Sauvignon Blanc

Serve with fresh oysters, sushi and lightly spicy Cape Malay cuisine.

Growing up on my family’s sheep farm near Sutherland in the arid Karoo I spent hours exploring the veld with my canine companion. We enjoyed the simple pleasures of farm life and Nature has always been in my blood. With my passion for the outdoors combined with an affinity for Maths and Science I had my sights set on studying medicine and enrolled for a Bachelor of Science degree at Stellenbosch University. It was here that the wine bug bit. After graduating from Stellenbosch University with a BSc and BSc Honours in Wine Biotechnology in 1998 I was appointed as Assistant Winemaker at Kleine Zalze in Stellenbosch in 1999. Completing harvest tenures in Sancerre St Emilion and Beziers France I gained an appreciation for the balance and elegance of the wines of these regions. Following my time at Kleine Zalze I accepted a winemaker position at Graham Beck Wines in 2005. After a brief stint under the mentorship of Charles Hopkins then-Cellar Master at Franschhoek I found myself the sole winemaker in a world class cellar and living my dream. Drawing on my extensive training and rewarding career as a winemaker and marketer with invaluable experience locally and abroad I took a leap of faith and started my own label in 2016.

Fruit from a dry land farmed 24-year-old vineyard in Groenekloof, Darling planted on deep red Hutton soils. This region is particularly well-suited for producing outstanding Sauvignon Blanc. It enjoys a maritime climate and is heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean just a few kilometres to the west. Misty and cool mornings are followed by warmer daytime temperatures and cooling afternoon breezes that bring relief and refreshment to the grapes. This, along with regular ocean fogs, helps to lengthen the ripening season and allows grapes to retain acidity while developing complex fruit flavours. The stronger south-easterly winds restrict the growth of vegetation in the vines and cause them to grow smaller berries with thicker skins. This also contributes to complexity in the resultant wine. The Groenekloof region experienced a better post-harvest period than previous years. The leaves fell around the same time or later than usual and vines were healthy. Sufficient cold units were accumulated during the winter to break dormancy, while rainfall was mostly below average. With spring came favourable conditions, which contributed to a somewhat earlier but even bud- break. The early growing season was especially known for good, homogenous shoot growth. During summer, temperatures were moderate during the ripening period, with the absence of characteristic heat peaks. These conditions particularly bode well for the flavour and acid retention in the grapes. Rainfall during the ripening period brought relief to the vineyards and they ripened slowly with the moderate weather conditions. The Sauvignon Blanc was hand harvested on the morning of 12 February 2020.

Partly wooded; 60 % stainless steel fermentation, 40 % fermented in 500 li French Oak barrels (1st and 2nd fill) and matured for 8 months on gross lees prior to bottling in October 2020.

Harvested early morning, crush and destemmed with 5 hrs skin contact, Reductive treatment.