Sandstone Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Case
R2184,00
A full-bodied, elegant, and beautifully balanced wine. Floral notes of passionflower, honeysuckle, and soft vanilla combine with yellow stonefruit and pear on the palate along with an underlying minerality, imparting its signature style. A rounded mouthfeel and creaminess with a textured finish. A true expression of this unique terroir.
100% Sauvignon Blanc
W.O. Elgin
Elgin Vintners, established in 2003, farms 45 hectares of vineyards in the cool-climate Elgin Valley. Our main cultivars are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, though we also have Merlot and Syrah. We practise sustainability across our business, in the vineyards, and among our people. As a result, our wines consistently receive high-profile, globally renowned accolades and outstanding reviews from respected wine critics. Elgin Vintners crafts wines of exceptional poise, finesse, and elegance.
Elgin is South Africa’s coolest wine region. Cooler climates keep grape clusters connected to their roots for longer. Consequently, they develop more characteristics and achieve physiological ripeness more gradually, with lower sugar levels and, therefore, lower alcohols. The resultant wines leave one with an impression of delicacy, but also power and insistence over warmer-climate examples, which show bolder but less persistent flavours. Elgin vineyards sit at 305 m, the fourth highest in South Africa. The cold Atlantic lies close, profoundly influencing day/night temperatures and prevailing south-easterly winds. When these winds arrive, the South-Easter brings a cooling respite to the vineyards but also drives extensive cloud cover that the mountains trap over the region. Therefore, sunlight is blocked, temperatures drop, and grape ripening slows. About four or five times yearly, the wind is strong enough and the clouds thick enough to enable precipitation known locally as a Black South-Easter. During these events, substantial rainfall can fall throughout the day. Conversely, on calmer, warmer days, cool coastal breezes move in from the sea as warm air over the land rises. As a result, temperatures drop quickly in the afternoon and into the night, helping maintain acid levels in the grapes. Consequently, the grapes remain on the vine longer, extending the ripening period and resulting in natural balance and complex, powerful flavours.
We frequently tuck growing shoots between the wires. In addition, vineyard crews sucker twice during the growing season, in early November and January. As a result, this Sauvignon Blanc vineyard develops a large canopy that allows dappled sunlight into the bunch zones, preserving the grape-derived aroma precursors. Two clones 316 and 317 were used for this wine.
We naturally ferment this Sauvignon Blanc in 500 L French oak barrels and give it extended lees contact. To deliver complexity, finesse, and elegance—true to this unique cool-climate terroir. We craft it in an oxidative style in 500 L French oak barrels to add richness and additional complexity. The wine was given extended lees contact with occasional bâtonnage, contributing further to the rounder mouthfeel and creaminess. The wine was aged for nine months. The bracing acidity that is customary in New World Sauvignon Blancs and Elgin Valley has been brought into balance. Moreover, carefully chosen pick date and the barrel fermentation, creates a full-bodied, balanced wine.
Enjoy it with lemon-herbed chicken, grilled fish with mango salsa, Caprese salad (mozzarella, ripe heirloom tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh basil), mushroom and goat’s cheese tart, or seafood pasta.
Concours Mondial du Sauvignon: Gold award
Alcohol: 13.5% Residual Sugar: 1.3 Total Acid: 7.2 pH: 3.18
