Months of meticulous crafting and duteous tweaking were invested to ensure the best possible 2018 vintage blend for each of our iconic wines, De Toren Z and De Toren Fusion V. This year our annual Blend Tastings, under the respected leadership of our Cellar Master, Charles Williams and our Winemaker, Martin Fourie, were conducted at some of South Africa’s most formidable venues. Amongst these, was the famed 12 Apostles Hotel in Cape Town and the esteemed Eike by Bertus Basson Restaurant in Stellenbosch.
Following three rounds of tastings for each wine, we are excited to share with you the concluding results for both De Toren Z 2018, our iconic Right Bank Bordeaux-style blend and De Toren Fusion V 2018, our renowned Left Bank Bordeaux-style blend.
De Toren Z 2018
The winning De Toren Z 2018 blend scored exceptionally well in all three rounds of the blend tastings, with an average score of 18% higher than the rest of the top 3 blends.
The official varietal breakdown of De Toren Z 2018 vintage:
- Merlot: 54%
- Cabernet Franc: 16.4%
- Cabernet Sauvignon: 12.4%
- Malbec: 12.2%
- Petit Verdot: 5.1%
De Toren Fusion V 2018
The selected blend for the De Toren Fusion V 2018 scored exceptionally well in all rounds of the Blend Tastings and stood out quite remarkably from the overall blend line-up.
The official varietal breakdown of De Toren Fusion V 2018 vintage:
- Cabernet Sauvignon: 50.7%
- Malbec: 16.1%
- Merlot: 12.9%
- Cabernet Franc: 15.2%
- Petit Verdot: 5.1%
This process and the annual involvement of our loyal De Toren clients, 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, inclusive of trade and private clientele, sommeliers, wine critics, connoisseurs and judges, are immeasurable and truly appreciated.
With this said, we still have to be patient and await the release of the superb 2018 vintage towards the end of 2020. For now, the 12-month barrel maturation process first needs to be concluded, followed by another 9 months’ ageing in bottle…
You too can now register to possibly attend future blend tastings, as one of the exclusively invited guests. You are welcome to send us an email with your name, surname & country to info@de-toren.com to register for this. We will then notify you of future tastings, the process and terms & conditions, soonest.
