THE MOST highly rated Sauvignon Blanc, the most highly rated white wine and one of the three most highly rated wines overall in the 2025 edition of Platter's South African Wine Guide: the 2023 vintage of Diemersdal Wild Horseshoe, WO Durbanville. This after 5 Star ratings in the guide for the 2022 and 2021 vintages of this, one of eight wines made from Sauvignon Blanc on the Louw family's farm north of most other estates in Durbanville and within sight of Cape Town's Table Mountain.
Named after the horseshoes found in vineyards where for decades horse-drawn ploughs were used before the arrival of tractors, this wine is surely on course to match the good track records of Diemersdal's other top Sauvignons, namely The Journal, the Reserve, Eight Rows and Winter Ferment.
DIEMERSDAL WILD HORSESHOE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023
WO Durbanville. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Decomposed granite soils with high clay content. Dryland vineyards (unirrigated). Grapes hand-harvested, destemmed and crushed. 96 hours skin contact. Free-run juice transferred from tank to used 500L French oak barrels. Wild fermentation, and thereafter the wine was left in contact with the lees (sediment) for 11 months, stirred once a week, bottled unfiltered (some sediment may develop over time).
Alc 13.7 | RS 1.8 | TA 6.0 | pH 3.4
From Angela Lloyd's Tasting Notes for the Platter's Guide: Earth-toned lemongrass and peach fruit, steely core, complemented by biscuit richness, creamy texture.
Winemaker's Tasting Notes: A bold, leesy, spicy, concentrated wine that shows a touch of oak, flavours of quince and tropical fruit, some grape tannins and a smoky flourish. Intriguing.
Food Pairing Suggestions: Full-flavoured seafood dishes, creamy soup, spicy pan-fried fish.
R280pb ex-cellar.
