On the 21st July we at Avondale launched the 2009 vintage of our flagship wine Navitas.
Navitas is a traditional Rhone-style blend of organically grown Syrah, Mourverdre and Grenache varietals. Grapes were hand harvested in the early morning and brought to the cellar where they are hand sorted before the slow unhurried process of natural fermentation took place. The wines are then left to age under the watchful eye of our cellar-master for a long, long while in the finest French oak barrels.
Avondale Proprietor Johnathan Grieve, a pioneer of organic and Biodynamic wine farming in South Africa, commented, “South African wine-lovers will remember 2009 as an outstanding red wine vintage and the 2009 Navitas has all the elements we strive for in our flagship wine; full body, elegance, balance, harmony, good mouthfeel and a long lingering aftertaste. It is truly an Avondale classic and one which we are extremely proud of. This wine expresses the unique luminescence and character of Avondale perfectly.”
The wine is a deep cardinal cerise colour, with a powerful bouquet of stewed berries, cloves, white pepper, violets, garrigue, and cinnamon balanced with soft tannins and a crisp acidity that adds freshness to the wine.
The wine is bottled in Vetreria Etrusca’s lightweight Borg Sorgente model that is produced sustainably and greatly reduces our carbon footprint all along the supply chain.
Each bottle is stylishly presented in a unique gift box that reflects the 12 constellations of the Milky Way and portrays the Biodynamic calendar which guides Avondale’s unique approach to viticulture. The gift box is made of handcrafted, finely textured paper from a sustainable paper mill in Germany, and is completely recyclable.
Grieve explains: “We consciously choose packaging materials that reflect our environmentally-aware approach to farming. We are guided by our belief that a healthy environment is essential to the creation of premium wines. Premium wines are typically packaged in very heavy bottles, which may be up to one kilogram and make for a heavy footprint. We want to change this and set a new, wiser environmental standard for premium wines such as Avondale Navitas 2009.”
The limited release of Avondale Navitas 2009 is now available directly from Avondale Wine Estate through the Avondale Members Club and features on the wine list of our restaurant FABER at Avondale. Please contact us for a list of selected retailers in your area.
We are proud to announce that Avondale Navitas 2009 was recently awarded 90 points on worldwide wine critic, Robert Parker’s rating scale. 90 – 95 points denotes: ‘An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.’
We think you’ll agree, so plan a visit to our beautiful farm and see for yourself.
