Sublime South African Sauvignon Blanc
January 30, 2009
For those of you who read The Cru regularly - you will know that I am not very fond of Sauvignon Blanc.
And I’m still not - but the following wine was sublime - both myself and the Wine Thief concurred : it’s the best Sav Blanc we have had from South Africa thus far.
David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner 2008
A perfectly balanced, creamy concoction of zesty lime, shale, fresh cut grass and crisp acidity. In singularity the flavours are subtle, but collectively - their effect is truly spine tingling.
The grapes for this wine were sourced from a historical little place in the Overberg called Elim - which is ‘one of the most attractive and picturesque of the surviving old-time South African mission stations’. The village itself is a national monument and you’ll find one the last working water-mills of the Cape there.
Apparently the the meaning of the word Elim is ‘place of God’. (Don’t say I don’t educate. I do)
You know, given the subtle nature of this wine - the name and packaging is perfect and I love that.
Posted in White Wine, Wine Reviews
February 4th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Couldn’t agree more - the wine is utterly delicious, and should only get better still! The bar for Sauvignon Blanc at the moment is very high. You should also try the Ghost Corner Semillon - great stuff.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I agree. The Ghost Corner is absolutely gorgeous. There is another Sauvignon Blanc from Elim that is equally delicious from a farm called Strandveld Vineyards, and it is quite reasonably priced- well worth grabbing a bottle and trying it. Lots of mineral flintiness, green pepper and gooseberries, and it works incredibly well with many dishes (I have put it through it’s paces a bit in the kitchen!). I am also loving a little bit of bottle age on these cooler climate Sauvvies. I would like to see how both taste in a few years!