STEENBERG VINEYARDS RELEASES FLAGSHIP RANGE 2011

Posted on 05. Apr, 2011 by BottlePlatePillow in 1) Bottle News, 4) General News, Steenberg

Steenberg Vineyards in the Constantia Valley has released the new vintages of their flagship range. Exemplifying the very best of what Steenberg can produce, it comprises of Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2010, Steenberg Semillon 2010, Steenberg Catharina 2007, and Steenberg Nebbiolo 2009. These hand-crafted wines have been produced in limited quantities to offset the quality benchmark of each wine and are available at the cellar door,  or at leading specialist wine shops and restaurants, including Steenberg’s fine dining restaurant Catharina’s, and cellar door restaurant Bistro Sixteen82.

JD Pretorius

Winemaker JD Pretorius says that Steenberg’s flagship range is an expression of the pursuit of excellence by the winemaking team. Further distinguishing the quality of the range is the 100% cultivar, single-vineyard status of each wine, and in particular Steenberg’s Sauvignon Blanc Reserve which was recently singled out by respected wine expert Michael Fridjhon as being ‘SA’s most successful single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc’ (Business Day 4 February 2011).

Widely touted as an expert on this varietal, Pretorius maintains that the Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2010 underpins their reputation as one of SA’s top white wine producers.  ‘This flagship wine is one of our most celebrated wines, and is a true expression of Steenberg’s terroir. We are very proud that it was named among the  Top 10 South African White Wines  in 2010 by a panel of leading wine professionals in a poll conducted by Grape – the South African based website that is widely cited as the leading ‘independent wine viewpoint,’ he states.  (Cellar door price R195 per bottle)

Limited release (350 x 12 cases) Steenberg Semillon 2010 is the epitome of the Constantia Valley’s best with elegant flavours of apricots and lemon peel reflective of the cool vintage, and subtle oaky notes giving the wine dimension and depth. (Cellar door price R190 per bottle).

Catharina 2007, Steenberg’s premium red blend named after the legendary Catharina Ras, the first owner of Steenberg (1682), is a consistent top performer. A fusion of the best red varieties grown at Steenberg; the dark earthy tones of Cabernet, the fresh minty character of Merlot and the perfume notes of Cabernet Franc easily wins over the heart and palate, especially when paired with succulent Roast Lamb. With its wonderfully complex aroma, elegance and stunning savoury character, it is a wine that shows promise of evolving beautifully over the years. (Cellar door price R185 per bottle)

According to Pretorius, the spicy and medium bodied Steenberg Nebbiolo 2009 too is an excellent ‘food’ wine as a result of the inherent tannin structure of the cultivar, and is especially suited to complement touches of mushroom and truffle in Italian cuisine. The wine is medium bodied and light in colour with dried prunes, sour cherries, spice and forest floor on the nose, with soft oaky notes supporting the wine. Quite unique to Nebbiolo, this year’s release reflects big tannins, giving the wine backbone and structure. (Cellar door price R170 per bottle)

Steenberg Vineyards recently won the Great Wine Capitals’ Best of Wine Tourism Awards 2011 as Global Winner Wine Tourism Services, also taking top honours in the South African region by winning two of the seven categories, namely Architecture, Parks and Gardens, and Wine Tourism Services.

Source:FivestarPR

Tags: Catharina, Constantia, Flagship, JD Pretorious, Nebbiolo, Semillon, Single vineyard, Steenberg