One of the world’s pre-eminent wine journalists Tim Atkin has awarded eight of Boschendal’s iconic wines an impressive 90 points or more in his latest report.
The Boschendal Elgin Chardonnay 2016 was the estate’s top scorer in the Tim Atkin 2018 South African Wines Report, which received 95 points, adding to the many accolades and awards received by winemaker Lizelle Gerber’s vibrant and intricate creation. It was one of just 159 out of 1980 wines to score 95 points or more.
The full list of Boschendal high scorers is as follows:
- Boschendal Elgin Chardonnay 2016: 95 points
- Boschendal’s premium Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvée 2008 vintage: 94 points
- Boschendal Heritage Collection Black Angus 2015: 93 points.
- Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2013 : 92 points
- Boschendal Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2017: 92 points
- Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay 2017: 91 points
- Boschendal Elgin Pinot Noir 2016 : 91 points
- Boschendal Heritage Collection Grande Syrah 2015: 91 points.
Lizelle Gerber, the estate’s white wine and MCC Winemaker, has been creating the multi-award-winning Boschendal Elgin Chardonnay since 2011. It is part of Boschendal’s popular Appellation Series and was hailed South Africa’s Top Chardonnay and the Best Elgin Chardonnay in the 2018 and 2017 International Wine Challenge (IWC). Additionally, it was awarded gold at the 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
The historic estate is celebrating a run of phenomenal awards, with its premium wines consistently gaining international recognition for their excellence in craft and quality.
Boschendal marketing manager Shirley van Wyk says, “The team is especially happy with the ongoing success of our flagship wine ranges: the Appellation series and our Heritage Collection, along with our Prestige Cuvée Jean le Long 2008 and Grande Cuvée Brut 2013. The Tim Atkin scores are further inspiration to create vintages that are exceptional. They’re the kind of accolade that drive us to consistently step up to stay ahead, by doing more – and doing it better.”
Atkin believes this year’s selection of top-scoring wines are “a collection that would compare with the best of any other wine-producing country”. He says that he hopes that the reviews, scores and Medals of Excellence given to producers whose wines scored over 90 points “will ensure that more people are made aware of the outstanding quality of South African wines”. This year’s report – published on 12 September – is the sixth edition, and Atkin’s longest one yet at 200 pages.
Van Wyk concludes, “Tim Atkin is one of the wine world’s most respected figures. He plays a significant role in benchmarking wines around the world and cementing South Africa’s reputation as a top wine producing country. We’re honoured that he scored our wines so highly and thank him for his contribution to our industry.”
