Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc

This wine is an extraordinary accompaniment to fine cuisine with Cape Town's top chefs choosing to pair it with dishes such as Scallops with a Salsa Verde and Asian-fusion dishes.

The grapes come from 50% Lismore’s Greyton vineyards which are planted on East/Southeast facing slopes at 320 metres in the foothills of the Sonderend Mountain Range. The soils are deep decomposed shale. The other 50% comes from a vineyard in Stanford which overlooks Walker Bay on sandstone soils. Both vineyards have a generally low mean February temperature, leading to an extended ripening period that can put harvest 3-4 weeks later than traditional wine growing regions in South Africa. Sauvignon Blanc is a variety that expresses a very distinct and specific sense of place or "terroir". The distinct minerality of this Sauvignon Blanc is a clear indication of the cool climate in which it is grown.

In both the barrels and the eggs, extended less contact contribute further to the rounder mouth feel and creaminess of this elegantly textured wine.

The wine is approached and made in an “oxidative" style. Older 500 litre barrels were used for 70% of the fermentation and maturation bringing forward richness, intense fruit and complexity. 30% of the wine is fermented and aged in 1500 litre concrete egg tanks to enhance the rich palate texture and minerality.

Tucked into the foothills of a dramatic mountain range at the bottom of Africa is Lismore Estate Vineyards. Californian Samantha O'Keefe has found paradise and the perfect terroir. Her passion combined with vines planted at 300 meters chilled by the winter snow and nourished by the African summer sun produce classic cool climate wines which are rich complex and lovingly hand crafted.