Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc trio aces 2021 Tim Atkin SA Report: A dedicated focus on Sauvignon Blanc as a pure expression of Steenberg terroir spanning over 30 years, has been rewarded with international acclaim in Tim Atkin’s South Africa 2021 Special Report.
Steenberg Vineyards is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc offering diverse wines of great complexity and individual representations of the farm’s unique sense of place in the Constantia Valley.
All three expressions of Sauvignon Blanc – Steenberg The Black Swan Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Steenberg Rattlesnake Sauvignon Blanc 2019 and Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2020 – broke the venerable 90 point barrier this year.
Top scorer on 92/100 is The Black Swan 2020, Steenberg’s flagship Sauvignon Blanc crafted from the best vineyard block of the vintage. In his tasting notes, Atkin refers to the wine as ‘weighty’ despite being unwooded, describing it as ‘leesy, creamy and intense, with blackcurrant leaf acidity and a palate that combines grapefruit and mangetout flavours.’
Awarding a score of 91 points to the beautifully textured and lightly wooded Steenberg Rattlesnake Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Atkin refers the wine as ‘an intensely herbal Blanc Fumé style with well-integrated oak, pink grapefruit and cut grass flavours, racy acidity and the concentration to age further in bottle.’
‘Sappy and fresh’ is Atkin’s take on Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2020 scoring the wine 90 points. He describes it as intense, combining aromas of fresh herbs and green beans with gooseberry and cream soda notes. This zesty expression of a variety of vineyard blocks captures the full flavour spectrum of Steenberg’s cool climate terroir.
Since joining Steenberg Vineyards in June 2019, accomplished Cellarmaster Elunda Basson has set her sights on securing Steenberg’s rightful place as a producer of top tier Sauvignon Blanc.
“Our vines are rooted in lean soils which are excellent for Sauvignon Blanc as they naturally keep the yields low, concentrate the flavours and add a distinctive minerality to the wines. This incredible terroir and the unique micro climate of our cool, east facing slopes inspire us daily to create wines with a strong sense of place,” says Elunda.
Atkin, a British Master of Wine and accomplished commentator with extensive experience when it comes South African wines, also has high praise for Steenberg’s grande cuvée, Lady R 2016, awarding this elegant signature Cap Classique 93 points. He tasted 1 800 local wines for his 9th SA Special Report, which is highly regarded internationally as an independent assessment of the country’s wines.
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