Winemaker Notes
The 2022 is a wine that favors origin expressive individuality, minerality and palate complexity ahead of simple, pungent varietal aroma. A significant percentage of fruit from iron and clay-rich soil has added a textural and structural component and additional overall complexity to this wine. The sandstone soils have contributed their typical bright, tensile character and a marked, saline minerality. This is Sauvignon blanc as fine wine, not Sauvignon blanc as simply a varietal expression.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc comes from 27 sites and sees 10% matured in 7th fill neutral oak barrels after four months on the lees. Attractive on the nose with Golden Delicious, pine and light resinous notes. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite taut and lightly spiced; just a faint hint of stem ginger appears towards the finish. Enjoy this over the next seven to eight years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a bright and fresh Sauvignon Blanc that offers a delicate bouquet of citrus herbs. Optimal acidity injects energy into subtle orange zest and green notes. Pair this wine with a chicken and fennel salad.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and focused, offering flavors of pink grapefruit granita, lime zest, pickled ginger and graphite. The well-spiced, salty finish is driven by sleek acidity. Drink now. 14,500 cases made, 6,200 cases imported.
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.