Fryer's Cove - Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022

The Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are located 500m from the ice cold Atlantic along the Cape West Coast. Planted in Hutton-type soil layered with limestone which extends deep into the earth. Bamboes Bay is South Africa's smallest demarcated wine ward.

The winemaking process at Fryer's Cove is, in true West Coast style, very simple with minimal intervention and interference.

The grapes are gently destemmed and then pressed, with only the finest free-run juice making it's way into the Bamboes Bay wines.

Settling occurs overnight with a small amount of settling enzymes.

The juice is then racked and inoculated with yeast, to begin fermentation.

After fermentation, the wines is left to age on its lees to further broaden mouth-feel and texture.

On colour

Fryer’s Cove Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022 would show a pale lemon to light straw colour with a distinct green tinge, signalling youth, high acidity and cool coastal origins. The clarity and brightness in the glass would suggest a precise, unoaked style with some lees work for texture rather than heaviness.

On the nose

The nose would be pronounced and vividly maritime, opening with lime, grapefruit zest and lemon peel over passion fruit, gooseberry and green melon. Layers of sea spray, kelp and fresh seaweed, together with nettle and cape fynbos herbs, would give a distinctly Atlantic, saline lift to the intense fruit.

On the palate

On the palate the wine should be dry, light to medium-bodied and energetic, with high, piercing acidity driving flavours of lime juice, grapefruit, passion fruit and gooseberry. A fine, slightly creamy lees texture would sit beneath, but the defining impression would be a long, linear, salty-mineral finish, evoking crushed shells, sea breeze and wet stone.

On the whole

A racy, sea‑sprayed coastal Sauvignon Blanc, combining electric citrus and tropical fruit with briny mineral depth and a long, saline, Atlantic finish.