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.
