Flushed with success! Haute Cabrière shares their incredible ratings in the 2023 Tim Atkin South Africa Special Report.
If wine scores were cards in a high-stakes game, this would be the poker equivalent of a flush.
The stakes don’t get any higher than in the annual release of Tim Atkin’s South Africa Special Report each September. Renowned Master of Wine, Tim Atkin, has become one of the most highly regarded in South Africa with his annual report eagerly anticipated – sometimes with trepidation, to see precisely which wines have received much coveted 90+ scores.
We are immensely proud that in the 2023 Tim Atkin South Africa Special Report, Haute Cabrièrereceived outstanding scores ranging from 90 to 95 for several of our wines! Of the seven wines from our three ranges that achieved these high ratings, the highest honour went to our Haute Collection Amphora Chardonnay 2022, which proudly earned a remarkable score of 95 out of 100. This is a significant milestone for Haute Cabrière, as it’s the first of our wines to attain this sought-after achievement.
As for Tim Atkin MW, he’s a highly esteemed figure in the wine world, known for his comprehensive knowledge and critical assessments of wine-producing areas globally. This year marks the 11th edition of his South African report, where he sampled an impressive 2 205 wines from 419 wineries. In the 2022 edition, six of our wines achieved 90+ scores, with four of them being Chardonnays. In this latest release, we’re thrilled to announce that seven of our wines earned 90+ scores, again with four of them being Chardonnays.
In the 2023 Report, our Old Vine Project Certified Chardonnays, unique to the Franschhoek Valley, led the way with the highest ratings. The 2022 vintage of our Haute Collection Amphora Chardonnay took the top spot with an impressive 95 points, while the same vintage of our Haute Collection Chardonnay received a score of 94. These Chardonnays, from old vines planted in 1983, differed in maturation methods, with the former aged in 450-litre terracotta amphora and the latter in a combination of oak barrels and amphora.
Two more wines from the 2022 vintage earned 93 points: our Haute Collection Pinot Noir, prized for its terroir characteristics, and our Haute Collection Amphora Semillon, a grape that continues to contribute to Franschhoek’s wine reputation.
Founded 40 years ago as a specialist Cap Classique producer, Haute Cabrière’s current cellar master, Tim Hoek, is delighted that our 2018 Pierre Jourdan Blanc de Blancs was awarded 92 points. This 100% Chardonnay Cap Classique is a bottle-fermented sparkling wine that spent five years on the lees.
Adding to our success, the newest addition to the Haute Cabrière Reserve range, the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Réserve, achieved 91 points for the 2022 vintage, while the 2020 Haute Cabrière Arnim Family Réserve, an unusual Syrah – Pinot Noir blend, completed our poker-type flush with an impressive 90 points.