THE purest expression of Steenberg’s terroir is the heart and soul of Steenberg The Black Swan which is honed by a dedicated focus on Sauvignon Blanc spanning more than 30 years at this prized Constantia wine estate.
Evolving out of Steenberg’s original Reserve Sauvignon Blanc first produced in 1997, Steenberg The Black Swan Sauvignon Blanc has grown in stature as a cool climate flagship wine, showing remarkable ageability and sense of place.
The new 2020 release, the maiden vintage of accomplished cellarmaster Elunda Basson, is a consummate manifestation of timeless elegance and craftsmanship. Allowing the terroir and fruit from the best vineyard blocks of the vintage to express themselves fully with minimal intervention in the cellar is the hallmark of this wine.
Since joining Steenberg Vineyards in June 2019, Basson has set her sights on securing Steenberg’s rightful place as a producer of top tier Sauvignon Blanc.
“It seems like just yesterday that I joined Steenberg Vineyards, and now we are releasing my first vintage of our flagship Sauvignon Blanc at this beautiful farm. For me, Sauvignon Blanc is the most challenging, but most rewarding variety to work with as it is so expressive of terroir, but also versatile in terms of fruit profile and style. This means that each vintage expresses its own uniqueness so evident in The Black Swan Sauvignon Blanc,” she says.
The signature of this fresh, yet full wine is the edgy acidity that enlivens the unctuous palate with refined composure from extended lees contact. Scents of nettle, elderflower and fynbos that divulge the wine’s Constantia roots are supported by a palate bursting with fresh lemon zest and subtle hints of stone fruit and asparagus. This is a great food wine that can go the distance for up to 20 years from vintage with careful cellaring in the true tradition of an exceptional cool climate Sauvignon Blanc.
“2020 was a very exciting first vintage with the season a bit warmer than average and showing a more expressive bouquet. The Black Swan Sauvignon Blanc 2020 shows the usual great acidity you would expect from a cool climate, but also a wonderful fullness and length which makes the wine rich and smooth,” says Basson.
“The Black Swan is a naked wine that showcases the best blocks on the farm for the season. We practise very little fancy footwork in the cellar other than extreme attention to detail to make sure we nurture and protect the true expression that is authentically Steenberg. The structure and chemical analysis of this wine is telling me that it is going to be a showstopper in a few months’ time and will age incredibly well in bottle over the next decade, something which I am excited to watch.”
Steenberg is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc offering a diversity of styles from a youthful and vivacious bubbly to a trio of elegant wines of great complexity, all individual representations of the farm’s unique terroir. Steenberg The Black Swan Sauvignon Blanc 2020 will be available at the end of May at a cellar door price of R240. For more information or online purchases, click here, or join the conversation by following @SteenbergWines on Twitter or @SteenbergFarm on Facebook and Instagram.
