Top 5 for #SauvignonBlancDay 2021

A much anticipated day of year for many wine lovers - today & the whole weekend, #SauvignonBlanc will be flowing in many households. So I thought I'd let you know what #SauvignonBlanc I'll be sipping on over the next few days - each deserve a special mention. (In no particular order...)

1. La Motte - 2021

In all honesty - a go to wine for me. You will ALWAYS find this in my house. (And this is the brand new vintage, which was only harvested in February 2021!) As you swirl your glass - a light straw colour, with glints of green & an initial nose of fresh green apples & gooseberries. Intense tropical flavours of passionfruit & pineapple develop on the palate & end off with a clean lemony finish. Balanced with some good body & concentrated flavours that linger in a refreshing aftertaste. On it's own, or with food it's comes highly recommended. 

2. Robertson Winery - 2020

Last year's vintage, but easy to drink all year round - giving fresh with aromas of bell-peppers & green apples, followed by tropical fruits notes of mango & granadilla on the nose & palate. A gentle acidity giving it that zesty crispness on the finish. A very good wine to enjoy with seafood to complement those fresh salty flavours. (I'd recommend even snacking on some freshly oven baked asparagus whilst sipping on this bottle.)

3. Steenberg Rattlesnake - 2019

The newly released lightly wooded wine is multi-layered & gently textured. A rich & alluring mouthfeel from that touch of Oak & Concrete contact during fermentation. In the glass, a light golden hue as it swirls & aromas of fresh asparagus & Cape gooseberries with hints of lime. All following on the palate with a beautiful balance of acidity & minerality that lingers just long enough. Definitely erving this bottle alongside a creamy pasta. 

(See more about the Steenberg Rattlesnake 2019 #SauvignonBlanc here.)

4. Groote Post Seasalter - 2020

Take me back to the ocean! A beautiful fresh & crisp, zesty fruit-filled nose. Colours of light green & yellow bounce around in your glass between those accompanying flavours. On the palate, grapefruit & lime develop to add that touch of acidity, but then you have that smooth feel from a touch of Semillon that balances it all out. A cooling minerality that pulls through on the clean finish. It's in then name - served nicely chilled with a seafood feast.

(See more about the Groote Post Seasalter 2020 #SauvignonBlanc here.)

5. De Grendel Koetshuis - 2019

A complex & multidimensional pale straw colour wine that has a fresh & invigorating nose of melons & creamy pears. A vintage that follows a severe droughat during 2018 provided for concentrated flavours & allows for the wine to develop in the bottle & in your glass. (So it's a wine that you could keep for another 3-5 years before indulging.) Flavours on the nose, develop on the palate & a smooth finish & lingering aftertaste. Imagine this with fresh seafood salads & lighter meats accompanied by a creamy white wine sauce. 

#WineRoutingWithLloyd

Groote Post - MCC

I love bubbly! There is always bubbly in my house. So I was very excited when I got a lil present from Groote Post just ahead of it's release last year before the festive season. 

2020 was a super challenging year for everyone. However the team at Groote Post were excited to welcome something new to their portfolio; "especially when it is a wine that sparkles with promise," said Pentz. 

The Groote Post Brut MCC is a traditional 60/40 blend of Chardonnay, giving structure & Pinot Noir providing that fruity component. 

Elegantly fresh with a pale, yet vibrant gold hue in your glass. Topped off with a fine creamy mousse.

On the palate, that freshness pulls through with green apples & white pears. Finishing off with hints of fresh brioche. Nice & easy drinking with a lively mouthfeel that lingers just long enough. 

The perfect serve for any occasion, even if the occasion is having that bottle in your fridge. A #SaveSAWine must buy to add to your MCC collection.

Available from the cellar door or online here. Or at selected wine retailers.

Groote Post - 2020 Seasalter

So back in 2015, Groote Post; a historic West Coast farm, released a limited edition bottle of wine with great character. A 'blend' of their flagship Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon with a touch of oak. Little did they know just how popular this wine would become, & soon The Seasalter 2015, a West Coast Story in a Bottle was hit with winelovers. 

There honestly is just so much to love about this wine. From the look & the taste to the smell & memories that come with it.

The farm lies on the western coast, where a cooling icy breeze helps with the slow ripening of grapes, which allows grapes to develop even more intense characteristics - flavour, complexity & finesse. 

Grapes are handsorted, then crushed, adding 10 to 12 hours of skin contact. 20% of the Sauvignon Blanc is then fermented for 4 months in French Oak barrels, & the other 80% in stainless steel tanks. Then blended with a touch of Semillon to add a bit of structure & extra smoothness.

Lets just quickly talk out how beautiful this label is? It's definitely a colour that is going to stand out on any shelf. A pristine Turquoise that reflects that clear Atlantic Ocean water, contrasting against the clean white sandy beaches with seagulls hovering above. Plain & simple. Clean lines. To the point. Stunning! (So I like it. Big thumbs up there.)

When I opened this bottle, & with the first nose of the wine that I got, I was transported straight back to a cool & breezy morning on the beach. The smell of the ocean filling the space around me & the feel of the breeze on my skin. (I got goosebumps.) So a beautiful fresh & crisp zesty fruit nose with a slight hint at softness, that's the Semillon playing around right there. Another thing to love about this wine is that the smell sort of mimics the colour in the glass, or vice versa. If you think of fresh zesty fruit, you immediately think of light greens, yellows & even lime. Now combine all those colours & swirl your glass & you'll see them develop & bounce around between some light in your glass.  

When the flavours develop upon your first sip some of those zesty smells now develop on your tongue - with grapefruit & lime adding some acidity & again, you'll even taste that sea breeze! Remember that Semillon that was added? Well that adds a bit of a fuller mouth feel whilst balancing out the acidity. Some very nice minerality from that west coast cool-climate sauvignon blanc. All just coming together in a wonderful easy drinking wine with a clean finish. 

Since I can't be at the coast right now, I'm hoping that there's a bit of magic in a bottle that will somehow transport me down to the coast where I'll definitely be polishing off a bottle with a massive fresh seafood feast!