We grow four hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, planted on one of the farm's highest-elevation sites. The vineyard looks out over the Franschhoek Valley with awesome views of the town of Paarl and the Drakenstein mountains. We don headlamps to pick fruit in the cool morning hours and bring it to the cellar in shallow lug boxes designed to prevent the fruit from getting smushed on the ride down.
Duplex soils with high clay content are perfect for the clone planted here which tends to produce a racy, steely, and structured wine. We usually choose to blend our estate production with a non-estate component to add subtle tropical characters and complexity. In 2010 we sourced grapes from a longtime friend in the Bottelary foothills of Stellenbosch and the end product therefore carries the broader Coastal Region appellation.
Sauvignon Blanc is all about retaining the light, refreshing, and ultimately elusive flavours contained in the skins. We aim for a light extraction before pressing, taking the unusual step of shrink wrapping our four ton press to keep the juice on the skins for a few extra minutes before going to tank. In 2010 we created a wine with crisp minerality and notes of green fig, passion fruit, and gooseberries. The wine has a tight structure, refined balance between fruit and acidity, and an elegant finish.
