The Gold medal for the rich and complex Elgin Vintners Sauvignon Blanc 2019 was one of just 134 awarded in the 1,100 entries from 24 countries, and one of just 12 awarded to South African Sauvignon Blanc.
Elgin Vintners winemaker and business manager Marinda Kruger-Claassen said that receiving this accolade for her maiden vintage for the winery was “a huge testament to the purity of flavour produced in the unique cool climate of Elgin, and our philosophy of minimal intervention, maximum care in the cellar that results in wines with distinctive character and a true sense of place”.
“We are thrilled with this global recognition for the quality of our wines, and that Marinda has brought home this award in her first vintage for Elgin Vintners. It’s a reflection of both the quality of grapes from our unique Elgin terroir and of the careful attention that went into the making of the wine,” said Elgin Vintners director James Rawbone-Viljoen.
South Africa was in the top 5 of countries awarded medals in the 2020 competition, and Kruger-Claassen said it was an honour for a Sauvignon Blanc from one of the country’s smallest wine-making areas to be recognised in global company.
Elgin Vintners Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a distinctive wine with concentrated tropical fruit flavours and aromas, balanced with a steely core and a flinty finish, powerful on release and expected to age into added complexity, as is typical for cool Elgin sauvignons.
The wine is available at cellar door and the Elgin Vintners online shop for R108 per bottle, as well as in retailers and specialist wine shops nationwide.
Focused solely on Sauvignon Blanc, the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon is judged on blind tasting by a panel of 75 international experts from the wine trade and is unique in its opportunity to compare Sauvignon Blancs from around the world.