Sauvignon Season gives cause to contemplate variety champions

WHEN you consider South Africa’s best Sauvignon Blanc, Durbanville has punched above its weight division for as long as most can remember. There are only a dozen or so cellars along the wine route, including the Graaffs’ De Grendel estate above the Plattekloof Road in Panorama on the other side of the Tygerberg relative to fellow members of the association. Yet they are well represented among the leading Sauvignon producers in the Cape, and many have wines that qualify for the SA Sauvignon Classification. So successful with Sauvignon Blanc is this ward of the Cape Town district that that the farms celebrate with a festival every year, and numerous wineries in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and elsewhere source grapes from Durbanville vineyards to make wines for sale under their own labels – something that many customers are oblivious to.

On the basis of consistency, Diemersdal in the northern reaches of the ward and De Grendel to the south-west are two of the country’s Top 10 Sauvignons… It’s the ‘Koetshuis’ that is particularly sought-after from De Grendel, whereas there are numerous expressions from Diemersdal – ‘Winter Ferment’ being the most recent addition, with the ‘Eight Rows’ and ‘MM Louw’ having built up some pretty impressive track records. Below are Durbanville’s ‘cream of the crop’ in 2017 and 2016, followed by beauties from cellars elsewhere in the winelands – Cape Point, Mulderbosch and Stark-Condé among the particularly praiseworthy in 2017.

Durbanville Sauvignon Blanc Stars

• D’Aria The Following 2015 and The Songbird 2016
De Grendel Koetshuis 2016 & 2017 as well as De Grendel 2016
Diemersdal Eight Rows 2017, MM Louw 2016, Reserve 2017 and Winter Ferment 2017
Durbanville Hills 2016 & 2017 as well as Durbanville Hills Rhinofields 2017
Groot Phesantekraal 2017
Klein Roosboom Jean 2016
Maastricht 2017
Nitida Golden Orb 2015 and Wild Child 2016

Also Top Sauvignons in 2017, 2016

Aaldering 2016 – Devon Valley Cellar, Stellenbosch
Bellingham 2016 & 2017 – Franschhoek Cellar
Boschendal De Werf 2016, Elgin 2016 – Franschhoek Cellar
Cape Point 2016 & 2017, Reserve 2015 – Noordhoek Cellar
Cederberg 2017
Darling Cellars Reserve Bush Vine 2017
Delaire Graff Coastal Cuvée 2015 – Helshoogte, Stellenbosch
Eagles’ Nest 2016 – Constantia Cellar
Eikendal 2016 – Helderberg Cellar, Stellenbosch
Ernie Els 2016 – Helderberg Cellar, Stellenbosch
Fairview 2017 – Paarl Cellar
Fish Hoek 2016 (Accolade) – Somerset West Cellar
Flagstone Free Run Reserve 2015 – Somerset West Cellar
Franschhoek Cellar Statue de Femme 2016
Ghost Corner 2016, Wild Ferment 2016 – Cederberg Cellar
Highlands Road 2015 – Elgin Cellar
Jordan The Outlier 2016 – Stellenbosch Kloof Cellar
Kings Kloof 2016 – Somerset West Cellar
Klein Constantia Block 361 & 372 2015, Perdeblokke 2016
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sur Lie 2016 & 2017 – Stellenbosch Cellar
KWV Cathedral Cellar 2016, The Mentors 2015 (Darling) – Paarl Cellar
La Motte Pierneef 2016 – Franschhoek Cellar
La Vierge Original Sin 2016 – Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge Cellar
Lord’s 2017 – McGregor Cellar
Marianne 2016 – Simonsberg-Paarl Cellar
Mulderbosch 1000 Miles 2015 – Polkadraai Hills Cellar, Stellenbosch
Nederburg Two Centuries 2016 – Paarl Cellar
Neil Ellis Amica 2015 & 2016 – Stellenbosch Cellar
Paul Cluver 2016 – Elgin Cellar
Rietvallei 2017 – Robertson Cellar
Rivendell 2015 – Bot River Cellar
Rustenberg Stellenbosch 2016 2017 – Simonsberg-Stellenbosch Cellar
South Hill 2016 – Elgin Cellar
Spier 21 Gables 2016 – Stellenbosch Cellar
Stark-Condé Round Mountain 2016 – Jonkershoek Cellar, Stellenbosch
Steenberg The Black Swan 2016 – Tokai Cellar, Constantia Wine Route
Stellenbosch Hills 2017
Stellenbosch Vineyards 2017
Stellenrust 2017 – Helderberg Cellar, Stellenbosch
Strandveld Pofadderbos Single Vineyard 2016 – Elim Cellar, Cape Agulhas
TSW 2017 (Trizanne) – Kommetjie/Noordhoek Producer
Uva Mira Sing-a-Wing 2016 – Helderberg Cellar, Stellenbosch
Vrede en Lust Artisan Blanc Fumé 2016 – Simonsberg-Paarl Cellar
Zevenwacht 2016 – Kuils River Cellar, Stellenbosch

For the prices and more regarding SA Sauvignon Blancs highly rated during the past two years, see here.

 

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