2021 Elgin Sauvignon Blanc: An exceptional vintage
2021 Elgin Sauvignon Blanc
2021 Elgin Sauvignon Blanc
An exceptional vintage
'[The 2021 vintage] is the most exciting I have ever had at Iona.' – Werner Muller, Iona Winemaker
With a global resurgence of Sauvignon Blanc underway, there's no better place to start than SA's exceptional 2021 vintage. Where vineyards have been planted in the right place, better vineyard practices employed and exciting fermentation techniques and maturation vessels used, this variety offers so much enjoyment – especially after 5 – 8 years in bottle. You'd be hard-pressed to find wines under R200 that promise this much drinking pleasure half a decade on.
All vintages are not created equal and both the Iona Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc and the Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin Sauvignon Blanc confirm that 2021 is special! It's time that we take Sauvignon Blanc much more seriously and these emphatic examples will enter their prime around 2026 – 2029, while being capable of maturing for decades and beyond.
Our experience tasting wines for all the Prescient Winemag 10-Year Reports has highlighted the remarkable maturation capacity of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc blends. Further proof are the many older Sauvignons (and I mean 10, 15 or 25-year-old wines) we've tasted that were not only alive but delicious.
The Iona and Tokara are two such wines. Sourced from the Elgin Highlands, they both showcase the immense potential of the vintage. The 2021 Tokara has notes of restrained green fig and winter melon, leading to an especially long and perfumed finish, whilst the 2021 Iona has a wonderful array of white flowers and nectarine notes with a superbly driven finish.
