Sauvignon Blanc

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

Fruit from a dry land farmed 14-year-old vineyard in Groenekloof 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 2023 Sauvignon Blanc harvest from Groenekloof, Darling, was defined by cool- climate conditions, resulting in exceptional quality, lower yields, and vibrant aromatic profiles. Despite an overall dry growing season, the region benefited from cool Atlantic Ocean breezes, which created a long, slow ripening period that favoured flavour development. The 2023 Groenekloof Sauvignon Blanc is noted for its elegance, bright acidity and fruit concentration, a great textured mouthfeel and excellent ageing potential.

Matured in large format French Oak, 10% new, rest 2nd – 3rd fill barrels. The wine spent 11 months on gross lees prior to bottling.

Harvested early morning. Crushed and destemmed with 5 hrs skin contact. 60 % Stainless steel fermentation and 40 % fermented.

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.