Saxenburg Private Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Officially proclaimed in 1693, Saxenburg is one of the oldest farms in South Africa. The Saxenburg homestead was built in 1701 and had uncommon features for the time. The stoep (veranda) covered only one-third of the façade, with a high flight of stairs leading up to it. The front door did not boast a fanlight, which was a common feature at the time and the gable was considered unique with its flowing, understated outline.

According to official records, the farm changed ownership 37 times between 1701 and 1989. During this time the Cape Colony saw the disintegration of the VOC, the British occupation and Anglo-Boer War as well as the events that established South Africa as a sovereign union and later a republic.

When Adrian and Birgit Bührer took ownership of Saxenburg in 1989, the farm was in dire need of rejuvenation. They traded their familiar surroundings of Switzerland for the, by then, dilapidated homestead in the Cape Winelands on the hills above Kuils River, between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. They and their team brought sweeping changes to the estate and, in 2016, Vincent and Fiona became the second generation to take up the reins of the business.

The soils on the farm are predominantly derived from granite, at various stages of decomposition, including smaller components of weathered Table Mountain sandstone. 2019 was a very good vintage for Sauvignon Blanc at Saxenburg. The grapes were healthy, and showed a very good natural acidity. The crop was smaller, but the flavours more intense. Grapes were harvested in cool conditions at optimum ripeness for maximum flavours.

Only healthy grapes in cool conditions were harvested. Skin contact for up to 24 hours, pressed, juice settled, clear juice fermented, with six different yeasts and three months lees contact for complexity. There was no malolactic fermentation, in order to retain acidity to balance the ripe fruit.