EIGHT WINES from Sauvignon Blanc, with Eight Rows in the Hall of Fame, four Sauvignons in the SA Wine Classification, three in the Top 20 and two in the Top 10. Diemersdal Estate of Durbanville is not the only leading Sauvignon producer in South Africa, but no other winery comes close as regards their success as a specialist with so many versions of this variety, and the accolades keep rolling in …

Just before the end of the 2018 harvest at Diemersdal came the news that Thys Louw and his team had won two more gold medals for their Eight Rows and MM Louw, this time for the 2017 and 2016 vintages respectively at the international Concours Mondial du Sauvignon in Austria:

Diemersdal Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Still made with grapes from the eight rows of vines from which the proprietor made his first wine on the farm. Dryland farming. Night harvesting. Five months on the lees. Unfiltered.
Alc 13.1, R/S 2.5, TA 6.8, pH 3.25.
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: intense, concentrated aromas that follow through on the palate; core of minerality with flinty elegance on the nose; rounded mouthfeel with nectarine and kiwi fruit.

Diemersdal MM Louw Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Skin contact for 24 hours. Fermented in second-fill 500-litre French oak barrels. Eight months on the lees. Unfiltered.
Alc 13.1, R/S 2.1, TA 6.0, pH 3.38.
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: full, rich mouthfeel and long finish; fynbos, asparagus and tropical fruit flavours underpinned by core of minerality; complex.

The full range of Diemersdal wines made solely from this variety as follows, with the prices per bottle ex-cellar:

DRY WHITE

Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc – R145
MM Louw Sauvignon Blanc – R180
Reserve Sauvignon Blanc – R110
Sauvignon Blanc – R70
Wild Horseshoe Sauvignon Blanc – R240
Winter Ferment Sauvignon Blanc – R140

BUBBLY

Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc – R110

DESSERT

Noble Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc – R130

• There’s also a Sauvignon Rosé, made with the help of some Cabernet Sauvignon!