Waterkloof releases Sauvignon Blanc quartet

Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Owned by seasoned British wine importer and passionate wine enthusiast Paul Boutinot, Waterkloof celebrates the completion of its modern 500 ton gravitational cellar with its maiden harvest this year.

The Sauvignon blanc foursome comprises the flagship Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc, the Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc, Peacock Ridge, and the False Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

“The unique style of each of our Sauvignon Blancs is defined in part by the unique circumstances of soil, aspect and altitude. Although stylistically diverse, each of these wines carries a strong core of elegance and integrity along with our trademark, a great length, which follows gracefully through on the palate,” says winemaker Werner Engelbrecht who has been with the estate since inception and celebrated his first Waterkloof vintage in 2005.

As self-appointed 'guardian', Engelbrecht follows a strong traditional 'hands nearly off' winemaking approach and values the quality of these elevated vineyards as his primary focus. He describes Waterkloof as his ‘amphitheatre of Sauvignon blanc', with the location being heavily influenced by cool sea breezes and soil conditions, which allow for slow and longer ripening periods.

The estate stretches up to 300 metres above see level with the Hottentots-Holland and Helderberg Mountains as backdrop and descends to a mere four kilometres from the False Bay coast. This varying altitude differentiates the site-specific vineyard blocks from one another, each having a particular set of circumstances that shape the wines.

“I'm merely the selector and monitor of a time-honoured traditional winemaking process, relying on whole-bunch pressing and gravity in the cellar to ensure that the sense of place and quality of the best grapes is manifested in the bottle. In keeping with our unhurried winemaking philosophy, allowing the natural processes to run their course, we solely depend on natural, wild yeast fermentation for our wines,” explains Engelbrecht.

Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc 2008

The flagship of the range, the limited release 2008 vintage of the Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc epitomises the estate's goal of classical refinement, tasting unashamedly European in its lack of showiness. This wine emphasises restraint, elegance and a strong, steely mineral character due to the high altitude positioning of the select, site-specific vineyard blocks on the cooler, southern-facing slopes of the estate (almost 300 metres above sea level). Slow fermentation adds complexity and weight to the palate with leaf of blackcurrant and stone fruit flavours complementing the mineral quality, coaxing the palate with an impressive long finish.

Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Stemming from similar higher elevation vineyards on the south-facing slopes of the Schapenberg, Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc 2008 retains the steely elegance of the Waterkloof range but is more expressive in style. It shows refined minerality at the core, also exhibiting sophisticated complexity balanced with slivers of green pepper, asparagus and sea salt freshness.

“Fellow winemaker Neil Ellis once told me that a good Sauvignon Blanc is a nervous one. A wine that's tight, edgy and keeps you interested. Our Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc is just that,” says Engelbrecht.

Peacock Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2008

The Peacock Ridge wines are mainly produced from the lower, more protected slopes on the Waterkloof estate, home to a muster of wild peacock, and is rounder in character with greater generosity and more forward in style. Flashing its features in true peacock fashion, Peacock Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2008 is a crisp, elegant wine with a fleshier taste appeal. Showing great length, the wine's mineral core lifts the concentrated lime, lemon and white asparagus aromas and saturates the palate with a lingering aftertaste.

False Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Combining a new world and classic style of wine, the False Bay Sauvignon Blanc range reveals wines of real individuality at a more everyday price using grapes from Waterkloof as well as other contract vineyards. The grapes of the 2008 vintage were sourced from some of the best Stellenbosch, Durbanville and Waterkloof vineyards with the unique characters and quality of the particular sites captured in the wine, revealing cool-climate flavours interwoven with appealing peppery notes.

Recommended retail prices:

• Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc 2008 @ R150 per bottle (at the cellar, limited fine wine outlets and leading fine dining restaurants)
  
• Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc 2008 @ R89 per bottle
  
• Peacock Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2008 @ R65 per bottle
  
• False Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 @ R49.99 per bottle

As a strong follower of sustainable farming and non-interventionist practices, Waterkloof was awarded ‘Champion' status by the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) in May 2008. The estate has been a member of this partnership between the wine industry and the conservation sector since its inception and is planning to strengthen the focus on bio-dynamic farming practices even further.