The Bilton sets new benchmark for quality in SA wine

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A new South African wine from premier Stellenbosch estate Bilton is set to re-define perceptions of quality and has already garnered international attention for its outstanding balance and style.

The Bilton, a cabernet sauvignon, was unveiled at the estate last week, along with the equally show-stopping Viognier 2008.

Only 500 bottles of The Bilton are available for purchase and only from the estate. Each bottle is individually numbered and coded using the latest hi-tech security, called the proof tag and Bilton Wines is the first in South Africa to use this technology.

Situated at the foot of the Helderberg Mountain, Bilton’s vineyards are nourished by abundant sunlight, rich soils and cool sea breezes that ensure ideal conditions for grapes to ripen slowly and develop in flavour. The new wines are excellent examples of this remarkable terroir.

The launch of The Bilton was a moment of immense satisfaction for winemaker Rudi de Wet and legendary consultant winemaker Giorgio Dalla Cia, who have worked together since 2000.

“The Bilton is a unique wine and one we believe sets a benchmark available only among Europe’s finest,” says Bilton general manager Johann Diedericks. “It is testament of our philosophy as a premier wine estate to set the bar on quality at its highest.”

Rudi - who worked in wine regions across the world before stints at leading estates in France and Italy, and South African estates Meerlust and Webersburg - says he never quite believed the desired style was achievable until a visit to France showed him otherwise. “I realised after actually seeing and tasting those wines that at Bilton we share the same philosophy and, while they may have different terroir and sunlight, we’re not that far off at all in terms of style.”
The Bilton comprises of cabernet sauvignon grapes handpicked from some of the oldest vines on the property that enjoy plenty of the Cape’s nurturing sunlight. It spent 34 months ageing in 100% French oak barrels and 500% in new oak, which is also unheard of for South African wines. The result is a monumental dark and aromatic wine that will continue to mature to well over 80 years under ideal cellar conditions.

Like The Bilton, the newly released Viognier 2008 stands proudly as a flag bearer for quality and the estate’s reputation as producer of distinctive wines. Grapes for the Viognier were sourced from an individual block. Berries were hand selected before undergoing fermentation on the skins – a rarely used technique for white wine in South Africa and one that Rudi says took him almost a decade of trial and error before producing the result he sought. The wine spent 12 months ageing in barrels, 75% in oak and 25% in Acacia.

“It's an affirmation of what we are trying to achieve - to produce the best quality wines comparable to the best in the world,” said Johann.

Ensuring this quality for Bilton’s wine customers around the world a unique and tamper-proof security tag called the “bubble tag” is attached to the neck of each bottle of wine produce in the estate’s cellar and private collection. This digital fingerprint prevents counterfeiting and allows the owner of the bottle to check its authenticity online. Each tag carries a code that, when scanned with a smart phone provides access to Bilton’s website and specific information, including tasting notes, on that wine. The technology was developed by a French company called Prooftag and recently taken up by leading French wine estates including Chateau Margaux and Chateau Latour as a way of protecting their iconic brands.