Downes Family Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2009

91 pts Wine Spectator - Racy, spicy, citrusy-grassy nuances of Sauvignon Blanc, with great acidity and a full-bodied texture.

Tasting Notes

The focus of this wine is based on a vineyard component arising from low yielding Table Mountain Sandstone soils. Using natural yeasts, Shannon Sauvignon Blanc expresses very distinctive and concentrated primary fruit aromas of asparagus, citrus, and some capsicum in a minerally and flinty style. The clay/shale soils however, provide the Sauvignon with flavours on the riper side of the fruit spectrum and with more structure for a broader palate. The blending in of naturally fermented Semillon, matured on the lees, provides a fuller mouth feel and adds to the complexity of the wine. This wine was vinified in a style that enhances the aging potential of Sauvignon Blanc.

Food Accompaniments

Goes well with delicatley flavored foods or slightly acidic dishes. It does well with grilled or sauteed foods as well as raw vegetables. Its crisp, straight forward flavour goes well with warm weather and casual meals.

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

91 pts Wine Spectator Magazine (JL)
A crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc from Shannon Vineyards (about $30 retail). It’s a new wine to me and I know little except that it’s from Elgin Valley, one of South Africa’s cooler coastal climates, and it’s delicious and perfect for such an occasion. 91 points, non-blind.
The Shannon bottling expressed all the racy, spicy, citrusy-grassy nuances of Sauvignon Blanc, with great acidity and a full-bodied texture that worked perfectly with the meaty, salty, briny oysters—once I shucked them. The extra smalls were extra tough to deal with, and I swore I wouldn’t order too many of them again. My arms ached the next day.

89 pts Wine Spectator Magazine(JM)
A very fresh, bracing, unadorned style, with brisk lime, chive, thyme and fleur de sel flavors. This is not big, but has good length and cut, stretching out nicely in the glass.

Winemaker Notes

The grapes are chilled to 3ºC. The bunches are sorted on a conveyor, destemmed and crushed. All transfers of grape must and juice in these early stages are attained using gravity. Selected parcels of the grapes undergo a period of skin contact, at 8ºC to encapture favourable skin flavours. After a gentle pressing, the juice left to settle for a period of 72 hours at 2ºC. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks continues at 12ºC until the wine is dry. The 15% blended Semillon is fermented on natural yeasts and matured for 3 months in 100% new French oak and bâtonnage (lees stirring) practised fortnightly.

Chemical Analysis

Price

SKU

Varietal

Alcohol:13%
pH: 3.29
Total Acid: 6gL
Residual Sugar: 2.5 gL

$29.99

8751

Sauvignon Blanc