Zorgvliet Wine Estate - Stellenbosch
Zorgvliet Wine Estate lies nestled at the foot of the Simonsberg Mountains in Stellenbosch. It offers award winning wines that you can savour in the picnic garden. Zorgvliet Wine Estate also boasts with a wedding chapel, Zorgvliet spa and the legendary Le Pommier and Herenhuis restaurants. Steeped in history this working wine farm dates back to 1692 and it is rumored that the ghost of a Boer general still roams the valley.
The legendary wines are produced from a staggering 130 000 vines that are planted on the farm. Experience a sunset over the valley as you sip a red that could leave you speechless and you will know why this is a place you have to visit as part of your lifetime’s experience.
Zorgvliet Wine Philosophy
Brand Motto: Special Wines for Special People
Zorgvliet Wines’ are wines that are built on a strong philosophy incorporating tradition along with modern, forward thinking. Simply put, that philosophy is, “Elegance in Wine”. From the vineyard to the cellar, great care is taken, where the approach is one of minimal intervention. Viticulturally, we strive to work towards an environmentally green approach to our vineyards, in which our vineyard team takes great pride. Our cellar, being relatively new and still to this day, the most technologically advanced cellar in South Africa, lends itself to new innovation, new styles and the potential to work with new varieties in the future.
Smith Wines' Zorgvliet Portfolio of wines offers two tiers or brands, all different and unique in their offerings. In order to produce “Special Wines for Special People” we aim to be different in all our offerings.The two tiers on offer are as follows: 1.Zorgvliet 2.Silver Myn
Zorgvliet :
The Zorgvliet tier consists of our flagship or ultra premium offerings. It is a range that offers predominantly single vineyard wines headed by our Zorgvliet Richelle Bordeaux blend. A selection of the 10 best barrels of each vintage, representative of the ultimate expression of Zorgvliet terrior. The Zorgvliet range consists of the following: Zorgvliet Richelle, Zorgvliet Sauvignon Blanc , Zorgvliet Sémillon,
Zorgvliet Cabernet Sauvignon, Zorgvliet Petit Verdot , Zorgvliet White and Shiraz.
Silver Myn :
Our Silver Myn range is our second tier and offers a range of more traditional varieties coupled with non-traditional varieties. It is a range that offers high quality wines where people can try the usual along with the unusual. Anything from Sauvignon Blanc to Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon to Malbec. We like to think of it as a range where we are able to be creative and as such, encourage wine lovers to experience “Special Wines for Special People” when creating and enjoying new culinary experiences.
Winemakers' Choice Awards
Diamond Award
2009 Michelangelo International Wine Awards
Double Gold ( Wine must score a minimum of 96 / 100 points )
- Zorgvliet Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Gold
- Silver Myn Merlot / Cabernet Franc 2006
Silver
- Zorgvliet Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
- Zorgvliet Petit Verdot 2007
SAA Wine Awards
Silver Myn Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 has been nominated by their tasting panel to fly onboard all SAA flights for 2010.
USA - Steven Tanzer
2008 Zorgvliet Wines Sauvignon Blanc Stellenbosch
Very pale yellow. Ripe but bracing aromas of grapefruit, grass, smoke andpepper, plus a suggestion of green tropical fruits. Dense and rich but quitepungent, with a smooth texture to the intense grapefruit and pepper flavors.Finishes with a piquant grapefruit pith bitterness and excellent length.
90 points
2006 Zorgvliet Wines Petit Verdot Stellenbosch
Saturated ruby-red. Crushed blueberry, leather, licorice and menthol on the nose,along with floral suggestions of violet and geranium. Then juicy and imploded onthe palate, with a distinctly clenched quality to the urgent dark berry and violetflavors. Quite concentrated, but not yet pliant or complex. Finishes withsubstantial tannins that grew drier with aeration. Still, I prefer the oak treatmenthere to that of the 2005 Richelle.
88(+?) Points
2005 Zorgvliet Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch
Bright ruby-red. Cassis, mint and exotic chocolate and mocha on the nose.Densely packed, ripe and adamantly dry, with restrained flavors of dark berries,licorice, dark chocolate and menthol. A bit medicinal and wound-up today,finishing with building tannins that seem finer than those of the petit verdot. Thisneeds at least four or five years of cellaring, but will it loosen up?
89(+?)? Points
2005 Zorgvliet Wines Richelle Stellenbosch
Bright, saturated red-ruby. Aromas of plum, cassis, mocha, and exotic spices andflowers; shows an almost roasted, liqueur-like quality. Dense and sweet in themouth, but with a firm acid spine framing its rather exotic flavors. This grewsmokier as it opened in the glass. Finishes with substantial broad, dusty tannins.Boasts good complexity but I ultimately found it a bit overbearing.
89 Points
UK - Matthew Jukes (Daily Mail-UK)
Rates Silver Myn Cabernet Franc 2006 as one of South Africa's Top 50 Wines.
One of the great value reds on this list, performing miracles with another supposedly fussy grape. We need containers of this in the UK!”
Wine Magazine SA
Rates Silver Myn Cabernet Franc 2007 as South Africa's best Investment Cabernet Franc.
