WHAT to take away from Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Report on South African Sauvignon Blanc… For starters, editor Christian Eedes and fellow tasting panel members Roland Peens as well as James Pietersen of Cape Town merchant/cellarer Wine Cellar are among those who generally regard the Bordeaux-style blends and Wooded Sauvignons as generally superior to unwooded Sauvignon. “Whereas unwooded Sauvignon often succeeds on account of its primacy of flavour,” says Eedes, “the use of oak and the addition of Semillon as a blending component are both intended to add complexity, and it would seem that producers are largely successful in this regard.”

Of the country’s most-planted varieties, only Sauvignon and Pinotage are more widely planted than a decade ago. “Sauvignon Blanc is a huge success story.” Still, given that of the 115 wines submitted for review (only) 22 were blends and 28 wooded, perhaps they should have highlighted a Top 5 rather than a Top 10 in these categories. As it is, they awarded more than half the field in each case – no doubt including some wines scored less than 93/100, which equates to silver medal status rather than gold. (The scores of the Top 20 × 3 are being withheld until a prize-giving end-2020).

Some of the standout wines among Winemag’s Top 10s below are the 2020 Zevenwacht 7even, the 2019 Iona Wild Ferment and the 2019 Stark-Condé Round Mountain, all finalists in the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition, with the latter also a gold medal winner (95/100) at the Decanter World Wine Awards in the UK. And best value Sauvignon Blanc at under R100 a bottle: the Zevenwacht 7even 2020, as well as Rietvallei 2020, Mulderbosch 2019, Lanzerac 2019 and Bloemendal Waterlily 2019 – not all of them unwooded!

 

SAUVIGNON BLANC SEMILLON

Brunia 2018
R250pb ex-cellar, Stanford

Constantia Glen Two 2019
R290pb ex-cellar, Constantia

Delaire Graff Reserve 2018
R425pb ex-cellar, Helshoogte, Stellenbosch

Durbanville Hills Tangram 2019
R375pb ex-cellar, Durbanville

Flagstone Treaty Tree Reserve 2018
R145pb ex-cellar, Somerset West

Iona One Man Band 2017
R290pb ex-cellar, Elgin

Lanzerac Keldermeester Versameling Bergstroom 2017
R200pb ex-cellar, Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch

Shannon Capall Bán 2017
R295pb ex-cellar, Elgin

Tokara Director’s Reserve 2017
R280pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Vergelegen G.V.B 2018
R440pb ex-cellar, Somerset West

 

WOODED SAUVIGNON BLANC

Benguela Cove 2019
R170pb ex-cellar, Bot River

Cape Point Reserve 2019
R210pb ex-cellar, Noordhoek

DA Hanekom Klipmeer 2018
R185pb from producer, Durbanville

Giant Periwinkle Blanc Fumé 2019
R200pb ex-cellar outside Elim, Cape Agulhas

Groote Post Seasalter 2020
R151pb ex-cellar, Darling

Iona Wild Ferment 2019
R195pb ex-cellar, Elgin

Le Bonheur Blanc Fumé 2019
R200pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Le Bonheur Weather Blocks 2020
R100pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Mulderbosch 2019
R95pb ex-cellar, Polkadraai, Stellenbosch

Stark-Condé Round Mountain 2019
R125pb ex-cellar in Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch

 

UNWOODED SAUVIGNON BLANC

Bloemendal Waterlily 2019
R95pb ex-cellar, Durbanville

Cape Point Noordhoek 2019
R135pb ex-cellar, Noordhoek

Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve Cape Mist 2019
R160pb ex-cellar, Durbanville

Groote Post 2020
R103pb ex-cellar, Darling

Lanzerac 2019
R95pb ex-cellar in Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch

Paul Cluver 2019
R110pb ex-cellar, Elgin

Rietvallei 2020
R95pb ex-cellar, Robertson

Vergelegen 2020
R120pb ex-cellar, Somerset West

Wildeberg Terroirs 2019
R240pb ex-cellar, Franschhoek

Zevenwacht 7even 2020
R70pb ex-cellar in Kuils River outside Stellenbosch