KWV has come a long way since 2006 and the release of the very first KWV Mentors wines. From modest beginning KWV has expanded the range from three to ten wines with the new vintage releases in May 2013, establishing the KWV The Mentors brand as one of exceptional quality and integrity.

“The release of the latest vintages is, in our view, the best range of wines yet to appear under the The Mentors label, displaying an expression of greater fruit purity, better structure and a noticeable stylistic evolution,” says Johann Fourie, chief winemaker.

Red wines from 2011 include a Shiraz, Pinotage, Petit Verdot, The Canvas (a shiraz based blend) and The Orchestra (a cabernet sauvignon based blend). The white wines from the 2012 harvest comprise a Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay and two Sauvignon Blancs.

“The KWV The Mentors range allows our team to express winemaking excellence and the pure expression of some very exceptional vineyards. Our goal is to pay total respect to terroir. To provide the necessary diversity, we source fruit from throughout the Western Cape, focusing on vineyards which produce outstanding quality and reflect regionality,” Fourie adds.

Among the new offerings are The Mentors Shiraz 2011, recently awarded a Grand Gold Medal at the Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles International Wine Championship and a Gold Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London. The 2011 harvest, which reflected a quality red varietal year, highlights fruit concentration, soft tannins with good structure and intense flavor, and while particularly evident in the Shiraz, it is clearly evident in the other red varietals in the range as well.

Included in the new releases are two origin-specific Sauvignon Blancs from 2012, the fruit hailing from Darling and Stellenbosch respectively. The “Darling” Sauvignon Blanc is bursting with fruit flavor, while the “Stellenbosch” wine displays more restraint and minerality.

“With the 2012 harvest season being one of the best for whites since 2009, we are particularly pleased to release The Mentors Chenin Blanc 2012. The last chenin blanc to be released under this label was in 2008. This wine is a great example of South African chenin, displaying typical tropical fruit, guava with underlying lime and minerality complemented by raw almonds and subtle integrated oak.

“In the years since the inception of our premium The Mentors wines, the range has had a global reach, with local and international awards stacking up. It has attracted an ever-increasing following. With limited allocation, The Mentors wines have become sought-after worldwide.”

The new vintages were launched to groups of very privileged wine writers at the KWV Sensorium in Paarl and at The Palazzo, MonteCasino, in Johannesburg. These two stunning events featured a unique high tea setting, pairing the new releases with both savoury and sweet accompaniments, showing off their great versatility as wines both for enjoyment on their own and paired with food.

The new KWV The Mentors vintages will be available at selected retail outlets and will retail for approximately R180 for the whites and R250 for the reds.

Source: Planet Wine