Best private bins for 2012 auction

Razvan Macici and Gunter Brozel

The accent on this year's line-up, he says, is on Nederburg's age worthy dessert wines, ranging from the 1977 Edelkeur that was awarded Top Ten status at the 2007 International Botrytis Type Wine and Sweet Competition in Budapest, to Edelkeurs from 1979, 1998, 2004 and 2007. The winery's other high-profile sweet wine, Eminence is also well represented with three vintages: the 1991, 1998 and 2001. There are also several single-cultivar noble late harvest wines on offer, two Weisser Rieslings (2001 and 2004), two Semillons (2000 and 2002), as well as a Gewürztraminer (2010).

Macici is very excited about the whites on offer. "We are particularly proud of the whites selected. They are ageing extremely well and are in top shape. We have the 2006 and 2010 vintages of the single-vineyard D234 Sauvignon Blanc made from a dryland block in the Groenekloof near Darling, showing powerful grassy and herbaceous notes but beautifully balanced and generous on the palate. The D253 Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay is a 2005 wine and is still bright and youthful with cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc characters that combine with Chardonnay from Durbanville, fermented in new French oak."

He also highlights the D266, an unwooded Semillon from the 2009 vintage, which he describes as the ideal wine list offering as it complements so many different styles of cuisine from Asian to Mediterranean, and the 2009 D270 Chardonnay, displaying both freshness and length.

The reds are the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, a Shiraz, a Merlot and a Petit Verdot, as well as more recent iterations. There are also two red blends from 2000, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and a Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon. "All show a lovely vivacity coupled with excellent integration between fruit and wood."

For more information, go to www.nederburgauction.co.za.