Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker’s Notes

“Sauvignon blanc has shown itself to be an enduringly popular and interesting variety in South Africa and has the ability, when planted in judiciously selected sites, to produce wines of class and finesse. What is so intriguing about this variety is that it is also very much a viticulturist’s grape, where attention to detail in the vineyard is an absolute prerequisite and cornerstone to the production of quality wines. I believe cool climate, alchemy-free Sauvignon blanc has an exciting future on the South African wine scene and I very much want to be part of that.”

Vintage Review

Each vintage we are dealt a different climatic hand, one of the reasons why every new season is so eagerly anticipated on Ataraxia. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes for Harvest 2018 were picked on the 26th and 27th February, almost two weeks later than the previous vintage.
Despite the extraordinarily dry conditions that prevailed for most of the growing season, temperatures remained temperate during the final months leading up to harvest. The smaller berries that resulted from these dry conditions have produced a wine with substantially
concentrated and satisfying fruit flavours.

Hand-picked and then triaged over a sorting table, all our fruit was safely in the cellar by mid-morning on each picking day, guaranteeing that the exciting fruit flavours of the grape were preserved and are reflected in this wine.

Food Pairing

Minerally Sauvignon Blancs such as Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé and other cool climate Sauvignon Blancs from e.g. Tasmania
This is the style I’d choose with simple, barely seasoned ingredients such as raw and lightly cooked shellfish like oysters and shell-on prawns, fresh crab and simply grilled fish such as sea bass, especially with olive oil. They also work well with dishes that contain raw or barely cooked tomato such as gazpacho, tomato consommé or tomato vinaigrettes and young goats’ cheeses – or salads that contain goats cheese. Also good with Japanese dishes such as sushi and sashimi, seafood-based steamed and fried dim sum and smoked salmon, particularly if the smoke is delicate. And air-dried ham, oddly.