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Safriel House is a family owned wine house that is founded upon a passion for, and working experience of South African vineyards and wine making.

We would love to share our story with you, so make sure you read about how we came into being, who we are and the story behind our labels.

 

Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Award Winner

Sauvignon Blanc
The winemaker of our highly rated Sauvignon Blanc is not shy for an opinion, his winemaking philosophy is “Every winemaker must have a philosophy of some kind, if we don’t, then we can just as well call ourselves food technicians according to mine." On searching for the best terroir: "Each component adds to the final product - pure, honest, awesome wines."


Wine regions

There is a basis for his opinions. He comes from a long line of farmers and winemakers in the Paarl/Perdeberg region (North of Stellenbosch). He cut his teeth as an assistant at Uva Mira, when the estate won Young Winemaker of the Year and then moved on to be the lead winemaker at Slaley before achieving the Cape Wine Master Certification and branching out on his own with a passion for finding the perfect combination of grapes and terroir. The seriousness leaves his face and he brightens up when he speaks of his favorite place – his home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Pringle Bay, surrounded by a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

The Vineyard

The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are hand harvested into small crates from a mountain vineyards on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in the renowned Stellenbosch appellation. The unirrigated vineyard is located 900ft above sea level facing South, the cooler slope in the Southern Hemisphere. The vines are grown as natural bush-vines, cooled by the breeze from the Atlantic Ocean less than a mile away and nourished by the African sun.

 

The WineSouth African White Wine

Once in the cellar, the wine was divided in three and placed in a 300 liter revolutionized oak barrel, 300 liter seasoned oak barrel and egg-shaped fermenter. The grapes were allowed to commence fermentation spontaneously. To enhance the natural flavors of the region, rather than adding commercially manufactured yeast, fermentation occurred using the grapes natural yeast (that thin film of white 'dust' found on the grapes) as every region has its own unique yeasts. After fermentation, the wine was left for 12 months on its primary fermentation lees and batonaged once a month for the first four months.
Technical details: ALC - 13.24% Vol; PH - 3.2; RS - 2.13g/l; TA - 5.1 g/l.


Tasting Notes

Barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc has a smoother and riper flavor profile compared with its tank fermented brethren. South Africa is the oldest of the 'New World’ regions and this wine reflects the harmony between Old World elegance and New World fruitiness. The combination of egg-shaped amphora and barrel fermentation provides a wealth of intense flavors including herbaceous notes, kiwi, lemongrass, lime, honeyed grapefruit, jasmine flowers and honeysuckle followed. Oak-aging adds hints of Crème Brûlée and lemon custard to the finish.
 

Food Pairings

Vinagrette salads, goat cheddar and nutty cheeses, roasted/grilled fish or chicken, veal picatta, recipes full of herbs, or made with citrus sauce (e.g. lemon chicken) and Japanese food.

According to WineFolly.com, "barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc is a rare specialty and definitely worth tasting". We couldn’t agree more.

Awards:
91 points - JS Wine Ratings
Gold Medal - Sommeliers Choice Awards of America 2020
100 points - Food Pairability, Sommeliers Choice Awards of America 2020

 

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Lynne

 

 

Lynne Safriel's says: "I wanted to design a Sauvignon Blanc that stood out from the crowd, to be enjoyed either with food or on its own. I love how it came together."

 

 

 

 

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