Great 'golden oldies' head for the block

The oldest amongst them is a sumptuous 60-year-old port from Monis, still in fine fettle with a reserve price of R2 500 for a case of six 750ml bottles. The second port is a 1964 vintage from Nederburg. The only one ever produced by winemaking luminary Günter Brozel, it is made entirely from Shiraz, which lends a delicious note of spice to its silky richness. Once again, there are just six 750ml bottles, with a reserve price of R2 500. Adding to the allure is the fact that they are individually numbered and topped in wax.

Also on offer are 10 six-bottle cases of Overgaauw's 1988 Port, with a reserve price of R900 a case. A blend of five Portuguese varietals - Tinta Barocca, Tina Franasca, Tinta Roriz, Sau São and Cornife Sto, its plum and mulberry fruits are still vibrant on the palate, ending in a delectable almond and prune finish.

No auction would be complete without a few museum vintages of Chateau Libertas, fondly regarded as South Africa's grandfather of red blends. There are three bottles of the 1964 (reserve R3 000) and six bottles of the 1968 (reserve R2 500). These are extremely rare and deserve a special place in the collection of the serious oenophile.

The same can be said for the four vintages of Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon, also from the 1960s. There are just three bottles each of the 1964 and 1965 (reserve R3 000 in each instance), and six bottles each of the 1967 and 1968 (both with a reserve of R2 500).

Last year, as a tribute to Günter, Nederburg's present cellarmaster, Razvan Macici, entered the 1977 Edelkeur in the International Botrytis Type Wine and Sweet Competition in Budapest, where it was the only South African and only New World wine to be awarded Top Ten status. Competing with famous-name Tokays, Trockenbeerenauslese wines and Sauternes, it was lauded by the judges for its “aroma of fruit, burnt wood, coffee bean (and) smoke”, its “smooth, rich and concentrated” characters and excellent “limpidity, colour and persistence.”

Nederburg will offer two cases of six 375-ml bottles (reserve price R1 500 per case), as well as a 12-bottle case of another gold medalist on the Budapest event, the 1988 Eminence (reserve R1 200), praised by the panel for its rich botrytis character and aromas of “honey, raisin and spice”.

Other golden oldies include five cases of Nederburg's famous 1975 Vintage Cabernet (reserve R1 800 per case) and five 12-bottle cases of the 1979 Edelkeur (reserve R1 200 per case).

For details of these and other wines on auction, visit www.nederburgauction.co.za.