Winning Sauvignon Blanc wines shine in the Top 10 list
The winning wines in this year’s FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 list were announced at an awards ceremony hosted at De Meye wine estate in Muldersvlei, Stellenbosch, on Wednesday October 16.
This year the judging panel for this annual wine excellence competition, was tasked with selecting the Top 10 best Sauvignon Blanc wines out of 160 wines entered by 91 producers.
In a statement by Sauvignon Blanc South Africa, the winning wines were announced and, says the association, it included seven winners in the 2023 vintage category and six of the wines were wooded, making it an increasingly popular style among winning entries.
RJ Botha, chairman of Sauvignon Blanc SA, says: “Sauvignon Blanc is in an exciting phase, as showcased by the versatile styles from different areas in the Top 10. The six wooded winners show our winemakers’s craftsmanship in developing different elements of this noble grape, building texture, and adding layers.”
He praised the performance of the 2023 vintage, confirming the ageing potential of South African Sauvignon Blanc.
The Top 10 features five winners from the Coastal Region, four from the Cape South Coast, and one from the Breede River Valley.
A total of seven wards boast winners, representing six districts, with two winners each for Durbanville, Cape Agulhas, and Stellenbosch, and one each from Elgin, Sunday’s Glen, Walker Bay, and Scherpenheuvel in Worcester.
Two of the Top 10 wines are from wine estates in the Bolander’s distribution area, from the Stark-Condé wine estate in Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch, their winning wine, the Stark-Condé Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2023 made its mark, and from Zevenwacht wine estate, along the Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, the Zevenwacht Z Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2023 impressed the judges and scored a spot in the Top 10. Both styles are wooded.
Hagen Viljoen, Zevenwacht cellarmaster, expressed their absolute delight in achieving this prestigious placement. “We are ecstatic to once again be part of the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 and the achievement gives testimony to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“We are extremely proud of everyone involved and feel grateful to be included in this prestigious award. Congratulations to all the other winners.”
Their Top 10 featured contender, the Zevenwacht Z Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2023, is a wooded style, and forms part of their Z Collection flagship range and, says the estate, is made from a selection of their very best vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills.
In terms of what contributes to the wine’s quality and uniqueness he says: “The winemaking team strive for balance, complexity and depth in the wine and aim to give a true reflection our unique terroir with the emphasis on elegance and purity.”
Wine drinkers sampling this Top 10 featured wine can expect an indulgence of aromatics of passion fruit, blackcurrant and lemongrass on the nose and opens up to lime, nectarine and subtle spice.
A multi-layered experience on the palate awaits tasters. “On the palate the wine has layered complexity, with a generous mouthfeel and linear acidity that carries the wine forward to a lengthy, saline finish,” he says.
Suné de Lange from Stark-Condé wines expressed their satisfaction with results of the performance of their Stark-Condé Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2023 in this year’s competition. “We feel honoured to have our certified organic Sauvignon Blanc recognised on this level.”
This year’s judging panel consisted of Cape Wine Master Dr Winifred Bowman; Johann Fourie, head winemaker at Benguela Cove Lagoon wine estate; Dr Carien Coetzee, oenologist at Basic Wine; Morgan Steyn, winemaker at De Grendel Wines; and Mahalia Kotjane, owner-winemaker of Three Quarter Wines.
The panel also included two protégé judges: Kelsey Nel, winemaker at Hartenberg wine Estate, and Anke van Zyl, an intern at Neil Ellis wines.
For the complete list of this year’s Top 10, visit sauvignonblanc.com
Wine enthusiasts can download the Top 10 booklet with tasting notes for free at download at https://sauvignonblanc.com/
