For this Saturday’s free “Try Before You Buy” tasting, we’ll be pouring a couple of value priced, highly rated Sauvignon Blancs from South Africa. The country counts Sauvignon Blanc as one of its most planted and revered white wine varietals, and the style is more reminiscent of the Loire Valley than that of New Zealand. Translated and generally speaking, South African Sauvignon Blanc tends to possess more green notes and less grapefruit and boisterous tropical fruit notes. Think gooseberry, lime, green or jalapeno pepper, herbs and crunchy textures.
You will try two of the best versions you can find for the money. The Excelsior estate is run by the fourth and fifth generations of the De Wet family, who also raise horses. Their 2012 Sauvignon Blanc is a great intro — super zesty and tangy, with gooseberry, lime and pepper notes and rated 89 points by Stephen Tanzer, who does a great job of covering South African wines. Next up, we’ll pour you the 2012 from Indaba, one of the all time great value brands of South Africa and the world. With lemon/lime, green fig and herbal undertones, this is another great rendition and another overachiever Sauvignon Blanc.
All tasting wines are 10% off by the bottle or 15% off if you buy six or more of them.