Country : South Africa
Region : Elgin
Style : White Wine
Grape : Sauvignon Blanc
Volume : 750 ml
Alcohol : 12.5%
Tasting Note:
Like all good Elgin Sauvignon Blanc's, this is as aromatic as a South African Sauvignon Blanc can get. Aromas of kiwi fruit, lime, sliced apple and pineapple abound on a rich palate balanced with firm grassy notes with a hint of asparagus. Altogether, this makes for a hugely pleasing Sauvignon Blanc entirely true to the sense of place.
Food Pairing:
Freshly cut grass, hints of asparagus and sliced red apple flavors make this the perfect match for sea bass grilled on the braai.
Further Information:
The Cloudscape wines come from specially selected vineyards on sunny hillsides, where cool climate grapes thrive under a protective blanket of cloud which forms each afternoon as the cool Atlantic wind hits warm air rising over the mountain.
The Sauvignon Blanc comes from vineyards in Elgin, traditionally an apple growing region. The famously bowl-shaped topography of this maritime valley encourages self-regulating cooler temperature control – as the ground heats up, the valley sucks in cooler Atlantic air causing clouds to condense and form a protective cover from the sun. To beat the heat, Elgin Sauvignon Blanc is picked in the early morning hours and transported to the winery in chilled trucks. The grapes are placed in a chiller room before being gently crushed to maximize all that crunchy appeal. Finally, the wine is fermented and racked into steel before being gently filtered and bottled.
About The Winemakers:
RYNO BOOYSEN & JD ROSSOUW
Ryno Booysen
Born and bred in the central part of South Africa “amongst maize and sunflowers”, becoming a winemaker was one of the more least-likely careers for Ryno to follow. However, he always had an interest in wine:
My uncle was a winemaker and I’ve got great childhood memories of visiting wineries with my family… they didn’t let me take part in the tasting though!
Ryno studied Microbiology at university, before moving to the University of Stellenbosch to study viticulture and oenology (alongside JD Rossouw). After graduation, Ryno worked as a winemaker for Aan de Doorns, where he stayed until joining Boutinot in 2016.
The day Boutinot received the keys to Wildeberg was the day Ryno joined the team. “I arrived here, and everything was just bush and chaos”.
He is responsible for sourcing and making Boutinot wines from the Western Cape (Breedekloof, Worcester, Klein Karoo and Robertson regions), working alongside JD Rossouw.
My aim is to find wines that tell a story… wines that sum up and express what South Africa is all about…fresh, bright, diverse and open
Known as the ‘Cowboy’ at his previous job because of his inventiveness, winemaking for Ryno is about pushing boundaries, being creative and hands on. “The creativity of making something that people really enjoy is a huge driving force in being a winemaker.”
Pinning down a favourite grape varietal for Ryno is no mean feat! “I love working with Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot but also Cabernet because it’s not an easy cultivar to make. I love Chenin Blanc as well because it’s a cultivar that’s highly underrated in South Africa… but you can make really great Chenin Blancs”
JD Rossouw
JD was destined to be a winemaker even before he was born. Whilst pregnant, his mother helped with pressings and punch downs in their family winery, enriching JD’s forming senses with winery life. His earliest memories are of the “floral aromas in the winery while the fermentations were happening”. JD always wanted to be a winemaker and it all came so naturally whilst helping his father in their Paarl winery and studying winemaking at Stellenbosch University (alongside Ryno Booysen).
After finishing his studies, JD worked for 6 years as head winemaker for Boland cellars, followed by two and a half years at Franschoek Cellars in the same position. Now as part of the Boutinot family JD’s focus is to develop the Wildeberg farm, winery and barrel store.
Every winemaker's dream of starting from scratch, planting vines and building your own barrel store and winery… I’m truly privileged
He also sources and makes the Boutinot wines from South Africa’s Coastal Region (Swartland, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Darling areas). “I love creating wine. It’s challenging, especially with fluctuating prices, weather, quality and style that change every year …every year you start over and one day is different to the next”.
For JD, there’s no grey area in winemaking: it’s either black or it’s white, it’s right or it’s wrong. “You really need to focus on the small stuff in the vineyards through to the bottle because if you slip up on any part, the wine won’t be any good. For me, wine is made in the vineyards and I’m just there to guide it into the bottle with limited intervention, keeping it pure and not fake”.