Fleur du Cap Essence du Cap Sauvignon Blanc 2020
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Wilfred
Wong
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Fleur de Cap Essence de Cap Sauvignon Blanc is precise and attractive. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers appealing aromas and flavors of earth, forest, and dried herbs. Enjoy it with simple shellfish dishes. (Tasted; June 12, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
One of South Africa's premier and best-known labels, Fleur du Cap, is a member of the Distell group. The Fleur du Cap wines are made from grapes meticulously selected from superior vineyard blocks in the Cape Coastal region and are made in a contemporary style which captures and reflects the highly sought-after qualities of varietal character and terroir.
Leading the way, this new generation of wines is crafted in compliance with universal guidelines to ensure environmentally friendly winemaking practices. Winemaker Andrea Freeborough strives to make well-versed wines that reflect minimal intervention in the cellar. Great skill, unwavering dedication and participative team work lies behind the success of the Fleur du Cap wines. Making wine "the way Mother Nature intended" requires greater care from the winemaking team as each step of the intricate winemaking process has to be gently and sensitively handled to produce wines that express their terroir and varietal character.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.