Now in its 38th edition, South Africa’s best-selling wine guide reveals the very best the winelands have to offer. In order for a wine to be considered as a five-star champion, the wine had to be rated more than 95 out of 100 by a panel of the country’s most respected wine tasters. About 900 wines were blind-tasted over three days, which makes the five-star achievement yet another honour for Spier’s 300 years of winemaking history and resident cellar master Frans Smit.
The CWG Auction Reserve Frans K. Smit 2013 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (52%) and Merlot (40%), with a touch of Cabernet Franc (8%) playing a supporting role. The blend pays tribute to Smit’s great love of wine, his winemaking skills and dedication to the process.
Only 600 bottles of this limited-edition wine were produced exclusively for the 2017 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction, which annually showcases the finest and most exclusive wines produced in small quantities by some of South Africa’s leading winemakers. It’s the fourth time that a red blend bearing Smit’s name has received five stars from Platter’s.
“Matured for 4 years before release, this wine has the makings of a long-distance runner,” Smit says. “The mild season allowed the fruit to mature for longer and develop excellent flavour concentration and well-balanced, velvety tannins. It’s thanks to the terroir, really. The fruit all hails from the Stellenbosch Helderberg - by far the best South African terroir for this style of red blend.”
Since Smit joined Spier in 1996, the cellar master has harnessed more than three centuries of winemaking history to transform Spier into a major Stellenbosch producer that frequently wins awards both at home and abroad. Most recently, Smit and his team won six Double Golds at the 2017 Veritas Wine Awards where the Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2015 won the inaugural Veritas Vertex Award, beating more than 1600 other entries to be crowned overall champion wine.