The Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2016 has received the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition’s 2018 Chenin Blanc Trophy – beating all other Chenin Blanc wines entered into this competition to be crowned the world’s best.
We are thrilled that our flagship Chenin has received such a prestigious award. This trophy – along with the wine’s other accolades – is testament to the fact that our decade-long focus on crafting quality Chenin is bearing fruit. – Spier’s cellar master Frans Smit.
Earlier this year, it not only won the Harold Eedes Trophy for Best Chenin Blanc at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show but also received the Trophy for Best White Wine Overall. At the 2018 Top 100 SA Wines it was awarded a Double Platinum, and was also included in the Standard Bank Top 10 Chenin Blanc Challenge – an achievement that both previous vintages, 2014 and 2015, also attained. Indeed, the 21 Gables Chenin Blanc is no stranger to acclaim: the 2015 vintage won the inaugural Veritas Vertex Award – defeating 1638 other entries to be crowned the Veritas competition’s champion wine across all varietals.
The 21 Gables wines pay tribute to Spier’s 300-year winemaking heritage and its unique architectural legacy: an unrivalled 21 Cape Dutch Gables – all beautifully preserved.
About the wine:
Made with thick-skinned grapes from old vines, the full-bodied Chenin Blanc was fermented and matured (for 14 months) in French oak barrels. It offers ripe, baked apples and apple pie spice on the nose. The rich and complex palate is characterised by yellow fruits opulent caramel, vanilla cream and toasted cashew – all framed by a beautifully balanced acidity and supported by a sumptuously textured mouthfeel.
Befitting its heritage, the Chenin Blanc is an ideal companion to South African cuisine, particularly sweeter and spicier dishes – think bobotie, smoorsnoek and waterblommetjie bredie. “This is a classic food wine, finding full expression when paired with the right dishes,” Frans explains.
The 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2016 can sit in your cellar for eight years or even longer. While it can be enjoyed now, it will reward patient drinkers with deepening intensity and complexity of flavours.
