Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon - Top Single Vineyard Wine
Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate is a low yield farm, situated in the Western Cape winelands near Hermanus, South Africa. Our team is focused on making premium 100% estate grown, produced and bottled wines. Our winery is the largest wine producer in the cool-climate Walker Bay region.
As such, we are delighted to see Benguela Cove’s Catalina Semillon 2019 awarded as the National Winner and Best Class at the Novare South African Terroir Awards 2022. Benguela Cove Wine Estate also earned the trophy for Top Single Vineyard Wine.
About the Novare South African Terroir Awards
The terroir awards are focused on rewarding the origin story of South African fine wines.
The great wines that portray the inimitability of South Africa’s diverse “terroir”, the French and international term for specific wine growing terrains, are highlighted at the South African Terroir Wine Awards.
In this annual wine event, the Cape winelands’ numerous first-rate wine areas are showcased and only wines certified as single-vineyard wines, estate-produced, or wine from a ward or district not divided into more than one ward, may participate.
Judging is performed by a panel of experts who are regularly exposed to all the wines from our districts.
The experienced panel judges all the wines blind to test quality and then rank entrants where the National winners are selected in each class. In a final round all the National winners are tasted to award the Top Wine of the show. Five trophies were awarded: Top Estate wine, Top Producer, Top Single Vineyard Wine, Top Area and Top Wine.
“The Terroir Wine Awards are indicative of our country’s ability to compete with the best. This shared ‘can do’ philosophy of achieving success at the highest level is what connects Novare Equity Partners with the awards.”- Derrick Roper
Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon, Timeless & Romantic; made to be remembered
Following the success of the 2017 and 2018 vintages, the recently released Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon 2019 is continuing to take flight.
Made from a single 0.9 -hectare, South-East facing vineyard located at the very edge of the Atlantic Ocean, this wine celebrates exceptional quality while honouring the history of the land on which Benguela Cove is built. It is named after the long-lived Catalina War Planes, operated by the Royal Air Force during World War II, from the lagoon where the winery stands today.
When the Allied Forces sailed past the Cape of Storms, up to three Catalinas operated from the lagoon, whose tranquil waters are protected from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandbar. Of the fourteen RAF men stationed at the base, three returned to South Africa after the war to marry their local sweethearts.
As abiding as its namesake, this Semillon has an ethereal quality with incredible ageing potential that evokes a sense of nostalgia. It was made to be remembered.
The Benguela Cove Catalina 2019 soared to new heights at the Michelangelo Trophy Awards, being the Multi-Colour Corporation Top Scoring Wine, Grand Prix Winner, with an impressive 98.75/100. It also grabbed the attention of Master of Wine, Tim Atkin, in his South African Special Report 2021, receiving 94 points.
Spending another year in the bottle, patience has been rewarded with further maturation adding bouquet, depth and complexity. At the Novare SA Terroir Awards 2022, Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon received the coveted Top Single Vineyard Wine trophy, as well as being named the National Winner and Best in Class.
Produced in limited quantities from a single vineyard, Benguela Cove’s Catalina Semillon is almost all sold out on allocation day. We have however kept a few three-bottle allocations aside for visitors to the Benguela Cove winery, our wine club members and the connoisseur seeking an exquisite collectable. Aging potential: up to 12 years from vintage. Contact our wine team to add your name to the Catalina Allocation list for 2020.
Consistently Pursuing Excellence at Benguela Cove Wine Estate
Competing against the great local wineries in the Walker Bay Wine Region, eight other Benguela Cove wines won Best in the Area, at this year’s Terroir Awards;
Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Benguela Cove Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Best Chardonnay: Benguela Cove Estate Chardonnay (wooded) 2021
Best Noble Late Harvest: Benguela Cove Noble Late Harvest 2020
Best Petit Verdot: Benguela Cove Vinography Petit Verdot 2020
Best Pinot Noir: Benguela Cove Estate Pinot Noir 2020
Best Red Blend: Benguela Cove Estate Collage 2019
Best Sauvignon Blanc: Benguela Cove Sauvignon Blanc (wooded) 2021
Best Shiraz: Benguela Cove Estate Syrah 2020
