Winemaker Notes
This wine displays a pale straw color with striking brilliance that catches the light. The nose is complex exhibiting attractive notes of black currant leaf and elderflower intermingled with hints of lemon grass and freshly baked brioche. On the palate the wine enters full and rich, reminiscent of the aromas on the nose. The wine has amazing clarity and depth with a zesty persistence.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Director's Reserve White is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc with 30% Sémillon. The nose offers sweet citrus, green apples and white spice aromas with a touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is layered with a soft leesy aspect, as notes of spiced white tea melt into a mineral-laced, citrus finish, concluding with lingering brown baking spices on the aftertaste.
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Wine Spectator
Delivers creamy notes of Key lime pie and baked gooseberry underscored by a rich vein of flinty mineral, with hints of chive blossoms, vanilla and grapefruit pith. Medium-bodied and silky, with lip-smacking acidity refreshing the finish. Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now through 2026. 300 cases imported.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.