Southern Right Sauvignon blanc 2012 has just been bottled after three months on the fine lees and is now available.
Over its 18 years, Southern Right Sauvignon blanc has become the best selling wine made in the cool, maritime Walker Bay wine district near the seaside resort town of Hermanus, and one of the very best selling South African Sauvignon blancs in its price category.
Selling primarily in South Africa, but also in nearly 30 countries worldwide, Southern Right Sauvignon blanc has made a name for having a style between the extremes of full, intense, pungent, pyrazine driven New Zealand Sauvignon blanc and tight, more aromatically restrained, mineral, Loire Sauvignon blanc – with, if anything, a leaning towards the Loire.
An enormous effort is place into achieving complexity, minerality, length, palate coverage and age-worthiness in Southern Right Sauvignon blanc – without relying on high alcohol (and its inevitable - often “hot” - sweetness) or residual sugar for palate weight. Aside from the natural cool, maritime climatic benefits the grapes enjoy, the following are seek for or use:
1. Picking at ripeness levels from 12% alcohol to 13.5% alcohol aiming for the final wine to come in close to 13% alcohol, thereby avoiding the sense of sweetness higher levels can give.
2. Using 5 different clones of Sauvignon blanc – each with their own characteristics – to build complexity.
3. Growing grapes in 17 different vineyard parcels to build further complexity. Each is separately vinified as appropriate to the parcel. All parcels are blended together for the final single wine.
4. Blending Sandstone soil grown Sauvignon blanc with Clay-rich soil grown Sauvignon blanc for a more complete wine.
This is something we researched for many years prior to implementation in 2008. Sandstone grown Sauvignon blanc is more edgy, tense and aromatic, Clay-grown Sauvignon blanc is denser on the mid palate, more “thiols” than “pyrazines” and has greater structural length and age-worthiness.
5. Using a range of yeasts. Yeast which emphasizes aromatics, yeast with generates glycerol and mouthfeel at lower alcohol, and yeast which is endemic to our vineyard. Each adds a nuance to the final blend.
The 2012 displays particularly lifted fruit, with a lovely neutral viscosity to coat the tight, vibrant mineral core.
The finish is characteristically dry. The wine is complex and persistent – a little richer than the 2011. As for all Southern Right Sauvignon blanc, there is an appealing marine pool, sea saltiness to the wine.
Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2012 analysis are as follows: Alcohol 13.2%, Acid 7.2, pH 3.13.
The appellations of the grapes are as follows: Hemel-en-Aarde Valley 42.4%, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley 7.9%, other Walker Bay, 49.7%.
Soil types are as follows: Light structured Table Mountain Sandstone derived soils 69%, clay-rich Bokkeveld Shale derived soils 31%.
Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc is particularly proud of the numerous prestigious restaurant listings from around the world – both by the bottle and by the glass.
Each bottle carries the message of Walker Bay Southern Right whale watching attractions to the world, through their annual Conservation Award and their annual (sadly modest due to the small scale of the business!) donations for conservation efforts in the Walker Bay area, Southern Right proudly play a part in maintaining Hermanus as one of the country’s prime eco-tourist destinations.
