The month of June marked the final De Toren Blend Tastings of the phenomenal and already renowned 2017 vintage. These De Toren Z 2017 and De Toren Fusion V 2017 vintage blend tastings were preceded by months of meticulous crafting and conscientious tweaking to ensure the best possible vintage blend for each of these iconic wines. This year the annual Blend Tastings, under the respected leadership of our Winemaker, Charles Williams, as well as Managing Director, Albie Koch & our Proprietor, Emil den Dulk, were conducted in the most prodigious venues. These included the famed Short Market Club Restaurant (Cape Town, SA), Indochine Restaurant (Stellenbosch, SA), Signature Restaurant (Johannesburg, SA), Black Bamboo Restaurant (Pretoria, SA) and even Roomers Hotel, Izakaya Restaurant (Munich, Germany)!
Following three rounds of tastings for each wine, we are thus thrilled to share with you the concluding results for both De Toren Z 2017, our Right Bank Bordeaux-style blend and De Toren Fusion V 2017, our Left Bank Bordeaux-style blend.
De Toren Z 2017
The winning De Toren Z 2017 blend scored remarkably well in all three rounds of the Blend Tastings, with a stellar 7 more points than the rest of the top 3 blends.
The official varietal breakdown of De Toren Z 2017 vintage:
- Merlot 47%
- Cabernet Franc 14%
- Cabernet Sauvignon 19%
- Malbec 13%
- Petit Verdot 7%
De Toren Fusion V 2017
The selected blend for the De Toren Fusion V 2017 scored exceptionally well in all rounds of the Blend Tastings and stood out from the overall blend line-up with 8 more points.
The official varietal breakdown of De Toren Fusion V 2017 vintage:
- Cabernet Sauvignon 52%
- Malbec 15%
- Merlot 16%
- Cabernet Franc 12%
- Petit Verdot 5%
This process and the annual involvement of about 60 De Toren loyalists, each one specially selected and personally invited by De Toren, is fundamental in defining the most remarkable vintage blend for these two Bordeaux-style wines. The valuable input and feedback from these esteemed clients, both local and international, ranging from trade to private clients, sommeliers and wine critics, are immeasurable and truly appreciated. We are quite happy to patiently wait for this superb 2017 vintage’s release towards the end of 2019, but for now the 12-month barrel maturation process needs to be concluded, followed by another 9 months’ ageing in bottle…
You too can now register to be considered as one of the exclusive guests to possibly attend future Blend Tastings. In order to apply, send us an email with your name, surname & country to info@de-toren.com. We will then notify you of future tastings, the process and terms & conditions, soonest.
