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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

BOUCHARD FINLAYSON PINOT NOIRS ARE A HIT WITH CRITICS IN THE USA AND EUROPE

Issued by FIVESTAR PR On behalf of Bouchard Finlayson



Bouchard Finlayson’s famed Pinot Noir vintages have recently been making headlines in the UK and US where both The Drinks Business and Wine Enthusiast, as well as leading wine critics James Suckling and Robert Parker, have been raving about the vineyard’s signature grape. 

London-based leading European drinks trade publication The Drinks Business held its second annual ‘Global Pinot Noir Masters’ blind tasting in February 2015, where success reigned for the Bouchard Finlayson 2012 Téte de Cuvée Pinot Noir  as it received one of the highest scores of the entire tasting, and was one of only a handful of wines to be awarded a prestigious Gold rating. Peter Finlayson is delighted with the result: ‘We are incredibly proud that the judges, who are renowned for being amongst the toughest in the industry, deemed our 2012 Téte de Cuvée Pinot Noir worthy of a Gold medal.’

Tete de Cuvee

Bouchard Finlayson’s 2011 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir meanwhile was rated a stellar 90 points out of 100 in the March issue of American wine bible Wine Enthusiast. South African and American Pinot fans eager to snap up this vintage should act quickly – only small stocks are still available in South Africa and the USA.

American wine expert James Suckling, renowned as one of the world’s leading wine critics, has been a fan of South African wines ever since he first visited the vineyards, wineries and winemakers of the country following the end of Apartheid in 1994. While in Hong Kong last year, he was invited to a daylong tasting of hundreds of South African wines. In his subsequent report, published in January 2015, he awarded Bouchard Finlayson’s 2009 Téte de Cuvée Pinot Noir 93 points out of 100, while the Bouchard Finlayson 2011 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir achieved an equally impressive rating of 91 points out of 100.

He was not the only American wine critic to be wowed by Bouchard Finlayson’s Pinot grape – during a recent meeting with Bouchard Finlayson owner Vicki Tollman in London, Robert Parker, who is widely acknowledged to be the most influential wine critic in the world today, declared himself in love with the South African winery’s vintages.


Back on home soil, Editor of www.topwinesa.com Mike Froud showcased the esteemedChampions of Consistency in the 2015 SA Wine and Cellar Classifications, which he also manages. Based on the best track records in 26 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications celebrate the country's leading outfits – those who are regularly on top form, their product judged top-notch again and again, year after year. Both Bouchard Finlayson’s Téte de Cuvée and Galpin Peak Pinot Noirs were included in the 2015 Top 10 SA Pinot Noir category, with the Galpin Peak reaching the ‘Hall of Fame’ for the first time. It was also featured in the Top 10 Red Wines category, while Bouchard Finlayson was named one of the Top 100 SA Wine Cellars 2015.

ABOUT BOUCHARD FINLAYSON
Established in 1989 in the temperate Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on 125 hectares (312 acres) of Walker Bay's prime viticultural land, Bouchard Finlayson Vineyard and Winery is a small cellar dedicated to the quality production of Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. Ever since releasing their first vintages, the name Bouchard Finlayson has been internationally synonymous with excellence. Today, owned by the Red Carnation Hotels’ Tollman family and under the leadership of Victoria Tollman and winemaker Peter Finlayson, 22 hectares (54 acres) of the estate are currently under vine with 50% devoted to the varietal for which Peter is most acclaimed – Pinot noir. Other cultivars under production include Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Sangiovese, as well as a handful under exploration. Bouchard Finlayson is an accredited Championship member of the Biodiversity and Wine initiative (BWI).

Situated on the R320 near Hermanus, Bouchard Finlayson vineyard and winery is open for tastings and sales Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00 and on Saturdays from 10h00 to 13h00. For further information, call +27 28 312 3515; email info@bouchardfinlayson.co.za; or visit 
www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za.