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Three Cape wines among American top 100
21 November 2007 Wine Spectator’s 2007 list announced
Making it on the American wine screen is – like Hollywood for a girl from Benoni – the ultimate achievement for many, even in the Cape winelands. (Some may sneer among friends, but smile all the way to the bank.) And with nothing to compete in the annual top-rankings game with the Wine Spectator glossy, three local producers will find their fan clubs enlarged after the latest news. This year’s top 100 wines list features Kevin Grant’s Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Eben Sadie’s Columella 2005, and, for the umpteenth time, a Mulderbosch, Mike Dobrovic’s Chenin Blanc 2006. The WS list, which this year starts with Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 at No 1 and ends with a Caymus Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, has great impact on US buyer patterns, whatever anyone may think of the selection. It certainly contains some of the world’s most famous names and the kudos for the three South Africans is laudable. Grant’s wine came in at position 54, having scored 91/100 earlier. Comella is featured at 81, but carries a whopping score of 95 (the highest rating ever given a South African wine by the magazine). The Mulderbosch is 92nd with a rating of 90. The influential magazine says it selects the wines for excitement. In the course of 2007, more than 15 000 wines from around the world were rated in blind tastings. More than 3500 rated 90 points or higher. ‘We then narrowed the list down based on four criteria: quality (represented by score); value (reflected by release price); availability (measured by case production or cases imported); and an X-factor we call excitement. But no equation determines the final selections: These choices reflect our editors' judgment and enthusiasm about the wines we tasted.’
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