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Edo Heyns reports:
Almost two decades later, as with many other wine producers, Gyles’ search for cool ‘Sauvignon spots’ went to a new level with the acquisition of Thelema’s Elgin-Grabouw property in 2002. Even though Elgin is no longer new news, this is a prime example of how top wineries seem to be seeking out new and unique Sauvignon Blanc terroir treasures ranging from old apple orchards to sheep farms, from George to Vredenburg. This trend was highlighted during a tasting of coastal Sauvignon Blanc presented by De Grendel winemaker and Sauvignon Blanc guru, Charles Hopkins. The selection of wines was tasted blind, and then revealed in geographical order of origin, from east to west, all along the coast covering the Garden Route, Elim, Elgin, Constantia, Durbanville, Darling and the West Coast. The value of land in established Sauvignon Blanc areas such as Constantia and Durbanville is astronomical and the calculated risk of developing uncultivated property, particularly in coastal areas – but also at higher inland pockets – has become the logical and exciting alternative. Although many of these developments were established at the turn of the millennium, the vines have in many cases only now matured, while the maturation potential of some of the wines dating back to 2005 have only recently become apparent. On the other hand, some brand new experimental sites are now being investigated, with thrilling prospects looming in potential gems such as Ceres and Philadelphia. Since 2000, 4548 ha of Sauvignon Blanc has been planted, while 1672 ha or 37% falls under Coastal according to the wine of origin scheme.
Moving south-east towards the sea, Herold Wines – situated on the mountains outside George – planted their first patch of Sauvignon Blanc in 2000 and produced their first vintage in 2005. The 324 ha property was previously planted to 70 ha of hops, with mountainous fynbos and alien vegetation covering the rest of the area. According to viticulturist, Vivien Harpur, 122 ha had been restored to fynbos during the past decade. Harpur explains that the farm’s proximity to the ocean contributes sea breezes and mountain mist until 11 am during summer ripening, while altitude and the mountains surrounding the valley on the farm results in shorter summer days. Similar to the Ceres plantings, early frost and snow are big threats to these vines, while rain all year round, can also lead to rot. Despite this, their 2007 vintage received four stars in the 2008 Platter Guide. No other area has seen as much development since 2000 as the Walker Bay Wine Route, with Sauvignon Blanc being one of the most planted varieties suited to the area’s cooler climate. This area stretches from Elim to Elgin and according to route spokesperson, Cathy du Toit, the number of producers has increased from eight to 75 in eight years, while still growing rapidly. The most southern winegrowing region on the continent, Elim and the Agulhas surrounds, has shown its value through the Cape Winemakers Guild wines originating from these coastal plantings – the Lands End Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2008 by Hidden Valley’s Louis Nel and the Cederberg Private Cellar Semillon 2007 by David Nieuwoudt, being prime examples. Another Elim producer who has been rewarded for the area’s unique Sauvignon Blanc offerings is Strandveld Vineyards. The Strandveld Adamastor 2007, a 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, took the honours as the top white blend at the Terroir awards. Stellenbosch-based producer, Quoin Rock, purchased a farm on the foothills of the Bredasdorp Mountains and started planting Sauvignon Blanc on virgin soils and blocks previously planted to fruit orchards in 1999. Baboons, low nutrients and poor water holding capacity of the soils, were some of the problems encountered in this endeavour, but these setbacks seem to have been well managed with the Nicobar Sauvignon Blanc, made from Agulhas grapes, receiving the trophy for the best wooded Sauvignon Blanc at the Old Mutual Trophy Show.
Another huge development further west, between the Botrivier Lagoon and Hermanus, is Benguela Cove – a 200 ha property consisting of prime residential plots, vineyards, olive orchards, a conservation area and lavender plantings. The first vines were planted in 2004 and a 500 ton cellar has already been designed and should be complete in 2010. The maiden Sauvignon Blanc vintage, produced from vines four kilometers from the sea was released in 2007. Some of the grapes are still sold to other Walker Bay producers during this experimental phase, before the cellar becomes operational. Further west, at the origin of winemaking in South Africa, surrounding suburbs mean limited expansion potential in Constantia, but lesser suited varieties in cooler areas, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, are making way for new Sauvignon Blanc plantings here as well. Steenberg’s John Loubser mentions that this prime estate will almost be doubling its Sauvignon Blanc plantings in the next few years. This also seems to be prevalent in Durbanville where De Grendel is busy with an extensive regrafting project where close to 25 ha of Cabernet Sauvignon will be grafted to Sauvignon Blanc. These Cabernet blocks are next to the well known Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc block which has annually produced some of the most valued wine in the valley and has proven this site to be ideal terroir for Sauvignon Blanc. North of Durbanville, soil and climate analyses have been done in Philadelphia (previously only valued by sheep and wheat producers) and this region has undergone extensive planting of especially Sauvignon Blanc. As with its suburban neighbour, this region benefits from the cooling effect of the Atlantic, but unlike in Durbanville, residential areas don’t limit further plantings. Darling is already established as a Sauvignon area of note, but Distell’s Dirk Bosman values this area as one of the best Sauvignon Blanc hotspots (or rather cool spots) with some of Nederburg’s top performers grown in this area. Bosman also mentions that new sites are being evaluated in the Darling koppe that could even further contribute to this area’s reputation. An ideal partner for crayfish, it almost seems natural that Sauvignon Blanc is also booming on the West Coast, with the Sir Lambert Sauvignon Blanc (made by Diemersdal’s Thys Louw with grapes from Lamberts Bay) and the only wine of origin Bamboesbaai, Fryer’s Cove Sauvignon Blanc, being prime examples. A lesser known fact is the enormous volume of Sauvignon Blanc that is sourced from the West Coast and used in brands that aren’t as blatantly true to their origin. Lutouw, a huge development five kilometers from the Olifantsrivier mouth sells grapes to top producers such as Vergelegen, Kleine Zalze, KWV and Distell, to mention just a few. This enterprising agricultural endeavour produces onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and, most importantly, grapes in an impressive operation consisting of 300 ha of irrigated land that was previously used for livestock. The prevailing south south-western wind enters the river mouth and cools the vineyards along the bends, while a big irrigation dam of eight hectares also influences the cooler micro-climate. At just two metres above sea level at certain spots, these vines are the lowest in the country. The age of the vines varies between one and six years, showing that these grapes are already in demand, even before most of the vines have reached their full potential and capacity. One should, however, ask the question whether the South African Sauvignon Blanc boom is going to reach a peak, and if that happens, we might be repeating a cycle of getting the white: red ratio wrong by reacting too aggressively to market trends. An article by influential British wine writer, Anthony Rose, in The Independent luckily suggests otherwise. Rose stated that South African Sauvignon is starting to rival New Zealand for quality, referring to Quoin Rock’s Nicobar and Iona Elgin Sauvignon Blanc (both from new coastal vineyards) as prime examples – and confirming that we seem be on the right coastal track.
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