The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc Report by Winemag.co.za has voted Benguela Cove Estate 2019 in the top 10 wooded wines. There were 115 entries in total and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a panel of three experts.

The Benguela Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2019 was also recognised recently in the UK wine writer Tim Atkin’s South Africa Special Report, published in September 2020, winning 93 points. Overall, the lagoon wine estate scored over 90 points out of 100 to win Medals of Excellence for all six of its entries, in the eighth annual report.

Nurtured on the vineyard’s south and west-facing slopes, with a shale and iron laterites soil, the Benguela Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2019 vintage is described as offering blackcurrant, citrus, peach and fynbos on the nose while the palate is full but balanced with a good core of fruit and bright acidity before a long, dry finish. 

The 11600 bottles of Estate Sauvignon Blanc produced is blend of 88% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Semillon; 45% is barrel fermented in 500-litre barrels, 25% new and 10% in amphorae before maturation lasting eight months.

 Most Sauvignon Blanc is fermented at relatively low temperatures in stainless steel, say the awards Winemag.co.za organisers, with the intention of preserving as much primary fruit as possible. Picking dates and winemaking have a huge influence on style, but the best examples provide a recognisable sense of place, too.