in the vineyard : Established in 1693, Fairview cellar - with its spectacular view of Table Mountain, lies on the south western slopes of Paarl at the Cape of Good Hope. Fairview was purchased by my grandfather in 1937 and I am the third generation of my family to make wine at the Fairview cellar. We have vineyards in the leading Coastal wine producing area, where geographic and climatic diversity allow us to craft a range of truly distinctive wines. In addition, Fairview is the country's leading producer of gourmet cheese.
Sauvignon Blanc was harvested from a number of vineyard sites in the Darling, Swartland and Stellenbosch areas. The 2008 harvest was a challenging, but ultimately a rewarding one. We had some unexpected rain during the harvest, which required extra work in the vineyard, clearing out leaves to air the canopy and prevent rot. Due to the weather, the Sauvignon Blanc harvest was later and stretched over three weeks. Cropping levels were higher and berries were larger. That being said, I think that the wine shows a lovely, subtle character with mineral and lime notes. We have used more fruit from our cool (but relatively young) Darling vineyards in the 2008 blend and this region continues to show promise for exceptional Sauvignon Blanc.
about the harvest: Harvest Dates:
Swartland: 6th February at 22° B
Stellenbosch: 8th February at 23.7° B
Darling: 15/02 at 21° B, 20/02 at 22.4° B, 21/02 at 23° B and 27/02 22° B
The various parcels of fruit were picked at between 21° and 23.7° balling, over a period of 3 weeks. All the Darling fruit was machine harvested at night (from 23h00) and the grapes arrived at the cellar at 15° celsius. The final blend comprises 72% Darling, 21% Swartland and 6% Stellenbosch grapes.
in the cellar : After harvesting the bunches were destalked, lightly crushed and pressed in a pneumatic press. Juice was settled and then fermented in stainless steel tanks at between 11° and 13° celsius. After fermentation the wine was left on its fine lees prior to blending and bottling.