About this WINE
Waterford Estate
Waterford Estate was established in 1998 with the intention of producing the very best wines in the country. The 120-hectare wine farm, nestled between the Simonsberg and Heldeberg mountain ranges, is a joint venture between Jeremy Ord and Kevin Arnold. Johannesburg-based Jeremy Ord made a fortune in information technology while Kevin Arnold established a reputation as one of South Africa's leading winemakers during his tenure at Rust en Vrede.
Kevin is now joined by the young and dynamic Mark le Roux (pictured). Mark started at Waterford working as an intern in the vineyards. Now as head winemaker, his involvement with the grapes and understanding of the specific plots on the farm is evident in the fresh, clean wines he is producing. The ripe and wonderfully balanced Chardonnay is much sought-after in South Africa and the Cabernet Sauvignon balances structure and ripeness.
Sauvignon Blanc
An important white grape in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley that has now found fame in New Zealand and now Chile. It thrives on the gravelly soils of Bordeaux and is blended with Sémillon to produce fresh, dry, crisp Bordeaux Blancs, as well as more prestigious Cru Classé White Graves.
It is also blended with Sémillon, though in lower proportions, to produce the great sweet wines of Sauternes. It performs well in the Loire Valley and particularly on the well-drained chalky soils found in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, where it produces bone dry, highly aromatic, racy wines, with grassy and sometimes smoky, gunflint-like nuances.
In New Zealand, Cloudy Bay in the 1980s began producing stunning Sauvignon Blanc wines with extraordinarily intense nettly, gooseberry, and asparagus fruit, that set Marlborough firmly on the world wine map. Today many producers are rivalling Cloudy Bay in terms of quality and Sauvignon Blanc is now New Zealand`s trademark grape.
It is now grown very successfully in Chile producing wines that are almost halfway between the Loire and New Zealand in terms of fruit character. After several false starts, many South African producers are now producing very good quality, rounded fruit-driven Sauvignon Blancs.
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Description
The 2015 Sauvignon Blanc comes from fruit sourced in Elgin, a selection of parcels, looking at what is Elgin Sauvignon Blanc. It undergoes a light skin contact. It has a very well defined bouquet with green apples and white peach scents, a touch of gooseberry developing with aeration. The palate has a twist of sour lemon on the entry, certainly a more austere take on the variety, with plenty of freshness and "zip" on the finish.
Neal Martin, The Wine Spectator. 30th November 2015.
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