a three-day period with a minimal 95 Litres per ton of Semillon recovered. Juice was settled and racked to small 225 Litre selected French oak barrels. No yeast inoculation occurred and the juice fermented naturally down to 150 grams residual sugar per litre. The wine has spent 28 months in barrel before stabilisation and bottling.
Winemaker Comments
"This wine has developed into a well-integrated sweet wine with enticing nutty and honey flavours. We are proud to release this wine with delicate similarities to the revered French Sauternes which was one of our main objectives. Enjoy now or age for 10 to 15 years to develop further complexity."
Accolades
-
95pts | Platter’s 2022
2017 botrytised semillon 50% sweeter than last, 2014 (4.5 stars, 93 pts), but so perfectly balanced, the enjoyment is unimpaired, and scores higher. Older barrel fermented/aged 28 months: candied citrus, apricot, with enough brightening acidity to offset the richness. 375 ml.
-
94pts | Tim Atkin 2022 SA Report
Noblesse is a reference to the botrytis (noble rot) that affected the berries on this delicious pure Semillon from Franschhoek. Well-balanced between acidity, 156 grams of sugar and a restrained volatile lift, this has honey, peach and orange zest flavours and a sheen of toasty oak spice. 2021-25
Specifications
| Year | N/v |
| Bottle Size | 375ml |
| Cultivar | 100% Semillon |
| Country | South Africa |
|
Alcohol content
|
12.5% alc vol
|
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 4.88 units |
| Type | Dessert Wine |
| Food Matching |
Try it with homemade apple crumble and vanilla ice cream, or mature Stilton cheese. |
| Cellaring Potential | Enjoy now or age for 10 to 15 years to develop further complexity. |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Origin | Robertsvlei Valley, Franschhoek |
| Appellation | WO Western Cape |
