News
August 27, 2007
WINE:
Radford Dale Gravity 2005
Radford Dale Gravity’s Platter 5-star Accolade Salutes Individuality
The meticulously crafted Radford Dale Gravity 2005 from Stellenbosch-based The Winery of Good Hope has, for the first time, achieved a Platter 5-star rating –the only shiraz-based red blend to achieve this status in the 2008 John Platter South African Wine Guide.
Of the 6 000 wines, ports and dessert wines tasted for the latest edition of South Africa’s most prestigious wine guide, only 21 gained the 5-star accolade, awarded to those wines that are: “Superlative. A Cape classic.” Only seven red wines made the cut as 5-star wines.
The Radford Dale Chardonnay 2006 was among the 88 wines short-listed for the 5-star category. It will now be rated at 4.5 stars in the 2008 Platter guide.
A delighted Alex Dale, co-founder of The Winery of Good Hope, pays tribute to his entire team, not least to his winemaking mentor and co-shareholder Edouard Labeye. “Edouard has always instilled a respect of nature and site in our approach to winemaking and has a huge influence over our philosophy.”
Gravity’s accolade is recognition of the years of persistent and meticulous refinement of the winemaking methods—unique in South Africa- coupled with the painstaking viticultural focus that has resulted in some of the finest Stellenbosch wine Radford Dale has developed since its first vintage in 1998.
Gravity is not a formulaic wine, unlike increasing numbers of award-winning red wines. Its components vary with each vintage, as only the best of the red-grape crop is singled-out for this wine.
“We purposefully strive to be unique with Gravity. There is no recipe—just a vision to produce a balanced wine that stands-out through gracefulness rather than showiness. We believe that there is a philosophical choice between expressing the subtlety of the natural ripeness of the fruit and the minerality of the land, and the temptation to make show-ponies with technical winemaking thumbprints all over them,” says Dale.
For the 2005 vintage Viognier (3%) was included for the first time. It was co-fermented in 600-litre barrels with a batch of Shiraz from the same Helderberg vineyards. Each varietal, combined with the Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon contributes its unique facets to produce a wine of depth, complexity and intensity.
Ends
Note to Editors:
The heart of the wine-making team has created wines together in South Africa since 1998. Founder Alex Dale is British-born and French-raised, Ben Radford is Australian, Edouard Labeye is French and Heather Whitman is South African. New shareholder, Yalumba’s Robert Hill-Smith is also Australian.
The wines:
Radford Dale Wines are made in limited quantities to exacting standards in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The range comprises Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz, Shiraz/Viognier and the flagship Gravity (a Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Viognier blend). All Stellenbosch wines of origin, predominantly from vineyards on the Ocean-facing slopes of the Helderberg. The wines retail from R95 to R220. Total production equates to approximately 6000 9L cases annually.
Issued on behalf of:
The Winery of Good Hope, Stellenbosch
Alex Dale | 021-855-5528 | 083-453-0053 |
Issued by:
Web Words, Cape Town
Marian Shinn | 021-788-5011 | 082-831-2429 |