{"id":292,"date":"2012-09-26T10:17:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-26T08:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfi-global-staging.com\/topwineold\/build\/?p=292"},"modified":"2021-01-25T17:58:54","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T15:58:54","slug":"bellingham-bernard-series-chenin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfi-global-staging.com\/topwineold\/2012\/09\/bellingham-bernard-series-chenin\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine great Chenin vintages in a row! Who needs a home!"},"content":{"rendered":"
THERE ISN'T A CELLAR DOOR on the Cape\u2019s wine routes where you can head to for a tasting of The Bernard Series under the Bellingham label. There isn't a manor house to marvel at or a restaurant to wine and dine in, and the reds and whites in the Series are made using grapes sourced from various areas of the winelands. In fact, the homestead in Franschhoek where former Bellingham estate owner Bernard Podlashuk once lived has long been closed to anybody not staying in the guest cottages or organising a wedding perhaps, and the Douglas Green Bellingham (DGB) winery in Wellington is no tourist attraction.<\/span><\/div>\n

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But hey, the wines are great! And <\/span>The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc<\/span><\/b>, in particular, has been delivering the goods for a couple of generations now:<\/span><\/span>

<\/span><\/span>THE 2003 TO 2009<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/span>were all highly rated in the late SA Wine Magazine, with the \u201904 earning a double gold medal at the Veritas Awards (SA) and a trophy at the Decanter Awards (UK), and with the \u201907 collecting a trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London at a time when the brand was undergoing a name change from The Maverick to The Bernard<\/span><\/span>

<\/span><\/span>THE 2010<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/span>VINTAGE<\/span><\/b><\/span> <\/span><\/span>won a gold medal at Mondial in Europe, another at the Five Nations Challenge in Australia, and got the nod in the Top 100 SA Wine Challenge<\/span><\/span>

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THE 2011 VINTAGE<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/span>was highly rated at the International Wine Challenge in London and, just this month, won a gold medal at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards of South Africa<\/span><\/span>

<\/span><\/span>The 2011 is made from grapes sourced in Paarl, Durbanville and the Bottelary ward of Stellenbosch, with the bush vines 43-years-old on average. Production involved 12 months maturation in French oak barrels (50% new, 50% second-fill), and, with a price-tag of around R130 a bottle (approximate retail price), it\u2019s a golden wine described as having \u201ctropical fruit aromas layered with oatmeal, wheat and honey whiffs… concentrated fruit flavours… subtle, spicy oak complexity… tremendous length\u201d.<\/span>

<\/span>Of the other wines in this remarkable Bernard Series, the <\/span>Bush Vine Pinotage 2010<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/span>(\u00b1R170pb) has done particularly well at competition level in 2012: silver medal at the Classic Wine Trophy awards (SA), gold medal at Mondial and a trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London.<\/span><\/span>

<\/span><\/span>The grapes came from vines in the Darling and Bottelary areas that are over 20 years old (some turning 40). According to winemaker Niel Groenewald, it\u2019s an outspoken Pinotage with lavish ripe black berries, cherries, smoked meats, hints of truffle, a subtle brush of French oak and a savoury finish. \u201dIt\u2019s packed with personality,\u201d and with the power to develop and get even better over the next five to 10 years.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For reviews of other wines in The Bernard Series during the past couple of years,<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/span>click here<\/b>.<\/span><\/i><\/span>

<\/span><\/i>For information about the tasting panels,<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/span>click here<\/b>.<\/span><\/i><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THERE ISN’T A CELLAR DOOR on the Cape\u2019s wine routes where you can head to for a tasting of The Bernard Series under the Bellingham label. There isn’t a manor house to marvel at or a restaurant to wine and dine in, and the reds and whites in the Series are made using grapes sourced from various areas of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1902,1825],"tags":[1008,1009,1010,1011,855,961,1012,1013,1014,1015,1016,1017,1018],"class_list":["post-292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1902","category-wine-ratings","tag-bellingham","tag-bernard-series","tag-bush-vine-pinotage","tag-decanter","tag-dgb","tag-five-nations","tag-international-wine-challenge","tag-maverick","tag-michelangelo","tag-mondial","tag-old-vine-chenin","tag-top-100","tag-wine-magazine"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t