Nederburg’s Heritage Heroes The Young Airhawk 2017, a barrel-fermented Sauvignon blanc, and The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest 2018, has each been awarded a gold medal at the prestigious 2019 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London.
Named to honour the legacy of adventurous young winemaker Arnold Graue, who was challenging the status quo at the farm in Paarl in the 1950s, The Young Airhawk 2017 achieved a score of 96 points, while The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest 2018, a top-performing wine in South Africa, was rated 97 points.
Nederburg white-wine maker, Elmarie Botes, says that The Young Airhawk 2017 is “deliciously crisp and fresh yet creamy-textured, as a result of wood maturation”.
The Heritage Heroes range, of which The Young Airhawk forms part, is a gourmet collection of handmade, ultra-premium wines, each individually named to honour some of the legends who have shaped the winery.
While Nederburg has established an unassailable reputation for excellence across its range of red and white varietal and blended wines, there is one style in particular that is virtually synonymous with the famous Paarl winery. Say noble late harvest and the chances are most wine-loving South Africans will immediately think of Nederburg.
The winery pioneered the style in 1969 when Günter Brözel, Nederburg cellar-master from 1956 to 1989, made the first wine in South Africa with grapes affected by noble rot or Botrytis cinerea, the fungus attacking grapes under a very specific set of climatic conditions to produce richly-scented, honeyed, complex wines of remarkable longevity.
This renowned wine made from botrytised Chenin blanc was intended to rival the famous Sauterne, Tokaij and Trockenbeerenauslese wines, and has earned Nederburg considerable international kudos over the years.
Earlier this year, at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show in South Africa, Nederburg’s The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest 2018 walked away with the Old Mutual Trophy for Best Dessert Wine (Unfortified). Previous vintages have also won trophies, medals and best-in-class ratings at competitions locally and abroad.
Elmarie describes this layered and complex natural sweet wine as elegantly styled and fragrant with floral notes of orange peel, apricot, honey and dried peach. The palate, where sugar and acid are in perfect harmony, is luscious but refined with delicious dried fruit, pineapple and citrus flavours.
Nederburg’s noble late harvests are always tank-fermented and receive no wood contact, and stand out for their luxuriously sweet yet graceful aromas and tastes, tempered by a firm acidity.
Savour Nederburg The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest with rich liver pâtés, pancakes served with orange and honey, other desserts, cakes, pastries and tarts. It’s also delicious served with blue cheese, especially Roquefort.
Available from liquor outlets across South Africa, The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest retails for around R120 per 375ml bottle, while The Young Airhawk Sauvignon Blanc 2017 is offered at approximately R180 per 750ml bottle.
Nederburg is a leading example of the country’s wine excellence and innovation. Ranked amongst the top 50 most admired brands in the world by Drinks International, Nederburg has won many leading international and local wine titles and awards over the years. These include most successful South African producer at the International Wine & Spirit Competition, Platter’s South African Wine Guide ‘Winery of the Year’, and Diners Club ‘Winemaker of the Year’, amongst others.
With a proud history dating back to 1791, the winery is dynamic, forward-thinking and progressive. Its highly sophisticated cellar is designed to produce a multi-tiered range of contemporary wines that combine rich fruit flavour with classic structure. The wines range from exclusive, micro-edition offerings for the connoisseur to wines styled for everyday enjoyment.
